Just Between Us (11 page)

             
“Oh fuck,” he groaned, sneaking a look at my naked body. He poked me through his boxer shorts, so I hooked my fingers in them and slid them down. He grasped my naked bum and hoisted me onto the sink unit. We kissed manically again, this time there was no foreplay. It was so urgent, more urgent than last time because we both knew what we were missing out on by being a second away from amazing sex. He reached into one of his drawers, produced a condom, and rolled it on. I didn’t get chance to catch my breath before he thrust into me. I tried to be quiet as he rammed me on our shared sink unit. It was raw, and every time he thrust it made me want to scream his name, but I couldn’t. I squeezed my legs around him tightly as I came and screamed into his neck. He followed me minutes later, kissing me. Then he kissed my nose, “This is definitely not a one night thing, Sophie,” he said, staring into my eyes.

Nine
–
Just confused

Now

“
How about we take a trip this weekend?” Kyle said Thursday morning over breakfast.

             
“Where to?”

             
“I don’t know … Brighton?” he shrugged, “it’s years since I’ve been away where it didn’t involve work.”

             
“Really?” I couldn’t believe that, especially since his mum lived in Spain.

             
“Well, I go to Ibiza and Majorca. You know, places where I can network and get DJs to play my music. It’s supposed to be a holiday but just constant PR. It can be draining.”

             
“Oh, the party lifestyle,” I rolled my eyes, “sounds horrendous,” I said sarcastically.

             
“Trust me, it gets old pretty quick.” He smirked. “I’ve not had time off like this for years.”

             
“Really,” I looked at him sceptically whilst he sipped his tea.

             
“Yes, Geraldine is worried about me, you see, I’m a workaholic.” He laughed. “I think the most I’ve been in this flat is this week with you.”

             
“Well it could be more homely in here,” I teased.

             
“If I don’t work I don’t get paid,” he said breezily.

             
“I don’t want to stop you. I can keep myself busy.”

             
“I’ve got plenty of money.” He winked. “I can work when you go home. If we’ve only got a few weeks, I need to make them count.”

             
I shook my head grinning. “What?” he asked.

             
“It’s just you, Kyle Hanson, it still shocks me after all these years how different you are to who I always thought you were.”

             
“How?”

             
“Well, as kids you were so surly, so untouchable, this guy who made his way through all the girls and didn’t give a shit about anything, but somehow you cared about me …”

             
“Right it’s agreed, then.” He cut me off. “A weekend away, Brighton, and we will have a blast. I’ll make you forget that fiancé’s name by the end of the summer.”

             
“Who?” I laughed.

Old Times

The sex didn’t ever become a one-night thing. That night after the bathroom sex, there was extremely quiet bedroom sex and bathroom sex the next morning. It was an addiction that was too easy to satisfy, and as soon as his lips were on mine all rational thought went out the window. He was my tall, hard-bodied weakness.

              After the initial night we had to lie, a lot. We couldn’t become friends in front of our parents or our school friends. That would be too suspicious, and so we just became fuck buddies with some pretty good banter.

             
The morning after that first night together, I went to meet Ashley for Sunday brunch on Lytham high street. I suppose I was quieter than usual and she quizzed me about the night before. I fought her off, telling her I was hung over. She and Vinnie had left together of course and snuck into his parent’s house where she stayed until the early hours. She told me how amazing the sex was and how amazing Vinnie was and how much she liked him. I knew that you were supposed to really like that person that you had a sizzling attraction to, but my situation was very different. I knew I shouldn’t be giving myself so freely to Kyle, who hadn’t tried very hard at all to get me, but it had just been impossible to deny him, my body wanted it.

             
Kathryn joined us after our brunch had arrived, I had a spicy chicken salad and Ashley a chicken and bacon wrap.

             
“So last night …” Kathryn said, as her drink arrived. “That was pretty crazy.”

             
“What?” I asked, taking a bite.

             
“Kyle playing the doting brother.”

             
“Oh it wasn’t like that.” I shook my head.

             
“What?” Ashley asked. “Did I miss something?”

             
“Yes,” Kathryn said at the same time I said, “No.”

             
“Kyle came with Soph to find me, and Tim was trying his best to ‘
say goodbye
,’” she said the last two words with quotation mark fingers, smirking.

             
“Kathryn,” I whined.

             
“What? He likes you … anyway, he was moving in, and Kyle practically jumped between them.”

             
“Because he wanted to get home.” I shrugged, my face perhaps giving everything away. Ashley was watching me intently.

             
“We all know Kyle Hanson, and if he wanted to go home he would have left you there. What, are you friends now?” Kathryn laughed at her last remark, as if that would ever happen.

             
“No.” I shook my head furiously. “Definitely not.”

             
“Right.” Kathryn nodded and looked at Ashley wide-eyed.

             
“That is weird,” Ashley mused.

             
“Mick has some crazy new rule that we have to come home together … safety and all that.”

             
“Odd.” Ashley said, taking a bite of her wrap.

             
“You’re telling me,” I laughed, “anyway Kathryn, what happened after we left?” I managed to successfully change the subject, but I knew Ashley was suspicious. She knew my life inside out and had since I was four years old. She knew that Kyle and I were definitely not close, that I didn’t actually like him, and she was reading all sorts into Kathryn’s story.

The summer was looming, we had all finished school, and so it was time to get summer jobs or plan holidays. Mick had told Kyle and I that we didn’t need to get jobs, that he would pay us an allowance to do with what we wanted. My dad was furious and wanted me to learn the value of money especially since I had an extra long summer before starting university. Kathryn was working shifts at the local pub behind the bar and Ashley was helping her mum, who had a dress shop in Lytham. I promised my dad that I would find something for a few shifts a week, and so I decided that the following day I would start searching.

             
It was Sunday dinner-time before I pulled my shiny, red BMW into the driveway. After brunch we had gone back to Kathryn’s to sit in her bedroom, curled up eating rubbish and watching films. We were trying to ward off our hangovers with our favourite girly movies. Ashley was chattering incessantly and Kathryn even told her that Vinnie’s name was banned from her house that day due to overuse. Eventually I decided that I needed to get home, have a bath, and get into bed, no matter how early it was. I hadn’t had much sleep at all the night before. I was the first person home, Mum and Mick were probably out on a Sunday drive, and God knows where Kyle was.

             
I went to the kitchen, grabbed a cold drink, and made my way upstairs. I entered the bathroom of sin and locked Kyle’s door. I was exhausted and still in shock about last night. It didn’t seem like I was the girl who had slept with Kyle Hanson a multitude of times in the last twenty four hours. I needed to make sure that it didn’t happen again and get back to normal.

             
I started to run the bath and grabbed the book I was reading from my room. I slipped into the bath, and the hot water soothed my body that felt battered like I had boxed five rounds with Mike Tyson. The night before had taken its toll on my body, and as I lay there, the memories started to filter back in. Although Kyle had been the closest person in the world to me last night, he really wasn’t, and I hated to think how it would be to see him face to face again without the alcohol haze. I read my book for half an hour and had a long soak, trying to take my mind off everything.

             
A little later Mum came and knocked on my door, “Sophie?”

             
“Yes.” I was curled up in bed watching
Pretty Woman
.

             
“We’re home, would you like some dinner?” Mum bustled into my room, smiling like she had had a glass of wine already.

             
“No thanks, I had rubbish at Kathryn’s, I’m not hungry.”

             
“Okay darling.” She walked towards me and kissed my head.

             
“What are your plans tomorrow?”

             
“I’m going to find a job.”

             
“Oh sweetie, you’ve got the rest of your life to work. You should enjoy this last summer with no responsibilities and just hang around with your friends.”

             
“Dad wants me to work.”

             
“I can deal with your dad.” She sighed.

             
“Its fine, I want to.”

             
“Well, just see how you get on, Okay?”

             
“Okay.” I smiled. “Thanks, Mum.”

             
“You look exhausted,” she crooned, rubbing a hand over my forehead. “Get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.” I loved my mum, she was so soothing and comforting that I actually craved her when I was upset or alone.                           

I fell asleep with the film still running and awoke around eleven pm. I decided to get myself another drink and
snack. The whole house was in darkness when I made my way downstairs, Mum and Mick had work tomorrow, and so they would have been in bed for an hour or so. I reached the bottom of the stairs just as the front door flew open and Kyle marched in, followed by David and Vinnie. He didn’t see me at first.

             
“Shh everyone’s in bed,” he whispered.

             
I stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs, my hair piled on my head in a loose bun, baggy pyjama bottoms on and a vest top. I wasn’t wearing a bra and couldn’t look less desirable if I tried. When he saw me Kyle stopped dead in his tracks, which made David bump into him. His eyes roamed over my attire, but he managed to regain himself quickly.

             
“What the …” David hissed from behind Kyle.

             
“Oh.” David smiled as he saw me, cockily. I looked to Kyle immediately and worried that David knew, he was acting like he might know, but I was sure Kyle wouldn’t tell. He’d be too embarrassed to admit this to his friends.

             
“Looking good, Sophie,” David said, “loving the no bra situation.” He was obviously trying to embarrass me. I immediately covered myself and turned to walk back up the stairs. I stormed up and could feel tears in my eyes. I hated Kyle and his crew; God only knew what Ashley saw in Vinnie. They were all the same, piss taking bastards who fancied themselves more than anyone else ever could.

             
“Dave you dick,” I heard Kyle hiss.

I was waiting to hear the front door slam so I could go and get my drink, Kyle and his friends didn’t usually stay around our house for long. They were always on the move or trying to sponge off whichever parents had better beer. Plus, Mick wouldn’t want them there all night hanging out when he had work the next day. He could be particularly harsh with Kyle, and I had witnessed it a few times. After half an hour I heard the front door bang, I looked out and saw David’s car screech away. I sighed with relief and made my way to my bedroom door. Just as I opened it Kyle was standing there ready to knock.

             
I didn’t say anything, just gave him a questioning look.

             
“I brought you a drink,” he whispered, shrugging and holding out a glass of cordial.

             
“Thanks.” I smiled thinly and took the cordial, trying to shut the door in his face.

             
“Hey,” he said quietly, following me into my room.

             
“What?” I hissed as he shut the door.

             
“Did I fuck up? What’s wrong?”

             
“Nothing,” I sighed.

             
“Dave’s an idiot, ignore him.”

             
“All your friends are idiots.” I walked back to my bed, placed my drink on the bedside table, got in bed, and pulled the covers up to my chest. “I’m exhausted, so …” I motioned my arm to the door for him to leave.

             
He didn’t take the hint and sat on the edge of my bed, “Are we Okay?” he asked.

             
I nodded, “Fine.”

             
“This doesn’t seem fine.” He looked to me, gauging my reaction.