Intimate Strangers (The Lisa Millar Series Book 1)

by Lasairiona McMaster

  She laughed. Always the joker.

  “Take care of yourself, you hear?”

  “You too,” she managed, “and thanks for everything, Jer.”

  “Any time,” he replied. “I’ll leave you two to, uhm…” he trailed off. Giving her a sad smile and AJ an affectionate thump on the back, he headed out to the car. “I’ll be outside.”

  “Sure,” AJ replied.

  “Ok, well, I better go,” Lisa said, trying to paste on her best ‘I’m fine’ face and willing herself not to cry.

  “Yeah, let me know as soon as you land?”

  “Sure.”

  “Stay safe, and don’t worry. I’ll be there before you know it,” he told her.

  She nodded and they kissed.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” she replied, and with that, she dragged herself away from him and headed through security.

  She didn’t look back. She couldn’t. She didn’t want him to see her crying, and she didn’t want to see the pain he was feeling at watching her go.

  It’ll get easier, she told herself. As time passes, you’ll get used to this. You’ll be able to leave him at the airport and you won’t cry like a baby!

  Are you trying to convince yourself this is true, Lis? Cause you’re doing a shit job of it.

  Why won’t he just divorce her and marry me?

  Great. Now I’m talking to myself again. This has become way more of a habit than I’d like.

  ***

  As she came out of the arrivals gate, Lisa looked for her family. She spotted her mum. They made a quick getaway and, as soon as Lisa collapsed into the car, she called AJ. It was the middle of the night for him, but she figured he’d have put his phone on silent and she’d just leave him a message when his voicemail picked up. He answered on the first ring.

  “YOU should be asleep, mister. Doctor’s orders,” she said smiling.

  “YOU should have landed, like, three hours ago or something. Something could have happened. I just wanted to make sure you’re ok!”

  “I’m fine. I landed safely. I’m in the car and heading home for a few days of sleep!”

  “Ok, well say hey to your folks for me.”

  “Say hey yourself,” she told him as she hit the speaker phone button. “Say hey to AJ everyone.”

  “How are you feeling AJ? Better I hope?” her dad asked loudly.

  “Yes, and thanks for all your cards.”

  “No problem.” He paused, “When are you coming to visit for real this time?”

  “Uhm, a couple months.”

  “Ok guys, he really has to sleep. Say goodbye to AJ everyone.”

  Another chorus of goodbyes as she took him off speakerphone.

  “Is Jeremy still awake?”

  “Yup.”

  “Stick him on before I go.”

  “Dude, what’s up?”

  “Dude. I can’t believe the words that are about to come out of my mouth, but put that boy to bed please. And I don’t mean get into bed with him. Just make him go to bed. Change his Wi-Fi password or hide his laptop or something. Just make him sleep.”

  “Ok, bye.” She could tell he was going to hang up without passing the phone back to AJ.

  “Wait! Wait! WAIT!”

  “Dude. What now?”

  “Let me say goodbye to him first!”

  “Ok. Peace out, princess.”

  “Stop calling me princess.”

  “JER? Lisa says stop calling her princess,” AJ called.

  “Sorry, I thought he was still on with me,” she laughed a little. “Ok, go to sleep, rest and we’ll talk tomorrow, ok?”

  “Ok, sure. Hey?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you miss me yet?”

  “Stupid question, AJ. I’m not even gonna dignify it with an answer. That’s just how dumb it is. In fact, tell Jeremy to throw something at you.”

  “Uhm. I’m gonna go right ahead with a ‘no’ there,” he laughed. “Well, I miss you,” he told her. “I have no one here to look after me and play nurse.” She could almost hear the pout.

  “Aw. Poor baby. It’s only what? A couple months ‘til you get me again?”

  “I’m counting the days,”

  “Dork,” she paused. “I am too. But really, you need sleep. Go!”

  “Yes ma’am,” he mumbled through a yawn.

  “Talk to you tomorrow,”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you too, babe. Sweet dreams.”

  Chapter 41

  At first, Lisa really wasn’t sure how she’d cope.

  If I kept a diary, it’d read, “Day 2334543, I miss him. I miss him. I miss him. I miss him.”

  She’d officially turned into that pathetic, love-sick, puppy dog.

  So much for that badass biatch who could run the world, she thought glumly. Why aren’t those Star Trek transporter things real?

  Dang girl. You gotta shake this off. You have exams to pass. Get it together.

  She grabbed a notebook and a pen.

  New rules for Lisa.

  #1: No pining. Less pining.

  Let’s go for less pining. It’s got to be realistic, Lisa.

  #2: Eat better, sleep better, exercise more.

  Ha! Let’s not kid ourselves, shall we? Walking to the chippy and back does NOT constitute exercise, and chips are not a vegetable. Plus, you know he’s back at the gym – you’re going to need to up your game in preparation for ALL THE SEX.

  #3: Buy workout gear.

  #4: Buy vegetables.

  #5: Screen detox. One two three phone-calls/week.

  Do I really need this one?

  LISA! Knock it off! Between revision, work, keeping up with his games, and your new exercise schedule of something other than walking to the end of the street, you’ll be too busy to call him every day anyway. You can’t afford to let the fact you’re puke-inducingly in love factor into your plans to conquer the world. Plus, mum used to tell you all the time that you’d get square eyes if you stared at a screen for too long – what if she’s RIGHT?

  She’d been in love before, gotten engaged quicker than you can say, “Lisa I’m not sure this is a good idea.” She’d changed the entire path of her life in an instant, for a boy she was barely with for a year. Her whole A-level year she’d told people she was going to Scotland, or England, for university. And then she met her boyfriend. When the time came to fill in her UCAS forms with university selections, she opted to stay on the Emerald Isle, because of a boy.

  She’d resolved never again. Never again would she let a boy impede, or influence her decisions on her life. If the boy was the right boy, he’d be there when she’d figured herself out and done what she wanted and needed to do.

  #6: Decide what you wanna be when you grow up.

  #7: STOP TALKING TO YOURSELF.

  Never gonna happen.

  She held her new rules out in front of her and studied them intently. This meant it was time to knuckle down, finish her degree once and for all, and then decide what to do when she stood, diploma in hand and ready to choose her next steps in life. She couldn’t sit at the computer sobbing that AJ wasn’t with her, she couldn’t lose nights of sleep and let her work suffer for the sake of a boy – even if she believed him to be the boy – especially as he still had another year to finish once she was done. She’d already taken too much time off for her trip to go and meet him.

  Never played hooky in your life and now this. It’s like you saved up all potential hooky-days and had a massive blow-out!

  For the most part, she’d kept up with her assignments while she was visiting AJ, though the university had agreed to cut her some slack after his accident and the weeks that followed, but she still felt like she was playing catch-up since her return.

  She was proud of herself for managing to stay focused on the immediate task at hand and barely noticed the time speeding past her. And him? Well. He’d managed to stay out of trouble, and the ER, as well as keeping his own g
rades decent in school – despite his head injury and taking a bit longer than he should have to complete his assignments. She couldn’t wait to see him.

  AJ had finally booked flights, but he wasn’t coming alone. Jeremy was coming over, too, and with four weeks to go, Lisa still hadn’t figured out the details of their trip. She was starting to regret not having written up a minute by minute itinerary like the one she’d put together for their trip to London. They were arriving on a Friday morning and staying in Newry until Monday morning when they were going to drive to Carlow. AJ’s mother’s family ran a B&B down there, and they had offered to let them stay for a week.

  Jeremy needs to find an Irish girlfriend so I can get some alone time with my boy, she thought to herself.

  The few days in Newry would be spent in the Canal Court Hotel, a big, gaudy looking place. It overlooked the canal, and the bus depot, but on the inside it was beautiful.

  Eesh! The Williamses’ don’t do things by half.

  She had no idea what she was going to show them, where she was going to take them, or what they were going to do.

  Lisa signed onto chat but AJ’s status said busy. She knew from his schedule that he was in class. But class was nearly over. She was in a good mood and wanted to say hi.

  Lisa: Hey there gorgeous!

  It took him a few minutes to reply, she sat staring at the orange ‘busy’ icon next to his name, willing it to turn green.

  AJ: Hey babe, how are you?

  Her heart leapt.

  I miss him. I miss him.

  Lisa: I’m good, you?

  AJ: Yeah, I’m good. Nearly time for lunch.

  Lisa: Oh yeah? I’m sure I could help you work your appetite back up.

  AJ: I really don’t doubt that.

  Lisa: Ha ha! Sorry, I shouldn’t be distracting. I should be encouraging the studious AJ.

  AJ: Yes, you should. But studious AJ is almost on vacation.

  Lisa: Oh really? Anywhere nice?

  AJ: Actually, it’s kinda cold there, I think.

  Lisa: Why would you want to vacation somewhere cold?

  AJ: Because the company there will keep me warm.

  Lisa: Oh reeeeally? Sounds like good company. So, where is this vacation to then?

  AJ: 54.18 -6.35

  Lisa: In English?

  AJ: You need a hint? They’re coordinates.

  Lisa: You’re a dork really, aren’t you?

  AJ: Yep.

  Lisa: That looks an awful lot like where I live.

  AJ: Hmmm. Perhaps. That might not be a coincidence.

  Lisa: Oh? When’s this vacation taking place then? Hmm?

  AJ: Four weeks tomorrow actually.

  Lisa: Oh AJ! I can’t WAIT!

  AJ: Me neither, babe. Me neither.

  Lisa: I miss you, AJ. I really do. I don’t mean to bring it up again. I mean, I’ve known from the beginning that it was going to be hard, but sometimes I just really want to hold you. Or hug you. Or throw random stuff at you – in a good way. And I guess I just feel incredibly stupid when I get like that.

  AJ: Why? What’s stupid about it? I don’t think there’s anything stupid about it. And it’s not like you’re the only one thinking that way.

  Lisa: Ha! You have to say that now so I don’t feel like a total loon.

  AJ: I don’t say things just to make you feel better. Well, I could. But that wouldn’t make you better in the end. I do think of things like that all the time. Random things. I’ll be walking around and wishing you were walking with me. I’ll be watching a commercial and think about how I’d rather be lying on the couch playing with your hair, waiting for the movie to come back. Or the game. Or whatever. I’ll be singing in the bar and thinking about how I wish you were there too, so I could focus on you and forget everyone else. I think about things like that a lot too, it’s not just you. And therefore, you are not crazy. And, if you are… Shit, I am too. Maybe we can share a room in the loony bin?

  Lisa started to cry. Falling for someone over the internet, despite having met him and then spending crazy intense time with him in person, made it very easy to convince herself that it was all one-sided, that he didn’t love her the way she loved him, or understand how she felt. Or, as was the case here, that he was saying something just to make her feel better – despite her being pretty sure. Somehow, sitting in front of a computer made it incredibly easy to doubt herself. Not being able to see his face, his body language, or hear the inflections in his voice, all made it incredibly easy to take his tone the wrong way. They’d definitely had their share of stupid spats over misinterpretations or things coming across wrong in text.

  Lisa: I ordered a Buffalo Sabres jersey.

  AJ: What exactly do you think you’re doing over there? I really don’t know about you. We might have to cut this discussion short.

  Lisa: Uh huh. Really?

  AJ: No. But. Work with me for a bit. That’s total blasphemy.

  Lisa: Hey, now. I usually always work with you, except when it comes to hockey. They’re really not that bad. I’m getting kicked out of bed, aren’t I? So, like, even if I climbed into bed with nothing on, but my Sabres jersey, I’m still getting kicked out?

  AJ: Yes. Yes, you are. You’re getting kicked out until you come back with a better jersey.

  Lisa: Or, you could just use your loaf and take it off, you big gobshite.

  AJ: Nope, I’d have to touch it.

  Lisa: You know I’ll dance around wearing nothing but a Sabres jersey to wind you up, right?

  AJ: Yes.

  Lisa: You’re a butthead. Would you really kick me out of bed?

  AJ: Yes.

  Lisa: I’d sulk.

  AJ: We’d wrestle and you wouldn’t sulk for long.

  Lisa: I’m a good pretend sulker. I mean, you’re kicking me out of bed wearing nothing but a jersey. I’ll be cold.

  AJ: It’d probably be more like this:

  AJ’s in bed reading a book waiting for Lisa to come to bed. Lis appears wearing a Sabres jersey and nothing else, knowing she’s deliberately causing trouble. AJ sets down the book. Lisa crawls into bed. AJ wrestles Lisa out of bed. AJ keeps wrestling until Lis is managed out of the jersey. AJ brings Lisa back to bed for a few good rolls, and, when she’s not looking, slides the jersey under the bed. He tickles Lisa and reminds her that that kind of paraphernalia isn’t permitted in our bed.

  She laughed. It seemed fairly accurate to her. Even before they'd met, they'd played this weird game of 'how would it go'. Turns out they were pretty spot on.

  Lisa: Sigh. You gotta go, Pim. Not that I want rid of you or anything, but…

  AJ: You’re right, I better jet. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams babe, I love you.

  Lisa: I love you too.

  She powered down her computer and went to bed with her face sore from smiling.

  Chapter 42

  Lisa channeled all her frustrations into her studies and, as a result, she ended the school year much better than she’d anticipated. When she found herself flagging, AJ was there to support and encourage her, she’d surprised herself with how focused she could be when she wanted to.

  With every day that passed, her plans changed for what she’d do with the guys when they got to town. When the day finally came, she was absolutely buzzing with excitement. They were due at midday, and as she stood tapping her foot on the platform, she silently urged the train to hurry up.

  After what seemed like hours, the train arrived. The train from Dublin stopped on the far side of the platform, so she had to wait a few torturous minutes longer before she could see her boy. For half a second, she was afraid they weren’t there. But then, there he was standing before her. Breaking into a smile he picked her up, spun her round in a huge hug and kissed her. It was a long, intense and passionate kiss that made her dizzy and her stomach flutter.

  Jeremy cleared his throat.

  “Uh, dude? You guys wanna get a room?”

  “Uh, dude?” she said, pulling away fro
m AJ. “Wanna give me a hug?” she said as she hugged him.

  AJ’s hand found hers, and the three of them headed off to re-meet the parents.

  Except it wasn't only the parents. It was meet the parents, the sister, some cousins, and a couple of extended family members. AJ could have been forgiven for wondering if Lisa had set him up to meet everyone at once as pay-back. When they were done with the introductions, Lisa was only too happy to leave the family nut-house behind and take her guests to the hotel. AJ never left her side. They couldn't keep their hands off each other. They were either holding hands or had their arms around each other all the time. She loved it. Sigh. He is much freer with his affection on Irish soil.

  As he unpacked his bag in the hotel room, she threw a pillow at him.

  “Hey!” he protested when it slapped him squarely between his shoulders. “What was that for?” he asked, turning to face his grinning girlfriend, who shrugged.

  “I felt like it.” She stuck her tongue out.

  “Oh really?” he said, returning the pillow to her the same way.

  “Hey!” she said approaching him and smacking him, full thwap with the pillow.

  “Oh no, you did not!” he exclaimed, grabbing a pillow of his own.

  Pretty soon, they were play wrestling on the floor. They somehow managed to knock over a coffee table and a lamp. Within minutes they heard knocking at the door. They had left the adjoining door unlocked while Jeremy unpacked next door as he kept coming in and out.

  “What the hell are you two doing? Do I even want to know?” he asked as he entered the bedroom. When he saw them on the floor, he burst out laughing.

  “I’m guessing you guys will need a few minutes before we go get some food?”

  AJ had Lisa pinned to the floor; he was on top of her and had her arms pinned with one hand. With the other, he had somehow written “No. 1 Leafs fan” across her forehead. She was wriggling and protesting. Loudly.

  “Um, Jer?” AJ said cautiously.

  “Yeah?”

  “Come here and hold her so I can run.”

  Jeremy laughed. “Oh hell no. You’re on your own with this one, I’m not that stupid. Good luck!” And with that he left again, closing the door firmly behind him this time.