The usually annoying sound of her alarm clock was soothing and welcomed that morning. She woke from her slumber and felt the warmth of Eric’s body next to her. It was the first time they had spent the night together. They had recently started dating and were a perfect fit. They were both certain that they had found their soulmates in each other but, had never dared to tell one another. Her heart fluttered every time she thought of Eric. He was kind, thoughtful and he adored her. She was sure she was falling in love with him. And she hoped that he was falling in love with her.

Cindy stretched and rolled over to face Eric. “Morning, sleepyhead,” she smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“Mmm. Morning, beautiful,” Eric replied and pulled her naked body to him.

Cindy laughed and squeezed him back. “No time for fooling around. We’ll be late for work,” she teased him.

“Let’s call in sick and spend the day in bed. I’ve waited so long for this moment. What do you say, Cindy?” Eric mischievously asked her as he rolled on top of her.

Cindy loved his little boy charm. It was what attracted him to her. His eyes sparkled when he got excited, or talked about something he was passionate about.

“Eric, you know we can’t. It’ll look suspicious at the office if we both take the same day off. Besides, Friday’s are my busiest days. You can stay the weekend if you want. I’ll make it up to you,” Cindy coyly replied and reached for his hard cock.

She stroked him as she looked him in the eye and winked. Eric moaned and the soft feel of her hand on his cock. It twitched and grew to full erection beneath her fingers. He shifted his hips to line up his cock to her wet, throbbing pussy, and gently pumped his hips.

Cindy moaned when the hard heat of his cock brushed across her clit. She guided his swollen head to her opening and Eric sunk his full length, slowly inside her. Cindy wrapped her arms around his neck and spread her legs wide. Eric began thrusting ever so slowly in and out of Cindy.

“Fuck, Cindy,” Eric panted and moaned as he kissed her neck, “I can’t believe how good you feel on the inside. You’re going to drive me to insanity.”

Cindy moaned and met each of his gentle and deep thrust with her hips. “You feel so good inside me, Eric. I want to stay like this forever.”

Her words set him off. He filled her with his seed. Cindy came when his hot seed splashed inside her.

Eric slid out of her slowly, “You feel amazing around me. You are the most beautiful girl in the world.”

Cindy smiled at Eric and slapped his ass. “Shower time, mister smooth talker. I can’t be late for work today,” she laughed and kissed Eric on the lips.

They grabbed a coffee on the way to work. Eric kissed Cindy just before the elevator doors opened on her floor. Although they worked for the same company, they were on different floors of the building.

Cindy’s boss called to her as she passed her office, “Cindy, you got a minute?”

“Sure, Angela,” Cindy smiled.

“I’m teaming you up with the new head of compliance. We have a tight deadline to implement the new processing software. I want you to drop what you’re working on,” Angela informed Cindy.

“Sure. Who’s the new person?” Cindy cheerfully replied. Still thinking how wonderful it was to wake up in Eric’s arms and make love right out of slumber.

Angela smirked and replied, “Mr. Hottie. That’s what we all call him. He is abso-fucking-lutely gorgeous. You’ll meet him this morning.”

Cindy smiled and walked to her desk. “Don’t care how hot he is. I’m spending the weekend with Eric,” she thought to herself.

At ten o’clock, Angela called Cindy to her office. When Cindy entered Angela’s office, her heart stopped.

Angela smiled and introduced her to Antonio. “Cindy, this is Antonio. You’re new boss for the next while. Antonio, this is Cindy. She is my brightest and most reliable worker.”

Cindy swallowed hard. Her voice cracked when she said, “Hello, Antonio. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”

Antonio extended his hand, smiled and replied, “The pleasure is all mine, Cindy, I assure you. I also look forward to working with you. Angela speaks very highly of you.”

Cindy was mesmerized by his smile. Perfect, pearl white teeth flashed from in-between his thick, smooth lips. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. Tall, wide shoulders, slim, flat waist, and the most piercing black eyes, Cindy had ever gazed into. His hair was black as coal, wavy and combed back away from his face. His suit was perfectly tailored. And, he oozed confidence from every pour of his Adonis like body.

When she touched his hand, Cindy thought she felt a spark on her skin. Her pussy quivered and a chill shot up her spine. She couldn’t take her eyes off Antonio.

Angela’s voice snapped Cindy out of the fairy tale moment. “Okay, both of you get to work. The shareholders are counting on us to meet the deadline,” she smirked.

Before she knew it, it was noon. Eric had texted her to meet him for lunch.

“Do you mind if we have lunch at my desk, Cindy?” Antonio asked her.

“Music, his voice is like music,” Cindy thought to herself, smiled and replied, “Sure, not a problem. I’ll text my friend back and let them know I can’t meet them for lunch.”

Cindy felt a gut wrenching guilt as she spoke the words. She purposefully didn’t mention to Antonio that her friend was male, and, that they were dating. She couldn’t help herself, it was beyond her control. She was infatuated with the abso-fucking-lutely gorgeous, Antonio.

Five o’clock came incredibly quick for Cindy. She didn’t want to be away from Antonio.

“Well, I think we got off to a good start, Cindy. The deadline is very doable. What do you think?” Antonio smiled at her as he asked the question.

“Yes! With you in charge, it’ll be a breeze!” Cindy replied a little too enthusiastically.

Antonio laughed. Cindy swooned at how his eyes sparkled and his smile radiated.

“I am sure a lovely young lady like you has plans, and many boys that want to take you out on a Friday night. Or I would ask you to dinner and drinks,” Antonio flattered her.

Cindy blushed and replied, “Please. I’m turning twenty-five next month. I’m not that young anymore.”

Cindy received a text from Eric, asking if she was ready to leave work. She thought about telling him she had to work late and take Antonio up on his offer. But, decided not to.

“Maybe dinner some other time?” Cindy asked with a smile.

“I am a slave to you, Cindy. Yes, dinner whenever you wish,” he replied as he placed his hands over his heart.

Cindy melted at his words. Her legs wobbled as she stood up and made her way to meet Eric.

Cindy was distant and preoccupied the entire weekend. Eric noticed her odd behavior and had asked if everything was all right. She told him that she was stressed over the new project she had been assigned to. That it was nothing to worry about.

Weeks passed, Cindy became more distant towards Eric as her attraction to Antonio intensified. Eric sensed that something was terribly wrong. The ache that had settled in his heart was getting stronger. What he dreaded most finally manifested. Cindy asked to meet him, said that they needed to talk. She explained through tear filled eyes that she was falling in love with someone else. That she hadn’t been honest with him over the last weeks. The times that she told him she had to work late or work through lunch, she had spent with Antonio. That he had invited her to his chalet for a weekend and that she had accepted.

The ache in Eric’s heart was more than he could bear. His heart shattered.

“I’m sorry, Eric. I can’t help how I feel. You’ll always have a special place in my heart and I hope we can still be friends,” she explained through watery eyes, kissed Eric on the cheek and walked away.

Cindy’s heart shattered as she realized what she had just done.

Cindy’s weekend with Antonio was all she dreamed it would be. It started off filled with romance and intense love making. He was a wild stallion between her legs. He fucked her hard and rough. He made her cum with his cock, mouth, fingers and a wine bottle. She was exhausted and sore, and incredibly satisfied.

~

I spotted a sad looking young man at a table all by himself in the underground food court. I walked to him and asked if I could sit. There were no other seats available. He looked up at me and nodded, “Sure.”

“Thank you. I can’t believe how busy this place is. Don’t people know how bad the food is here?” I casually asked him.

He ignored the question and didn’t take his eyes off the food he hadn’t touched.

“You okay?” I asked.

“What? Yes, I’m fine,” he replied, making no attempt to hide that he was annoyed at my prying question.

“A girl?” I asked.

“What? Yes, a girl. I don’t want to talk about it,” he replied with a tight throat.

“Sorry to hear that. What’s her name?” I asked and took out a flask from my jacket pocket and offered it to him.

“What is that?” he asked as he took the flask and unscrewed the top.

“Whisky, the best thing for girl trouble,” I smiled and winked at him.

He took a sip and handed it back to me. “Sorry for being curt. The hurt is still fresh.”

“What’s her name?” I asked and took a sip of whisky.

“Her name is Cindy, the most beautiful girl in the entire world. I lost her to a smooth talking, smooth walking executive. Can’t blame her, I got nothing on him,” he answered with much pain in his voice.

“That’s it? It’s over?” I asked.

“What do you think? Do you see her with me?” the broken hearted young man snapped.

“What’s your name, young man?”

“Eric,” he replied.

“Do you believe it’s over just because she isn’t here?” I asked him.

“Of course it’s over. She made up her mind. She told me so.”

I remained silent and offered the flask back to Eric.

“What makes you such an expert on love?” he asked as he reached for the flask.

I chuckled and replied, “Two ex-wives and two girlfriends who happen to be royally pissed off at me at the moment. I’ve seen and done it all, Eric.”

He took a sip and laughed, “Misery loves company. Welcome to heartbreak hotel, my friend.”

“You got it all wrong, Eric. I’m not heartbroken. In fact, I’ve never been happier.”

“I call bullshit. You may be old, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hurt,” Eric sat up straight and took another sip from the flask.

“Old?” I laughed. “Fifty-five isn’t old. Not if you believe in the magic in words.”

Eric squinted and looked at me suspiciously, “How much whisky have you had to drink? Magic? You gotta be shitting me. That is downright stupid. What, you recite some incantation and make a girl fall back in love with you? I think you are stupid if you believe that.”

“Not magical words, magic in words. Big difference,” I smiled.

He studied my face and replied, “Nah, I still call bullshit on any type of magic. But, continue, I’m curious, old man.”

“Simple. Always tell the girl you love, what you want her to hear. Not what you think she wants to hear. Always be truthful, never lie to her or deceive her, no matter how much you think you’ll hurt her. Don’t be afraid to disagree, or compromise, or not to compromise. Don’t be afraid to tell her if she pisses you off either. A good woman will always understand. If you do all these things, you’ll have proved to her that she can be herself with you and do the same to you,” I replied to the very attentive Eric.

“Not impressed. That’s all very basic stuff. I didn’t feel any magic in your words,” Eric replied with disappointment.

“Did you do all the things with Cindy?” I calmly asked.

“Of course I did. A day didn’t go by that I wouldn’t tell her how beautiful she is,” he snapped back.

“That’s really what you wanted her to hear? Did you tell her why she was so beautiful to you?”

“Isn’t that enough?” he asked.

“Obviously not. Is Cindy sitting with you right now?”

“Fuck you! That’s cold, old man!” Eric snapped.

“It’s not cold. It’s the truth. Remember; always tell the girl you love, what you want her to hear. Not what she wants to hear. Unless, you just want to get her in bed and then toss her out the next morning.”

“But I love her. I know I’ll always love her. How could she not know that?” Eric whispered.

“You said that to Cindy?” I asked.

“Not exactly in those words, but yes, I did.”

“When?” I asked him.

He hesitated before her answered, “On the day she broke up with me.”

“Let me guess. She told you that you will always have a special place in her heart and that she hopes you can still be friends,” I snickered.

“Not funny,” Eric replied.

“Classic. The final death blow, the flaming dagger unceremoniously stabbed deep into the heart of love. I hate when they say that. It’s so unoriginal, unimaginative, uninspiring, and void of any magic. It’s as if they can’t wait to get away from you. They spew a few generic, un-heartfelt catch phrases at you and can’t wait to get as far away from you as possible.

My first wife told me that I was the biggest asshole on the planet and that she never wanted to see me again. She swore that she would never think of me again. Her words had magic in them. God I miss her. Can’t blame her, I fucked her best friend and she caught us in the act,” I chuckled.

“Magic? She tore you a new asshole and you think that’s magic? You are one weird old man,” Eric scoffed.

“Hey, magic can be used for good or evil. Just like love. Love is healing, kind, unselfish, and happy. It can make anyone into a better person. It also is destructive, cruel, selfish, and painful. It can turn any heart black and create monsters. Rob you of your life, while your heart still beats.”

“I’m with you on the painful part. It hurts, it hurts a lot,” Eric nodded his head as he replied.

“That’s it? You’re giving up on Cindy, the most beautiful girl in the world, just like that? Without a fight, without passion, without being a man? I am very disappointed in you, Eric. I think I might have wasted my words and whisky on you,” I grinned.

“Hey! Fuck you, old man! I was only being polite when I agreed to have you sit with me. I wanted to be alone. So fuck right off!” Eric shot back.

I remained silent and stared at him. Hoping he would realize what he had just confessed to me.

“What? Say something. Use your stupid magic and make all this better!” Eric replied to my silence.

I handed him the flask again. He stared at me a moment and took the flask. “I got it. But you’re still an asshole,” he smiled and took a sip.

“Say it, say the words, Eric,” I smiled.

“Fuck you,” he chuckled, “Alright, I will. You got me fair and square.” He begrudgingly continued, “Always tell the girl you love, what you want her to hear. Not what she wants to hear. Always be truthful, never lie to her or deceive her, no matter how much you think you’ll hurt her. Don’t be afraid to disagree, or compromise, or not to compromise. Don’t be afraid to tell her if she pisses you off either. A good woman will always understand. If you do all these things, you’ll have proved to her that she can be herself with you and do the same to you. There, you happy now, you stupid prick?” he chuckled.

“Yes, I am very happy now. There was magic in your words,” I laughed. “I have to leave, Eric. Next time we meet, I want to hear all about how you won Cindy back. Oh, and I want you to remember the word stupid. It’ll be very important in our next conversation.”

I got up and left young Eric to his thoughts.

~

Antonio and Cindy had packed and loaded his car. They were ready to drive back to the city.

“I can’t believe how fast this weekend flew by, Antonio. I wish we could stay here forever, just you and me,” Cindy pouted as she snuggled up to Antonio.

He pushed her back into her seat and said, “I’m driving, don’t distract me.” His words were unfamiliarly cold.

Cindy was shocked momentarily, but thought nothing of it. “Did you have a good time, Antonio?” she coyly asked.

“Yes, I did. You are a lot of fun in bed. I enjoyed popping your ass cherry,” he replied matter of fact.

Cindy could sense something had changed. She had agreed to let him fuck her ass because she thought he would enjoy it. He had hurt her and didn’t stop when she asked him to. He explained that he had gotten caught up in the moment. She believed him, but now wasn’t sure if had had been honest with her.

“When can we come up again? There’s a long weakened coming up in a few weeks,” Cindy felt foolish as she spoke.

“I don’t think so, Cindy. I got what I wanted from you. I hope you don’t believe that I could ever consider someone like you for a serious relationship?” he smirked as he stared at her.

Cindy’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Eric’s face appeared in her mind. How sad he looked when she had told him that she was falling in love with someone else. She blushed, her body began to shake. She felt ashamed and humiliated. Antonio had led her on, used her, and was tossing her out like yesterday’s garbage. She fought back tears and the sob that was building up in her throat. She remained silent for the entire three hour drive.

When they arrived at her building, Antonio popped the trunk, turned to her and said, “I hope this doesn’t affect our working relationship, Cindy. I would hate to have to ask Angela to replace you, because you are not up to the task. This project is very important, you might get fired.”

Cindy cringed at the smugness in his voice. Her eyes were closed, but she could picture the despicable look of arrogance in his eyes. He had used her like a cheap whore and now threatened her with her job, if she didn’t keep mouth shut. She got out of the car, grabbed her bags from the trunk and broke down crying when Antonio drove off. The blast of his horn made her jump with a start and sob louder.

When she was in her apartment, she jumped in the shower, curled up in a corner and cried as the hot water pelted over her naked body.

“Idiot! Stupid, stupid, stupid girl,” she quietly sobbed to herself. “I’m so sorry, Eric.”

How could she possibly go to work on Monday? How could she possibly be in the same office as Antonio, let alone work with him for the next few weeks? She thought about quitting her job, calling Angela and making up a lie so she didn’t have to see that prick ever again.

When Monday morning came, Cindy went to work. She needed her job. There was no way around avoiding Antonio. She had decided to be as brave as she could. If it grew to be too much for her, she would quit her job. She had no other alternative.

Antonio had emailed everyone working on the project that he would be working off site. Cindy sighed in relief. She was shaking inside and out at the thought of having to see him again.

~

I spotted a sad looking young lady at a table all by herself in the underground food court. I walked to her and asked if I could sit. There were no other seats available. She looked up at me and nodded, “Sure.”

“Thank you. I can’t believe how busy this place is. Don’t people know how bad the food is here?” I casually asked her.

She ignored the question, didn’t take her eyes off the food she hadn’t touched.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied and forced a smile.

“A boy?” I asked.

“Yes, a boy. And it’s all my fault,” she replied with a tight throat.

“Sorry to hear that. What’s his name?” I asked and took out a flask from my jacket pocket and offered it to her.

“What is that?” she asked as she took the flask and unscrewed the top.

“Whisky, the best thing for boy trouble,” I smiled and winked at her.

She took a sip and handed it back to me. “Thank you. I hope you’re right about the best thing for boy trouble.”

“What’s his name?” I asked and took a sip of whisky.

“His name is Eric, the kindest, most beautiful boy in the entire world. I realized too late that it was him I truly loved,” she fought back a sob as she answered.

“That’s it? It’s over?” I asked.

Her eyes welled up with tears. I offered her my monogrammed handkerchief.

She took it and wiped her tears. “Thank you. I’m sorry for blubbering in front of you,” she softly sobbed.

“Don’t be silly. I’ve worn a handkerchief in my jacket pocket for years and never once got the chance to offer it to a young lady in need. Life isn’t like the movies, is it?” I smiled at her.

She chuckled and sobbed in the same breath as she replied, “No, life is nothing like the movies. I’m Cindy. Thank you again.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Cindy. Do you believe it’s over just because Eric isn’t here?” I asked her.

“Of course it’s over. I ended it with him. I broke his heart, and I was too stupid to realize my heart broke the same instant as his did. Why does everything make sense, and why do we realize everything when it’s too late?” Cindy asked as she wiped a new tear off her cheek.

I remained silent for a moment and took a sip of whisky.

“Because, experience is the cruelest of teachers. It gives us the test first and the lesson after,” I replied.

Cindy looked up and asked, “Have you ever had your heart broken?”

I chuckled and replied, “I have two ex-wives and two girlfriends who broke up with me last week. I’m about ready to give up on love and true happiness, Cindy.”

She grabbed my hand and sighed, “I’m so sorry. But you can never give up on love. It’ll find you. You have to believe in the magic of love.”

I chuckled again, “Magic? I don’t believe in it. If it does exist, it’s doing its damnedest to stay clear of me. Someone told me that believing in magic is stupid, not that long ago.”

“No, don’t say that! They’re wrong! There is proof of magic everywhere, all the time. You have to open your heart to it, and take a chance,” she replied and squeezed my hand tighter.

“Maybe, just maybe, I’d might believe, if you weren’t so sad, Cindy. I mean, you found someone you claimed to be the one for you, your soulmate. Yet, you’ve given up all hope. You’ve stopped believing in the magic that you want me to believe in,” I replied and smiled at her.

“I’m a fool. Don’t make the same mistakes I made,” Cindy sobbed.

“Hmm, I’ll tell you what, I need proof. If you promise to at least try and talk to this Eric guy, I’ll try to believe in magic. This way, we both have a shot at happiness,” I grinned.

My words stirred something inside of Cindy. At that instant, she knew her love for Eric was true. If love does conquer all, maybe it could conquer the mess she had made. She handed me back my handkerchief.

“Keep it, Cindy. I have many of them,” I smiled.

She slipped my handkerchief in her purse without thinking, sat up straight and extended her hand, “Deal! Meet me here tomorrow and I’ll tell you how it went. I’m going to visit Eric tonight and ask him to forgive me. At least I’ll know if we were meant to be together.”

I purposefully hesitated, looked into her eyes and smiled. “Deal, I’ll be here tomorrow,” I agreed as I shook her hand.

~

Cindy knocked on Eric’s apartment door the same instant her cell phone rang. Eric walked to the door and opened it. He was dumbstruck to see Cindy standing there, staring at her phone.

He smiled and said, “It’s me calling. Answer your phone. You’ve broken my heart once, don’t break it again.”

Cindy broke down in tears, answered his call and sobbed, “I love you so much, Eric!” She jumped into his arms and sobbed “I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me? You’re the only boy I will ever love, Eric. I know that now.”

“I should apologize to you, Cindy. I never told you what I wanted you to hear. I was scared of losing you and said things to you that I thought you wanted to hear. You broke my heart. I thought I was going to die if I didn’t see you again. That’s why I called you, to ask if you wanted to talk things through. At least we’ll know if we can get past this and be together.”

Cindy sighed deep and sobbed, “Yes, I want to talk about us.”

Eric took a deep breath, held Cindy arm’s length away from him and said, “Okay. I’ve been practicing what I want to say to you. Phew! I’m so nervous.”

Cindy smiled, “Take your time. I’ll stand here for as long as it takes for you to get it perfect.” She lifted her head and kissed his cheek.

“I promise to always tell you what I want you to hear. Not what you want to hear. I will always be truthful, never lie to you or deceive you, no matter how much I think it’ll hurt you. I won’t be afraid to disagree, or compromise, or not to compromise. I won’t be afraid to tell you if you piss me off. A good woman will always understand. If I do all these things, I’ll have proved to you that you can be yourself with me, and do the same to me,” Eric exhaled hard and waited for Cindy to reply.

The words he spoke, although not his own, he spoke from the heart. He believed in every syllable of every word. When he had said all that he had wanted to say to the love of his life, he noticed the pain in his heart was gone. As if by some magic, what he had said to Cindy, freed him of the pain.

Cindy nodded her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. When she caught her breath, she answered, “Here I thought you were the most beautiful boy in the world. I was too blind to see that you are the man of my dreams. I love you more than words could ever say, Eric.”

Cindy felt the pain that had gripped her heart disappear into nothingness. “ I will never doubt the magic of love again,” she thought to herself.

Eric smiled, hugged Cindy tight and said, “I have so much more to say to you. I love you madly, Cindy. Stay with me forever. That is how long it will take for me to say all the things I need to say to you.”

“You only get half of forever, my love. All you said applies to me too,” Cindy smiled and kissed his lips.

~

I spotted Cindy and Eric sitting and holding hands across a table in the underground food court.

“I liked it better when you both were sad. At least I had a place to sit and eat my lunch,” I chuckled as I approached them.

Cindy and Eric looked at each other and asked at the same time. “You know him too?”

“Hey, it’s a small food court. Why wouldn’t you two know me?” I chuckled. “The food is still terrible here. I think I’ll look for another place to have lunch. Eric, Cindy, have a wonderful life together.” I winked at them and turned to walk away.

“Wait!” Eric called out, “I don’t even know your name.”

I slowly turned around and replied with a smile, “My name rhymes with the word I asked you to keep in mind, Eric. It’s also embroidered on my handkerchief that Cindy has in her purse,” I smiled at them and disappeared into the crowd.

Eric mumbled to himself, “His name rhymes with stupid?”

Cindy unfolded the handkerchief, read the name that was embroidered on it, and smiled.