The Burnley Boys

by Drew Black

  The sun was streaming in through the curtains, and as he lay there, he wondered whether his mother and Sally had left yet. It was a Saturday, and Jessop was taking both her and Sally to the seaside. He smiled to himself, when he recalled how much they were both looking forward to it. He turned over and began to doze.

  He was awoken by a knock on his door. "Tom are you awake yet?" It was Helen.

  "Yeah, what time is it?"

  "It's almost ten, it's a lovely day outside. Your mum and Sal have already left. Your mum came to say goodbye, but you were fast asleep, so she decided not to wake you. Do you want a cooked breakfast?"

  "Please, if that's okay."

  "Sure, it'll be ready in about twenty minutes."

  Tom entered the bathroom and swilled his face with several double handfuls of cold water. The sensation made him breathe in sharply. It felt strange being alone in the house with Helen. Different, somehow, from the lunchtimes they had shared over the last few months. He'd always liked her, ever since they were at school together. If he was honest, he'd had a bit of a crush on her back then. He'd been just a kid in comparison to her though. He smiled as he remembered a lad Helen used to date, he was a real geek. Tom could see his face but couldn't recollect his name. Finally, it came to him, Wesley, that was it, Wesley something or other.

  Downstairs Helen was humming to herself as she prepared breakfast. She was enjoying her time living with the Fords, everything was so much more relaxed here. There was a good atmosphere about the place, and the whole family had made her feel welcome. Elizabeth regarded her as a true friend, Sally looked upon her as another big sister, and Tom, well she didn't really know how Tom saw her. She was so pleased for him though. Now his health was returning, he was becoming much more like the Tom of old. She turned out the gas and ladled the food out on to two plates. "Tom, it's ready." she called out.

  "I'm here." Tom replied

  "Oh, sorry I didn't realise." She said carrying the plates over to the table. "What are you doing today, seeing Jack?"

  "I might go up there later on today, but nothing's been arranged." The food smelt good Tom thought.

  Helen joined Tom at the table, "is it okay, I haven't overdone the bacon, have I?"

  "No, it's great Helen, it's just the way I like it."

  And the way he was setting about it confirmed to Helen that he wasn't just being polite. She felt relieved because cooking had never been one of her strong points.

  "Would you like to go for a walk later?" Tom asked

  "Yeah, if you like."

  "If you've got something else to do, I don't mind."

  "No, I've got nothing planned, but there's a film on TV I wouldn't mind watching this afternoon, that's unless you wanted to watch something else." Helen said feeling as though she was being a little presumptuous.

  "No, I don't mind. Besides, I have the TV to myself all week anyway.

  When they'd both finished Tom sided the table. "Thanks for that Helen, I really enjoyed it." he said placing the crockery in the sink and turning the hot water tap on.

  Helen looked on as Tom washed up. God if he was a few years older she thought before stopping herself. What was she thinking, he was only a year older than Jack for god's sake? He has got a cute bum though, she mused before reprimanding herself for a second time.

  "Do you like the view?" Tom asked her, looking back over his shoulder.

  "Sorry." Helen said caught momentarily off balance and feeling a little flustered. "What view?"

  "The view from this window, why what did you think I meant?"

  "Oh nothing." Helen replied shaking her head and getting up from the table. She picked up the kettle and went to fill it. She expected Tom to move, but he didn't, he just stood there.

  "Are you okay?" he asked her.

  "Yes, of course." she said looking up at him before looking away.

  Tom put his hand to her face, and carefully pushed back a loose strand of her hair. "Only if I've said or done something to offend you, I didn't mean to."

  "No, you haven't." she said putting the kettle down on the draining board.

  "It's just that you've been so good to me over these last few months. In fact, I don't know what I’d have done, if you hadn’t' have been here."

  "You would’ve been okay, I'm sure you would've." she said with a small nervous laugh. Her heart started to beat faster in her chest, and she imagined that she could hear her own breathing.

  "I'm not so sure." Tom said reflectively. He bent over and kissed the side of her head. "Thanks, Helen."

  "That's okay." she replied looking up at him again. She felt as though she should move away but she couldn't. The kiss was nice, it was gentle and soothing.

  Tom leant forward and kissed her again, this time on the mouth.

  Helen responded, but only for a split second, until reality kicked in, and then she pulled away abruptly. "No Tom I can't do this, it's just not right."

  "I'm sorry Helen, I just thought--"

  "Well, you thought wrong didn't you, like all men." she retorted. She left the room and ran upstairs to the bathroom. She needed a few minutes to compose herself, thoughts were rushing through her mind. You shouldn't've let him kiss you, she thought frantically, you knew he was about to, so why did you let it happen. Then she'd made it worse by rebuffing him. The lad's not well, and now on top of everything else, he'll be hurt and offended. Oh god, why did you let that happen? She’d enjoyed it though, irrespective of whether it was right or not. Shit, it will be awkward in the house now she thought cursing herself, and everything was going so well. Helen set off back downstairs determined to sort things out before it all got blown out of proportion, but when she got down there, Tom had gone.

  Tom set off walking to Jack's, he wasn't really thinking about seeing his friend, it was just somewhere to go. He went cross country to avoid seeing anyone he knew. He needed time on his own, time to think. You've really messed things up this time, he thought dejectedly. What had gotten into him, what the hell had he been thinking? She'd probably never want to be alone with him again, or worse still, she might leave. God, he couldn't bear it if that happened, he loved her. Tom stopped in his tracks, he didn't love her he was just confused, what with the accident and everything else that had been going on, but then he thought about how she smiled and the way she made him feel and concluded that maybe he was in love with her after all. He knew one thing; he'd never felt this way about any other girl before.

  He set off walking again. It was a lovely day. A gentle breeze caressed his face, and he breathed deeply. Suddenly, it occurred to him that Helen might tell his mother about what had happened. He knew how fond his mum had become of Helen, they all had. And she would never forgive him, if Helen left on his account. She won’t leave, he reassured himself, you'll just have to talk to her, that's all, tell her it was a mistake. If only he could turn the clock back. If only bloody Jessop hadn't taken his mother and little sister out for the day, this would never have happened. In fact, now he came to think about it, quite a lot of things would never have happened if he'd never met that man. Tom sighed, he couldn't lay the blame for him making a clumsy pass at his best friend's sister at Jessop's door, even if it would give him great satisfaction to do so. No, he wasn't a kid anymore, he was a man, so he supposed it was about time he started acting like one and by taking responsibility for his actions.

  Tom stopped again. Was it really a good idea to go and see his old buddy right now? Probably not considering he'd just tried it on with his sister. 'Oh yeah, your Helen's fine Jack,' he envisaged himself saying, 'even though I have just tried to stick my tongue down her throat.' No, on second thoughts, he'd give Jack's a swerve. He'd head up to 'Little Blackpool' instead. As he homed in on his new destination, which was a sandy hollow about fifty feet across, his thoughts returned to Helen. She hadn't pulled away immediately he thought optimistically, but then again maybe she'd just felt sorry for him, or he'd caught her by surprise. Who knows, and who cares? But that was the
problem, he did care. He kicked the pathway in frustration, and immediately regretted it. Pain shot through his injured leg, which made him hobble around in order to ease it.

  He arrived at 'Little Blackpool' and the place instantly took his mind off all his worries. It had been quite a number of years since his last visit, and now it looked smaller, much smaller. His dad used to bring him up here and they would throw a cricket ball about. For some strange reason, he didn't enter the hollow, instead he skirted up the side of it. When he reached the top, he sat down carefully and swung his legs over the edge and let them dangle there. His heals sent tiny sand particles trickling down into the hollow. He ran his hands through his hair suddenly aware of how hot the day had become. Life had been much less complicated when his dad had been alive. He suddenly heard his dad's laughter. He could see his face with its big beaming smile, 'Good catch son, come on throw it back--ow, not that hard Tom. I'm not as young as I used to be, you know.' A tear rolled down Tom's cheek.

  Back at the house, Helen's film had started, but although she had been previously looking forward to it, it now held little interest for her. The film star's voices faded in and out of her consciousness as if some invisible hand was continuously adjusting the volume control. David Niven was saying something to Audrey Hepburn, Helen's idol, who was listening intently to him with those big dewy eyes of hers. Helen glanced at her watch and decided to have another look outside to see if she could see if Tom was anywhere in site. She didn't know why she was so worried about him; he was more than capable of getting around on his own now, but she was. He was still nowhere to be seen, he’d been gone three hours and forty-seven minutes to be precise, how much longer would he be. In fairness, if he'd gone to see Jack, he could be gone until teatime, but would he really go to call on her brother after what had happened earlier? She doubted it, and somehow, she couldn't imagine he'd want to cope with all the hustle and bustle in town. She went back inside and paced the living room floor. David Niven was still talking, and Audrey was still hanging on his every word. Suddenly, he leant over and kissed her. That was it, she'd seen enough, she went over and switched it off. Just then she heard the back door go. She quickly turned the TV back on and went and sat down.

  The lounge door opened and in walked Tom. She turned her head to face him; "Are you alright?" she said immediately thinking is that the right thing to say to him.

  "Yeah, I'm fine." Tom replied with a tentative smile.

  They both started to speak simultaneously.

  "Go on." Tom said.

  "No, it's okay." Helen replied with a warm smile, which helped put Tom at his ease.

  "I'm sorry for what happened before Helen. Well, I'm not sorry for what I did, but I am sorry that I offended you."

  "I'm not offended Tom." Helen said softly.

  "Please Helen, let me finish," Tom said softening his own tone.

  Helen nodded.

  "I feel embarrassed about what happened, but I need to say this to you. It was stupid of me, and after you've been so kind to me as well. In fact, you've been an absolute tonic for us all Helen, and you're the last person I'd want to upset, and I don't want you to feel uneasy about what happened either. It's done with and I promise, it won't happen again. I give you my word on it," he said crossing his heart. "I--we don't want to lose you as a friend Helen, and that's much more important to me than--well, you know. Can we just start again? It was stupid of me, but I just have this habit of ruining things."

  "Of course, we can, and you're not stupid Tom Ford, in fact you're quite the opposite." She got up, went over to him and hugged him. She pulled away slightly, "Are you not going to hug me back then." she said.

  "Sorry." Tom replied. Now it was his turn to be surprised. He hugged her back. Her hair felt soft against his cheek and it smelt divine. He closed his eyes.

  "I'm going up to my room for a while, you don't mind, do you?" Tom said.

  "No, of course not, along as it's not on my account."

  "No, it's definitely not, and thanks for being so understanding Helen, you don't know how better you've made me feel."

  Helen smiled, "Tom I'd never stop being your friend. You may only be seventeen, but you've just acted more maturely than most men twice your age." Helen said sitting back down on the sofa. Tom went upstairs. He did feel better, much better, but inside he ached for her because now he knew he loved her.

  Tom lay on his bed with his hands locked behind his head. He concluded that he was just going to have to make the best of the situation, that was all. He knew one thing for certain though, he'd much prefer to have her living with them than not. He remembered the feel of her hair on his cheek and sighed.

  Helen felt relieved and genuinely believed that they could continue as before. She had not lied to Tom, he had handled the situation with maturity way beyond his years, way beyond hers even. If she was being honest, as much as she liked Tom, she had feared that he'd throw a tantrum about her rebuffing him, or at the very least that he'd sulk, but instead he'd surprised her for the second time that day by accepting it with grace and understanding.

  She remembered how her last boyfriend had dealt with her finishing with him and shivered. Was the age difference such a big issue after all, or was she just scared about what other people would think? If Tom was her age or older, would she have a relationship with him? The answer was yes, she would. She contemplated this thought for quite some time.

  22

  Tom drifted in and out of sleep. The walk to 'Little Blackpool' and back had took it out of him. He was drifting off again when a knock came to his door. He got up suddenly, was it a knock, or had he dreamt it. The knock came again.

  "Tom can I come in?" Helen said.

  "Yeah, sure."

  The door opened, and Helen entered, she looked a bit uncertain.

  Tom lowered his legs to the floor but said nothing.

  Helen walked over to Tom's bed. She put her hand to his face; "I'm sorry about this morning," she said, "I wasn't offended, you just took me by surprise, that's all."

  The feel of her palm against his face was smooth and comforting. He looked into her eyes.

  "Kiss me again." she said, "Please."

  Tom got to his feet and kissed her on the forehead. After a couple of pecks, he kissed her mouth, tilting her head back with both hands.

  She responded passionately.

  He could feel himself becoming aroused and pulled her to him.

  Helen could feel his hardness against her tummy, and this excited her. She knew then that they were going to make love. She took Tom's hand and placed it against her breast.

  Tom undid her blouse slowly, and they looked at each other intently as if they were seeing one another for the first time.

  Helen removed the blouse and threw it to one side. She then put her hands behind her back and unhooked her bra. She pushed the straps from her shoulders and removed it dropping it onto the floor. She didn't feel embarrassed in the slightest. In fact, it all felt perfectly natural.

  Tom gulped slightly. He wanted to look at her without giving her the impression that he was ogling. God, she was fit, he thought.

  She smiled up at him and put both her hands on his shoulders and pushed down gently.

  Tom sank to his knees and pulled her to him. He kissed and sucked both of her nipples which were already erect.

  Helen closed her eyes as she cradled Tom's head, pulling him tightly to her.

  Tom pulled away from her slightly and began to kiss and lick her stomach. He liked how her muscles contracted at his touch, it made him feel in control although deep down he knew he wasn't. He unzipped the side of her skirt, his hand trembling slightly. He slid it down her legs and she stepped out of it using his shoulders for support. Tom kissed her gently through the silkiness of her underwear, to which Helen moaned softly. Her head was beginning to swim. She wanted him inside her but tried to calm herself which was difficult because her whole body was racing.

  Tom started to remove her panties,
but Helen stopped him. "Let's get into bed." she said.

  Tom got to his feet and pulled back the bedspread.

  "Thanks." Helen said as she slipped beneath the covers.

  Tom knelt by the side of the bed kissing her face and neck. He then stood up and removed his t-shirt and jeans. He snuggled down next to Helen in bed, and they began to kiss again, but this time much more urgently.

  Tom kissed her breasts cupping each one in his hand as he did so. He traced a path with his tongue all the way down to her belly button.

  Hellen sighed; her eyes were shut tight.

  Tom pulled at her panties, and Helen lifted her bottom to allow him to remove them. He moved her knees apart and gently opened her legs. He began kissing the inside of her right thigh. He could feel her hair against his face but refused to kiss her there just yet. He wanted to make her pleasure last as long as possible, as he didn't think he would last that long once he was inside her.

  Helen couldn't remember ever feeling so aroused. She had a lovely warm feeling all over her body. Her senses felt as though they were on fire, and the feeling culminated between her legs. Here she felt absolutely gorgeous, but at the same time she was impatient for his tongue to touch her there. Helen gently tried to manoeuvre his head into place, but Tom refused to co-operate. Eventually, after what seemed like an age, Tom licked her along the length of her vagina. A deep sensation of pleasure shot through Helen's body; she was becoming extremely hot.

  Tom began to work his way back up her body until they were kissing again.

  Helen sank her nails into Tom's back, to which he let out a small cry.

  "Sorry." Helen said almost to herself, she was close to orgasm.

  Tom removed his underpants and lay on her with his erect penis pressed against her belly, and although Helen enjoyed the feeling of him against her, she took hold of his hips and manoeuvred him down wards. Tom was unsure of exactly where her opening was, so Helen took hold of him and placed him against it. Tom pushed and entered her slowly.