Judgement Day
- 2 years ago
- 22
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This is a little different for me. People complain that I do not often feature the confrontation, This story is all confrontation. It is also short. There is no sex in this story, if that’s what you want look elsewhere. No bitches get burned so again if that’s your bag look elsewhere. The inspiration came from an old rock starwho came out with something similar when he wanted to get rid of his wife.
I looked down the street towards the main road. Four estate agents boards graced the immaculate lawns of the houses in The Close. In the other direction, there were two more.
‘Oh dear, that’s going to hurt the price of property,’ I thought. ‘It will be worse still when the next two go up for sale.’
My attention was focussed on the house, three doors up on the opposite side of the road. Gary and Jessica Spencer live there. They are probably the youngest couple in close. He’s a financial adviser, she is a management consultant. Both what I would call Yuppies’ that’s Young Upwardly mobile Professional People. Gary works from home but Jess, she’s frequently away on business.
I noticed a movement over at the Spencer’s. I picked up the binoculars and took a closer look. She was drawing the curtains in the master bedroom. She looked good standing there in her bra and pants. For her age she still had a magnificent body. She picked up her clothes and I saw him walk across the room to the en-suite bathroom.
‘What does she see in him?’ I asked myself. He doesn’t look that big and his body looked flabby. She stepped into her skirt then picked up her white blouse and threaded her arms into it. She was still buttoning her blouse as she left the room. Gary came out of the bathroom wearing his boxer shorts I watched him buckle up the belt on his jeans he didn’t bother with a shirt and I noticed his man boobs wobble as he followed her out of the room.
‘What now?’ I wondered. ‘Would they sit and chat over a glass of wine or maybe a cup of coffee, or maybe he would just get straight down to business. I waited another fifteen minutes before there was any movement. The side gate opened and she stepped out. I couldn’t see him but she turned and kissed someone. Walking down the drive she turned and waved before crossing the road. My wife was coming home to me.
The sound of my boots echoed through the house as I came down the stairs and walked out to take my seat in the conservatory. The side gate opened and I listened to the click clacking of her heals as she walked along the concrete path. She was smiling as she opened the door and I tried to place the tune she was humming as she walked through the arch into the dining room.’
‘There are a lot of houses for sale in the close. I wonder why that is?’
I saw her jump as I spoke her hand came up to rest on her, not inconsiderable chest. She turned to see me sitting in the Rattan chair.
‘Giles, what are you doing here? You almost gave me a heart attack.’
‘Well, it’s wonderful to see you too my dear.’
‘You know what I mean. I’m pleased to see you, of course I am, but I wasn’t expecting you back for another two days. What did you just say.’
‘I asked if you knew why there are so many houses for sale in the close. I thought you women were all as thick as thieves, so if anyone would know it would be you.’
‘As a matter of fact I don’t. It’s strange I haven’t seen any of the girls since we took Alex up to Durham. I was supposed to meet Sally for Coffee on the Monday morning but you insisted that we stay overnight so I missed it. we haven’t managed to get together since.’
‘Well I saw Sally and Eric in the pub last Monday. Things seemed a little tense between them. When Eric went to the toilet Sally confided in me. It seems old Eric had an affair four years back and Sally just found out about it. They are trying to work through it, but the other woman lives in the close and Sally wants to get as far away from her as possible.’
I noticed some of the blood drain from her face as she heard my news. You see it a lot in my line of business. The person you are interrogating thinks you know nothing so you drop a hint that you know a hell of a lot more. Suddenly they are no longer on firm ground and their mind races trying to work out how much you do know. She froze for a while before starting to twirl her hair round her fingers.
‘Don’t you think it strange that Sally should confide in me and not you, her best friend Isobel?’
She started to fidget again. ‘Now that you’re home I’d better get dinner started, unless you’d rather go out?’
She moved towards the freezer, stopped, then walked backwards to look at me again.
‘Giles, what on earth are you wearing?’
I stood up pulled the top part of the one piece leather suit up to my shoulders an thrust my arms into the sleeves I twirled around in front of her with my arms outstretched.
‘Do you like it? I thought the colours particularly appropriate. Red white and blue, Queen and Country and all that.’
‘It looks ridiculous, a man of your age wearing motorcycle leathers, and as for Queen and Country, it must be twelve years since you left the army and became a... ‘
She’s racking her brain trying to think of what it is that her husband does all day.
‘Security consultant, Darling, I became a security consultant. That’s how I earn my living and a pretty good living it has been, has it not?’
‘I knew, you didn’t have to tell me, I couldn’t find the words that’s all. Yes, I suppose it has been pretty good, I mean we live here, in the close, and we don’t want for anything so I suppose you could say that we live quite well.’
‘Exceeded the promise I made to your father, wouldn’t you say? I promised to keep you in the manner to which you’d become accustomed. I think I’ve done rather better than that. Still you might have to cut back a bit now that I’ve retired.’
She dropped the oven dish she’d taken from the cupboard. When a cast iron dish hits a ceramic tiled floor neither one comes off particularly well.
‘Isobel. you really must be more careful. The dish is easily replaced but who knows if we can even get another of those tiles.’
‘Screw the tiles, you stand there in motorcycle leathers tell me you’ve retired. What is this some sort of midlife crisis? When were you going to talk to me about this?’
‘Well, I wasn’t really, I didn’t think it was your concern. Just like you obviously thought that you fucking Eric was no concern of mine.’
Now that one really did strike home, she wavered and had to hold onto the island unit for support. Almost there, now for another blow.
‘Of course you know that Tom and Helena are divorcing. I must say that took me by surprise, they were like love’s young dream when they moved in three years ago.’
It was almost a whisper, I had to ask her to repeat it.
‘Do you know why?’
‘Sally didn’t know for sure. all she could give me was rumour and you know how much I hate spreading rumours.’
She grabbed a stool and sat down. ‘What does the rumour say?’
‘What, Oh just that Tom had a bit on the side, but I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s just a rumour.’
Now she was really pale maybe I’ll get another one in before she has to visit the bathroom.
‘You know it set me thinking, with so many houses going up for sale at the same time, I wonder if there is a common link. We know about two, can you think of anything that links the other two?’
‘Excuse me, I need to use the toilet.’
She got up and made a run for the downstairs toilet. It seemed like a good time for a coffee. I set the machine going, enjoying the aroma as it ground the beans then produced the desired black liquid. I was still drinking my coffee when she emerged from the toilet. The make up was all washed off and she was starting to look her age. She was still looking somewhat shaken but had obviously decided that attack was the best form of defence.
‘I thought you would have changed out of that ridiculous suit by now.’
‘What for I will need it again soon?’
‘So there is a bike to go with it?’
‘Oh, it’s not just a bike, it’s a Ducati Panigale capable of more than 160 miles an hour.’
‘What do you want something like that for? The national speed limit is seventy. Oh I get it. It’s to compensate for your other little problem. I’ve heard about men buying muscle cars when they can’t get it up anymore.’
I couldn’t help but laugh.
‘As I said I’m retiring I need something to replace the buzz of jumping out of an aeroplane at ten thousand feet.’
‘Oh come off it, you’re a bloody consultant. Consultants don’t jump out of aeroplanes.’
‘Well, it’s all a matter of semantics really. Some people prefer to call us mercenaries or soldiers of fortune, I think security consultant sounds so much nicer.’
She sat down again her mouth gaping in disbelief.
‘Are you telling me that for the last twelve years you’ve been working as a mercenary, why didn’t I know.’
‘Because you were never interested. You didn’t really want to know. Do you really think that some office waller spends three or four months at a time in African countries. I’ve told you before that I deal with governments. That means training, redesigning their armies and, yes, fighting. War has been privatised my dear. Whenever a government wants a dirty job done, but don’t want any comebacks, they call on people like me. Did you never wonder how come a consultant sustained some of the injuries I had?’
‘You said they were accidents.’
‘They were, you don’t think I tried to get hit?’
‘But you broke your leg in Cape Town. you came home on crutches.
So I did, it was definitely broken. It just wasn’t a car accident. Shrapnel wounds look much the same as the tear from a compound fracture.’
I watched her trying to absorb all that I had told her. What she thought was a comfortable little life.
‘I’ve been married to a stranger for the last twenty years.’
‘Not really, for the first eight years I was exactly who you thought I was. The question is are you the woman I thought you were? It seems you are not.’
‘Now hang on there. You can’t blame me for finding a little comfort, It’s not like I get anything from you. I’ve never held your problem against you. I never even brought it up. I’m only human Giles I have needs which you haven’t met for a long time.’
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Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited. Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address. --- Sarah Carerra By AngelJedi (Released: March 21, 2011) Chapter 28 - A Staple for the Holliday There were already a number of people standing around when the limo pulled up to a door at the Staples Center. For a moment I worried that things would become complicated...
Aaaahhhh…. Ye kya kar rahe ho sanjuuu… ufff.. Chus chus kar hi mujhe jhada doge.. Kya… ohh tumhari jeebh…haaiiiii…. Mar gayiiiiiii.. Haann.. Aur andar.. Uffff… ye kyaaa… ummmm.. Ohh… meriii choooooot.. Ohh… itnaa…paaniiiiii… bahut achcha ..lag..rahaaaa.. Pehali..baar.. Choot me jeebh..ohh maaa… maa…. Sanju..aaj marr..daloge kyaa..” Prabha bhabhi ki choot mere unh ke upar thi.. Dono pair mere sar ke dono taraf aur choot se paani bina ruke tapak raha tha.. Aur bhabhi apne chootad kabhi mere munh...
"Good work, dork." Briana muttered in Tony's ear as they stepped out onto the pavement. "I told you what I told him... it didn't seem that big a deal to me." "He's probably embarrassed, you know how shy he is." She argued. "No, he's probably feeling guilty, at the moment." Shawna put in, distractedly. "He really doesn't like to upset people. Was he singing when he left?" "No idea, the band had started up again by then." Tony answered. "Which way's the quickest way...
The door clicked closed behind Tony and Shawna as they headed out, and Marcus slipped back down into his seat, putting the two bottles on the table. "Not that I don't appreciate your company, Bri," he said, popping the top off the bottles, "but why are you here?" "We're playing football, now shut up and pick up your controller." "Uh-huh..." he passed her bottle across and grabbed his controller off the floor." "Even when one of you and Tony knew what you were doing you were...
"You aren't helping!" Elspeth snapped, crossly, flat on her back on the bed with her leg up on pillows. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh." Shawna giggled, and Elspeth finally managed a rueful chuckle herself. "It was... painful." "So what are you going to do about Briana?" "I don't know... give up, I think. She made it fairly clear she's not interested, and even if she were I think I blew that chance with talking to Marcus like that." "What are you going to do about him?...
The bike pulled into the hospital car-park smoothly, Briana somewhat surprised that she wasn't more scared at the ride. If it had been Tony, she knew, she'd have converted to a religion and started praying before they left the end of the road, such was his aggression, but Marcus was cautious, controlled and calm, getting them there in plenty of time. She shook her hair out as she got off the bike, and handed the helmet back, letting Marcus put it away in the compartment beneath the...
"So, Bullfrog, what's this I hear about you and Hope Nakata?" Shawna slid down into the seat beside him, folding her long legs slowly under herself slowly enough that he actually missed a note. He put the guitar aside before he embarrassed himself. "We spoke at lunch today, she knows Elspeth and Briana." He nodded at the Elspeth across the table. "I know, we've met at a few parties here and there." He nodded — there wasn't really an answer to that. "So..." "So what?" "So...
Shawna trudged into her room to find Lorraine and Briana there with Elspeth, sat round a table doing nails and chatting. Sidling over to the window she opened it, dragging the bag inside and taking out bottle of beer from where they'd been chilling in the fourth-floor wind. "Anyone?" she asked, offering, but they all shook their heads. "Rough day?" Elspeth asked, and the others both turned to face her. "You could say that." She took a long, deep swig of the beer, shivering slightly...
"I don't know, Bri... she's... she plays the role a lot, I think. She spends so much time being the party girl that we don't often get to see her being herself. Hope says she was a completely different person last night." "She'd just had a break-up, of course she was subdued." "It's not just that... we've seen how Marcus changes when she's around, Hope says he does the same thing for her." "So how do we get her to see that?" "You could stop pushing her into it." "Well...
"I'm surprised you're here..." Marcus observed, when Tony disappeared, ostensibly to do some homework. "Yeah, me too... I sort of arranged this yesterday with Elspeth, and then... well, last night didn't really come into thinking until I'd already started round." "OK... now I'm lost." "Elspeth asked if she could have the room to herself for the night." "Is she ill?" "No, she wants to spend it with Briana..." "Oh, so she doesn't want it to herself..." "You know what...
"Come in." Elspeth called, and Shawna poked her head around the door. "Morning roomy..." she managed with a grin. "How's things this morning?" "Absolutely fantastic." She giggled in response. "Bri's in the shower, she'll probably be finished in a minute. How was Marcus' couch?" "Confusing." Shawna admitted, throwing her bag on her bed. "But that's for later... I take it things went well?" "Oh, Sho', waking up this morning pressed up against someone... it just seems to...
Elspeth opened up the door, stepping aside as a drunken looking man lurched out past her with a slurred, muttered 'scuse me' and headed on down the hallway towards the stairwell. Stepping inside, she saw Shawna hurriedly rearranging her clothing in a haphazard, discoordinated way, heedless of the smeared lipstick over her cheek. "Again?" she asked, kicking an unseen beer-bottle across the floor as she came in. "I guess." Shawna muttered back, squinting as the lights came on. "You...
"Sho'?" Marcus looked surprised, opening the door for her. "It's like... twenty past midnight... what's up?" "I... Can I come in?" she whispered, and he hurriedly stepped aside, seeing as the light spilt onto her cheeks that she'd been crying. "What's wrong?" he asked, quietly, closing the door and gesturing towards the seats. Tony appeared, briefly, in the passageway that led to his room. "Hey, Sho', you OK?" She started at the new voice, staring at him for a...
"I'm going to miss you, you know." Elspeth's muttered, her eyes tearing up as Briana pushed the last of her gear into her bag. "It's two weeks, El... it's not like you weren't getting ready for it, we'll be apart at Christmas, too." "I know, but... I was expecting that." "Hey, come here." Briana wrapped her up in a hug, kissing her gently. "I'm going to miss you too. I told you I don't have to go." "Oh yes you bloody do!" Elspeth snapped, pushing her away with hand and...
"Hope?" Tony opened the door to her, and she walked in with a slight smile, looking around. "Is... Is Marcus alright? He's not been in class this week." Tony just cocked his head, and when she listened she heard the guitar playing quietly. "What is that?" "Soul Asylum's 'Runaway Train'." Lorraine told her from one of the armchairs. "So far, this hour, we've had 'The Boxer', Maroon 5's 'She will be loved', Green Day's 'When September Ends' and... what was the other...
Shawna watched the party, knowing that Connor was around somewhere, but determined not to let it get to her. She had friends here, she knew, and drew her strength from them, smiling fondly whenever any of them came by, checking up on her. And they were, she knew. Marcus would have arranged it, of course, but they did it for her as much as for him. The Gang was back together. "You've had too much already!" She heard someone shouting from one of the other rooms, quieting the conversation...
The rest of the pre-dawn was spent at the police station, and come the early hours when Shawna was finally let out into the cold, morning air, she found Tony, Lorraine, Briana and Elspeth waiting. "Where's Marcus?" "They're keeping him in." Tony explained, slouched over his coffee on the bench outside the station. "You want one?" She shook her head. "Keeping him in, why?" "Shawna... he broke Connor up pretty badly. Snapped his arm, broke a couple of his ribs... probably cracked...
"What was that about?" Nick asked, as Marcus sat back down, turning back to look over the seat. "Just... just letting her off a promise she made under duress." "What promise." "Does it matter?" "Judging by your expression, I think it matters to you." "She'd said she'd go to dinner with me." "That's it?" "A date dinner." "Right. And how long have you been trying to get her to say yes to that?" "Seven years, four months and three days." Nick and Ally paused,...
"Nick..." Ally called, as they came back in, Marcus standing hesitantly in the door. "They're back..." Nick was there in a shot, pausing just as significantly in the door from the front room. Shawna let go of Marcus' hand, crossed the room and wrapped him up in a big hug. "Shawna?" he wondered. "Because he loves you, and he's afraid that he's let you down, and he's too stiff to come and do this himself." Ally just laughed, pulling out chairs and putting the kettle on to...
They were laid down, side by side, smiling knowingly at each other, on his bed back at university, and she bent slightly to kiss him gently, tongue probing as he pulled her close. Her hands disappeared from around his waist, and he felt a tug at the buckle on his belt, then the buttons popping open one by one. He reached up, tentatively, his hand cupped and ready, and drew it slowly over her t-shirt, feeling the little bump of her nipple quiver against hand as the cloth rubbed over it. She...
"Afternoon..." Marcus strolled through doorway for lunch to find the sitting area full. Briana, Elspeth and Hope stretched out across the sofa's, and Tony and Lorraine were sitting two deep on one of the arm-chairs. "Hey!" Shawna appeared from the kitchen with a plate for him, and a broad smile. "Thanks..." he stood, rather stupidly, bag in hand, in the middle of the seating area as everyone stared at him. "If you don't sit down," she told him, primly, "how am I supposed to sit...
"Morning?" Elspeth hurried a few paces, tapping Marcus' arm gently as he walked by. "Yes." Marcus confirmed, nodding once and continuing on his way, leaving Elspeth trailing in his wake for a few steps, until he suddenly stopped and she was forced to step quickly sideways or run into him. "That wasn't a question, was it?" "No, just... you know... 'Morning'." She gave a little wave with it, smiling gently, but Marcus just nodded. "Sorry, I'm... in a sort of a 'mode'." "A...
Three songs later, Shawna's smile was growing wider and wider as Hope waited for something she could join in with. Elspeth, reluctantly perched behind the keyboard, just seemed relieved. "Is he likely to play anything lighter?" Hope finally asked, as 'Runaway' began to wind down to a halt. "Maybe." Shawna offered. A deep, scaled bass started up, and she laughed. "Maybe not." Hope, though, didn't seem quite so disappointed, and lifted her violin to her shoulder ready. "What's...
Elspeth sat, nerously, picking at the fabric of her skirt as the group of patients around them slowly whittled down and down. "Did you want drink?" she turned to Brianna, seeing the slight grin there. "What?" "You've only asked me that about once every five minutes... relax, it'll be fine." "You can look smug now, you were the one that wasn't talking to me over this, remember." She pointed out, returning to gnawing gently at her cheek. "I know... I'm sorry." "You said."...
Marcus took his line, calmed himself, bowed, and assumed the ready position all to the referee's call, and then the bout was on. He'd watched the other fighter's last two matches, and knew he was good — for competitions, perhaps a little better than himself. The first flurry of punches came at him, but he'd been expecting fast-handwork and a snap side-kick bought him a little time and space. His opponent turned in the wake of a roundhouse punch, and Marcus held off the illegal strike to...
Dawn crept in through the curtain, as Marcus watched the winter moon disappear from sight beyond the limited horizon the window offered. The hard surface of the wall against his back kept him in the bed, and the soft surface of Shawna's back pressed against his chest kept him hard. Sleep had been quick to come the previous night but fast to finish, though he didn't feel tired. The sheer wonder of the previous evening fuelled him through the long dark hours of the early morning as he lay,...
"You look worried." Hope dropped into one of the chairs, folding her legs beneath her on the deep cushions and resting back, letting her violin case slide to the floor. "Money troubles." Marcus frowned, scribbling furiously on a clipboard as he leafed through paperwork with one hand. "How come?" "Still haven't managed to find another job." "Why don't you go back to working on the door at... what was that place?" "Montagues." "Yeah, why not go back there?" "I can't, I...
"What's up?" Elspeth looked up as Shawna leant on the doorpost, staring into the room, watching Brianna play with Elspeth's hair. "You two look so cute doing that." Elspeth settled her back on Bri's lap with a smile. "That's it?" Brianna wondered, putting her notes down with a smile. "You came all the way here to tell us we look cute? Or are you fishing for compliments?" "No, I came with a proposal, actually." "Oh, what can we do for you?" Elspeth sat up a little, nudging...
Hope slipped into the common room quietly, looking past the crowd in front of the television, and casting about for signs of Yvonne. "You walked past me." A husky voice whispered in her ear, and she started, suddenly, spinning to stare into a gaping cleavage highlighted by a delicately worked silver charm. Stepping back — stumbling almost — Hope gained enough space to look up into a pair of crystal blue eyes and an inviting, teasing smirk. "I can't imagine how I didn't notice." She...
"So... one finger is a sin?" Shawna's voice carried out the window easily in the surprisingly warm afternoon air. "Apparently." Hope's voice followed it, and Marcus slowed on the steps. "So... how many sins is it for all four-fingers?" "You can't have all four-fingers, naughty." Hope told her. "Oh... please... I want them..." Marcus' mind covered the possible explanations as fast as it could, and kept coming back to one conclusion. "Oooh." Shawna's moan made him fumble...
'Reasonably smart', Shawna frowned at the mirror, could mean pretty much anything from Marcus. Given that he was almost constantly in black denim and dark shirts which he could comfortably wear anywhere, she couldn't tell what from her wardrobe might suffice. "Come in?" she called, turning to look over her shoulder as Hope poked her head around following her knock. "Hey, how's things?" "Fine?" Shawna replied, eyeing her cautiously. "What brings you here on a Saturday...
Elspeth turned to look around the room, quickly, slightly panicked. The other bed didn't even have sheets on it, and the smell in the room made it obvious what they'd been 'busy' with, even if the sounds hadn't. Stood with the door half-open, Brianna watched the tears begin to appear in her eyes and spoke up. "Uh... could you give us a few minutes, Mrs Downing. I'm still getting dressed." "Oh, of course dear." Came the slightly confused reply. "I'll... your father and I are in...
"Well, I have to say, Elspeth, I'm a little disappointed." Brianna tensed even further over her soup, feeling nails digging into her leg as Elspeth flinched. "Why?" Elspeth managed a strangled gulp, hunkered down over her bowl. "Well, Brianna's boyfriend that I met this morning said you were seeing someone, and you've not mentioned him all morning?" she sipped gently at her own soup as Elspeth looked down at her own meal, and gave Brianna a slight smile. What's that about?...
"Is he alright?" Hope asked, as Shawna emerged quietly closing the door behind her. "I think so. He's calmed down a bit — that many unfamiliar people threw him a bit." "That's what I figured." She slumped down into her chair. "Bang goes band practice tonight." She frowned. "We'll get there." Shawna smiled, pointing to the kitchen and getting a nod for the implied offer of a drink. "The music'll probably help him get out of it." "That's true." Hope admitted, with a...
Shawna staggered up the steps, getting the key into the lock at the third attempt, as Hope, Elspeth and Brianna followed, laughing gently at her antics. Hope and Brianna hadn't had anything more than soft drinks, but Elspeth's stability was largely due to Brianna's support. "Oh, look at that!" Shawna giggled, as the door swung open, pointing to Tony and Lorraine stretched out together on the couch watching the television. "Hi." Marcus managed after a moment, as the other three girls...
"There's nothing wrong with the stuff I have already." Marcus explained, again, pressed up against the brown, stone wall of the shopfronts, a hundred yards or so from the large shopping centre. Streams of people bustled past on their way in and out of the underground, and he closed his eyes and bounced his head gently off the wall behind him, seeking solace in the reassuring grittiness of the surface. "Honey, it's just a shirt, that's all." Shawna told him, easing back against the...
"Morning." Hope muttered, quietly, shuffling out of the kitchen with her hands clasped around a large cup of tea. "You're up early." Marcus observed, slowing his exercise to a halt when he realised he was being watched. "You don't look like you got much sleep, either." She observed, swiping a pile of hair out of her face as she curled up onto the sofa. "It wasn't a good night." He admitted, turning to put his equipment away. "You don't have to stop just because I'm here, you...
When Hope pushed the door open and ushered a subdued Shawna back into the house, Marcus was perched waiting on the arm of the sofa. "How are you?" he whispered, quietly as Shawna slipped into his arms. He kissed the top of her head, gently, but his eyes were on Hope who gave a non-commital shrug. "I'll be OK." She muttered, muffled by her scarf and his shirt. "Anyone for tea?" Hope asked, doffing her own coat after a moment, and heading for the kitchen. "Hmph-mm." Shawna...
"Is he my father?" Marcus managed, after a few seconds' of silence. Nick nodded. "And my brother in law." He added. Marcus just nodded, looking around. "So... you'd be my uncle, then, and Briana and Tony are cousins, once removed." "Yeah... yeah, I guess so." Nick nodded, slowly. "No, twice removed. Brianna and Tony aren't actually my cousins, their mother's my cousin." "You never said." It wasn't an accusation, just another observation. "About him... me..." "I...
"It's just too neat and well organised to have happened by accident." Shawna eased the door closed, moving quietly to the kitchen as Hope and Marcus continued. "Excuse me? You think it's neat and well-organised? Do you watch the news?" Marcus' wry sarcasm brought a smile to her face as she shucked her coat onto the back of one of the chairs "That's people, not... not 'nature'." Hope countered. "People are a random element introduced by God over the top of his design." "No,...
"Is the kettle on?" Hope almost squeaked, poking her head through the kitchen door. Shawna smirked and nodded, walking slowly out into the sitting area with a big, bowl-shaped cup of tea clutched in both hands. "This isn't going to work, you know." She pointed out, as Hope scurried about, realigning cushions that hadn't been out of place. "You think they were better all on the sofa?" Hope didn't look away from her work. "I didn't mean the cushions, I meant this thing with Marcus...
Elspeth and Brianna traipsed slowly down the stairs, heads close together and speaking quietly, sombrely to each other as Hope eased the door closed behind them. "I'd feel better if they'd accept a lift," Mr Nakata muttered, quietly. Hope turned to him with a tired smile. "I think they just want the fresh air." She shrugged, leaning back against the door. "I get like that, sometimes. I just want to be outside, away from all the walls and doors and people pressing in on...
Perched on the top step of the garden in the surprisingly warm sunshine, Hope wrapped her hands around her cup and watched as Marcus worked his way through his exercises. "Morning, Hopey-Dopey." Shawna settled onto the step beside her, clutching at her own cup. "Hopey-Dopey?" Hope didn't look away from where Marcus was flowing through his familiar sequences. "What would you prefer? Pipsqueak?" "Hopey-Dopey will do," she conceded, as graciously as she could. "Does he do this...
Shawna stumbled out of her room late the next morning to find Hope already curled up on the sofa with a cup of coffee and a book. "Morning." She managed, headed for the kitchen, and started slightly in surprise when she turned away from the kettle to find Hope standing behind her. "What?" she asked, in the face of the serious stare coming her way. "Have you apologised yet?" "I'm not sure I've awoken yet," she pointed out, resting back against the worktop. "Normally Marcus'll...
Marcus stared at the bundled sheets of paper before him uncertainly, leafing through them carefully, trying to makes sense of the coded squiggles he saw. "Ready?" Hope asked, slipping onto the stool behind her keyboard. "No," Marcus replied, instantly. Shawna shuffled through the papers herself, shaking her head silently at what she found. "What's up?" Hope asked. "I don't know what we're playing," he said, and Hope stared for moment. "That's what the sheet music's...
"No, look. All I'm saying is that the tunes can be played and sung without having to go flat-out, balls-to-the-wall full on, and still be valid." Marcus walked out of the kitchen, shaking his head at the ongoing debate behind him, and went to answer the front door. "But it'll always be a pale imitation of the original if it was written to be sung with energy. It'll never sound as good without it," Shawna countered. "Did you listen to that CD I leant you?" Hope asked, as Marcus...
Hope drained the last of her bottle with a sigh, and gathered it up with the others to put in the recycling bin on the way out. "Are you sure you're alright?" Elspeth asked, getting a patient smile from Hope. "I've had three, that's all," Hope said. "And, for the umpteenth time, I'm fine. It was just a long day." "I can't believe he honestly thinks Marcus will just up and leave for the states," Brianna said, holding Elspeth's coat for her while she shrugged into it, and then...
Elspeth woke slowly, already slightly warm, with two soft hands stroking the underside of her breasts, teasingly. "Hmm..." She opened her eyes, made out the blurry figure of Briana kneeling beside her, and reached up to grasp her hands. "Morning, lover," Briana whispered, leaning down to kiss her, surrounding her head in a halo of brown hair. Unsure of her sight without her glasses, Elspeth ran her hands up Briana's arms to her shoulders, then into the centre of her chest where she...
"I thought you'd be nervous," Tony observed, perching himself on the arm of the Lorraine's chair. "Why?" she asked. "I can play, and it's not like anyone here's not already made their opinion of me. I'm good. There's no reason for them to judge me har..." she cut off as Tony pressed a finger to her lips. "I see," he said, holding back a laugh. "It's good that you're not nervous, or you'd start jabbering." "Shut up." She leant into him, taking a deep breath and looking...
"You know, Marcus is going to be shocked as hell when I get home sober," Shawna said, laughing as the group emerged from the student union. "Well, it's my birthday, and I've had enough of noisy, smoky clubs and getting shit-faced," Corrine announced to the world in general. A few people nearby called 'happy birthday' at her declaration, and she blushed, realising how loud she was being. "So where are we headed then?" Hope asked, last to emerge. "I really have no idea," Corrine...