Right Click, Love

by Feeney, M. B.

  ~*~*~

  Jodie grinned at her best friend as they read through the latest post.

  “We’ve done the right thing. I just hope people apply to take over.” Louise felt as if she were giving away her first born.

  “I’m sure they will, and we’ll make sure they’re the right ones.” Both women had tears in their eyes as Jodie logged off and shut the computer down.

  ~*~

  Louise looked around her empty flat with a smile on her face. She’d never liked living there, which was why she had spent so much time at Jodie’s. There had always been a draft, which was great in the summer, but no matter how hard she looked, she’d never been able to find the source. The neighbours didn’t care what state they left the communal areas in, and she hated being so close to the main road. No, she wasn’t going to miss it at all.

  “That the last of it?” Steve asked her, a bit out of breath from jogging up the four flights of stairs.

  “Yeah.” She cast one final glance around the empty rooms before grabbing a couple of bin bags, while Steve hefted the last box into his arms. They walked out without a backward glance other than to allow Louise to lock the door and shove the keys back through the letter box.

  “Ready?” he asked her.

  “More than ready.”

  They descended the stairs in a comfortable silence and out to the large van, which held the belongings she hadn’t sold. They placed the bags and box in the back, climbed into the cab, and drove over to Steve’s place. When they arrived, they left the van loaded, Louise felt Steve had earned a reward, and she dragged him into the bedroom.

  ~*~

  Jodie grinned at the text from Louise telling her about the late fee she’d had to pay on the van rental. Her friend’s libido was going to get her into trouble one day. She was over the moon that Louise and Steve were still going strong ― strong enough for him to cope with her living with him. Jodie knew from experience that Louise’s OCD was going to be kicked into overdrive for a while until she settled in and got used to her new surroundings, but Steve had been warned and was willing to take the chance.

  They’d handed control of the blog to the new custodians Suzanne and Claire, who seemed to be well-suited to the task. Claire was a journalism student at university, while older sister Suzanne was a copy editor for a small publishing house based in Central London. Both had agreed to allow either Jodie or Louise to post the odd guest post if ever they had something interesting to say. Louise had already written one about “taking the step of moving in with your partner,” which had made Jodie and James laugh like hyenas.

  James hadn’t moved in but spent a lot of time at Jodie’s flat. They had talked about it, and rather than invade the other’s space, they’d decided that the best thing for them as a couple was to find somewhere new — create their own memories. It didn’t scare Jodie as much as she’d expected. Having James by her side every step of the way calmed her nerves so that she was able to see everything from an objective point of view.

  They weren’t rushing things, wanting to find somewhere perfect for the both of them. The stipulations were that it be close to the airport for James and close to Steve’s flat so that Jodie and Louise could still have their wine-induced girl’s nights in. Other than that, it didn’t matter as long as they were happy and together.

  Putting the finishing touches to her hair and makeup, Jodie walked from her bedroom into the living room where James was checking his email.

  “Ready to go?” She stood behind his chair and snaked her arms around his neck, breathing in his scent.

  “Yep.” James shut the laptop and looked up at her, giving silent thanks to the elusive Paul for standing her up that night. “Where’s the gift?” He looked around the room until he found the bright red bag standing next to a bottle of champagne.

  “Just be careful you don’t drop it.” Ever since she’d bought the Bonsai tree, she had gone into protection overdrive.

  "It'll be okay. Let's go warm a house." James took her hand and led her out to the waiting taxi.

  Epilogue: There’s a Light at the End of the Tunnel

  ~*~*~

  14 February 2013 – There’s a Light at the End of the Tunnel

  I remember that feeling after a crappy date. You know the one: the ‘why me’ feeling. It’s the one you get after the third or fourth consecutive date with a guy (or a girl) who has nothing in common with you, only wants one thing, or is just plain wrong for you on every level.

  With the luxury of hindsight, all those bad dates can be construed as practice for the ones that go well. Whether you get a happy ever after out of them or not, they are the reason we stay in the game for so long.

  I’m going to tell you something that not many people know. That night in the pub when we first met after Jodie had been stood up by that . . . ‘utter fool’ is the only way I can describe him . . . I was supposed to be meeting someone myself.

  I had been set up on a blind date by my sister-in-law. This girl was supposed to be sweet, pretty, and perfect for me. When Jodie walked in, I hoped she was my date, but there was no emerald pendant on her necklace (how I was to recognise her). My heart dropped, but then I realised I didn’t ― and still don’t ― care. I was going to talk to her (Jodie) anyway.

  Well, as they say, the rest is history. I don’t know if the other girl ever showed up or not. If she did, she never told Nat, or Nat never told me. As horrible as this is going to make me sound, I don’t care. I’m glad that Jodie walked in first. If I had already been talking to the other girl, I wouldn’t have been able to approach Jodie, and that would have been an utter travesty.

  Anyway, enough of the ‘might haves’ and ‘what-ifs.’ Things worked out perfectly. I’ve never been a big believer in fate and all that malarkey, but I often find myself wondering if someone was looking out for us that night. But again, I digress; you may be reading this wondering what the hell is going on. All I’m doing is rambling, but there is a point to this post, I promise.

  Most, if not all, of you know that Jodie and Louise started this blog to document their disappointment with dating in London and to try and impart their learned wisdom garnered through their experiences to others going through the same thing. I’m here to ask the advice of the wonderful readers who love not just Jodie and Lou, but also Suzanne and Claire. With it being

  Valentine’s Day today, should I do something special, or should I leave it for another day so it’s not seen as a bit cheesy?

  I’m not going to tell you what I have planned; I just want you to go HERE and vote either yes or no. You have until 9pm GMT (it’s now 9am) to decide.

  Happy voting. – James

  ~*~*~

  “What the hell is that all about?” Louise asked Steve as she closed the laptop.

  “I have no idea, babe.”

  She knew he was lying, but didn’t push him. He wouldn’t betray someone he now considered one of his closest friends.

  “Yeah, sure. I guess I’ll have to wait until this evening to find out.”

  “Yeah, you will. Now leave me to work, woman. Not all of us have the luxury of a day off.” He kissed her and turned back to the desk.

  ~*~

  Jodie hadn’t had a chance to breathe all day. The acquisition of a new, high profile case necessitated that anything else she was working on be put on the backburner.

  She grabbed five minutes to send James a text, letting him know she’d be home an hour late. He replied that it was fine and that he would make sure she had a bath and dinner waiting for her. Smiling, she wondered how she’d ended up being so lucky. James honest-to- God spoiled her, and she couldn’t quite work out what she’d done to deserve it. She tried to spoil him back, but he was a man of simple tastes, happy to just curl up together on the sofa and watch a DVD.

  Almost two hours later than usual, she shut down her computer and headed out to get the tube home. Due to the time, rush hour was long over, and the underground was quiet. She was able to get a seat
for her entire journey, loud music pounding through her headphones to prevent her from falling asleep and missing her stop.

  At last, she walked through the front door and kicked off her shoes with a deep sigh. The lights were dimmed, and soft music was playing. She found James in the kitchen humming as he cooked with confidence.

  “Bath’s just finished running. You have half an hour until the food’s ready,” he told her with a kiss.

  “You are perfect.” She walked to the bathroom, shedding her clothes before sinking into the steaming water. Her allotted time was up all too soon, and she was ordered to climb out and get dressed for dinner.

  James had gone to town with the low lighting, candles, and atmospheric music ― the whole nine yards. Jodie had never seen her living room look so beautiful.

  “This is far too much effort.” She couldn’t help but scold him a little, knowing that he would have spent every minute since he’d finished work preparing their meal.

  “Nothing is too much effort. Sit down so I can start to dish up.”

  Doing as she was told, she sat and pulled the blood-red napkin off her plate to cover her lap. She stared at the set of keys that had been hidden under it.

  “What . . . what’s this?” She picked them up and looked up at the wide smile on James’s face.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day.” He began to serve the delicious meal without giving her any further details.

  ~*~

  Jodie jingled the keys as soon as she finished eating, having been told she had to eat if she wanted to know more. “Are you going to explain these?” It had killed her not to bombard him with questions whilst she ate.

  “No, I’m going to show you instead.” He took hold of her hand and pulled her to her feet. Then he helped with her coat and led her to the car before driving a short distance through the night toward the outskirts of the borough in which they already lived. After some time, he pulled up outside a low level block of flats and stopped the engine. Jodie climbed out of the car and, nervous, followed him toward the door marked with a large brass “2.”

  “What are we doing here?”

  James just chuckled and indicated that she should unlock the door.

  “SURPRISE!” Louise and Steve, clutching a bottle of champagne, appeared in front of her as soon as she flicked the light on.

  “What . . . what . . . what is going on?”

  James took her into his arms. “I bought us a flat.”

  She stared at him in disbelief.

  “Come and take a look around.” He led her by the hand on a tour while Steve popped the cork and poured out four glasses of the ice-cold champagne.

  ~*~*~

  14 February 2013- The Results are in (posted on the 15th)

  Well, you voted in your . . . Not quite hundreds, but ‘“tens” doesn’t have the same ring to it. The answer was a resounding “yes,” but I think a lot of that was you wanting to know what was happening more than anything else. You bunch of nosey buggers. Well, as I have already done the deed; I guess I should fill you in. No, I didn’t propose. I know that’s what you were all expecting, but no. I don’t think we’re quite ready for that yet, but never say never.

  I have bought her a house ― well, I say house. It’s a ground floor, duplex flat. It’s the closest we’ll get to a house that’s a) within our budget, and b) in this area of London.

  I hid the keys under her napkin, and after we ate, we drove over to take a look. Of course, Steve and Lou had to be involved in the celebrations and met us there. Lucky for me, Jodie loves it just as much as I do. We had a bit of a party whilst we were there. I can’t wait for us to move in and call it our own. I hope this is the beginning of the next stage of our lives together. So, there you go. Our next step? Who knows? Maybe when one of us posts again, it will be another big announcement. You’ll just have to wait and see. — James

  ~*~*~

  FIN

  About the Author

  M. B. Feeney is an army brat who finally settled down in Birmingham, UK with her other half, two kids and a dog. She's also a student teacher, a doodler and a chocoholic. Writing has been her one true love ever since she could spell, and publishing is the culmination of her hard work and ambition.

  Signing up with Renaissance Romance Publishing to publish her Novella "Right Click, Love" as part of a compilation in December 2012 is the first step in her writing career that she hopes will span many more works and years.

  Her Other Works:

  Just Like in the Movies

  Honour

  Coming Soon:

  The One That Got Away

  Keep up with her at:

  http://mbfeeney.blogspot.com/