Causal Loops

A young woman in a bad relationship decides to find out if an older man is truly better in bed and ends up learning a lot more.

Sarah sat at her table near the bar, her date 45 minutes late and yet still no update. Not that she had any interest in…Chris?…after whatever this was. A complete lack of consideration at the very least.

She wondered if she just wasn’t built for online dating, but who was, really? It had just been a parade of missed connections, poor chemistry, and just plain ‘nice’ guys since she’d sorta broken up with Rob.

Well, tried to. Even after all of his cheating and gaslighting and general douchebaggery, she couldn’t quite resist Rob’s charms. And his cock. He begged and pleaded his way back into her heart and pants and bed. The makeup sex was to die for, but not so good that she didn’t feel miserable after.

So here she was while Rob was out of town on business, trying to find a revenge-slash-exit affair because she couldn’t do it the right way, whatever that was when your boyfriend was the one screwing around.

Oh well, diving in without thinking is what she did, right?

The older guy at the end of the bar kept sneaking looks at her which…well, normally it would bother her, but she was looking for something tonight, especially now that her date had no showed. He was kinda cute, in a rugged architect sort of way. If that was a thing. It was a thing, she decided.

She moved from her table to the stool next to the guy because you only live once, right?

A quick glance to the bartender got his attention.

“Hey, what can I get for you?”

“Same thing.”

“You got it.”

His eyes lit up in blue signals as his optical implants responded and placed the order, leaving the rest to the automated system that dispensed the drinks for him to bring over.

The older man had made a show of not staring in her direction since she moved, so she downed her liquid courage to further quell her impulse control and began to chat him up.

“Hi! I’m Sarah, the girl you’ve been staring at all night.”

He looked over at her, a shocked look on his face.

“Uh, hi. Sorry. You just…remind me of someone.”

Oh, that line. She decided to play along or maybe fuck with him.

“And who might that be?”

“My wife.” She found herself simultaneously relieved and disappointed.

“You look just like her when she was young.”

He pulled out a holo-screen and said “Wife,” pulling up an image of a younger version of the man next to her with said wife. They were on the beach, laughing; her in a flowered sun dress and him in khakis and a well-fitted camp shirt. A pang of jealousy hit her, wishing she had a moment like that in her photo collection.

Sarah stared a little longer than she intended, noting that…damn, they really did look alike, especially at that age. She was so lost in thought that he had to clear his throat to bring her attention back.

“Sorry. I guess she does look like me. Or I look like her or whatever.”

“Figured I’d show you I wasn’t full of it,” he said, a wry smile on his face. It suited him well, that smile.

“I didn’t think that.” Mostly.

“You thought it a little.”

She liked that he was right, flashing her own smile in response.

“Fair, but it was a good recovery. Graceful landing.” Sarah gave the woman a closer look, noting that she really could be related. “She’s lovely. Is she here? Maybe I could meet her, find out she’s actually my long lost aunt or something.”

She saw him wince as she said it.

“She…ah…she passed. Six months ago. Cancer.”

The holo-screen changed display at his words even as he was putting it away, She caught the flash of the image before he snapped it closed, the woman smiling and happy, even as she looked emaciated and intubated. There was an eeriness to it, seeing her older doppelganger near her end. Sarah’s own body responded with an involuntary shudder.

“Got a little heavy there. Sorry.”

“No no, I’m sorry. I asked a question and you answered.”

“I’m Tyler, by the way.”

“Sarah.”

She took his proffered hand and shook, appreciating the tingle she felt. As they clasped hands, her eyes caught a squiggly symbol on his inner wrist, a tattoo of some sort.

“What’s that represent?” she said, noting the ink.

“Ah. Feynman diagram. Behavior of subatomic particles, that sort of thing. But what it really represents is me in early college trying to impress a punk girl.”

“Did it work?”

“No, she went for someone with a lot more tattoos,” he said with a laugh before taking another drink. “So, Sarah. What brings you here? What’s interesting in Sarah’s life?”

“Well, I got stood up by another date so I thought I’d say hi to you.”

“His loss.” He eyed her, a glint of mischief in his eyes, one that she was pretty sure she was reciprocating. “How about this? I’ll pretend to be your date for the night.” He flashed that smile again.

Fuck, that was really going to do it for her, wasn’t it?

“No. No pretending. You’re my actual date for the night. So tell me, what’s interesting in Tyler’s life?”

He was in town for the night only, visiting old haunts before traveling off-world.

She also learned that Tyler was a researcher in some deep physics concepts that she didn’t quite get at a mathematical level but understood conceptually, especially when he explained it without, well, being a dick about it. Causal loops and paradoxes and other things. He did seem adamant about the future not being set, though, a strange tangent he’d return to periodically.

When the topic turned to her, he seemed genuinely enchanted by her work curating and maintaining a network of virtual and augmented reality art galleries, especially the tales of spotting AI submissions — AI cheats, really. Interested and surprisingly knowledgeable, although he avoided that habit of speaking over her. Fuck you, Rob.

His father, a deep water server technician. Mother, a writer, apparently. Her parents, both professors, non-tenured.

They dipped briefly into conversation about his wife, but he mostly demurred and she didn’t press. No need to spoil the mood.

So of course, she’d decided to talk about her ex instead, regaling him with her tales of woe.

“So you’re with him? Still? After all that?”

“Yes! Oh my god, yes!” she said, visibly cringing. “I dumped his ass, so hard, multiple times and yet I couldn’t let go. It’s like…every time I try, I just get reeled back in. And it’s not the sex. Well, not just the sex.”

“You deserve better than him, Sarah. If I were your age, I’d treat you right.”

“When you were my age, people still lived in Phoenix.”

That got a chuckle out of him. “How old do you think I am?”

“You said fifty, right? Or did you forget about the Colorado River drying up?”

“Er, right. Wasn’t paying attention much, I guess.”

Throughout it all, she’d found herself brushing up against him, a touch on the arm here, a playful smack as she laughed there. Sarah had brief flashes in her thoughts of being seduced by this handsome older man, but the seduction was certainly going both ways, the level of connection almost unreal.

Not bad for a backup first date-cum-exit affair.

The conversation had reached a natural lull, the two sitting close, thick as thieves, that playful tension lingering in the air, waiting for one of them to step on the tripwire that would lead to something else tonight.

But she could tell he was somewhat hesitant, holding back. Maybe he didn’t want to assume what was happening here, that their “date” was just her backup plan for the night.

So she did what she always liked to do. After all, you only live once.

“Back to your first date question, Sarah. She and I remembered it quite differently. She called it a one-night stand that became something else, I called it a coffee date — mmmf”

Her lips found his as she pressed into him and she found it…electric. They settled into a easy rhythm, almost an attunement to one another. She loved his light aftershave, a hint of sandalwood, the salt-and-pepper flecks in his hair. That he seemed to know what she wanted as they touched.

He broke it off after a moment. “I…we shouldn’t. You’ll find someone for you, age appropriate — ”

She took a few flustered breaths, realizing that she was agonizingly horny right now.

“Tyler, I’m not looking for a commitment here.”

He still held back, but she sensed him wavering. No, Tyler, you weren’t getting away tonight.

“Is it because I look like her? Then why don’t we pretend I am her, young again for one night of passion before we part.”

Something about her words set something off in him. Something she definitely loved and wanted. Needed.

They barely made it out of the bar.

They’d gotten to her apartment where she hoped it wasn’t a bad decision to bring in a handsome stranger in after meeting him at a bar and talking for a few hours; her face in the news about a woman missing.

His tongue and hands quickly helped her forget those worries.

“Ah fuck…Tyler…”

They’d barely made it past the door and into the kitchen before going at it, passion consuming them. He traced kisses down her belly, his hands reaching her jeans and undoing them as his lips continued their work.

She was already a dripping mess when he pulled her jeans and panties down in one go, the scent of her arousal permeating the air of her kitchen.

He took a moment to breathe her in, his eyes filled with a deep need and longing that she knew she was only borrowing for one night, but delighted in nonetheless.

When he kissed her between the legs, she felt a jolt throughout her body, her limbs almost giving way were it not for the support of his strong hands. Several gentle kisses continued, a contrast to Rob’s typically relentless assault, with his focus on getting everyone off as quickly and as many times as possible.

Tyler, she could tell, wanted to savor it, prolong it; have the moment last as long as it could. And she was going to let him, enjoying the attention of this experienced older man all the while.

His fingers slipped into her with expert ease, touching places in exactly the way she didn’t even know she liked, but she hoped to note for future lovers. As he did so, his tongue began to gently lap her clit. She often needed her button warmed up before anyone could really go for it, but he seemed to know that already.

“Fuck…Tyler…”

Again, he seemed to know exactly when she was ready, taking her clit in his mouth at just the moment her body wanted.

And then he began to suck.

“Oh fuck! Fuck! Tyler…oh my gawd!”

Her peak hit her harder than anything she’d had with Rob in…well, at least awhile. Maybe ever?

Not that she could really think right now. She’d compare later, as Tyler currently had her full attention.

Sarah looked down at him, biting her lip as she smiled. “Let’s get you taken care of, husband.”

The look in his eyes and his sharp intake of breath gave her the response she was looking for.

She squatted down as he stood and began to fish his cock from his pants, finally unleashing his bulging member. Perhaps it had been awhile, or maybe he was using implants or drugs. Whatever.

It was well-proportioned and above average, if not the monster that Rob had between his legs in terms of length or girth. Honestly, she was a little tired of that club of a cock making it hard to walk every time they had sex.

Tyler moaned as she took him in his mouth, consuming him with hollowed cheeks as if she were determined to take every drop from him. Their eyes met and she gave him her best smile, cock-in-mouth as she did. She continued her work for a few minutes before slowing her pace. No, this isn’t how she wanted him to finish. At least not the first time.

She stood and wrapped her arms around him as he did the same, their lips meeting in their embrace, a deep kiss as husband and wife, even if only for the night.

They stood in the embrace, kissing and gently exploring one another for several minutes, Sarah very appreciative that his experience found her favorite spots, some of which she was only now learning. The rest of their clothes slipped off at some point, giving them both time to appreciate each other in full.

He obviously maintained himself, lines and striations and tone indicating years of proper upkeep. She felt somewhat self-conscious herself, her breasts slightly too small and her ass underwhelming, even after all the running and working out and —

“Sarah…you’re perfect,” he said as he marveled at her, his eyes looking on in wonder.

Her cheeks blushed, his words making her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

So she attacked him hungrily, their kisses and passion rising further as they sought more of each other. She broke it off before they simply did it on the counter — she wanted to take her ‘husband’ in her bed, she decided. And so she took his hand and led him to the bedroom.

Sarah gasped and giggled as he swept her up in his arms, carrying her across the threshold and placing her on the bed, more of his exploring mouth and hands, finding spots that she’d note for all future lovers.

There was a momentary pause, his weight shifting as he prepared to step away. She took a guess as to where he was going and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I want to feel you, husband. Now.”

He took her cue and guided his uncovered cock to her entrance. They groaned in unison as he entered her warmth, easily sliding in to her wetness before slowly grinding and sawing in and out of her.

He adjusted his angle after a few moments, hitting her in exactly the right spots, his fingers joining in just as they needed to.

“Fuck…Tyler…”

“Sarah…you feel so good…”

He continued to whisper to her, kiss her, hold her, their hands clasped and eyes locked. So different from Rob’s impression of a jackhammer, determined to force a response out of her regardless of whether she was ready.

No, Tyler was making love to her. Making love to his wife for the night. And she was loving him right back.

Her next release built gradually, slowly but inexorably rising throughout her body. She did everything she could to make sure he got there at the same time, rocking her hips and grasping and clawing at him, whispering how desperately she needed him. Perhaps whispers of love escaping both their lips.

By the time she got there, her whole body was clenching, right down to her cunt on his cock as she violently took them both over the edge.

“Ah fuck! Tyler!”

“Sarah!”

She felt him pulse within her, several streams filling her with warmth. Her mouth was locked in a silent scream as her own release subsided. When she looked up in his eyes, she noticed tears, both his and hers.

“That was…thank you. I needed that,” he said.

“I needed it too. I’ve never…felt it like that,” Sarah replied, a maelstrom of emotions whirling about in her.

“I should go — ”

“No, stay. You’re my husband for the night, after all,” she said, pulling him into another kiss.

She awoke to find her bed empty, Tyler long-departed. Her eye caught a piece of actual paper on her nightstand before she could process how she felt about it, a note written on it.

Sarah,

Whatever your future holds, I’m glad our paths crossed, if only for a night. You’ll find someone who deserves you. And remember that the future is not set.

T

An actual fucking note. On paper. The stationary was the local University, the one he mentioned attending for undergrad.

She exhaled, disappointed but maybe a little relieved that he made it easy. Although the rest of the night had been magical. He’d been able to get going a few more times, allowing them to explore a variety of delights and positions with each other, all giving Sarah more notes for her future sex partners. Tyler had even gone rough once at her request, just to see if he could give it to her better than Rob. He said that was a young man’s game.

She’d passed out before she could tell him he was, in fact, much better.

Her feelings about last night were…well, a lot of things that she would need some time to work through. There was certainly something different about the way they connected.

She also realized just how low her bar had been set with Rob.

The breakup was easy after the night with Tyler. Rob’s groveling and pleading, as she kicked him to the curb, giving her great delight rather than crumbling her resistance.

Dating got easier when she was not attached, or maybe it was something else in her that changed. A few brief, no strings attached relationships that were fun, something longer that didn’t pan out. Didn’t matter — she knew she’d be fine.

Tyler always remained in her heart in a way. She wondered if he thought of her as he traveled off-world doing whatever he was doing, if he knew that she kept his note and had helped her realize something about herself.

She eventually audited an overview course in Tyler’s speciality at his University, maybe to get some understanding of what had made him tick, but mostly because she found it interesting.

It was the T.A. that caught her eye, though. Perhaps Tyler had a secret son, or this was a version de-aged by twenty-five years. She’d asked several questions in class, him not quite giving her the explanation she needed. She figured he could answer after class, but really, she wanted to know more about the Tyler clone with a very similar name.

The bell rang and he cut off the signal, ending everyone’s shared virtual display, so she waited for most of the rest to filter out before heading down.

“Taylor, right?” she asked as she approached.

“Yep. Sarah, right?” he said, extending his hand to meet hers. As he did, her eyes caught a tattoo on his inner wrist.

“Feynman diagram…” she murmured.

He gave her a puzzled look before looking at his tattoo. “Oh this. Yes. Behavior of subatomic particles, but really it was me — ”

“ — trying to impress a punk girl,” she said as he did, their words in unison.

“Yeah. Have we met?” he asked, a puzzled hesitation in his words.

Her mind began to race at a series of possibilities. And perhaps impossibilities. But she settled on one.

“No, but…do you want to grab coffee, sometime?”

You only live once.

Another from Jordan