“Here’s to another 30 years. May they be as… successful as the first.”
Mark’s voice was soft and resigned. His previous comment, made solely to himself as he stared down at a grocery store cupcake, was a joke much like he felt his life had become. It was not like he was starving, or living out on the streets or even unemployed, but just the same he felt unfulfilled and alone.
Only two months ago he’d been a happy man. His marriage was not perfect but there was no reason to suspect it could not crawl out of its low anytime soon. At least that’s what he thought until he came home early from work one day and found Julie squealing in delight as his next door neighbor and supposed friend did things to her that he’d rather not dwell on right now. The divorce came soon after with no attempt to repair it on Julie’s part enough though he half way suggested counseling. In his heart though he knew it was not meant to be.
Now he found himself looking at the unadorned cupcake and almost crying. It was his birthday and while he could have had friends over, the pain was still too fresh in his mind. That didn’t mean however that he would fall entirely into self pity. “She didn’t take everything from me. I’m not down for the count yet.”
With a powerful desire to salvage what was left of his birthday night, Mark stood and walked into the kitchen of his 3 room apartment. It was a nice place, though soon he was going to move out. It had lost what appeal it first had to him.
Inside the kitchen he moved to the cupboard where he kept a few party supplies. In the far back of the top drawer he removed a single candle preserved inside a sealed sandwich bag. It was the one his mother used on his first 1 year birthday. It was a sentimental treasure he’d also used during his 10th and 20th parties. Even if he was all by himself he’d hold up tradition.
Soon he’d placed it in the center of the pre-made treat and lit the top. As the flame swayed back and forth he thought hard about what to wish for. He could think of many bad things he’d have happen to his ex-wife, but he wanted it to be something that he wanted and not a fulfillment of a vendetta. Thinking of how happy Julie had sounded and smiled in a sad way. “I wish I could do it over again… appreciate the sexual excitement while I was getting some.” He laughed, a genuine laugh, then blew out the candle.
Almost instantly there was an odd sound, like the pop of an old fashioned camera bulb and everything went white, almost like Mark was blacking out. Suddenly there was a laugh and not his this time. Blinking, he tried to get his bearings and realized with shock that he was in his bedroom on a chair by the door and Julie was sitting on the edge of his bed in a fire engine red nightie. He opened his mouth to say something but could not find the words.
“What’s the matter Brown Bear, you’ve done this a few times before, right?”
Julie’s voice was musical, happy and most definitely had a seductive tone to it. Mark struggled to say something and this time found his voice. “What are you doing here? How did I get in here?”
She looked at him a bit oddly, then laughed and got up from the bed. “It’s no use trying to get out of it now. We’re married and nervous or not you’re just going to have to do your manly duty.”
As the bombshell of a woman moved closer to him he could not help but admire her, no matter how confused he was. 5’7, bright red hair that matched the nightie, curves in all the right places and a face that looked like an angels. It struck him then that this was exactly what she looked like on their wedding night six years ago. And it was exactly. 2 years ago she had cut her self pretty severely on the hand while cooking. As she stopped right in front of him he noticed with alarm that the visible scar she’d gotten afterwards was totally gone.
“This can’t be happening, it’s not real.” Mark sounded slightly panicked but the obviously aroused woman in front of him did not seem to notice.
She winked and leaned down to whisper in his ear. “I know I’m too good to be true, but believe it or not, I’m all yours.”
Mark swallowed hard and on complete instinct, reached up and touched Julie’s shoulder to make sure she was real, then gently slipped the strap on her shoulder over her arm. The garment, which was not too tight to begin with, sagged down almost revealing her left breast, then with a seductive shimmy the other strap dropped and fell to her waist, leaving her topless. Not sure what was happening, but compelled to continue on, Mark stood, wrapped his arms around her back and halfway tackled her onto the bed.
She laughed in a gleeful way and pulled his undershirt up over his head, leaving him bare-cheasted. She pulled him closer, seeming to relish his weight on top of her. Mark felt her nipples harden against his chest and parts of his own anatomy did the same. She responded by wiggling out of his grip, slipping of her red satin panties and pulling his boxers down to his ankles.
With a physical dexterity that had always made sleeping with her an adventure, Julie pushed herself up with her arms and arched her back, putting her vagina at his eye level. She pushed herself the rest of the way up then and lowered herself onto his erection. “I love to feel you inside me.”
This may have been their wedding night but the two of them had had sex several times while dating, though in the last month of their engagement they abstained to make the honeymoon more special.
Overwhelmed with desire, Mark did not know how to respond. He cupped her sides and halfway helped her move up and down, the rest of the time running his hands all across the front of her body. Before long, both of them came and the next several hours were filled with quite a few repeat performances.
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Opening his eyes, Mark immediately saw Julie’s gentle face. The two were facing each other under the cover of the beds, but she was asleep now. Slowly he retreated from bed and snuck into the bathroom. When he had let the door quietly close all the way he turned on the light and stared into the mirror. Only a little shock grabbed the pit of his stomach as he gazed at an unmistakably younger face. 24 years old. He did not know how he knew, but somehow during the lovemaking session with Julie he figured it had to be the only explanation. “How did this happen? Things like this just can’t happen.”
He shook his head, then ran a hand though his light brown hair. It was definitely fuller, though that was mostly the only thing he noticed. For the most part his face just looked a bit less hard, more fresh. It was noticeable though. He thought back a few hours… well really, ahead a few years, and remembered the candle and the wish he’d made. “Am I really reliving my honeymoon night?”
“Mark, come back to bed, I miss you already.” His ex-wife… or wife… hell he didn’t know, actually sounded like she missed him. In the beginning she must really have loved him.
He wondered what to do now. With a slight shrug he did the only thing he could think to do and put his hand on the door to walk back into the bedroom when there was a pop.
And a flash and all of a sudden he was standing in a bathroom, but not the one he was in a moment ago. It took him a moment to get oriented but the first thing he noticed was all the steam. It fogged up the mirror he was facing as he brushed his teeth.