After the American tour, Noel toured the UK and Europe then he was back home in London. He thought about Layla often. She had made him realize he wanted a more serious relationship again. Casual sex was fun, but he was getting tired of it. He wanted something more stable and permanent. He wanted someone he could share his life with. He had now been divorced almost two years and he was in a much better place.
He thought about using dating apps, but the thought alone disgusted him. He went out on a few dates set up by friends, but didn't end up liking any of the women. He was beginning to think maybe he was destined to be alone the rest of his life, until he met her.
He was at the supermarket and nearly ran into her as he turned the corner out of the bread aisle.
"Sorry." He said just as she said the same thing. Their eyes met and they smiled.
"Are you always this dangerous at the supermarket?" She asked with a smile.
"Dangerous?" He smiled.
"You nearly took my head off." She teased.
He shook his head with a grin.
"Fuckin 'ell. Are ya gonna call the cops?" He asked.
"Maybe." She grinned.
"You can't prove anything, love." He said.
"Yes I can. See that camera?" She pointed to a security camera above them.
They grinned at each other.
"Listen, don't call the cops. Let me take you out tonight and make it up to you." He said.
Her smile faded.
"Ok." She finally said.
"Great. Give me your number." He said as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He entered her number in his phone then looked at her.
"And what's your name?" He asked.
"Diane." She said.
He saved her name in his phone then put it back in his pocket.
"Ok Diane, see ya around six? I'm Noel by the way." He said.
"Six is fine." She smiled.
He smiled and gave her a nod then walked away and continued his shopping.
They met at a nice restaurant that evening and had a nice dinner then sat at the table talking as they finished a bottle of wine.
"So Noel, what do you do?" She asked.
"What do I do?" He looked at her confused.
"Yeah, what do you do for work?" She asked.
"Do ya not recognize me?" He asked.
"No. Should I?" She said.
"I dunno." He shrugged.
"So are you famous or something?" She asked.
He chuckled.
"You could say that." He said.
"What are you famous for?" She asked.
"I write songs." He said.
"Oh! You're a musician?"
"I am." He said.
"Would I know any of your songs?" She asked.
"Probably. Do you know Wonderwall?" He asked.
"Of course!" She said.
"That's one of mine." He said.
"I thought that was Oasis?" She said.
"It was. I used to be in Oasis." He said.
"Oh my god, really?" She asked, surprised.
"Yeah." He said, amazed she had no idea who he was.
"No wonder you can afford posh restaurants like this." She said.
"I do alright." He nodded.
"I bet you do." She smiled.
"And what do you Diane?" He asked.
"I'm an accountant." She said.
"Yeah?" He said.
"Yeah, it's a bit boring compared to your job I suppose." She said.
"Nah. It's the people who make things boring and you're not boring at all." He said.
She smiled and felt herself blushing.
"Thank you." She said and finished the rest of her wine.
"Ready to go?" He asked.
"Yes." She answered.
Noel lead them out of the restaurant into the night air. He turned and smiled at her as she walked a few steps behind him.
"My driver is right here, d'ya want a ride home?" He asked.
"Sure." She smiled.
They walked to the waiting car and got in. Diane told the driver her address and they sat in a comfortable silence as the car made its way to her house. It pulled up and they got out. Noel walked her up to her door.
"I had a nice time." He said.
"Me too. Thank you so much for dinner." She smiled.
"D'ya wanna go out again?" He asked.
"I'd love to." She smiled.
"How about Saturday? He said.
"Ok." She said.
"Great, I'll see you Saturday then." He said.
"Ok." She smiled.
He wanted to kiss her, but decided not to. He didn't want to ruin a good evening by moving too fast or pressuring her.
She unlocked her door and stepped inside then turned to face him.
"Goodnight Noel." She smiled.
"Goodnight." He smiled.
She closed the door and Noel walked back to his car. He was pleased the date had gone well and happy he finally felt a connection with someone.
They texted quite a bit over the next few days and when Saturday arrived, they met at a hotel bar for drinks. They each ordered a drink and sat talking. After they had each had a few drinks, Noel looked at her. He thought she was beautiful and decided to invite her up to his room.
"D'ya wanna go up to my room?" He asked.
"Your room?" She said.
"I'm staying here for a couple weeks while my new apartment has some work done." He explained.
"Ok." She agreed, but was a little apprehensive about going to his room.
They went up to Noel's room and sat on the couch.
"This is a very nice room." She said as she looked around.
"It is." He said as he looked at her.
Diane turned her attention to him. Her heart was pounding and so was his. They looked at each other and he leaned in and kissed her softly. The kiss turned more passionate and Noel tried to touch her breast, but she pushed his hand away and pulled her lips from his.
"You really think I'm that easy?" She asked.
He suddenly felt like a dick.
"No, I..." He didn't know what to say.
"I'd prefer to take things slow if that's ok." She said.
"We can do that." He said softly.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Absolutely." He said.
"I'm sorry. I probably gave you the wrong idea by coming to your room." She said.
"Diane, it's ok, really." He chuckled.
"We should probably call it a night." She said.
"Ok." Noel said.
He followed her to the door and she opened it and stepped into the hallway.
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." He said.
"It's ok." She gave him a smile.
"I really like you." He said.
A smile spread on her lips.
"I really like you too."
She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips then turned and walked down the hall. Noel closed the door with a grin on his face.
The next Saturday, they went shopping for vintage furniture for Noel's apartment then Sunday, they met for breakfast. They really enjoyed each other's company and Noel was beginning to think maybe she was the one. They hadn't even had sex yet, but he didn't even care. He just liked being with her. They texted nearly every day and went on several more dates.
They went out one Sunday for dinner then ended up back at her place. They sat on the couch sipping wine as they talked. As the night went on, the talking turned into making out. They sat kissing on the couch and things were getting hot. Noel pulled his lips from hers and looked into her eyes.
"D'ya wanna go to your bedroom?" He asked.
"I don't think I'm ready for sex yet." She said.
Noel tried to hide his disappointment. He was ok with taking things slow, but also, he was getting bored of masturbating. Diane saw the disappointment on his face and felt bad.
"I might not be ready to have sex, but maybe we could do other things." She said then kissed his lips.
"Like what?" He smiled.
"There's plenty of things we could do besides intercourse." She said then kissed his lips again.
He felt her hand on his thigh as they kissed. He moved his to her thigh. She moved her hand up so it rested on his crotch. He did the same. They sat rubbing each other as they continued to kiss. But she felt a panic rising within and pulled away.
"Maybe we should just call it a day." She said.
"Is something wrong?" He asked.
"No. I really really like you Noel which is why I think we should wait. I've had some bad experiences with men recently who basically ghosted me after sex and I just want to make sure we are both in this for the right reasons." She said.
Noel exhaled slowly then looked into her eyes.
"I'm here because I like you Diane. I like being with you. I'm not just here for sex, ok?" He said gently.
She gave him a small smile and nodded.
"But, if you wanna wait, then we wait." He said.
"Are you sure?" She asked, feeling a little relieved. She didn't want to push him away, but her past experiences were always at the back of her mind.
"Absolutely." He smiled then leaned over and gave her a kiss. It turned into a passionate kiss and it took a lot for them to pull themselves away from each other, but eventually they did.
She walked him to the door and they said goodbye. He gave her one last kiss then left. He got to his house and went inside. It was dark but he didn't even bother turning on any lights. He made his way to his bedroom and undressed down to his boxers. He went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth then climbed into his bed. He picked up his phone and saw he had a text from his PA.
"What do you think about bringing Layla back for the tour dates next year?"
Noel stared at the text. He would love to have her back. He missed seeing her. Then Diane entered his mind. He told himself he could still be with Diane and just have a professional relationship with Layla and it would be alright. He sent a text back.
"Yeah, sure." He sent.
"Great! I didn't know how you two had left things so wanted to check with you first." His PA sent.
"Everything's cool." He sent.
He set his phone down on the bedside table then closed his eyes. His mind wandered and he found himself thinking about Layla.
He wondered what she was up to then he started reminiscing about their time together. He thought about the first time they fucked, the time she gave him a blowjob and they almost got caught. He chuckled to himself then thought about the time they had fucked right before the gig and were almost late. He thought about her body and how she tasted and how she smelled. He felt his dick aching in his boxers. He thought about how she used to give him amazing blowjobs and let him cum in her mouth and how she liked it when he fucked her roughly and how she was in absolute bliss everytime he ate her pussy.
He moved his hand to his aching dick. He squeezed it then pushed his boxers down setting his dick free. He gripped it and began slowly stroking it as he thought about Layla.
He thought about the time they had fucked in her hotel room and he had made her cum three times. He moved his hand quicker now, steadily up and down. He thought about the satisfied looks she gave him everytime after she orgasmed then he thought about her smile and her laugh. He moved his hand faster. He thought about the time they had fucked onstage before soundcheck and how they had finished just minutes before the rest of the band showed up.
He was breathing heavy now. He pushed the blanket down then came onto his chest as he moaned. He let out a satisfied breath then laid there with his dick still in his hand, thinking about Layla.
Finally, he exhaled one last big breath then got up and cleaned himself off before returning to his bed.
Diane texted him the next day and asked him to accompany her to an art gala that Friday. Noel thought maybe it would be a good night to finally give in to their desires and booked a suite at the hotel where the gala was being held.
Noel picked her up in a cab and they went to the gala. They stood talking and looking at art, a glass of wine in each of their hands.
"This one has always intrigued me." Diane said as they stared at a painting.
"I like it." Noel nodded.
Then, out of nowhere, she leaned into him and kissed his lips. She pulled back and they smiled.
"What was that for?" He asked.
"A little preview of what's going to happen tonight." She said.
"I probably should have asked you, but I booked us a suite here for the night." He said.
"You did?" She asked.
"I just thought maybe tonight would be a good night to..." He looked into her eyes.
She leaned in and kissed him again, cutting him off.
"I think that was an excellent idea." She smiled.
"Yeah?" He asked.
She nodded then turned back to the painting.
"The brush strokes are so beautiful." She said.
Noel looked at the painting and nodded then he caught a glimpse of her in the corner of his eye. He turned his head and stared at her. She was beautiful. He knew he shouldn't be staring at another woman while he was on a date, but he couldn't peel his eyes away. She was laughing as she talked to a couple of women. He smiled. He loved her laugh.
"Noel?" He was pulled from his trance.
"Hmm?" He looked at Diane.
"I said we should go see the exhibit on Van Gogh sometime." She said.
"Yeah, sure." He said then took a sip of wine and looked back her way. He didn't see her. His eyes scanned the room and he found her near the back now, talking to a group of people.
"Noel, are you ok?"
He turned back to Diane.
"No, I....I mean yes. I'm fine." He gave her a smile.
"Do you want to go up to the room?" She asked.
Noel stared at her. Five minutes ago, he would have answered yes, but now, he didn't want to leave. He wanted to go talk to Layla.
"Nah, I'm fine. We can wait a bit." He chuckled.
Just then a woman came up and greeted Diane. She introduced Noel and they stood chatting. Noel tried to keep up with the conversation, but it was taking alot of effort not to look for Layla. Finally, he excused himself to go get some more drinks for him and Diane.
He scanned the room as he walked over to a table full of glasses of wine. He didn't see her. He picked up two glasses and turned. His breath got stuck in his throat as he was stood face to face with her.
"Noel!" She smiled and gave him a hug.
"Layla." He smiled
"How are you?" She asked.
"Good." He nodded.
"You look handsome." She smiled as she looked him up in down in his suit.
"So do you." He said.
She chuckled.
"I mean. You look beautiful." He said softly.
She smiled then noticed he was holding two glasses.
"Are you here with someone?" She asked.
"Yes." He said.
A woman came over and greeted Layla. They hugged then Layla turned to Noel.
"You look good, Noel. It was nice to see you." She smiled then walked away with the woman.
Noel stood there for a second then found his way back to Diane. He handed her a wine glass.
"Thank you." She smiled.
He gave her a smile then took a long sip of his wine.
"Do you want to go outside for some fresh air?" She asked.
"Ok." He said.
They made their way onto the terrace and stood looking up at the stars.
"I used to stare up at the stars when I was a girl and wonder if they had names." She said.
"I love looking at stars." He said as his eyes searched the night sky.
"What's her name?"
He looked at her.
"Who?" He said.
"The woman I saw you talking to."
He felt guilt wash over him.
"Layla." He said.
She stood waiting for him to elaborate.
"She used to be my back up singer." He said then looked back up at the sky.
"Is that all she used to be?" She asked.
Noel looked at her.
"I saw the way she looked at you and the way your face lit up when you saw her. You never look at me that way."
"Diane..."
She cut him off.
"It's ok Noel. It's better I found out now you're in love with someone else and not months or years down the road."
Noel didn't know what to say.
"Goodbye, Noel." Diane smiled then turned and walked away.
Noel sighed then looked up at the stars again. He felt torn and confused. Was he in love with Layla? He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a voice.
"Beautiful night, isn't it?"
He turned and smiled when he saw her.
"Fuckin beautiful." He said.
"Where's your date?" She asked.
"She left." He said.
"I know. I saw her. What happened?"
He looked into her eyes.
"She, uh...she thinks I'm in love with someone else." He said softly.
Her eyes stared into his.
"Are you?" She asked.
He stared at her beautiful face and he instantly knew the answer.
"I think I am." He said.
"And what about the woman? Is she in love with you?" She asked.
Noel nodded slowly, keeping eye contact.
"I think she is." He said.
A smile spread on her face.
"She is." She said then wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her body and they kissed.
"I fucking missed you so much." She said.
"Why didn't you call me?" He asked.
"I don't know. I figured if you were interested, you would have called me." She said.
They grinned at each other.
"I have a room upstairs, d'ya wanna go up?" He asked.
"Yes!" She smiled.
They went up to the suite Noel had reserved. Layla walked over to the window and looked out at the dark London landscape. Noel walked up behind her and placed his hands on her waist as he kissed her bare shoulder. She closed her eyes and smiled then turned to face him. His hands stayed on her waist and she wrapped her arms around him, resting her hands on his back. They looked into each other's eyes.
"It was always you. You're the one." He said softly.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Absolutely." He answered then kissed her lips softly.
*Song Inspiration
You Are the One by Adanowsky