Tall Drink of Water

A/N - Whenever I think of a title for a story and then what it'll be about, the one major decision is in which category the story should go. I generally avoid writing two stories in a row for the same category. The last story I wrote was for 'Romance' so I figured writing another story for the Mature category would be a good idea. I've had great feedback for previous entries, fingers crossed it'll be the same for this one too.

'Tall Drink of Water' - A man or woman that is tall, gorgeous, and super delicious. Like on a hot day, a tall drink of water is absolutely appealing. Old slang for a visually appealing man or woman. Fairly sure this is a term that most people who speak English will recognise.

Australian / British standard English. There is a good chance of reading the following: lots of profanity, characters drinking, typos, and bad grammar at times.

Proofreading and editing suggestions provided by OhDave1. Any mistakes are still mine.

Comments are appreciated as always.

Feedback by email is always welcome. Enjoy chatting with anyone who likes my work.

*****

Let's be honest, dating in the current day isn't all it's cracked up to be. Yes, millions and millions of people are meeting and falling in love every day. But if you're one of those souls who has difficulty meeting people in real life and you believe that using online dating and smartphone apps would be a suitable alternative, you quickly learn it can be nothing short of an awful experience.

Both men and women have expectations of what they want in a partner, but there is a real feeling of shallowness that comes with it nowadays. And the hoops that men are expected to leap through just to get anything, even when someone matches with you, almost beggars' belief at times. I'm not stupid, I'm aware any attractive woman is probably showered with attention by hundreds if not thousands of men, so standing out from the crowd is probably next to impossible.

And words on a screen and even a phone call probably isn't the best way to make that connection. I'm of the belief that you would only feel that spark when actually meeting in person, looking into their eyes as you talk, able to watch their body language to gauge their reaction to you, your looks, your personality, your beliefs and ideals.

The one thing I've found that's counted against me with all this online dating malarkey is my height. You might not believe me, but I'm going to be honest with many of you men out there. If your height doesn't start with six, it feels as if you are invisible to at least half if not more of the female population. She can be barely five foot herself, but so many are demanding their partner be six-something. And considering my own height of only five-seven, there is no way I could lie about my height as it would be quickly obvious when standing around other men that I'm nowhere near that height.

It can be rather disheartening when you converse with a woman either by message or even over a phone call and that question comes up. You read about some bitter men who immediately retort with 'Well, how much do you weigh?' I simply ask why my height would be so important as she is usually shorter than me anyway. I haven't actually heard an intelligent reply to it yet.

"So you're giving up and just going to be alone?" Mark asked me over beers one evening. He was one of my, if not my best mate. We'd known each other since we were in kindergarten. But he was the same age as me, twenty-five, but already happily married. He'd also won the genetic lottery.

"Nope. I'm not giving up. I think I just need to broaden my horizons slightly. I'm usually looking at partners either the same age or younger."

"Well, there's your first mistake, Alex," John stated with a smirk. I knew exactly why.

"I'm not turning gay, John."

"You're only twenty-five. I'm sure a big, strapping man out there..." I gave him a withering look that made him laugh. "Okay, okay, I'm only teasing."

"What are your thoughts?" Scott wondered, "I mean, we all know online dating sucks for most people. There are success stories, but you only need to pay attention to know it's mostly bullshit. Desperate guys and women seeking validation."

"Maybe I need to look for an older woman who doesn't feel as entitled? I mean, I know they'll still have expectations, but I have a feeling they'd look at more important details, such as if I am settled in life, do I have or have I met my ambitions, can I offer something more than just looks that will eventually fade anyway..."

"Remember Adam from school?" Mark asked. Suggesting I did somewhat vaguely, he added, "I know for a fact that he married his mother's best friend, who was around twenty years older than him. From what I hear about him, they married when he was only twenty and they're still happily married now. I think the one thing that helped not make it too awkward is that she was previously married but childless so he wasn't introduced to kids that might have been closer in age to him than she was."

"How did his parents react to that?" I wondered.

"They were fine with it because they genuinely love each other. He asked her out once he turned eighteen. She was probably cautious about dating him, but I've seen their photos. There's no missing how happy they are together."

"Any ideas on how to meet this older woman theory?" Scott asked.

"No idea except to either keep doing what I'm doing, or I do it the old-fashioned way."

Heading home a little later, Mark had noted I'd been growing increasingly despondent over the past few months. I'd dated around a little bit and had been in a relationship for a couple of years, long enough that we'd moved in together and we even discussed our future together in detail. Won't give you too many guesses to figure out how that ended. He ended up at the door to my rented townhouse the next day with two six-packs in his hands.

Sitting down together as we watched the Saturday afternoon football, we were sipping at our cans when he finally cleared his throat. "Would it bother you if I played matchmaker?" he finally asked.

"Well, not really. Why?"

"Thinking about what you were mentioning last night, you're more than aware my wife is five years older than me. That's nothing in the grand scheme of things when I'm twenty-five and she's only thirty..."

"You know someone or something?"

"I might know of a couple of women who you might be interested in. And being honest, Alex, you're a great guy and I'm not just saying that because you're my best friend, so I reckon they just might be interested in you in return. The only issue would be the age gap as I know they're both older than us by a larger margin."

"How do you know them?"

"One is a good friend of my mother. And I'll admit she's someone I nursed quite a little crush on when I was going through puberty. She had this air of sophistication and beauty about her that she knew worked on someone whose hormones were going crazy."

"And the other?"

"She's one of the managers at my office. It's a sad story that broke nearly everyone's heart when learning about it. She went through a horrific divorce around five years ago. Husband was pretty much a sex addict and banging anything with a pussy and a pulse. The real knife in the back was that he was fucking her sister and her best friend. When everything settled down, she found herself quite alone as the sister ended up pregnant, the husband amazingly stepped up to the plate and offered his support, and the parents didn't want to miss out on grandchildren when she divorced her husband, he married the sister, and everyone was basically forced to choose sides."

"Damn... Feel like I want to meet her just so I could hug her. Talk about brutally cold."

"Amazingly, she still somehow manages to find some joy in her life. She loves what she does for a living, but I don't miss the hours she puts in as she obviously has friends but no-one else. She completely cut her sister out of her life and from the little I know, barely talks to her parents. She doesn't communicate with them though I think her father reaches out from time to time. You'd have to ask her for more details."

"Would she be willing to date anyone, let alone me?"

"I don't know. There's just one more thing about her."

"What is it?"

"She's a tall drink of water, Alex. I mean, you're five-seven, right?"

"Yeah..."

"She's six-three."

"Wow! I don't think I've ever met a woman that tall!" I exclaimed, making us both chuckle. That was even taller than any of my friends.

"Yeah. She wears it well though. Just like some men are judged because they are considered short for a male as it's assumed we're all six-foot tall plus, I think we all know that some will judge a woman like her for being so tall."

"I have a feeling you're leading me somewhere here..."

"I'd actually suggest my mother's good friend first as that won't be anything serious. I'm just trying to get you laid with her as I know for a fact she's not looking to settle down. She'll milk you dry, cook you breakfast in the morning, then send you on your way..."

"And your co-worker?"

"Her name is Simone and she's thirty-eight."

"Age doesn't bother me at all."

"She's also very pretty, Alex. What I'd call a classic beauty. She carries herself with elegance and grace, a quiet dignity that kept her head high when her life was otherwise falling apart."

"Sounds like you like her too?"

"Everyone in the office likes her because, despite everything that happened to her, she still manages to come in every day smiling and friendly. Plenty of people would have been crushed completely by what happened and carried a chip on their shoulder for the rest of their lives."

"If I were to agree to this, how would you have us meet?"

"Mate, we do shit like that at a barbecue. You should know that by now. What would you prefer, just getting laid to start or would you like to meet Simone first?"

I gave it some thought, sipping at the can in my hand as the footy continued to play on the television. I finally replied, "Mark, I want to meet someone I could possibly see a future with. Having fun is all well and good, but even that can end with someone getting hurt."

My words earned a pat on the back. "I'll start talking to Simone, gauge her interest in possibly opening herself up to meeting another man. I know for a fact she hasn't been on a date since her divorce."

"Would she care about, you know, the fact I'd be considerably shorter?"

"I don't think she'd give a shit, mate. All she'd care about is that you're a good man at heart and won't hurt her in the end."

Mark headed home later that night, suggesting he'd start laying the groundwork for both women. His mother's good friend, Annie, would also be interested in meeting me, at least in his opinion, and though I would prefer to meet a woman and make that connection, I guess keeping my options open wouldn't be a bad idea.

Living alone in my townhouse didn't particularly bother me. Sure, it could be a little lonely at times, but my friends were near constant visitors, and once a week I'd go home for dinner with my parents and youngest sister, and another night I'd visit my younger sister, who was twenty-two and also living away from home. She'd stopped studying once she graduated from high school, getting her foot in the door regarding full-time employment at eighteen as she wanted out of home as soon as possible.

"Any luck on the dating front?" she asked on Thursday as we sat together at the small dining table near her kitchen. She lived in a small one-bedroom apartment, but she'd done a lot to make it feel warm and welcoming.

I snorted at first, earning a squeeze of my hand. She knew comments from my ex-girlfriend still stung after all this time, and constant rejection over something I couldn't control did batter the old ego and self-confidence. "No luck just yet but Mark... Well, he's talking about setting me up with one or two women... Older women..."

That made my sister giggle. "Well, considering what so many girls my age can be like..."

"I don't think guys around my age help themselves at times."

"True, but I know you're one of the good ones, Alex."

Squeezing her hand in return, I smiled before saying, "Well, I'm sure there is the right man out there for you, Alice."

"Spoken to Mum and Dad lately?"

"I was there for dinner as usual on Tuesday."

"Yeah, I gave it a miss as Mum won't leave me alone about being single. She's dying for grandchildren."

Groaning made us both chuckle. "Trust me, I get it in the ear as well. But what's on your mind?"

"Nothing bad, but I just get the feeling that Amy is desperate to get out of there too. I think they're smothering her in a way. She's always been the baby, and we both know they're a little overprotective of her. What doesn't help is that she does want to go to university, but unless she can find somewhere to live that's reasonably priced and not a dump, she's stuck there for another three years minimum."

I met her eyes and wondered if she was suggesting something. "Look, I might consider taking her in, but I don't live close to any campus, and potentially bringing a woman home if my little sister is there. Plus, I know she has no qualms about dating around, and don't particularly need to know or hear certain things regarding her."

"I told you when I lost my virginity, Alex," she reminded me.

"I remember. But all you did was smile and say that you'd made love with your boyfriend. No great details and all you were worried about was that you thought I'd be disappointed. He was your boyfriend for three years in high school. You loved each other. And it's good that you're still friends despite realising you'd grown apart but still had a solid foundation to have a friendship."

"And his new girlfriend is such a sweetheart too. I can't hate her just because she makes him happy."

"Does she worry about you?"

"Nope. She knows our history and the fact I have absolutely no feelings for him any longer."

We always enjoyed a long hug whenever we left each other's presence. Amy had never shown any real jealousy of how close I was to Alice as we made sure to dote on our little sister as much as possible. Hugging her tightly when leaving that night, she whispered words of love as always plus the hope that I would finally meet that one woman who'd made my life completely worthwhile.

Mark called me on Saturday morning, asking if I wanted to pop around his place later that afternoon for some drinks. He told me that it wasn't to introduce Simone, that would take some organisation, but his parents would be visiting, and he knew Annie well enough that he had invited her, a couple of other friends of his parents, in addition to a few friends of he and his wife, and maybe a neighbour or two.

"Nothing special," he insisted, "So you don't need to come dressed up and trying to impress. It's February and summer. Shorts and shirt, but for the love of all that is holy, do not wear socks and sandals."

"When the hell have I ever done that?"

"I need to mention it to any man as my father... Ugh..."

"I'll just wear some trainers like normal."

"Good man."

Being summer, it was the time for a thin t-shirt and shorts. I didn't have an extensive clothing collection. I wore a button-down shirt and trousers to work five days a week, a few clothes I'd wear around the house, I'd always wear my footy shirt when going to watch a game, and then there was my casual clothing. I enjoyed my music so many of my t-shirts were of my favourite bands, whether the sort I'd pick up at a concert, or I'd go online and buy one. The fact most of them were black was not good considering Australian summers in Sydney could be brutal regarding the heat and humidity.

I would never arrive empty-handed when attending a barbecue. Most of the time, food would be provided, but some people would bring their own meat if they had a particular taste for something. As a bloke, the unwritten rule was to arrive with grog. At minimum, you'd bring a couple of six-packs, a bottle or two of wine, but a real bloke would arrive with nothing short of a slab of good beer. Not the cat's piss that was sold for decades, but the good stuff that is now being brewed today.

Mark greeted me with the usual handshake, his wife, Cindy, greeting me warmly with a kiss on the cheek and a quick cuddle. After depositing a few of the bottles in an ice bucket, making sure I kept one to sip on, I was led outside, greeted by our other friends before I said hello to his parents. They'd known me for nearly as long as Mark had, so I was pretty much a son to them as much as Mark was to my parents.

Making my rounds, I met his neighbours before I sensed Annie was hovering nearby. I'd met her a couple of times over the years. I knew enough that she was around the same age as our parents so likely in her early to mid-forties. She had gorgeous blonde hair, still keeping it relatively long, and I didn't miss the fact she was watching me with some interest.

"I remember you, Alex," she stated once I was stepping in her direction, greeting me with an otherwise warm smile, "Still remember you as that awkward teenager like Mark was, smitten with his mother's friends."

"How have you been, Annie?" I asked, leaning up to kiss her cheek. Annie was around three inches taller than me in flat shoes, and she was in heels that afternoon, so stood even taller.

"Work keeps me busy as always, but I'm sure you don't want to hear about that."

"Try me. I can tell you about how riveting each day of my life is in the office as I peruse one spreadsheet after the other."

"Well, running my own business certainly has its advantages. The fact it's so successful that it can operate without me needing to micromanage is even better." Stepping closer, she smiled at me. "But let's discuss something else. How are you really doing, Alex?"

"I'm guessing Mark did mention something. I told him not to."

"He mentioned you would be here tonight and still single. And I'm going to be blunt. I'm more than aware of the crush you had on me when you were a teenager. Mark had a massive crush on Julie. Whenever I see him around her, I still see that awkward sixteen-year-old trying to impress her. Guess it's a good thing he met Cindy."

"I guess teenagers don't know the word subtle..."

"Consider me flattered at the time, Alex. The question I have is that I know you're single and Mark invited you here. Are you still interested in me?"

"Honestly? Absolutely, one hundred percent yes. But... I'm also aware... You know..."

Stepping closer, the caress of her soft hand on my cheek made my eyes close. "Never been married. Don't do long relationships. Yes, I'm sure you're more than aware of my life by now, Alex. What I do know about you is that the little bitch you were with broke your heart and there is that part of me which wants nothing more than to help mend it in some way."

"Not wasting any time here, Annie?"

"I'm forty-four years old, Alex. I don't tolerate and have no time for games whether it's in my personal or professional life. So I will be blunt with you, right here, right now. I want to put a smile on that handsome face of yours. Mark has told me that you've been a little down in the dumps about dating and everything. The problem is you're focusing on girls and not women. You need a woman right now."

"The age difference doesn't bother you?"

She snorted and we both chuckled. "I've been with men younger than you are, Alex. I love a virile young man warming my bed for a few weeks before I send him on his way, having learned more about pleasing a woman so he can then find someone perhaps more age-appropriate and give them the gift I gave them."