Young At Heart

Leslie knocks, expecting Jonah. Instead, Charles opens up. He claims Jonah’s still getting ready, then keeps her talking until her message pings on his own phone. Caught, he admits the whole story—Jonah never existed. He made the kid up, figured being himself would scare her off. Everything else he told her online? True. He’s young at heart, but women his age feel wrong, and girls Leslie’s age never give him a shot once they see the grey. He’s hoping she’ll at least hear him out. She’s rattled, wants to bolt, but his pitch lands: let him show what an older guy can do with his tongue and hands, and if she likes it more than any boy she’s had, he gets a real chance. She hesitates, legs still together, heat starting to win the argument.