Rushing toward the automatic sliding doors in a bid to catch him, she called out. “Wait!”
Eric stopped near the door of the ute he was about to enter and looked back at her. A smile broke over his face as he watched her racing up to him.
“Come on Eric mate, get in the car!” the driver of the ute advertising Harrington’s plumbing service called through the window.
“Wait up a sec. Here, take these,” Eric said as he passed the pies and bottles of milk through the open window, turning his full attention toward his girlfriend.
“Kiss me properly,” she said a little breathlessly as she placed her hands on his firm chest and looked up at him, her eyes dancing happily.
Eric was only too happy to oblige her, cupping her face in his hands as he brought his mouth to hers and gave her the passionate kiss she was hoping for. Her head spun as he pulled away and grinned at her, slipping his arms around her waist and holding her tightly to him.
“Is that what you were after?” he asked, his voice a little husky.
She smiled as she leant against the hard planes of his body. “Don’t call me after work. Just meet me at Sofia’s at seven. We’ll have dinner – my treat.”
Eric’s eyebrows shot up slightly as he wondered what had gotten into his girlfriend. They had been together since they were in high school and while he loved her and enjoyed his time with her – she wasn’t normally this into public displays of affection, nor did she make spur of the moment dinner plans.
A smile crept over his face as his heartbeat quickened slightly. “Alright, I’ll meet you there around seven,” he conceded, giving her another kiss and risking a quick tap on her bum as he made a move to climb into the ute.
She surprised him again by letting out a little yelp but grinning at him flirtatiously as she twirled a piece of her long wavy golden blonde hair around the finger of her right hand. He didn’t take his blue eyes off her until she was out of sight. There was something different about her today – whatever it was, he sure as hell knew he liked it.
Chapter Three
Standing in front of the classroom, at 9am that same morning, Mia flicked her long plait back over her shoulder so it hung down her back – it seemed to have a habit of always falling over her left shoulder. She waved her hands to signal to her students that they needed to look at her. All eyes fixed expectantly upon her except for one pair.
Walking toward Corey, she stood in front of his desk, waiting patiently until he finally looked up from his book. She tapped her ear, and then pointed at Corey’s when she noticed that he wasn’t wearing his hearing aids. He huffed out his breath and pulled them from his pocket, putting them in his ears as Mia waited patiently in front of him.
Thank you, she signed, immediately moving back to the front of the class to begin. Mia spoke loud and clear as she signed, for the few students with limited hearing, but primarily, she communicated via sign.
“Corey, would you like to put your book away please?”
Corey’s response was that of a glare; however he did comply and slid his book into the still open backpack at his feet.
“Thank you,” Mia said again, before beginning her lesson.
They were currently learning about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly taken from their families between 1909 and 1969 by the Australian Government, aptly named the ‘Stolen Generation’.
“Can anyone tell me one of the reasons the government used to justify the taking of these children?” Mia asked her students after a quick recap of last week’s history lesson.
Quite a few hands flew up and Mia selected Callie, signing her name so that the other students knew to turn so they could watch her answer.
“Because white Australians didn’t understand Aboriginal culture and thought they were protecting them?” she offered.
When the class turned back around Mia continued. “That’s right. ‘Child protection’ was touted as the number one reason as to why Aboriginal children were taken away from their families.
“Anyone else?” Mia asked, looking around the room and feeling surprised when Corey raised his hand.
“They were trying to breed them out,” he put in, not waiting to be called on.
Mia was so surprised by his participation in the class that she didn’t want to pull him up on not signing his answer, so she signed what he’d said to the class, continuing with, “That’s correct, Corey. There are documents that tell us they felt that if they took the mixed-race children into white families, then eventually the Aboriginal race would die out entirely and become fully assimilated within the white culture.”
The rest of the lesson turned into a wonderful debate about the moral ramifications of what the government did to those children and a promise that if they could get permission, she would bring in a copy of ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ for them to watch during class next week.
When the lights flashed to signal that class was over, Mia watched Corey with hidden interest as he gathered his things and got up to leave, waiting for Callie before he started toward the door. Mia smiled to herself when she saw him sign a couple of words, feeling so glad that he was finally starting to come around.
Cayd’s voice saying, ‘Never underestimate the power of a pretty girl’, flitted through her mind and sent her heart beating wildly even now. It embarrassed her that she was still thinking about him when she had a perfectly good relationship with Eric.
Eric treated her well, and they loved and cared for one another. Their relationship worked – so why couldn’t she stop thinking about Cayd? She felt that perhaps she wasn’t spending enough time with Eric and thought that if she saw him that night then it might push the fanciful thoughts about Cayd out of her mind.
In all their time together, she had never once looked at another man the way she was looking at Cayd. There was something about him that wouldn’t leave her mind and she felt so guilty for it. She was always faithful, always caring. Her future was with Eric, she knew that. She just couldn’t seem to stop herself from daydreaming…
She checked her watch, noting that she still had a few hours left in her day before she could even think about seeing Eric. It was recess, so she made her way to the staff room, hoping that keeping her attention on her work would help to push the images of the doctor out of her mind.
Chapter Four
At exactly seven pm, a five-foot ten woman with long flowing golden blonde hair, stood outside Sofia’s restaurant in Burwood as she waited for Eric to arrive. Butterflies flew around nervously in her stomach as she stood, increasing their flutters the moment she spied him rounding the corner of the building. It was as if today was the first day she was really seeing him, and his beauty overwhelmed her.
He was deliciously tall with firm broad shoulders, long limbs and a narrow waist. She felt that if he didn’t bother working out, he would be quite skinny - but he so obviously did work out. It was evident in his long lean muscles that seemed to ripple under his short sleeved fitted shirt as he walked.
Smiling as he approached her, he reached out and grasped her around the waist, pulling her firmly against him. “Mia,” he growled by way of greeting.
“Eric,” she whispered, her head starting to swirl as she inhaled the scent of a fresh shower and clean skin. When he dipped his head to kiss her hello, a tingle crept over her body as his lightly stubbled chin brushed against hers before their mouths met.
Humming, she pulled his body closer, sliding her tongue out to gently tease him, earning her a fervent response as he reciprocated tenfold, their tongues dancing together as they pressed their bodies firmly against each other.
While they continued on, oblivious of those around them, a group of teens walked by on their way into the restaurant and told them to get a room, causing them both to laugh into each other’s mouths and slowly break their connection.
Blowing out a steadying breath Eric was the first to speak. “Whoa Mia, what has gotten into you? Suddenly, I’m not so h
ungry for food anymore.” His voice was thick with a lust he hadn’t felt toward his girlfriend since he was eighteen, and they were first discovering the delights of a more carnal nature. “Hang on a second, it’s period week – why are you teasing me like that?” he laughed.
“I’m not teasing,” she blushed.
“Wait a second, you’re not pregnant are you? I mean, you’re still on the pill right?”
“Everything’s fine Eric,” she laughed, “I just… skipped it. That’s all?”
“You can do that?”
“Of course, you just don’t take the sugar pills.”
“Five years Mia – Five years and you haven’t thought to do this?” Eric joked half-heartedly.
Giggling, she told him that she only just discovered it recently and took him by the hand, leisurely leading him into the restaurant.
When they reached their table, Eric placed his phone and keys in the centre and excused himself, claiming he needed to make some slight adjustments to himself after the kiss she had greeted him with.
Taking her seat with a grin firmly attached to her face, she watched as he walked towards the restrooms, marvelling how one man could make her feel more alive with one kiss than she ever had in her life. At that moment, her thoughts were broken by the ringing of his phone.
Noting the name on the screen, she picked it up and sent the call to voicemail before switching his phone off. She didn’t want anyone to bother them tonight. He was all hers from now on.
***
“Finally! I got through – where were you last night?” Mia asked a very sleepy sounding Eric the next morning.
“What are you talking about? I was with you remember? We had dinner then we did something really out of character in my car,” he responded grinning at the memory of their back seat rendezvous.
“We did what? No Eric – I wasn’t with you. I wanted to see you, and every time I called you it went through to voice mail,” Mia accused.
“What? I don’t have any voice mails. When did you call, after you got home from the restaurant?” he asked, growing confused and quietly wondering if maybe he had lost a day somewhere – either that or his girlfriend had lost her mind.
“What? What restaurant? And I didn’t leave a voice mail. I wanted to talk to you, not your message bank. I called you when I got home from work.”
“Mia, what the hell? Don’t ruin this. We had such a great night last night. Don’t fuck around with me – we were together having dinner at Sofia’s. You turned both of our phones off so it could be just us, then you jumped me in my car in the parking lot. Remember?”
“What? But we didn’t…”
“Jesus Mia! This isn’t funny, and I have to get ready for work. I’ll talk to you later,” he said, his patience wearing thin.
“Fine,” Mia said to a dead line. He’d already hung up.
Chapter Five
Eric was a fairly simple guy. He worked all week as a plumber, played AFL football, went out with his team mates and hung out with his girlfriend. To him, it was a good life and one that he had been living happily for many years.
His life didn’t have a lot of drama in it, which is why he was so thrown when Mia had called him that morning claiming not to remember the night before. It had sent him to work feeling very confused over his girlfriend’s behaviour. Everything had felt so fresh and he’d even go so far as to say, electric, between them at dinner the night before. This morning her phone call had turned it all on its head.
When Baz pulled up outside the 7Eleven, Eric’s face was clouded with his thoughts, so much that he wasn’t paying attention to those around him. That was until his body sensed her behind him. Turning slowly, he was greeted with the view of his now smiling girlfriend.
“What’s going on?” he asked immediately, all the while wondering why his body was suddenly acting the way it was around her.
“Nothing’s going on. I just wanted to see you before work,” she replied, sliding her arms up around his neck and into the back of his hair. Her touch made his breathing accelerate and he almost forgot that he was annoyed with her.
“No Mia. Stop it,” he said, pulling her arms from his neck and holding them in front of him. “What was with that phone call this morning?”
“The phone call?… oh… nothing, why?” she replied nonchalantly, her eyes cast towards to the floor as Eric released her hands and she waved one about dismissively.
“You said you didn’t see me last night. Are you playing some kind of game here? Because I’ve got to tell you, last night was fantastic Mi – it was like when we first started dating. Better actually. I want things to continue this way.”
Eric hooked his finger under her chin and lifted her face so she was looking at him.
“What’s going on?” he repeated, softer this time.
“Nothing’s going on Eric, I, uh… just had a strange dream and um… got my days mixed up – that’s all. Can I come and see you tonight? Maybe… spend the night?” she ventured, trailing her index finger over the ridges of his pecs through his shirt.
He leaned down and kissed her softly. “You can stay with me anytime babe,” he growled lowly in her ear, before stepping away suddenly when he heard the impatient horn honking from Baz outside. “Shit, I’d better get this stuff. I’ll see you tonight, okay? I’ll cook.”
“Wait! Give me your phone,” she demanded. Eric wondered what was so important to her but handed his phone over anyway as he collected the food and drink and then paid at the cashier.
“You done?” he asked her when he returned from the counter, holding his hand out for his phone.
“Sure am,” she replied, handing it back. “I just wanted to update my photo. I uh, like my hair today.”
Eric laughed a little at this as he pocketed his phone, singing “You’re so vain,” as he leaned towards her cheek and kissed her goodbye. “But you do look hot today. I like it when you wear your hair out,” he winked, grinning. “See you tonight.”
With that he was out the door. She watched him as he drove off wondering how she was going to stop him from thinking she was running hot and cold on him all the time.
Chapter Six
That afternoon, Mia had arrived home from work with an apple-cinnamon tea cake in hand after stopping off at the bakery on her way home. Her best friend Louise was due back home today, and she was eager to see her again.
As she arranged the cake on a plate, she heard a gentle tap on the front door. Knowing it was likely to be Louise, she looked up and waited, relying on her to test if it was unlocked so she could enter. As the door swung open, revealing her friend, a smile spread over her face as she watched Louise’s tiny frame step through.
You’re back! Mia signed excitedly, rushing toward her friend and pulling her into a tight embrace. I got the cake for you, she told her, earning a fist pump from Louise - it was her favourite.
Moving back into the kitchen, Mia loaded up the tray with the plate of cake, a plunger full of coffee, a milk jug and two cups, spooning in sugar for Louise and some powdered sweetener for herself.
Since when do you use artificial sweetener? Louise signed to Mia as she watched Mia prepare the tray.
Since I’m trying to kick my sugar habit. I eat way too much, Mia replied, before carrying the tray over to her dining room table. It had been over a month since she had seen her best friend. Louise had been up in Sydney visiting her older sister with her parents after the birth of her sister’s first child.
I’m so glad you’re back. You’re not going to go and move up there on me are you? Mia asked. Louise’s sister had moved up to Sydney when she married a few years ago. Her parents had wanted to follow when they’d heard about the pregnancy, as they didn’t want to miss out on their grandchild, but had decided to stay in Melbourne with Louise. They were very protective and didn’t want to leave without her, and she refused to go. She didn’t refuse out of any sort of jealousy or unkindness - she had good friends and a good job in Melbourne
and she was happy for her parents to go without her, she simply wasn’t willing to join them and lose everything she loved about her life.
I’m glad to be back too. Sydney is so busy, and everyone talks so much faster than they do down here. It was harder to lip read. I’ll stick to Melbourne thank you very much, she stated, taking a sip of coffee. I’m still trying to convince my parents to go up there and leave me alone though.
Don’t be hard on them, they worry about you.
I know, but I’m twenty-three years old. I’d like to move out of home but they seem to think I can’t live without a hearing person around me. I keep reminding them that my hearing aids let me know when someone is approaching or calling to me – but they don’t really get it, Louise explained before shaking her head and waving her hand through the air to dismiss this much talked about subject. Louise was a very independent girl, and while she loved her parents, she was more than ready to come out from under the proverbial wings. How’s Eric?
Frowning, Mia thought about their phone call that morning and wondered why he hadn’t called her yet. I don’t know, how’s Josh?
Josh is fine, she signed, blushing at the thought of him. They had only been dating for a little over a week when she left, but they’d been texting and video calling the whole time. His signing is getting a little better, but I think he feels silly when he’s doing it… What do you mean you don’t know about Eric?
We had a really weird phone conversation this morning. He was insisting that we went out to dinner last night, but we didn’t – I was here all night.
That is weird. Maybe he has his days mixed up or something?
How? It’s not like we go out to dinner midweek all the time, Mia responded, staring into her coffee as Louise attempted to continue some sort of a conversation.
“Mia!” Louise called out loud, causing Mia’s head to snap up.
Our Hearts Entwined Page 2