Stuck With You

by Carla Burgess

  My cheeks turned red and I gave her a warning look. Daniel laughed. ‘You can have my autograph if you like. Although you might still have it in a box somewhere.’

  Ignoring him, I turned to my mum. ‘He still plays in a band, you know?’

  ‘Really? Can we come and watch you play?’

  Daniel looked a bit uncertain. ‘I don’t know if it would be quite your thing. We’re a bit loud and the singer’s a bit of a head case. He’s the reason Elena was so ill yesterday. He kept pouring her tequila.’

  Mum shot me a look. ‘She needn’t have drunk it!’

  ‘True.’ I winced.

  ‘I’m more of a Tia Maria girl at heart.’ Mum sniffed. ‘Ooh, I meant to put the wine out. Anyone want any?’

  ‘No, I’m driving, thanks,’ Daniel said.

  ‘And I’m never drinking again,’ I added.

  ‘I’ll have some,’ my dad piped up. Mum tutted and got to her feet. ‘I thought we were going to a garden centre this afternoon.’

  ‘You can drive, can’t you?’

  ‘Charming! Chauvinistic old goat.’

  ‘Hey! Watch your language, woman!’ Dad laughed as he accepted the glass of wine from my mum. ‘We don’t have to go this afternoon. I think it shuts at four anyway. May as well go tomorrow.’

  ‘Okay then.’ Mum sat back down and began to eat. Daniel had almost cleared his plate by now. He’d obviously been starving. Mum kept shooting his plate approving looks.

  ‘This is lovely, Mum,’ I told her, reaching for my glass of water.

  ‘Yes, gorgeous.’

  ‘You can have some more if you like, Daniel?’ Mum was already on her feet, reaching for the plate of leftover meat.

  ‘Ooh, lovely, if you don’t mind.’

  ‘Of course not. There are potatoes too, if you fancy.’

  ‘Absolutely! All that mowing must have worked up my appetite.’

  ‘You should have seen his dog, Mum,’ I said. ‘He’s so gorgeous. Wouldn’t you like a little dog? It would get you out of the house for walks and stuff.’

  ‘No, I can’t be doing with more animals. The cat’s bad enough. Besides, she’s so bad-tempered she’d probably kill a dog. You were always after animals when you were little too. That cat’s your fault, and now we’re lumbered with her.’

  Daniel laughed. ‘How old is she?’

  ‘About fourteen?’ I looked at Mum for confirmation.

  ‘Yes, fourteen this summer. And they can live for years and years, cats. It’ll probably outlive us!’

  ‘Don’t be daft,’ I scolded. ‘You love that cat, you know you do.’

  ‘Well, she’s as good as gold really.’ Mum sniffed. ‘As long as you don’t try to pick her up or stroke her, that is.’

  ‘She likes me,’ my dad said. ‘She’s my mate.’

  ‘Hmm. She’s not keen on the vet. He had a big long scratch up his arm last time we went. Poor bloke.’

  ‘Well, you can’t blame her.’ Dad looked up from pouring more gravy over his potatoes. ‘He was prodding and poking her and you know she doesn’t like too much attention.’

  ‘I’m sure he charged us more.’

  ‘He didn’t!’

  ‘He did!’

  ‘He’s a vet. He’s used to it, I expect. I bet you get scratches from those branches you deal with, don’t you, Daniel?’

  ‘All the time.’ Daniel reached for his glass of water and took a sip. ‘You’ve got to expect a few scratches here and there. All part of the job. I expect your vet’s experienced worse than a cat scratch in his time.’

  ‘True. It’s just embarrassing when it’s your cat that’s attacked him!’

  Daniel laughed and I found myself staring at the way his cheek dimpled, just the way it had when he was a teenager. I tore my gaze away, blinking down at the gravy pooling around my vegetables. I nibbled the edge of a slice of beef, holding my fork in front of me like a lollipop. From the corner of my eye, I noticed my mum dart a disapproving look at me. I put the fork down, feeling self-conscious, and sliced the meat in half before placing it in my mouth.

  After dinner, I helped Mum clear the table while Daniel went outside with my dad to look at his tomato plants.

  ‘He’s so lovely!’ Mum said, watching Daniel walk down the garden path as she filled the sink with hot soapy water. A bubble floated up from the soap bottle and popped in midair.

  ‘He is.’

  ‘Are you going to the cinema after this, did you say?’

  ‘Yes, that’s the plan. Do you want to come?’

  ‘Of course not! You two should go on your own.’

  ‘It’s not like that, Mum. Don’t get too excited.’

  Mum clucked impatiently as she rinsed gravy off a plate. ‘Well, he seems pretty keen on you! You’re not telling me he helped your dad cut that hedge just because he likes messing with trees, are you? And the price he’s quoted us for that apple tree is way below what we’ve been quoted before.’ She gave me one of her looks. ‘Anyway, have I told you about next door’s cat? It’s been missing for more than a week.’

  ‘Have they put leaflets out asking people to check in their sheds and stuff?’ I watched Daniel and my dad walk back up towards the house from the greenhouse. ‘He’s a bit of a wanderer, isn’t he? He’s gone missing before. I bet he’ll be back in a few days, fatter than ever.’

  ‘I know, but…’ Mum glanced at Muriel who was crunching up her biscuits in the corner and then continued in a whisper, her mouth half hidden by her hand. ‘There’s some sicko going around, killing cats and slicing off bits! Ooh, it is a worry!’ I frowned at her in disbelief. Did she really think the cat could understand?

  ‘Well, you don’t need to worry about Muriel, do you? She barely leaves the sofa.’

  ‘Yes, well, she does like to go out now and again. We have to make sure the catflap is locked at night. Can you imagine having your pet murdered like that? Awful!’

  ‘What’s that?’ asked my dad, coming through the back door and wiping his feet on the mat. Daniel came in behind him and smiled at me above Dad’s head. ‘She’s not going on about that cat killer again, is she?’ He rolled his eyes at me. ‘Now that blessed cat next door has gone walkabout she’s beside herself. It’s not even happening around here. It’s bloody miles away. Down London way.’

  ‘Well, you never know!’

  Dad shook his head and glanced back at Daniel, who smiled and shrugged.

  ‘What time are we going to this cinema then?’ he asked, glancing at his phone. ‘Only, I’ve got a message from Zach asking what we’re up to this afternoon. Is it all right if he comes along?’

  ‘Yes, of course, that’s no problem at all.’ I smiled and glanced at my mum. She looked just as disappointed as I felt, but I didn’t want to let Daniel know that. It was just the cinema, after all. ‘Just tell him to leave the tequila at home!’

  Daniel laughed, concentrating on tapping out a text message to Zach. ‘Will do. Right, well, there’s a showing at five. I’ve just told him we’ll pick him up on the way.’

  ‘Great.’ I glanced at the kitchen clock, realising we’d have to leave now if we were to check on Muffin and get there on time. No chance of applying any make-up or doing my hair then. Flustered, I folded up the towel on the side and wiped my damp hands on my jeans.

  ‘Well, thanks for a lovely meal.’ Daniel bent and kissed my mum on the cheek before turning to shake my dad’s hand.

  ‘You’re welcome.’ Mum went pink and misty-eyed and I shot her a look before following Daniel out of the house to his truck.

  Chapter Eleven

  Zach lived just a short drive away from me, in a red-brick Victorian terraced house with a black front door that opened directly onto the pavement. Daniel and I stood outside and listened to the sound of Zach bounding down the stairs while shouting ‘See you later’ to his mum. The door was yanked open to reveal Zach, bright-eyed and smiling.

  ‘All right, gu
ys! Thanks for coming to pick me up, man, I appreciate it.’ He bumped fists with Daniel. ‘Jeez, I was getting cabin fever in there. I haven’t been out all day.’

  ‘Why not?’

  Zach shrugged. ‘Dunno. Nothing to do, I suppose. Are we rehearsing tomorrow night?’

  ‘I think so.’

  We climbed back into Daniel’s truck. There were three seats in the front so we all sat side by side, me in the middle, sandwiched between Zach and the gear stick. Not that Zach took up much room, to be fair. Daniel shifted into gear, accidentally touching my knee as he did so. My stomach clenched and I felt giddy with desire. Zach was still talking about rehearsals, saying he’d written a new song he wanted the band to hear. Daniel was responding enthusiastically, and I thought again how positive he was. How supportive. I blinked as I watched the oncoming traffic through the windscreen.

  ‘Hey, you should come too!’ Zach said, nudging my arm. I looked across at him in surprise. ‘Come on, it’ll be a laugh.’

  ‘Oh no, I wouldn’t want to intrude.’ I shook my head, smiling. ‘I’ll come and watch your gig though. How are things with Stacey?’

  ‘The same.’ Zach shifted down in the seat and looked out of the window.

  ‘And they’ll remain the same unless you tell her you like her,’ Daniel said. ‘Honestly, what are you waiting for?’

  Zach shook his head, still staring out of the window. ‘Nah, she doesn’t like me like that. There’s no point weirding her our and spoiling everything, is there?’

  ‘Well, there is if you’re just going to moon over her for ever. When was the last time you had a girlfriend? Maybe you should ask someone out? Don’t you have any groupies?’

  Zach laughed. ‘Stacey and her friends are our groupies! The rest of the audience are relatives.’

  ‘We’re hardly the next big boy band,’ Daniel said.

  ‘I can’t wait to see you play. I bet you’re great.’

  ‘Yeah, we are!’ Zach said. He banged out a rhythm on the dashboard and Daniel laughed as he swung the truck into the cinema car park.

  The cinema was surrounded by restaurants so there were plenty of people out and about. The air was full of the scent of pizza, garlic and char-grilled steak. Daniel ordered our tickets and then we drifted over to the pick ‘n’ mix. I was still too full from Sunday lunch to be interested, but Zach began filling a cup with fizzy cola bottles and white mice as he chatted to Daniel.

  ‘Do you want a drink, Elena?’ Daniel asked me. ‘I’m buying, seeing as your mum made me my lunch.’

  ‘Oh no,’ I began to protest.

  ‘Ah-ah, no no! I’m buying and that’s that. There’s no way you’re sitting through a film without a drink.’ He turned to the sales assistant and before I knew it I was holding a massive container of Coke.

  ‘Thank you.’ I put my lips to the straw and Daniel smiled over his shoulder, his eyes soft. Something shifted inside of me and, quickly, I turned towards Zach and asked him what sweets he’d chosen. Tipping the box towards me so I had a better view, he provided me with an in-depth analysis of his choice of sweets, for which I was extremely grateful.

  Daniel joined us with his drink and box of popcorn and we went through to watch the movie. I dawdled a bit going in, hoping Zach would sit between me and Daniel so I could regain some space. Part of me, of course, was hoping desperately to be sitting next to Daniel, but I still held back, pretending to drop something on the floor and mooching about in the dim light looking for it. But it was no good. Daniel ushered Zach into the first seat before waiting for me to catch up, and then positioned me in the middle. Heat coursed through my body, staining my cheeks pink, my heart thudding in my chest. I took a deep breath, trying to get a grip.

  I sucked my Coke up through the straw and tried to ignore the warmth of Daniel’s arm against mine. My crush was back with a vengeance and I longed to feel his arms around me, like they had been briefly this afternoon. It was intoxicating feeling like this again. Exciting. The butterflies in my tummy, the goosebumps on my skin, my racing pulse. It had been a long time since I’d felt like that about Alex. But that was what happened, wasn’t it, after a while? Love wasn’t the racing pulse and wild thrill of lust. It was working together, side by side, day by day. Building a life together in the way I thought I had been with Alex. Perhaps it had been wrong all along and I’d been blind to it. Maybe I had just refused to acknowledge it.

  I stared blindly at the cinema screen as the trailers started, replaying various conversations I’d had with Alex in my mind. When was I last excited about seeing him walk through the front door? When had I stopped paying attention to the little details about him? I’d barely noticed Alex’s arms or hands, or the way his muscles moved beneath his T-shirt like I did with Daniel. Although, I had to admit, Alex’s muscles were a lot less exciting than Daniel’s.

  Daniel’s box of popcorn appeared in front of my face and I shook my head. Zach grabbed a handful and the box was withdrawn. I sucked up more Coke and stretched out my legs.

  The film was okay, but I wasn’t really in the mood for all the flashing lights and noisy fight scenes. Both boys were gripped by the on-screen action, leaning forward in their seats, jaws moving rhythmically as they ate their popcorn and sweets. I found myself watching Daniel instead of the film, and closed my eyes to stop myself.

  I awoke with my head resting against Daniel’s arm. The end credits were rolling and Daniel had his hand gently on my head as he spoke to Zach across me.

  ‘Oh, hello!’ he said as I lifted my head and peered around. The people in the row in front were already standing up, pulling on their jackets, moving to leave.

  ‘Hi,’ I said, rubbing my eyes as I sat up. Daniel removed his hand from my head.

  ‘Enjoy the film?’

  ‘What? Oh …’ I grimaced and stretched. ‘I was too tired. Sorry.’

  Daniel laughed and shrugged. ‘No problem.’ He got to his feet, pulling on his denim jacket, his arms stretching wide above me. Feeling groggy and disorientated, I got to my feet and followed him out into the aisle. Zach was gathering up his rubbish from his seat, finding dropped sweets on the floor below.

  ‘That’s not very rock ‘n’ roll, Zach,’ I said, turning to watch him. Daniel stopped walking and came back to stand behind me. He stood so close that I could feel the heat from his body through my shirt. His breath tickled the hairs on the top of my head. My heart crashed against my ribs.

  ‘I dropped my sweets halfway through. I used to be a cinema attendant. I don’t like leaving a mess for them to clean up.’

  ‘Aww, bless.’

  He joined us in the aisle and we walked down the steps and out into the lobby. It felt really late, but a glance at my watch told me it was only half past eight.

  ‘Do you fancy a drink somewhere?’ Daniel asked.

  ‘I’ve got to get back actually,’ Zach said, looking at the messages on his phone. ‘My mum’s gone out and the dog howls if she’s left too long. You two should go though. Don’t worry about me. I can get a bus home.’

  ‘Don’t be daft, I’ll drop you off,’ Daniel tutted.

  ‘How about you both come into mine for a cup of tea then?’ Zach offered as he pulled open the passenger door. ‘We could have a bit of a jam session.’

  ‘Yeah, go on then.’ The sun was low in the sky and Daniel pulled down the visor, squinting through the windscreen as he started the engine. ‘Is that all right with you, Elena?’

  ‘Well, yes, okay. Not that you need me there. It’s not like I can join in.’

  ‘Can you sing?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘I bet you can. Everyone can sing a bit.’

  ‘No, they can’t! What about all those girls at karaoke on Friday night? None of them could sing.’

  ‘It didn’t stop them having fun though, did it? Besides, who cares? I can’t sing well, but I’m the singer in the band.’ Zach nudged my arm. ‘You’ll be fine.’

  �
��I’m sure as a cellist you can at least carry a tune.’ Daniel was frowning at the road ahead.

  ‘I haven’t played the cello in ages. Besides, I was never very good.’

  Daniel pulled a face and shook his head. ‘You might be a bit rusty but I’m sure with a bit of practice you’d be all right.’

  ‘And you just happen to have a spare cello hanging around, do you?’

  ‘No, but you know, if we were looking for a cellist you’d be our first choice,’ Zach said.

  ‘And is that likely?’ I laughed.

  ‘You never know,’ he said, airily. ‘With these new tunes I’m writing, there might just be scope to add in a cello.’

  ‘Hmm, okay then. I’d ask someone else before me though.’

  ‘Nonsense. You’d be the perfect fit.’

  Daniel laughed. ‘Yeah, we’re really not very good!’

  ‘You keep saying that but I bet you are!’

  The indicator ticked as we turned left into the street where Zach lived, and Daniel parked the truck in the space outside Zach’s house. Zach had the door open before Daniel had chance to pull on the handbrake, leaping down onto the pavement below and fumbling in his pocket for his keys. I followed him to the front door and then into his lounge where a small yellow Labrador was snoring on the settee.

  ‘She doesn’t look like she’s missed anyone,’ I said, sitting down on the armchair opposite.

  ‘Only because she doesn’t realise she’s been left yet,’ Zach said, stroking her floppy ear. She woke up and snuffled at his hand, then peered at me. Her tail banged against the arm of the chair as Daniel came into the room. ‘Poor old thing. Do you want a cup of tea?’

  ‘Go on then.’

  Zach disappeared into the kitchen and Daniel sat down next to the dog, pulling her head onto his lap. Her tail wagged faster as he smoothed down the fur on her cheeks.

  ‘She’s a lovely dog,’ he said.

  ‘What’s her name?’

  ‘Elsie. After his nana apparently.’

  ‘That’s nice.’

  Daniel raised his eyes to mine and whispered, ‘I don’t think she’ll be with us much longer though. She’s not very well.’