“Fetlife.” Sofia gazed at her computer screen and sighed. “I haven’t logged in here for so long,” she thought, “never dreamed I’d be back, and looking for events. But – it doesn’t look like anything is going on here. Oh, wait, up the road a bit – how far away is that? An hour, maybe. Oh, my. Looks like there’s a lot going on there.”

“Hey, Lori,” her message started, “See what you think about this…” she bit her lower lip as she copied the link, pasted, and hit send. “Here goes nothing…” she said aloud.

And Lori had responded enthusiastically – a night at a nearby dungeon was exactly what she had in mind. Apparently they were hosting a munch at a restaurant, followed by a play party.

“And, ” Lori messaged, “It looks like they have other events during the week – and something the next weekend too!! Wow! How cool is that?”

“Way cool,” Sofia replied, “way cool…”

The days passed slowly. Sofia was semi-retired, so she didn’t spend 40 or 50 hours a week busy, but she still had work to do, and meetings connected with her volunteer activities. She was clearing as much as her calendar as she could for the week Lori would be there, and getting more excited each day.

Occasionally, she spotted her neighbor. “The Wolf” she had named him, to help her remember that he was dangerous. A couple of times, they passed each other as she went out to walk, and once she ran into him at the grocery. They nodded, spoke a few words, and kept going. If she was a bit more aware of her body after seeing him, it didn’t mean a thing.

So the days passed slowly til suddenly it was Friday and she wondered where the time had gone. Lori’s plane got in at 3:00 and she was going to rent a car and drive down to Sofia’s place. It would just be a short trip from there to the place Lori would be staying for the week.

Sofia started watching for her old friend about 4:00, and it wasn’t long before she spotted her coming up the stairs. She threw open the door and ran out to greet her. They hugged the way women do when they’ve been close for years but haven’t seen each other in forever.

Sofia looked up from the hug to see The Wolf standing in his doorway watching them. She realized they had been blocking the path and quickly stepped back out of the way. He smiled, nodded to her.

Then Lori spotted him. “Oh!” she smiled, “I’m sorry. Didn’t even realize you were there. Old friends, you know how it is.”

He laughed, a warm laugh, Sofia thought, nothing weird or annoying, and she smiled.

“No problem,” he said, “I didn’t want to interrupt. But I’ll get out of your way now.” He walked toward the steps, politely adding, “Have a good one,” as he left.

Both the women watched him go. As he disappeared down the stairs, Lori turned to Sofia. “Wow,” she said in a loud whisper, “That’s one of your neighbors! Whew! He’s – kinda hot isn’t he?”

Sofia grinned, “Well, hmmm, he’s ok. If you like that type.”

Lori snorted, “Who wouldn’t like that type! Don’t even try to tell me you don’t. But, God, it’s good to see you!! You look great… Show me your condo, and then come look at where I’m staying, ok?”

“Yes, absolutely, come on in,” said Sofia, “Come check the place out, what would you like to drink? I’ve got some snacks ready too.”

The Wolf stood at the bottom of the stairs, grinning. He had just gone down to get his sunglasses out of the car, and could easily hear the conversation above him. “Cute,” he thought, shaking his head. He had noticed the dark haired one, his neighbor, several times since he’d moved in and wondered what her story was. He hadn’t seen any men coming or going, and, “Maybe she prefers women,” he thought with a shrug.