Fleeting Glimpse Read online

  FLEETING GLIMPSE

  By

  Mason McCloud

  This is a work of erotic fiction. All names and

  characters are a figment of the author’s

  imagination and any resemblance to actual

  persons, living or deceased, is coincidental.

  All of the characters featured in this

  work are over the age of 18 years old.

  © Mason McCloud 2017

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this work may be copied, reprinted

  or redistributed in any format,

  electronically or otherwise,

  without the advance permission of

  the author.

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  To contact the author please email:

  [email protected]

  FLEETING GLIMPSE

  Chapter 1

  Joshua Humphries was riddled with doubt.

  At the rehearsal for his wedding, he should be elated and content, proud that everything he had worked so hard to achieve was coming to fruition, but all that Josh could feel was an empty yearning. Awkward didn't begin to describe how he felt standing next to Sarah-Jane, listening to the vicar monotonously explaining the sequence of events for the following day's ceremony. His certainty, his assuredness, his myriad of plans for the future had all vanished in an instant the night before, demolished and destroyed by a fleeting glimpse of a figure on a train station platform.

  He had been exhausted, but glad to be heading home for the last time before the wedding and, equally as appealing, the much-anticipated honeymoon touring the USA. His colleagues at the office had arranged a boozy farewell, undoubtedly organised, in no small part, by his best friend at the law firm, the effervescent and irrepressibly optimistic, Kayla. It felt as though every member of staff came along, each bearing warm congratulations and many offering inappropriate suggestions for the honeymoon.

  Josh had finally escaped at a little before six, hurrying through the cold winter air to the station and collapsing gratefully into a window seat on his train just as it eased away. The hot breath of the assembled commuters had condensed upon the windows, making it virtually impossible to see much and, as the train pulled in to the first station on the journey, Josh rubbed his hand across the window to clear a small, albeit smudged, portal. As he did so, his gaze was drawn to a figure standing on the platform, his attention dominated by his phone rather than the approaching train.

  Although he knew it was medically impossible, Josh felt as if his heart had leapt out of his chest and lodged itself in his throat. His breath stuttered as he stared in shock at the red-headed man standing barely six feet, yet an entire universe, away. He was vaguely aware of the doors to the carriage closing and the train juddering into motion, and, as it pulled away, Josh strained to looked back, his heartbeat sputtering erratically as blue eyes met his for the merest fraction of a second.

  Blood roared in Josh's ears as he sat, bewildered, the noise in his head almost drowning out the announcement that the train was arriving at the next station. Stumbling to his feet, not caring that he was knocking other commuters with his briefcase, he dashed for the doors and ran to the footbridge that would take him to the other side of the platform.

  It felt like an age waiting for a train going in the opposite direction and, by the time he arrived back at the first station, almost half an hour had passed. Josh dashed along the full length of the platform, his eyes darting over every face, ignoring the looks of distaste and alarm from the other passengers. He covered the platform three times over, his heart sinking further with each pass, before finally accepting that his efforts were in vain.

  Josh slumped down on to an empty bench, silently arguing with himself about what or, more precisely, who he thought he had seen. It had been over five years since he had last set eyes upon that face, and it was quite possible that the man on the platform simply bore a resemblance to his unforgettable friend. Undoubtedly, they would have both have changed in the intervening years. He certainly had. Gone was the long, unruly mass of hair in favour of the more clean-cut image that was expected in legal circles.

  Hopeful that his reticence and subdued mood would be accepted by Sarah-Jane as nothing more than a bout of prenuptial nerves, Josh had made his excuses and headed for the study the instant he arrived home. He had always refused to dwell on the past, to live his life contemplating what ifs, to indulge himself in painful reminiscence and recollection, so it was with no little trepidation that he fired up his laptop, opened Facebook, and typed in a name that, up until that evening, he would have sworn had lost its power over him.

  Jamie Donahue.

  The last time Josh had seen Jamie, he felt as though his very soul was being knifed apart. From his room on the third floor of the halls of residence, Josh had watched the redhead being unceremoniously bundled into the back of his mother's car, his tear-stained face pressed hard against the window. The paralysis of grief had prevented him from dashing down to the car park and running fruitlessly after the retreating vehicle, to beat his fists on the bonnet and beg Mrs Donahue to reconsider…something Jamie had clearly not been inclined to do. The following morning, Josh had stripped the bed linen and snapped Jamie's toothbrush in two, ceremoniously placing it, with the scattering of other belongings that Jamie had left in his room, in the rubbish skip at the back of the building.

  According to Facebook, Jamie Donahue now worked in Manchester too, at a nearby hospital. Josh wasn't sure whether to be relieved or terrified at the revelation, but it definitely increased the probability that he hadn't been hallucinating earlier. Jamie's profile picture was all disarming smiles and piercing blue eyes, and the promise of…

  Josh shook his head. There could never be a promise of anything. That way lay madness and heartache, neither of which he needed or knew how to deal with. Letting out a breath he had been holding for too long, he closed the window and switched off the computer.

  Josh may have managed to pass off his perturbed state the night before as pre-wedding anxiety but that wasn't going to wash at the rehearsal. He was withdrawing into himself, and he knew that he had missed things that both Sarah-Jane and the Reverend had said during the proceedings. As they exited the church, Josh felt his wife to be grasp his arm and tug him into a secluded alcove.

  He had met Sarah-Jane at a party a few years earlier, Kayla having dragged him, almost kicking and screaming, to a 'fun' pub that he had been to neither before nor since. It wasn't often he could refuse his best friend, especially when Kayla had set her mind to it. He had been leaning against the bar, becoming increasingly aggravated by his apparent invisibility as far as the bar staff were concerned, when he first saw her. They had both shared an irritated sigh, Josh having caught the shorter woman's eye far easier than that of the 'fun' pub employees, and they had both chuckled ironically. Eventually armed with drinks, they had chatted amiably and, by the end of the night, Sarah-Jane's number was stored in his phone and they had arranged a date for the following week. Now, standing in front of her, in the church in which they were to be married the following day, Josh had no idea what to do or say.

  After shutting off the computer the previous evening, Josh had lingered in the study for a while. The glimpse of Jamie had thrown him off kilter much more than he would have expected. His life had moved on. He was a different person, a stronger individual now, and had worked hard to learn how to identify useful and productive emotions whilst locking the others securely away. Then, one simple glance had managed to blow the lid off the box and leave him drowning in a torrent of feelings that were anything but constructive.

  When he had finally clambered in
to bed that night he had felt a little better, snuggling in to Sarah-Jane's back and marvelling at the gushing warmth he felt when she registered his presence, even in her sleep. He had a peaceful night, but any semblance of tranquillity was shattered as soon as he woke the next morning and checked his phone.

  A notification flashed back at him.

  A Facebook friend request.

  From Jamie Donahue.

  The request had been sent late the previous evening, and had a message attached.

  Hi. This probably sounds really strange, but I am convinced I saw you on the train earlier tonight, so I thought I'd look you up. There's a Doctor Who convention in a couple of weeks at the G-Mex centre. Going?

  Missed you!

  Josh felt his breath hitch and his peace shatter. Glancing to the other side of the bed, he could see that Sarah-Jane was still deeply asleep. He slipped out of from under the covers and threw on some clothes before heading down to the kitchen and making himself a cup of tea. Sat at the breakfast bar, the nuclear finale to Jamie's message flashed, like a beacon, in his mind.

  Missed you.

  Over five years of regret and anguish reignited with two simple words.

  It had been bad enough the night before, but suddenly Jamie was threatening to be a very real presence in his life and no longer merely a ghost from the past. It should have been simple enough to deal with. Josh could just delete the friend request and go back to ignoring the past, but there was a significant part of him that didn't want to let go. That bewildered and wounded teenager that he once was had resurfaced. He wanted this. He wanted to meet Jamie and confront him, to find out why Jamie had never fought for him. Why he didn't love him enough. He wanted to hold Jamie and never let him go again.

  Josh was still sitting at the breakfast bar when Sarah-Jane arose some time later. Greeting her with a warm smile, he did his best to push his inner turmoil aside. They had an appointment. They needed to prepare for the most important day of their life.

  Now, two hours later, in the sanctity of the church, Sarah-Jane grasped his hands, her green eyes warm with compassion, and Josh's heart ached to see it. She took a long deep breath and sighed quietly.

  "Josh, what's the matter with you? Are you… are you having second thoughts?"

  He had only a moment to decide. Could he live with himself if he turned his back on the past? Should he endeavour to expel his memories of Jamie, and focus only on a future with Sarah-Jane, or was it time to confront them?

  He owed Sarah-Jane the truth. Every ounce of dignity he had within him screamed the same message over and over again. Anything else would do him no justice and would be unfair to the woman who had done him no wrong. Josh took a deep breath, doing his best to mentally prepare for a conversation of which he was entirely unsure of the outcome, and squeezed Sarah-Jane's fingers gently, before releasing them.

  "It's not… it's not second thoughts, exactly. Something…no, someone, from my past has resurfaced unexpectedly and, well, it's knocked me for six, I'm afraid."

  Sarah-Jane stared at him intently, her subtle nod indicating that he should continue.

  "You know…you know I rarely talk about the past. I've always found it easier to just move on, but, well…" Josh continued with a wry, humourless chuckle, "it seems as though that's coming back to bite me on the arse now." He drew a deep breath. "There's someone… a person who should have stayed in the past, where they belong, bothering me. I haven't even thought about him for years, not until yesterday, at least."

  "So, what changed yesterday?"

  "I saw him again."

  Sarah-Jane's eyebrows rose sharply, but she gave no other indication of surprise.

  "I was on the train on the way home last night, and I just saw him on the platform," Josh continued.

  Sarah-Jane grasped his arm and linked her own through the crook of his elbow, using the contact to guide Josh out in to the church yard.

  "Well, if that's all that's bothering you," she said, leaning her head on Josh's shoulder, "why don't you tell me all about him?"

  Chapter 2

  It had been the promise of devilment, of something forbidden, in Jamie's eyes that had first drawn Josh to him almost five and a half years ago. The Scottish youth had a smile that conveyed intrigue, sprinkled with the merest hint of danger, and it was an image that, once seen, Josh struggled to shake from his thoughts. It was, though, Jamie who had pursued their friendship in the early stages, his actions fuelled, in some ways at least, by a sense of embarrassment and regret at the circumstances under which they first met.

  "I am so, so sorry," Jamie blustered, placing his tray down on the counter and reaching across to the napkin dispenser. They had collided in the refectory queue, Josh stopping to reach up for a straw at exactly the same second that Jamie's attention had been distracted by a voice from behind him. The collateral damage of chocolate milkshake stains on the leg of Josh's pristine white jeans caused Jamie to giggle uncontrollably as he delicately dabbed the wetness with a paper tissue, Josh's accompanying harrumph doing little to dampen the redhead's apparent mirth.

  "Could have been worse," Jamie tittered, surveying the light brown mark that ran down the front of Josh's left leg. "It could have been on the back."

  **********

  That evening, as Josh sat reading emails on his phone in a quiet corner of the student union bar, a pint of lager appeared on the table in front of him. Startled, he looked up to see the redhead from earlier, contrite blue eyes and a sheepish grin instantly tempering Josh’s embryonic hostility.

  "Peace offering," Jamie declared, nodding towards the drink. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier."

  "You seemed to find it amusing enough at the time," Josh replied offhandedly.

  "I can't help it, I laugh when I'm nervous, or shocked," Jamie answered apologetically. "I wasn't actually laughing at you, I promise."

  He sounded sincere enough, Josh thought, noting the handsome youth's hopeful expression. His blue eyes peered earnestly into Josh's and he couldn't help being just slightly charmed by the gentle Scottish lilt to his voice. Josh’s demeanour instantly softened, and Jamie saw it, the grin that he gave Josh in return enough to melt the coldest of hearts.

  "I truly am sorry," Jamie continued, "and I promise I'll be more careful around you next time."

  "No worries, accidents happen." Josh couldn't believe just how easily he had given in.

  "Great then, I'll, erm, I'll see you around, yeah?"

  And see him around Josh certainly did. It felt like everywhere he looked, Jamie was there. On his way to the halls of residence bathrooms as Josh was returning after a shower, in the study booths of the library, in the recreation area and even in the city centre perusing the music shops on a Saturday afternoon, Jamie seemed to be a constant presence. It was most disconcerting.

  **********

  It was over a week before they actually spoke again, their uneasy encounter ironically occurring in exactly the same place as the first. They blinked awkwardly at each other, before Jamie smiled tentatively.

  "Hi," the redhead said nervously.

  "Hello," Josh replied tersely.

  There was a strained pause before Jamie let out a muffled laugh. "So… at least I didn't spill chocolate milkshake down you this time."

  "No," Josh smiled, his stance softening. "Do you make a habit of doing that?"

  "Doing what?"

  "Spilling drinks over people."

  "Oh God no," Jamie blushed, his freckles suddenly seeming more prominent than before. "I'm not a clumsy person normally." His eyes narrowed cheekily and he gave Josh a wry grin. "Perhaps it was fate." Josh gaped at him for a few moments, unsure of precisely how to respond, before the redhead saved him. "I'm Jamie." A hand was extended and Josh took it before he even thought about what he was doing.

  "Joshua. Joshua Humphries. But everyone calls me Josh."

  "Nice to meet you, Josh." Jamie squeezed his hand gently, and then released.

&nbsp
; "Likewise."

  Josh watched as the redhead flashed him a warm smile before paying for his drinks and walking away, shaking his head in an attempt to clear the confusing thoughts that had suddenly consumed him.

  Jamie.

  It was good to finally put a name to the face.

  **********

  Once they were formally introduced, it seemed that the ice had been broken. Several times a day Jamie would call out a cheerful greeting or give a quick wave, sometimes even stopping for a chat. The topics of conversation were usually banal and superficial, but it quickly became a feature of the day that Josh looked forward to.

  One Sunday afternoon, feeling distinctly lazy and disinclined to tackle the mountain of reading that that his coursework required, Josh opted to take advantage of the unseasonal sunshine and spend an hour or two in the nearby park, idly watching the world go by. He was almost at the door of the halls of residence when a familiar voice called out a greeting. Suppressing a momentary urge to ignore it, Josh decided that he wouldn't actually mind some company. Jamie was intriguing in all sorts of interesting ways, yet he still knew very little about him. Stopping in his tracks, he turned to see the redhead's cheerful expression, his decision instantly reinforced.