Ben and Donnie

Olivia flung open the door, tingling with excitement over who might be arriving next. She beamed a huge smile when saw two men standing side by side.

"Ben!" she exclaimed, hugging the one on the left. Ben was about 6'4", still built like an athlete. He was white, had short-buzzed brown hair and brown eyes. There was always a twinkle about his eyes, always a smile in the corner of his lip. Her hug was tight. She stepped back, and went in for a second hug, even tighter than the first. She pressed her body to his, and he was certain he sensed the swell of her breasts against his chest, and the sweet smell of coconut in her hair.

"Wow," he laughed. "How do you greet your close friends?"

She giggled in response. "And Donnie, dear wonderful Donnie!" Donnie was 6'3", stocky, with his black hair in a crew cut and dark-rimmed glasses. Donnie had retired from volleyball after not making the cut for Team USA right after college. He went to grad school, and now taught high school biology and coached various sports.

She was certainly excited to see Donnie, but there was a slight air between them. Even though many years had passed, Donnie was the one person on this guest list that Olivia had once had a more intimate relationship with. It didn't last long, but they went out a few times, and it started to get serious. Olivia was more into it than Donnie was, and he was the one who broke it off -- and the ending wasn't particularly amicable.

As Olivia thought back on it, she thought she remembered some resolution between them, but maybe it was just the blur of time.

Donnie smiled at her. "It's wonderful to see you, Liv. It's been a while."

She reached out to give him a hug. He stepped forward, but through a minor miscommunication of body language (i.e., who's head goes to which side), he wound up face to face with her in what started as an accidental bump of mouths.

Olivia was suddenly awash with all kinds of old and confusing feelings about Donnie. Memories of the past combined with her lifestyle in this house left her feeling excited, nervous, and unsure what to do.

Donnie had his own feelings about the past and knew nothing of the house, but he always remember Olivia fondly and in the moment, decided to play off the accident as an attempt at a social and friendly kiss. He pursed his lips upon hers, and then pulled his head back.

Olivia, her reflexes making decisions for her, returned the kiss, though with a bit more fire. The two of them held each other, lips locked, until Ben said, "Uh ... What is ... I mean ...?"

"Oh!" said Olivia, realizing herself. "Gotta be honest, I didn't expect the party to begin that way!" She smiled at him and affectionately patted his chest. "No complaints, though! Please, let's get you both a drink. And look, Henry is here!"

Henry hadn't seen the odd encounter between Olivia and Donnie. Ben wasn't sure what was going on, but he followed everyone into the house, and joyfully greeted Henry. He looked around, and then back to Olivia. "Who else is coming, Liv?"

"We're waiting on ... Joshua and Isaiah, and Sandra and Eliza."

"Nice, pretty tight reunion."

The doorbell rang again. "There's beer in the fridge, wine in the wine rack, mixers and liquor in the left-hand cabinet over the sink. Help yourselves to anything here." The last sentence didn't quite mean what it could have, but there was a glimmer of something in Olivia's voice.

The men headed toward the kitchen as Olivia danced back toward the front door.