by Audrina Lane
“Have we got any ice cream?” Mitch asked.
“Better look in the fridge you might be lucky” James replied. As his son walked past him James tapped him on his shoulder.
“Look after Charlotte, if you really like her don’t fuck it up”
Mitchell nodded at his Dad’s advice and then pulled open the fridge door and finally found what he was looking for, a tub of chocolate ice cream with mini marshmallows.
“You ok if we go upstairs to my room and listen to music” Mitch asked, as he opened a drawer and found two spoons.
“Ok but just one thing before you head up?” James said “How does Stephanie look now?”
“Like Charlie’s older sister” Mitch replied, as he watched a grin spread over his Dad’s face that made him look years younger, a sparkle now glinted in his eyes.
“Are you going to be alright Dad?” Mitch asked.
“Yes, I have a date with a DVD and some memories, I’ll share them with you another day, you don’t want to keep the lady waiting too long son” James laughed as he watched Mitchell head back into the dining room and then the sound of feet on stairs.
As James cleared the table he turned the stereo up and flicked back to their song. He was finally able to listen to this tune again without feeling despair, now he had hope to cling on too. Upstairs in his room Charlotte turned to Mitchell.
“So how do you think that went?” she asked.
“As well as could be expected, I think my Dad is still very much in love with your Mum or at least his memories of your Mum” Mitchell said “So we just need to know how things finished between them and how your Mum might feel about my Dad now”
“Let’s hope the diaries will tell us and that I can finish them before the dance competition, otherwise we might end up witnesses at the worst reunion in history” Charlotte sighed
“Now what’s that behind your back?” she grinned, as she tried to duck behind him to see.
“A treat, but it’s only for girls who are incredibly nice to me” Mitch responded, the naughty glint in his eyes.
“Oh Mitch, I can be very nice indeed” Charlie purred “And I have the added advantage in that I am the only girl here”
“Well, I can always give the others a call” he smirked.
“Don’t you dare Mitchell, I want you all to myself” Charlie responded as she licked her lips and edged closer to him. She reached out and started to tickle him. As he laughed he had to reveal the tub of ice cream so that he could free his hands to retaliate.
“You do know how to make a girl happy” Charlie said, as she spied the ice cream and spoons.
“Just you wait and see” Mitchell responded “But first let’s get comfy so we can really enjoy this” he finished as they both curled up on the bed and Mitch flicked the switch on his music system.
Then pulling Charlie close he opened the tub and ran the spoon through its smooth silky surface. He thought of all the tempting places he would like to lick this from but he also remembered his Dad’s words from earlier. Mitchell did not want to force things with Charlotte as they already had an unbreakable bond on the dance floor. Carefully he placed the spoon against her lips and watched as her tongue licked it off. She took the other spoon and did the same to him and considered how erotic this whole thing felt as the coolness of the ice cream slid down their throats and met the heat that was pulsing within their bodies. By the fourth spoonful Charlie was already breathing heavily as her pulse raced.
Then as Mitchell took his next spoonful from her spoon he pulled her to him and pressed his cold lips on hers. They opened under the light pressure they shared the cold ice cream as it swirled around between their tongues and melted with the heat. Mitch managed to place the tub and spoons on the bedside table as they continued to kiss and he laid her down on the soft duvet beneath him. His lips then travelled down to the neckline of her dress as his hands ran on down her body to the hemline and slipped underneath, finding the bare skin of her thighs. Charlotte trembled in his embrace as she felt his cool fingers on her hot skin; she was burning up beneath him flying so near to the centre of his sun. He glanced over her silky knickers and continued to the wire of her bra and as she continued to respond to his touch. He slipped up and under to take his first caress of her nipples that sprang into life under the palms of his hands.
Looking up into her beautiful green eyes he smiled softly, she was beautiful and wonderful as he drowned in their gaze.
“Keep going” she whispered as her lips came down and met his again as she held his head in her hands. Then somehow she had wriggled out from beneath him. She pushed him back and straddled him as she stared down smiled before she slipped her dress over her head and then unfastened her bra. Mitch stared in admiration at her fantastic body as she tugged his t-shirt over his head so that she could press her naked skin onto his. Heat met heat as they burned together, kissing and exploring each other with sheer abandon.
Charlie had never felt this free before and also so sure that with Mitchell she could be who she was. They swapped positions once more as Mitchell’s tongue travelled down her body and encircled her nipples in turn. Charlie felt as if she was going to float away on the sheer bliss of what Mitchell was doing to her body. Eventually they parted for air and just gazed at each other in amazement. It was far enough for one night and although Charlie guessed that Mitch would have liked to have gone further he held back too, happy not to rush things as it all felt too good.
“We’d better get some sleep” Mitch suggested “Although I am more than happy to carry on”
“Sleep is good Mitch” Charlie said, as she yawned and stretched beside him. “We’ve got more dancing to do in the morning” she finished. She watched as Mitchell shrugged out of his jeans but kept his rather tight boxer shorts on and there was no mistaking the bulge that was constrained beneath them.
So much of Charlotte wanted to throw caution to the wind and just experience everything but she knew from friends in the past that had done the very same thing that it rarely worked out. She would wait, just like her Mum had done before her as waiting meant it just kept getting better and better.
Downstairs James could hear the music and faint laughter from above as he searched through his DVD collection and found the one that he wanted. All that was missing was the right person to share this with and at least now he knew that she was within reach and not a distant memory. He made up his mind that he would try everything to win Stephanie back, beg and plead on his knees if he had too.
Chapter 34
As Sunday dawned I woke up with what seemed like renewed vigour to sort out and move on with my life. The sun was shining weakly through the curtains so I flung them open and stared down over the garden. I was on the lunchtime show again today at Love Shack and then I would grab some shopping and put a stew on to cook and wait for Charlotte to return home later. In the meantime I headed down to the kitchen and fixed myself some toast and coffee and put the radio on.
Mitchell was the first awake as the sun shone through the slight crack in the window. He could hear that his Dad was already awake so he carefully moved out from under Charlie’s arm that had been flung over his chest for most of the night. He gently dropped the whisper of a kiss on her forehead and then put his dressing gown on and headed downstairs.
“Morning Dad” Mitchell said, as he sauntered into the room and nearly tripped over Jester who was lying in the centre of the room. He grabbed a cup of coffee from the pot and sat down opposite his Dad.
“How are you?” Mitch asked.
“Well, my mind’s a bit all over the place” James responded “It all feels a little weird”
“Yes, Charlie and I though that too when we realised”
“So tell me more about Stephanie” James asked, leaning forward.
“Well, she’s single and she’s a DJ on a local radio station in Hereford, I think it’s called Love Shack” Mitch responded.
“Ok, anything else?”
“Well
Charlie is reading Stephanie’s diaries from 1988 at the moment which is the year you two were together but she hasn’t got to the part where you split up yet” Mitch finished, as he took a sip of coffee and wondered if he should be telling his Dad all of this information.
“So why did you split up with Stephanie and end up with Mum?” Mitch finished.
“Well, that’s a long story” James sighed.
“I have time” Mitch replied. He realised that it was only seven in the morning and he was pretty certain Charlie wouldn’t be up much before eight at the earliest.
After a few moments of silence James began to talk.
“I fucked things up with Stephanie in a big way and I was too weak to make the right decision at the time. I was working at the Leisure Centre in Warwick before I became a Fireman and your Mum, Felicity was the Manager there” James paused.
“So when I had my leaving do I kind of got drunk and she offered to drive me home so I agreed. Then before I knew it she had pulled into a lay-by and jumped on me. I had a moment of weakness and allowed it to happen and then next thing I know she’s pregnant with Darren and demanding that we must get married.” Mitchell watched as his Dad put his head in his hands, red shame rushed over his cheeks.
“I tried to tell her that I would support her but that I didn’t love her and that was when she threatened to tell Stephanie that we had been having an affair for months and that would have destroyed her. She was intent on breaking us apart. She also threatened to let me have no access to Darren if I decided to stay with Stephanie so I was stuck between a rock and a hard place and couldn’t win either way. So I made the hard decision of breaking up with Stephanie but I didn’t tell her the real reason, I tried to let her down gently”
James felt a sob rising in his throat and chocked it back quickly, as he remembered how long it had taken him to write that difficult last letter.
“Then Steph begged me to visit her one last time and I did. I left early as I just couldn’t stay and lie to her as she tried to change my mind. I almost told her the truth then as it would have made me feel better but I didn’t. Perhaps I should have but she was so young, only sixteen” James finished, as he took a gulp of his coffee and looked up at his son.
“You were fucked Dad” Mitch said, as he stood up and poured a coffee for Charlotte.
“That’s why I said what I did to you last night. If you have strong feelings for Charlotte and she has the same for you, you must keep them safe as whatever you do in the future you may regret what happens. Be honest with each other, completely honest even if it ends up hurting one or both of you. I have had to live with these lies for nearly twenty five years and I don’t know now if I will ever get through them but I’m going to try to make amends” James finished, as he smiled at the only good thing that came out of his short marriage to Felicity and an image of Darren flitted across his mind.
“I’m going to take this up to Charlie, it’s about time we got started for the day” Mitchell said, as the mood around them lightened as the burden on James was lifted.
“Shall I do some bacon sandwiches for you?” James asked.
“Yeah Dad, that would be great” Mitchell responded “And Dad, don’t beat yourself up about what you did back then, Charlie and me might be able to help you fix it” he finished, as he pushed open the door and carried the mugs of coffee upstairs. As he stepped into the room Charlie was just opening her eyes and he felt his heart leap at the sight of her dishevelled hair and sleepy eyes. He was pretty certain he already loved her but having never been in love before he wasn’t sure. He definitely knew he desired her and after last night it was apparent that she felt the same for him as he remembered the feel of her skin on his.
“Morning baby” Mitchell said. He crossed the room and put the mugs down on the bedside table next to the half finished, melted tub of ice cream. Charlie reached for him and pulled him into her arms for a kiss.
“How long have you been awake?” she asked, when they eventually pulled apart and he shrugged off his dressing gown and got back under the covers with her.
“About an hour” Mitch replied “I’ve been downstairs having a chat with Dad”
“Tell me” Charlotte replied, as she sat up more fully and cradled her cup of coffee.
“Well, Dad told me that he broke it off with your Mum because he had a drunken one night stand with my Mum, Felicity. She got pregnant with my brother Darren and blackmailed Dad into either breaking up with your Mum or not having any contact with his son so I don’t think he would have won whichever choice he had made” Mitch paused as he watched the information sink in with Charlie, before he continued.
“The problem is that Dad tried to let your Mum down gently and didn’t tell her the truth about the situation and he really regrets that now”
“Fuck” Charlotte replied “This might make it harder for us to resolve, especially if my Mum is still heartbroken over the whole thing”
“I know, even Dad believes he will have a hard job convincing her that he is truly sorry” Mitchell finished, as he reached over and pulled Charlie into his embrace as silence reigned over them both at the enormity of the situation.
“You still need to get the diaries finished to that point before the competition in a fortnight as we need to know if them meeting will be for the best or to be avoided” Mitchell said, his mind reeling with all the possibilities a meeting would present.
“Yes, I will get back onto it this evening” Charlie said “Now we’d better get up and started as we don’t have long left to practice” she finished.
“Just one more kiss” he said, as he pulled her onto him and wrapped his arms tightly around her as their lips met in a kiss that seemed to portray not just their love but the lost love of their parents”
Downstairs in the kitchen James had been online already and discovered the frequency for Love Shack Radio so when Mitch and Charlie appeared in the kitchen he was cooking the bacon and listening to Paul’s morning show.
“Morning Charlotte” James said, looking up from the frying pan “Bacon sandwich ok for you?”
“Yes please Jim, can you make it crispy” she finished, as she sat down and suddenly realised that they were listening to Love Shack radio.
In Ross, I had already started work on my laptop ready for the lunchtime show when all of a sudden I stopped to turn the radio up. Paul was playing Father Figure by George Michael. It was one of my all time favourites except that having vowed to look forward I was pushed back again into the past as the memories of James always hit me when I listened to this song. So many times we had made love whilst his creamy, smooth voice echoed around the room, singing it for them and their love. As it finished I heard Paul announce
“That was especially for our very own DJ Stephanie from a secret admirer”
I paused in shock and then remembering last nights conversation with Jack I put it down to him playing a prank on me so I brushed the thought away. I headed upstairs to get dressed, vowing to say something later on my show as a reference to Jack as I knew he always listened in.
As Charlotte finished her sandwich she listened as Father Figure started to play in the background, she knew it was one of her Mum’s favourite tracks. She looked over at James, who had paused and reached to turn it up, a smile played over his features. Mitchell looked between the two of them and then smiled too.
“Come on” he said to Charlie “Lets get some more work done before Darren gets home” he finished.
“Ok, slave driver” Charlie replied “Thanks for the sandwich” she finished.
As the song on the radio slowed to an end, they had already headed through to the studio when Paul announced that the song was especially for Stephanie from a secret admirer. James smiled and hoped that Stephanie had been listening to this and had maybe thought of him as he was thinking of her. He remembering all the special times they had shared together when that song had been playing. James had made up his mind to try and win her back and knowing
how much music had been central to her life back then, as she was now a DJ he knew it was still playing its part now.
As I pulled on my jeans and jumper I thought again about last night and Jack’s suggestion. Sarah had mentioned this online dating thing a few times over the years since Mark had died, but I had always scoffed at the idea or dismissed it completely. Perhaps later I would take another look and even think about signing up, however I had a radio show to do, dinner to make and Charlotte would be on her way home later.
Chapter 35
In the studio as Charlotte warmed up Mitchell sent his brother a text to see what time he would be back home.
“We’ve got until noon to get it right and perfect before Darren gets back here” Mitchell said, as he watched Charlie stretch her leg high in the air.
“Ok let’s get started” she replied. She took a minute to stretch her other leg, whilst giving Mitch her best pout. He crossed the room and started up the music to “Love is Strange” and immediately Charlotte was transported to the moment in the film. Charlie pulled Mitchell into her arms and they started to dance together, as the sexual tension surrounded them and penetrated them to the core. She watched as Mitch dropped to the floor and then gazed as she wiggled away from him and then dropped to her knees and crawled back to his arms and melted there as his lips touched hers.
As the music finished they realised where they were and slowly pulled apart.
“There’s time for that later” Mitch murmured “It’s time to work that butt” he finished as he gave her ass a cheeky slap and pulled her back to her feet.
“Ok bossy boots, lets do it then” Charlotte responded as she took up the starting position for the routine and waited for the music. Mitchell walked towards her and beckoned her with his finger as they started to dance.