Educating Eve

by Anna Archer

  “You’re amazing,” moaned Manny. “You’ve done this before.”

  Eve tilted her head and looked into the piercing blue eyes. “I can promise you I haven’t.” She kissed the lips gently. “You did that to me, Manny. You made me do that to you, and it all came so easily to me.”

  “I came so easily,” said Manny with a laugh.

  “As did I,” managed Eve, detangling her legs from Manny’s and squashing down onto the sofa next to her. “I completely forgot about your knee, I’m so sorry.”

  “I completely forgot about it too. That was better than morphine.”

  Eve laughed. “Maybe I can be your treatment?”

  Manny smiled with genuine warmth. “You’re the spoonful of sugar I’ve been looking for.”

  “And you’re the medicine I never knew I needed.” Eve took hold of Manny’s hand. “I like this version of me.”

  “Fuck me, so do I!”

  “I’m serious. I know it’s wrong, but it feels so right.”

  “I’m nineteen, Eve, and hopefully you won’t be teaching me for much longer.” She shrugged. “But just to be safe, I think we should continue to cover our faces when we’re on our dates.”

  “Go karting helmets?”

  Manny shook her head. “Tomorrow our Christmas is going to come early.”

  “I think that’s already happened.”

  Manny smiled her dazzling smile. “Just you wait.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Rolling over in bed the next morning, Eve wasn’t sure what she expected to see. If this were a rom-com movie, the bed would be empty and the viewer would panic momentarily before realising the love interest was in the kitchen cooking up a wonderful breakfast of pancakes and eggs, or returning through the door with a package of recently bought warm pastries. If it were a thriller, the love interest would be looking down on the bed, watching her menacingly like caught prey. If it were a horror, she’d be dead, or her love interest would be dead, or she’d roll over and realise she’d had sex with her student.

  Blinking quickly, Eve reached for her glasses. The bed was empty. Craning her neck, she peered out of the bedroom door into the open-plan lounge and kitchen, no sign of Manny. She looked to the bedside table. There would be a note. There was always a note. Eve panicked. No note. Had Manny regretted the events of last night so much that she’d run away without a word? Pulling herself out from the warm covers and reaching for her dressing gown that was hanging on the back of the door, Eve wrapped the soft fabric around her bare body and shivered in remembrance. They’d moved from the sofa into the bedroom and made love a further three times throughout the night, drifting in and out of a light hazy sleep before reaching for each other once again. Manny had wanted more of her each time, culminating in a grand finale worthy of selling out a big screen: Eve’s legs wrapped around Manny’s neck, Manny’s tongue pushed deep inside Eve, Eve coming harder than she ever thought was possible.

  “Manny?” she said, awkwardly glancing around the small apartment like her student might be hiding somewhere, ready to pounce out – quite possible if this were a comedy movie. Eve stared into the silence, realising there was actually nothing funny at all about the situation. What if Manny had gone straight to the police station to report her, or to her parents, or to the school? What if this whole thing was a set up? Manny getting the ultimate payback for the indifference Eve had shown her when she’d arrived in her class. Eve scanned the kitchen counter for a note. They’d both had an awful lot to drink last night. What if Manny had felt coerced? Eve shook her head, remembering some of the sexual positions they’d found themselves in. Manny was an instigator. She knew exactly what she was doing and was by far the more experienced of the pair.

  Eve jumped at the sound of the door. “Manny?!” she gasped as a killer clown entered her apartment clutching a brown paper bag of goodies.

  Manny pulled off her face mask. “I can’t cook pancakes for shit so I popped out to buy some muffins and croissants.” She opened the bag. “And I think I got a pan aux raisin or some other sort of tuiley thing as well.”

  Eve raced to the door and threw her arms around Manny’s shoulders. “I thought you’d gone to report me!”

  “To who? The sexual police? Because your skills were so criminal?”

  Eve pulled away. “You think I’m a criminal?”

  “No! Your skills were criminal! It’s a joke. You were so good at sex that it should be illegal.”

  “What?”

  Manny dropped the bag on the kitchen counter. “Forget it. It was a compliment.”

  “You don’t regret it?”

  “Of course not! I just thought I’d do that clichéd rom-com thing of nipping out to get us some breakfast in bed.”

  “So nothing’s changed?”

  “From the last time you made me orgasm about three hours ago? No. Why? Has it for you?”

  Eve shook her head. “No!”

  “Well come on then,” said Manny grabbing the bag and turning to chase Eve into the bedroom, “this killer clown’s going to get you.”

  Eve giggled at the silliness of it all, but dashed away from Manny all the same, throwing her dressing gown to the floor and diving back under the covers. “Sink your teeth into me if you dare,” she yelled.

  Manny unzipped her jumpsuit in one go and flung the brown paper bag onto the bed, almost crushing its contents as she launched herself on top of Eve. “Have you missed me?” she whispered, her lips already on Eve’s neck.

  Eve moaned in arousal. “I thought you’d gone.”

  “Worse. I did the walk of shame in my killer clown outfit.”

  Eve laughed. “Did anyone see you?”

  “Obviously. But I can’t risk being spotted here. A weird killer clown coming and going raises less suspicion.”

  “You went into my local bakery with your facemask on?”

  “Yes.”

  “And they didn’t say anything?”

  “No. It’s early. There are all sorts of people still out and about.”

  Eve laughed. “You’re crazy.”

  “And you love it.”

  “I think I do,” she said, smiling. “Shall we just stay in bed all day?”

  Manny shook her head. “That’s the mistake all lesbian couples make. Too much too soon. We need to get out and about and have some fun.” Reaching under her waist, she retrieved the bag of goodies. “Sustenance.”

  “We’re a couple already?” said Eve with a laugh. “Isn’t that the mistake most lesbians make?”

  “Coupling up with you would never be a mistake.” Manny pulled apart a croissant and fed a small piece to Eve. “But I want to make the most of the time we have together. If I go back to football I’ll only be able to see you in the evenings and that will restrict our activities to mostly sex, so let’s get out and about while we can.”

  Eve took one of the muffins. “You said it would be like Christmas has come early. Surely there aren’t any Christmas markets open yet? And what would we go as? Santa and his elf?”

  “You ski, right?”

  “I do.”

  “So you have the gear?”

  “Why? Where’s this going?”

  “To the snowdome!” wailed Manny with excitement. “Balaclavas and bobble hats, no one will notice us!”

  “You ski?”

  “No!”

  Eve laughed. “So what are we doing?”

  “Sledging!”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes seriously! It’ll be so much fun. Cuddled up together on a sledge in the snow. Tearing down the slope. Only our eyes visible through our letterbox balaclavas. You have one of those, right? I got one when we went over to play a friendly against Norway. No mouth hole sorry so no snogging, but you can gaze into my big blue eyes all you like.”

  “You really do have beautiful big blue eyes, do you know that?”

  Manny batted Eve on the shoulder. “Eat your pastries.”

  Eve moved the brown bag onto the
bedside table. “I’m being serious. You’re stunning, Manny.”

  “Says you, Miss World!”

  Eve took hold of Manny’s hands. “And I don’t know where this is going, but if I’m honest I don’t really care.”

  “To the snowdome!”

  “Listen to me for a minute. You’ve changed me, Manny. I know who I am when I’m with you and I know what I want. And for me to be so calm about this situation speaks volumes.” She smiled. “I’m aware I won’t have you forever so I’m happy to enjoy whatever time I do have with you.”

  “You’re dumping me before we even get going?”

  “I’m just being real, Manny.”

  Manny squeezed the hands in return. “This can be real, Eve, just you wait and see.”

  ****

  Giving Eve one final kiss inside the apartment before pulling on her killer clown mask, Manny nodded. “Midday. Don’t be late. I’ll meet you on the slope. Try and grab a two-seater sledge. I’ll do the same and we can ditch one of them when our eyes meet through our letterbox balaclavas.”

  “I really have to walk in to the snowdome and pay with my balaclava on?”

  “Yes, and take cash with you, and don’t worry, everyone’s always walking around that place in full ski gear.”

  “And I should use my deep voice again?”

  “No, that one was shit. Maybe try an accent.”

  Eve nodded. “G’day mate, I’m here for the sledging.”

  “Och aye, I’ll be there too.”

  Eve laughed. “We’re so stupid.”

  “And isn’t it fun? Right, I need to head home before it gets too late for this to be a plausible walk of shame outfit. Thank you for the sex. I shall see you in a couple of hours.”

  “Thank you for the sex?”

  “Yes, it was wonderful. Wish me luck, I’m going to get a million and one questions from my mother.”

  “About the sex?!”

  Manny laughed. “I might give you a banter point for that one.”

  “I’m being serious! What will your mum be asking?”

  “Oh just where I was, what I was up to.”

  “I thought you said you’d led a full life? I thought you were an independent adult? Oh my goodness, I should have sent you home so they didn’t worry.”

  “It’s fine, it’s just the first time I’ve stayed away since the summer.”

  “You’ve not slept with anyone since your knee?”

  Manny shook her head. “You broke me in. Not very gently, might I add, but like I said last night: Best. Medicine. Ever.”

  Eve was smiling. “You’ve not slept with anyone since the summer?”

  “And you’re happy about that?”

  “You just continue to surprise me, Manzana Jones.”

  “Well I’m about to surprise the people I’m going to encounter on my way home.”

  “What if someone follows you from here to your house?”

  “It’s fine, I’ll walk half way then jump in a cab.”

  “Do you think we’re still being watched?”

  “No. But this makes it all more exciting.” Manny reached out and hugged Eve before smiling behind her mask and letting herself out of the apartment. Glancing left and right she crossed the hallway towards the chrome lift. No one was directly outside Eve’s door so no one would know that’s where she’d been if anyone were to find out it was her underneath the killer clown costume. Even so she made sure she paused behind a tall piece of topiary just inside the building’s entrance until a car, whose engine was running in the carpark, actually pulled away. She’d been just as careful this morning en-route to the bakery. The chances that anyone would still be staking her out were slim, but it didn’t do any harm to be careful.

  Walking through the carpark and onto the street, Manny glanced back up to the communal balcony. Eve was standing there in her dressing gown, watching her. She laughed to herself, so much for being careful. Standing still for a moment she wondered what had made her turn and look. Did they already share a sixth sense? They certainly had a connection; last night had proved that beyond any reasonable doubt, fitting into each other and giving each other exactly what was needed. Manny lifted her hand to her mask and saluted the woman who’d given her the most pleasure she’d experienced in a very long time, almost squealing out loud as Eve flashed open the top of her dressing gown.

  Spinning to leave, Manny laughed. Eve was so different to the image she portrayed, or maybe she was finally matching the personality you’d expect based on her physical appearance: Full of life and fun loving. That’s what people who looked like her were usually like. Manny remembered Eve’s naked body in all of its glory; what a waste if it had only ever been touched by two other people. Turning the corner into the high street, Manny jumped as a car full of teenage boys beeped at her. She lifted one hand into a claw and used the other to make a slicing action across her neck. It was probably a bit too dramatic for ten o’clock on a Sunday morning, but as with all things she always went all in, just like she’d do with the chat she was about to have with her mother.

  Walking through the town centre and ignoring the odd strange glances sent her way, Manny pulled her phone from her pocket, deciding to give her mother a heads up. It would soften the blow of her night away and hopefully mean she could arrive at the snowdome with good news for Eve. And yes, while Eve hadn’t once asked her to stop being her student, the inevitable guilt was bound to arrive sooner or later, as would the inevitable: We can’t do this anymore. Manny typed quickly: Sorry I didn’t let you know I wouldn’t be home last night. Ended up doing a bit of soul searching. Would you be able to go through some of the offers I’ve had when I get home in about 10 mins?

  The reply was instant: Wonderful news! Absolutely!

  ****

  Neither Manny’s mother or father seemed to care that their daughter was seated at their family dining room table in a killer clown outfit, looking like she hadn’t slept and smelling like sex may be the reason. Manny knew this was a great start. No questions about where she’d been. No questions about who she’d been with. She smiled. “I’ve taken some time to think everything through and I want to say thank you for letting me have the space to do that in my own time.”

  Manny’s father, Giles, nodded at his wife, Sandy, in a see-I-was-right type manner.

  “And I’ve realised you have a point, mum: People love it when a fallen hero rises from the ashes.”

  It was now Sandy’s turn to nod in one-upmanship at Giles.

  “So I’ve decided to leave school and focus back on the football fulltime.”

  “No,” said Sandy, lifting her hand in a halting motion, “that’s not how you play this.” She reached under the table for the folder she’d been hiding on her knee. “I have it all mapped out. I’ve been following the chatter online and you sticking at this school thing has raised your approval ratings.”

  “I’m not a politician, mum.”

  “You might as well be because every single move of yours has been, and will continue to be, scrutinised.”

  “Only by you.”

  “Manzana. This is important.”

  “Exactly, so I need to focus solely on football.”

  “You’re not ready.”

  “I am!”

  “Mentally you seem to be, finally, thank goodness, but physically you’re a long way off.”

  “That’s why I’ll sign back with United and work fulltime with their physios and trainers.”

  “There’s another way. School eight-thirty-to-three-thirty, football five onwards and weekends. You can’t just expect to waltz back into regular training, my darling. You need to be humble about this. Staying at school kills two birds with one stone. You continue to get stronger mentally, United help you get stronger physically. You make your first game come back in a couple of years or so, you work your magic, and then you do the interviews.”

  “I thought you wanted me to do the interviews now?”

  “That ship has sai
led. Doing them now will suggest you need the money. Your approval ratings will drop.”

  “What are these nonsense approval ratings?”

  “You’re on a tightrope, Manzana. You humiliated yourself. You’ve disappeared into the shadows to find yourself. You’re going to achieve great A-Level results whilst finding yourself and at the same time you’ll steadily ingratiate yourself back into your footballing family. You walked out on them, remember? Or should I say limped out? Either way, when you’re ready, you’ll let your skills on the pitch do the talking.” She smiled. “And then you do the talking again, and you’ll be able to command even more for the interviews.”

  “I might as well just stay as I am then, working with my own doctor and physio.”

  The hand was lifted abruptly. “No. You don’t know how long United will want you back for. The check-in calls have already dropped to once a week. Football’s a fickle business. Keep your foot in, so to speak, and keep your studies going.”

  “And when do I have time for a social life?”

  “You’ll have the rest of this half term holiday. I’ll make a phone call this afternoon. We’ll get the ball rolling, so to speak, for this Monday.”

  Manny looked at her mother who was smiling from ear to ear, clearly pleased with what she thought were her witty footballing remarks, and obviously thrilled that her daughter would no longer be the most famous female footballing pariah. She turned to her father who hadn’t said a word during the whole interaction. “Dad?” she asked.

  “Yes, how wonderful.” He nodded. “Right, am I okay to head off now? Golf with Gerald from the council.”

  Sandy spoke with excitement. “Do tell him the good news.”

  “What good news?”

  “Manzana’s making her comeback!”

  “Right, of course, yes, will do.”

  Manny tutted. “Nothing’s been agreed yet.”

  “Yes it has. You know I’m always right, now go and get cleaned up, the press will be all over you when word gets out.”