Caila let her eyes drift over John as he drank, and she would be lying to herself if she told herself she wasn't attracted to him. His two friends didn't look too bad either. She had at various times since high school wondered what it would be like to make love to another man. She did have several chances along the way, one was before they were married. and the last was as recent as last Halloween. But she never took that next step. She blushed at her thoughts and took a long drink of her ale before standing up with John's invitation to go meet his friends.<br/><br/>"James. Kris. Pleasure to meet you both. John is a complete gentleman James, and yes, Calvin is quite attentive and the food I had was just what I needed. And thank you Kris for your kind words!"<br/><br/>Caila sat on the fourth chair next to John and across from James. She was curious what a shot of 'chocolate cake' was. When they arrived, she was unsure what the proper way to drink it was. She lifted the glass as the other did, and the toast to new beginnings she gave a nod to and tipped the drink down. It burned a bit as it went down and the four glassed tapped the table in close unison with hers a little late. Caila blinked her eyes and exhaled. She said in a raspy voice,<br/><br/>"To new beginnings! That sure warms the insides."<br/><br/>She exhaled again and smiled and nodded her head. Yes, she was relaxing and letting go of her usual reservations. She turned to James across the table and said,<br/><br/>"John told me a bit of your shared history. It is good to have and keep such good friendships in life!"<br/><br/>She thought about her friends. She really didn't have any that still lived nearby. Most of the people she socialised with were connected with her husband in some way. Caila quickly banished the thought and looked to Kris and then John. Maybe this was some new beginnings! Maybe these three handsome men were her new friends? She swallowed at a passing thought and smiled wryly like a mischievious siren of old as her finger slid around the rim of her empty glass.<br/><br/>"Who's up for more chocolate cake?"<br/><br/>she said as she waved to Calvin and spun her hand around.