A Reason to Stay

<p>At high school and college Tessa and Evan disliked each other with a passion. He considered her stuck up and arrogant. She thought he was a supercilious geek who thought of women as computer keyboards and characters in video games.</p><p>But when over ten years later and quite by accident they met again in their home town Portland they slowly became close friends; though hiding that friendship from their friends. Just because they could and it was kind of exciting. Safer too.</p><p>Until one day Evan told Tessa he was going to leave Portland for good.</p><p>If only Tessa thought she knew why!</p><p>Because Evan wasn't telling...</p><p> </p><p>A romance with a dash of comedy a few thrills and a lot of heart containing love scenes with mildly explicit sexual elements. The story was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend with whom I worked on a long-term voluntary internet project. He told me how in his forties he accidentally ran into a woman he had known at high school and with whom he had shared a mutual dislike. They're married now. Of course I made up the story around it to give it some excitement beyond the personal relationship. And of course the names of the protagonists are entirely fictitious.</p><p> </p>