Free School Reunion Year 1 by Laurel Aspen

I don’t know,’ she murmured dreamily. ‘At least it’s over and done with, which is better than being nagged at for days.’
    â€˜Right enough,’ said Gran, approvingly. ‘Very sore at the time, but no harm done. And it at least instilled a little respect. Anyhow,’ she continued briskly, ‘that’s quite enough reminiscing about the “never had it so good” era. I’ll lock up, so you two go about your business and get out from under my feet.’ Then with an affectionate smile she ushered them from the shop.
    Despite it being summer, by early evening a distinctly unromantic light drizzle had descended. For his short walk to the cinema, which somehow endured in the face of competition from the multiplexes of larger towns, Dan had dressed in an old belted raincoat, at the last moment adding a trilby left by a previous occupant of the cottage.
    Laura arrived breathless, flushed and five minutes late, just as Dan’s carefully cultivated veneer of nonchalance was starting to fade. Closing the large umbrella under which she’d sheltered, she revealed a simple floral dress, her hair tied back into a cute ponytail and, save for red lipstick, a clear complexion free of make-up. Laura’s legs were equally bare and she wore on her feet flat sandals, which looked petite next to Dan’s brogues.
    â€˜You look wonderful,’ he said sincerely, ‘although that dress is close to being period costume.’
    â€˜I know,’ retorted Laura. ‘Gran’s a notorious horder and because her own flat’s so small she stores a lot of old stuff in the rooms over the shop. And since we’re having our own little monochrome retrospective, I decided to dress accordingly. You’re looking very Humphrey Bogart-like, by the way.’
    â€˜See,’ he said, ‘I’m not a total ignoramus when it comes to the recent past.’
    Laughing together, they went into the auditorium.
    The movie turned out to be a golden oldie, an American screwball comedy, one of the last to be made before the advent of Technicolor. Since this was Hollywood at its most censorious, references to sex could only be made obliquely and clothes remained firmly on, but if anything this added to the film’s period charm. The script was sharp and knowing, and while it was soon obvious the hero and heroine would eventually be united, the feisty leading lady led him a merry dance for much of the plot. So much so that in one scene the exasperated leading man hauled her across his knee for an all too brief spanking.
    By this midway stage of the movie Laura had, in true romantic picture-goer fashion, snuggled comfortably against Dan’s shoulder. Taken aback by the second overt reference to one of his favourite fantasies in one day, he glanced at his putative paramour to gauge her reaction, which was to look up and kiss him full on the lips. Dan’s earlier suspicions were confirmed, unless his decoding of body language had gone completely to pot, it seemed Laura found the subject of CP more than a little stimulating.
    The pair’s concentration on the remainder of the plot was sporadic, and for the first time since he was a teenager Dan found himself snogging in the back row. Emboldened, he cupped a breast in his palm, and was gratified to feel her nipple stiffen through the thin material as she pulled him closer.
    â€˜Back to my place?’ he suggested as they walked home, arm in arm along the high street.
    â€˜Sir, what sort of a girl do you think I am?’ she replied, with feigned indignation. ‘I’ve already gone further than was wise on a first date. And what would the neighbours say?’
    â€˜I haven’t any neighbours,’ reasoned Dan, but even as he spoke he knew there was no chance of them spending that night together.
    â€˜You’ll just have to be patient and wait until tomorrow afternoon,’ continued Laura, now seemingly in