by Sasha Greene
About three hours later he yawned and stretched; it was time for dinner. It was great to think that he had the pick of the places nearby, and he didn’t even have to pay for it. It was getting a bit chilly now though; he would have to shut the windows.
He and his contact in the States had been messaging back and forth, occasionally calling each other when things got tricky.
He typed on the screen. Just going to get some food. Back in 15.
Sure thing. The reply came back almost immediately. Should be OK here while you stuff your face.
Nick couldn’t help but smile. He really liked this client actually. Waiting for processes to run had given them quite a bit of a chance to chat, and he seemed like a pretty nice guy.
It was almost one when they finally finished, and the message he had been waiting for flashed up on the screen. I think we’re done here. You get yourself to bed.
OK.
Thanks for all your help. Really appreciate it.
No worries.
It felt good to be appreciated. He stretched again. He had been sitting at his computer for far too long. But the work had been interesting. And working with someone he liked had made it fun.
He looked around the office, drinking in the unusual feeling of satisfaction. Really, his actual job, the actual things he was doing, wasn’t that bad. If he could just get rid of his colleagues somehow, and this awful airless office, he would probably be able to live with it. He laughed out loud at that thought. Unless, somehow, they would let him work remotely? A picture of himself, living up in Fort William, working from there, flashed into his mind. Then he shook his head. His boss didn’t even trust anyone enough to work from home. That was never going to happen.
Saturday morning Jade woke up feeling happy. It took her a couple seconds to work out what the reason was for it. Nick. She was going to see Nick today. Go to his place. He was cooking her dinner. A little thrill of excitement went through her.
She checked the time. She had been thinking about the early morning yoga class, but it was already half over.
‘Yeah, as if.’ She rolled over onto her stomach again. It had been a tiring week. Big groups that needed lots of taking care of and organising. She could still make the late morning class though. It would be a good idea. Get rid of all the stresses of the week.
She reached for her phone again and texted Nick.
Thinking about the yoga class. You going, or are you still asleep?
Slept really well last night. Just lying in bed thinking the same thing. See you there?
Sure. She added a couple of prayer hands, and then jumped out of bed and wandered down to the kitchen in search of some breakfast.
The class was just what she needed. A good stretch, a few laughs, and she was feeling good. Oh, and the sight of Nick’s delicious bum in front of her was an added bonus. And the thought that she might be touching it later on was just the icing on the cake.
She hummed softly to herself as she rolled up her mat.
Nick came over to her and pulled her to her feet, giving her a quick kiss in greeting. ‘It’s good to see you. What time do you want to come over?’
The touch of his lips made her want more, but she resisted the temptation, aware that there were others still in the room. ‘I’ll come straight over once the matinee’s finished. Should be some time between five and six?’
He slung his arm round her shoulders as they walked towards the door and kissed the top of her head. ‘Sounds great. Looking forward to it.’
As they paused in front of the entrance to the changing rooms, he pulled her in for a long lingering kiss, his hands cupping the curves of her backside. ‘Actually, I lied.’ He murmured in her ear. ‘I can’t wait.’
She pulled away, somehow feeling self-conscious with all the people passing in the corridor. ‘I’ll see you later. I can’t wait either.’ She flashed him a blinding grin and then slipped through the door to the women’s changing room.
The musical was surprisingly good. Many of the audience sang along with the songs and Lily was no exception. Even Jim piped up in a thin reedy voice. Archie should have come. But then, there was no accounting for taste. They had left him listening to one of his favourite adventure biographies and he had seemed pretty happy.
As soon as they had got everyone back on the minibus, she waved goodbye to them and sped off towards Nick’s place. She was really curious to see what it would look like. The Merchant City area was pretty posh these days. She found the address pretty easily. It was a great location. Tucked away in a quieter side street but only just around the corner from some great bars and restaurants.
The buzzer was one of those fancy ones where you had to type in the number.
‘Hello?’ The crackly voice came through the intercom.
‘It’s me.’ She almost said her name, but then changed her mind. He was expecting her after all.
‘Come on up.’ The lock buzzed, and she pushed the door open.
It was very posh. There was polished grey marble on the floor, and it looked like the white walls had been freshly painted. She walked slowly up the stairs. There was no point taking the lift for just two floors.
The door was already open by the time she rounded the corner, and Nick was standing there. He was wearing a long-sleeved grey t-shirt that fit him neatly, and scruffy blue jeans that looked like they had seen a lot of wear.
‘Hey.’ His voice was soft, almost hesitant, but his smile was clearly just for her. ‘Come on in.’
Jade expected him to kiss her in greeting, but instead he held the door open for her and motioned her in. She found herself in a tiny entrance hall with just enough room for a row of coat hooks and a shoe rack that doubled as a small bench. She toed off her trainers and hung her jacket and handbag on a hook.
Nick was already opening a second door. ‘Well, this is it. Welcome to my humble abode.’
It was pretty tiny. It was all one room. A bedsit. To her left a small kitchen sideboard contained a cooker, sink and washing machine, while a tiny table and two chairs for eating stood in front of a large bay window. In front of her a small sofa was arranged with a TV. To her right, in a corner, was a double bed. Her skin grew warm at the thought of the small packet of condoms she had bought on the way over. It never hurt to be prepared.
‘Sorry it’s a bit small.’ Nick must have mistaken the look on her face for disappointment.
‘No. No. It’s great.’ Jade looked at him with a smile. ‘I think it’s what estate agents would call bijou, but really, it’s great. It has everything you need.’
He looked at her for a few seconds, as if weighing up the truth of her words, then smiled. ‘Come here. I’ve been wanting to kiss you properly all day.’
Jade closed the distance between them, reaching her hands up to wind around the back of his neck and into his hair. He lifted her up and sat her on the table, and she wrapped her legs around him to draw him closer while she closed her eyes and luxuriated in the feel of lips against hers. He used one hand to hold her firmly to him while the other played through her hair. Then his mouth left hers and he kissed his way slowly down towards her neck.
The way things were going Jade fully expected him to start taking off her clothes. But instead he levered one hand under her legs and lifted her off the table. Jade yelped in surprise as he swung her towards the sofa and sat down with her on top of his lap.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to jump on you like that.’ His hand reached for her head where it lay on the arm of the sofa and started massaging her scalp. ‘I don’t want you to think that I invited you here just to have sex. When I said dinner, I really did mean dinner.’
Jade closed her eyes and let out a sigh. The movement of his hand felt like heaven. ‘We can do what you like, as long as you don’t stop doing that.’ She opened one eye and looked across at him. ‘But I won’t say no to dinner. What is that amazing smell anyway?’
‘Shepherd’s pie.’ Nick smiled at her smugly.
‘What, a real one? Not bought from the supermarket?’ She curled herself up in his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. ‘I think you must be my favourite person.’
‘I thought I already was your favourite person.’ The rumble of his voice came through his chest.
‘Well. I don’t know.’ She thought she had to tease him. ‘There’s Mum, and Dad, and Lily, and Archie, and Bill and Mandy from work …’
He squeezed her in a tight hug that took away the breath for whatever else she was going to say. ‘Yeah, yeah. I’m the bottom of the list. Obviously.’
She didn’t have anything to say to that, so instead she just kissed him again.
They lay on the sofa for a while, just listening to the whirr of the oven and the faint noise of traffic. Jade turned her nose into his chest and breathed in the smell of him, just enjoying being curled up in his arms.
‘I picked out a film for us to watch.’ Nick broke the silence. ‘Since you said you liked Deadpool. It’s got Ryan Reynolds in it too.’
‘Oh. I do like him. What’s it called?’ She squirmed around, changing position until she could see his face properly.
‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard. You haven’t seen it, have you?’ His right arm was resting on top of her, and his hand was gently moving up and down the outside of her leg. It felt so good to be touched like that. Jade could feel her whole body relaxing.
‘I haven’t actually. Must have missed that one.’ Jade stretched, yawning. The size of the sofa was perfect actually. Her head was resting against one fabric-covered arm, and her legs were draped over the other side.
‘Yeah. I haven’t seen it either, but it looks funny. It’s got Samuel L. Jackson in it too.’
‘Let’s get it started. Why not.’ Jade stretched again.
‘Let me just check on the dinner.’ Nick lifted her gently off him. He opened the door to the oven. ‘Looks pretty good. Probably about another half an hour? I’ll just set a timer.’ He patted his pocket, then smiled sheepishly. ‘Of course. I already turned off my phone.’
‘So did I.’ Jade patted the grey fabric beside her. ‘Come and sit down. We’ll smell it if it starts to burn. Besides, we’ll know how far we are in by how long the film has left.’
‘How did you turn out so clever?’ Nick sat back down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and reaching for the remote.
‘I just can’t help it. My natural brilliance just shines through.’ Jade pretended to preen.
The first twenty minutes of the film were pretty funny, but they paused it when the dinner was ready, and sat at the small table while they ate, looking out through the large double window. Nick poured two glasses of wine, and they clinked them together in salutation.
‘This is what I love about being grown up.’ Jade sipped her wine.
‘What, drinking alcohol?’ Nick grinned at her.
‘No. Not really. Just the freedom. Sure, I have to work, but I can do whatever I want in my spare time. No adults to tell me what to do.’
‘Maybe.’ Nick didn’t sound so convinced. ‘My mum still thinks she knows what’s best for me.’ He slowly chewed a mouthful of salad. ‘But don’t you think that being grown up means more choices? And aren’t choices hard?’
Jade took another sip from her glass, considering. ‘I guess … I guess it depends on what kind of weight you attach to those choices. If you think that they’re really important, I can see how that might be stressful. But if you have a belief that whatever choices you make then things are going to be fundamentally OK, then the choices become less important and the principles behind them are what really matters?’
‘Hm. That’s an interesting viewpoint.’ Nick did sound like he meant it. ‘But what happens if you make a choice just because there’s no other alternative?’
Jade reached out and touched the back of his hand gently. ‘You’re talking about your job, aren’t you?’
Nick blew out a long breath. ‘Spot on the money, as always.’ He smiled wryly at her. ‘And not just the job. I miss all my friends from back home. Especially Jamie. He was like a brother to me.’
‘He still is, surely?’
‘I don’t know.’ Nick extracted his hand and took another drink from his glass. ‘I’ve asked him down to visit loads of times, and he just seems to make excuses. Says things are too busy. But I know he’s not. I just wonder if he’s annoyed with me for leaving.’
‘No.’ Jade couldn’t help the word that slipped out. She tried again. ‘Look, friendships are just tricky.’ She winced as she thought of Carina, and how they still weren’t talking.
‘Yeah.’ Nick nodded in agreement. ‘I was kind of hoping that I would be able to make some new friends here, but people just don’t seem interested. It’s like they already have enough friends. I know that sounds a bit weird, but it’s the best way I can think of putting it.’ He made a face. ‘I was thinking that walking group would be somewhere to get to know people, but you know all about what happened with that.’
‘I’d still like to punch them both.’ Jade curled her fist and made an angry face. But he knew she was joking this time. Kind of.
‘Anyway, how come all your friends are about three times as old as you?’ Nick obviously wanted to divert the topic away from what had happened. ‘I would’ve thought that you’d have loads of friends your own age. From school. Or from uni. I mean, I know what happened with Carina, but what about all the others? You don’t seem like that kind of person.’
He must have seen something of what was on her mind pass through her face, because he touched her hand gently, causing her to look straight up at him. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Just forget it.’
She saw the concern in his eyes, and her heart went out to him.
‘No, you’re right, it’s a valid question.’ Jade just wished she knew the answer to it herself. ‘I did have a lot of friends. But … I don’t know really. I guess I changed somehow. Or they changed. Or we both did. This last year has been pretty tough for me. And I think I just let people go who didn’t know how to handle it. Lily seemed to be the only one who was willing to accept me just as I am.’
Nick put his head in his hands. ‘I wish my colleagues would accept me just as I am.’
Jade shrugged. Somehow she had to get him away from these destructive thoughts which kept cropping up. ‘I think there’s some good in everything. Just think, if you hadn’t come down to Glasgow you wouldn’t have met me. Or Archie.’
‘True.’ Nick straightened his shoulders. ‘Or Sean.’
‘Who’s Sean?’ Jade couldn’t remember him having mentioned a Sean before.
‘Oh. I forgot to tell you. He’s the librarian.’
As Nick told her about his experiences at the library, and the planned walking trip, Jade felt a strange sense of relief. Finally, he had met someone who sounded like a friend. And the worry that he might be totally dependent on her and her actions eased up just a little.
‘I vote for ice cream while we watch the rest of the film.’ Nick rose to put the empty plates in the sink. ‘And for doing the washing up later.’
‘I vote for that too.’ Jade plonked herself on the sofa, stretching out. ‘But I don’t know where you’re going to sit, because this seems just the right size for me.’
‘If I can’t sit beside you then I’ll just have to sit on top of you.’ Nick squished himself on top of her, his long legs sticking off the end of the sofa.
‘Can’t … breathe …’ Jade pretended to gasp.
Nick looked horrified for a minute, hurriedly pulling himself off her. When he realised she was joking he just stuck out his tongue at her and lay back down again.
‘I can breathe, but if you put too much weight on me then all that nice shepherd’s pie is going to come right back up again, which would be a pity.’
‘That would be a travesty.’ Nick rolled off her and went to fetch the pudding.
The rest of the film went down as smoothly as the ice cream. Jade loved actio
n films for their predictable endings.
When the credits rolled Jade looked at Nick. He reached around her for the remote, switching off the TV.
‘I’d normally put some music on now, but it’s all on my phone.’ He shrugged apologetically.
‘I quite like the silence, actually.’ Jade wasn’t bothered by it at all.
She moved to straddle his hips, running her fingers through the tangles of his hair.
‘I need a haircut.’ Nick lifted one of his own hands to tug at a brown strand.
‘I quite like it.’ Jade buried her fingers in it. ‘Anyway, I can’t believe that you’re thinking about haircuts when you clearly should be thinking about something else. What kind of man are you?’
Nick just laughed, and kissed her.
Jade never worked out how they got from the sofa to the bed; she was too focused on making the most of the moment. Her jumper had disappeared somewhere too. But it was when she went to pull off Nick’s t-shirt that he drew back a little, looking down at her.
‘Stay the night. Will you? I want to do this properly. Give you a good time …’ His voice trailed off, as if he was unsure of what to say.
Her heart suddenly melted for him, at the same time as her body responded to the suggestion in his words. ‘Sure. I’d love that. But,’ she placed one hand on his shoulder as he went to kiss her again, ‘if I’m going to do that then I’d better text my mum so she doesn’t worry. Smartphone ban or not.’
He nodded, then pushed her back down gently as she went to sit up. ‘I’ll get it for you.’
She lay back on the pillows, smiling at him. ‘Just grab it from my bag.’
Nick opened the door to the hallway. For a minute he couldn’t remember where she had put it, but when he closed the door there it was, hanging on a peg. He opened the zip on the tiny black thing, reaching his hand in, but he couldn’t feel a phone anywhere.
He tipped everything gently out onto the floor, kneeling beside the pile. It would be quicker. Seeing the packet of condoms made him smile. If he had held onto any worries about her intentions in that respect then he could put them aside. Still, they wouldn’t need them; he had his own small box stashed in a drawer beside the bed. He sifted through the items. Just the usual. Lip gloss, tissues, sanitary towel. Book. But no phone. So where was it?