mf, romance

As they laughed and smiled and talked and let their hands brush gently
against each other when their gestures crossed the same space, I watched,
and thought, at least they aren't arguing, or particularly noisy. It could
be much worse, of course: it could be a crying baby in the seat in front of
me, or someone getting progressively more ill, but all of the babies on the
plane were surprisingly quiet and happy, and the young couple in front of me
made a pleasant diversion. I smiled, and returned to my laptop and its
unanswered email....

As they looked out the window at the snow-covered mountains, she leaned over
him to get a better look, and kissed him as she moved back to her seat. It
was nice to see a couple so affectionate; the world would be a better place
if more people were that happy and unashamed about their love. I returned to
my editor, and began to write about the conference....

The glimpses I could see of them as they leaned towards each other and met
in the space between the seats grew more and more distracting. Their kisses
became more passionate, but still discreet, and I could swear I saw his
tongue brush gently against her earlobe as they moved apart again. I stared
a while, then remembered my correspondence....

Deep into an exposition of the proper use of Windows NT threads, I looked up
when the seat backs in front of me moved in unison into the reclined
position. From any other vantage point on the plane, it would appear that
the couple were continuing their easy intimacy, her long blond hair resting
softly on his shoulder, his arms holding her comfortingly. Only from my
position, looking, as I could not help but do, through the space between his
seat and hers, could I see the shape of his hand moving slowly beneath her
warm, dark green sweater. Only I knew the real reason for her lovely smile,
and for the sparkle in her eyes as she looked up at him with such adoration.

The armrest between them came slowly up, blocking most of my view as they
snuggled closer together. When the stewardess came by, they asked her for a
blanket, pretending to be cold. As the dark blue blanket covered them, I
could only see glimpses of the activity in front of me. Her emerald ring,
which moments before looked so nice with the color of her sweater, now
reflected a tiny bit of light through the space behind them they didn't
think to cover. I could see that her hand had reached towards his shirt,
then disappeared. As her arm moved lower, he drew in his breath sharply,
then exhaled more slowly, and his eyes narrowed just a little.

There followed a complicated movement I could not understand, until I
realized he had taken off her shoes with his feet, and was massaging her
soles between his lower legs. Somehow, this seemed to add an extra intensity
to her smile, the corners of her soft lips turning upwards a little more
tightly.

He turned a little, and his arm moved lower, towards her waist. I could hear
a soft snap, then a slow, metallic rasping sound. Through my narrow
viewport, I could see only a small portion of her face. As I admired the
soft curve of the bridge of her nose, I could see her nostrils suddenly
flare, and her lips part, and pull back, revealing her moist, pink tongue
pressed firmly against her lower front teeth.

As the slow, rhythmic motion under the blanket proceeded, I could see the
lines of her face getting harder, her breath coming faster. She pressed her
lips together tightly now, straining to remain silent. As she moved slightly
to follow the motion of her lover's hand under the blanket, I could see her
eyelids, nearly pressed shut, but fluttering open with each short breath she
drew. Only the whites of her eyes were visible.

Suddenly a flash of emerald caught the light through the small opening
behind their blanket shelter. The motion caused a little of the blanket to
fall open, and I could see her hand clenched tightly now around his free
arm, her fingernails digging into the skin of his wrist, but this only
seemed to encourage him, as he shifted towards her and down, and changed the
rhythm of his secret caresses. Her breath became quick and ragged, the soft
white skin of her face turned flush, her lips parted suddenly and the
slightest, wavering moan broke through the wall of silence she had, until
then, maintained perfectly.

As a final shudder moved through the back of her chair, I could see his arms
come up to hold her, and she rested her head once more on his shoulder. He
leaned over and kissed the top of her head, and from the warmth in his eyes,
I could see that nothing in the world could make him happier than pleasing
her so.

As they pressed the call button and asked the stewardess for some fruit
juice, I returned to my email, and found new meaning in I/O completion
ports....