As much as Sara loved to hear his voice, she hated not having him there with her better.  His touch always warmed her like hot cocoa in a winter night no matter what the actual weather was outside or in.  He was the man she always ran to whenever there was something wrong in her life and yet the only thing that was wrong with her now was that he wasn’t there in the flesh with her.

            Brandon Page felt the same way about Sara Vahle.  Having her near him at all times was really all he ever wanted.  Since high school their relationship always bordered on friends trying to work in benefits.  At every chance they’d ever had at taking their relationship to the next level, there had been an obstacle.  In 10^th grade gym class, a nosy student walked into the women’s locker room as they were pressed up on the lockers before a shirt was even lifted.  11^th grade health class proved problematic as well.  Sara and Brandon were assigned to each other as lab partners in a separate room from the rest of the class for 3 days.  On the first day of the assignment they were too nervous to do anything with each other for fear that someone might intrude.  On the second day they realized that no one would be coming into the room and began to explore each other when a 3^rd partner was assigned to their group in the middle of the project as he had been on vacation up until then.  The almost couple lived too far away from each other to see each other after school and neither of them got their own cars until about 19.  The closest opportunity they’ve ever had was after graduating high school.  Through sheer coincidence, Sara was able to come over to a friend’s to stay the night and invited Brandon over through the window.  While her friend Cindy didn’t mind sharing a room with two people supposedly about to get it on under her nose, her nosy brother intruded on their get together and wouldn’t leave the room until Brandon left the next morning.   

                Another noteworthy obstacle during this time was their alternating “true” significant others.  While they shared secrets, kisses and each other’s fantasies, they were usually in separate relationships that took up the bulk of their time apart.  With both being popular people as well as popular friends it was always assumed that they were dating each other but this had always been a rumor, even now at both of their respective ages of 24.  Sara and Brandon may have wanted each other badly, but Sara’s fiancé Jake wanted her in the next room and Brandon’s girlfriend Alicia wanted him on the other line. 

                “Looks like we’ve got yet another interruption,” Brandon said to Sara as the line beeped.

                “Unfortunately so,” Sara said back.  “Story of our life together, huh?”

                Brandon couldn’t help but smile and slightly nod his head, holding placing his index finger on the gray Motorola Bluetooth headset resting on his ear.  Sara just knew what he was doing on the other line and motioned in a similar fashion.  Same headset, same finger.  Without getting into a long goodbye, they ended their conversation the same way they had since their encounter back in health class.

                “One day,” Brandon said first.

                “One day,” Sara replied before hanging up the phone.

                And that was that, it was back to the “other” lives that they hated to live separately.  No matter how