by C. B. Martin
By now, the bar was rocking and packed to full capacity. The dance floor was overflowing with the giant-sized rugby team taking up most of the space. I kept hearing rowdy shrieks of laughter coming from them all. Glancing over at Laura, I could see she was in the thick of the dancing crowd, trying to teach them salsa.
Travis and I smiled indulgently at them and then swiftly continued getting to know each other. Despite the noise and wild atmosphere, it really was as though we were in our own personal little bubble. I was oblivious to everything else around us.
I liked him. I liked him a lot and I was certainly getting some high definition flirty signals from him. It took me a little while to ask him the question I really, really, wanted to know the answer to.
‘Are you single?’ I asked, my heart hammering in my chest.
‘I am now,’ he replied, very seriously, while looking deep into my eyes.
‘Me too,’ I added, trying to remain composed while screaming inside with delight. With that, we both leaned forward and our lips touched. He wrapped his arm around my waist forcing me to fall into him. From that moment, something shifted inside me. I felt my emotional floodgates open and the warm embrace of love race through my body. So, this was it. This was the feeling I had heard others talk about. My life had merely been a rehearsal up to this point. This was the man of my dreams, here, in the flesh, with me. I felt like I had been taken to another place, as our tongues gently began to entwine. Everything was happening in slow motion. All the background noise had completely disappeared now. We were in deep embrace, kissing slowly, long and tenderly. My lady-garden’s sprinklers were now beginning to activate themselves.
We both pulled back, looking at each other. Everything was in real-time again and all the noise flooded back. Travis, not taking his eyes off me, tenderly raised my hands and kissed them delicately.
‘Was it as good for you as it was for me?’ he asked with a cheeky smile.
Dumbfounded, I was unable to utter anything. Phew was the best I could manage, as I collected myself and licked my lips. Delicious.
‘Hey Tara, this is Dougie,’ Laura panted breathlessly after her energetic salsa moves. ‘He’s the greatest dancer!’
‘Lovely to meet you, Tara. I see you have more than met our Travis,’ he said with a sloppy grin.
Laura then dragged Dougie off by his shirt collar to the outside terrace for a smoke. Still high from my love rush and with my head in the clouds, I hadn’t noticed that the band had finished and the bar had started emptying. Holding hands, Travis and I followed the crowds outside. I couldn’t help but think about my flight home back to England in the morning. I had been in Dublin for the best part of four days and now there was something worth staying for, I had to leave. Typical!
‘I would really like to get to know you more Tara. Much more.’ Travis stated domineeringly, as he romantically swung me around to face him.
Phwarr. The sheer manliness of him. My lady-garden went into yet another spasm and I couldn’t help but wonder what he was like in the bedroom department. I really wouldn't object to him tackling me, at all.
‘I would really like that too.’ I added, completely away with the fairies. I could hardly help myself – now, I was actually trying to visualize the size of his tackle.
Sensing my momentary distraction, Travis pulled me closer. We kissed again, wrapping our arms around each other.
‘Get a load of them!’ shouted Dougie.
‘For the love of God!’ jeered one of the team.
‘Sweet Jesus…’ bellowed Laura, ‘get a room!’
We simply couldn’t leave each other alone, and I for one, was already aching at the thought of leaving him.
‘Come on then, gorgeous,’ he slid out his phone from the back pocket of his tight Levi’s. ‘Let’s have your digits. There’s no way I’m letting you go back to England without me knowing how to get hold of you.’
Being drunk on adrenaline, nerves and vodka meant I had to repeat my number several times before I got it right.
‘Put in the English code!’ I added, desperate to get this part of the evening just right. I wasn’t going to lose sight of this man now. It was a real pain I didn’t have my own phone with me so I could get his number. I hadn’t even thought of taking it out with me. After all, it was just something else that I had to carry. Lip-gloss and perfume were always my first priority.
Dougie, who continued to rib Travis about being in love, took off his ring and gave it to Travis.
‘G’wan n' marry her now!’ he slurred, laughing lecherously.
We all laughed in our drunken state as another one of the team members pulled up a flower from the garden, put it in his hair (soil and all) and announced in a gravelly voice that he was to be bridesmaid. Dougie offered to be the priest and Laura, laughing, took a role reversal and was best ‘man’. We all roared with laughter and began a pretend wedding ceremony. Travis whispered that he wished it was real and scooped me up in his arms. Then, before I knew what was going on, I was being shoehorned into a taxi. Apparently, the party was to continue back at Dougie’s house.
I don't remember much of the journey, as our tongues were doing most of the talking. I was just elated that my night with Travis hadn’t ended yet.
We arrived at Dougie’s house and all headed for more beer in the kitchen. Six of the players had arrived back at the house too. Travis made it very clear he wanted us to be alone, but there was no way I was going upstairs, as drunk as I was. As much as I wanted to rip his clothes off and feel those muscles, there was no way I was going to fall over with my legs in the air. Well, not yet anyway.
I checked that Laura was okay, but as ever, when drunk she was as happy as a pig in shit; especially when surrounded by gorgeous men and bountiful amounts of booze.
Travis led me into the living room. As I looked around for the best place to get cosy, I noticed he’d begun texting someone. I didn’t want to appear nosey, so said nothing.
‘I have just sent a text to your phone, so you can read it when you get back to your mum’s,’ he said, smiling confidently as he sat down on the large sofa and patted the seat beside him.
With a sigh of relief, I sat down beside him. Travis then turned to me with a sexy smile:
‘I haven’t enjoyed a night like this in a very long time. You’re different, Tara. You’re very special.’
But, out of nowhere, his mood then seemed to darken. He withdrew slightly, rendering the atmosphere in the room heavy and tense. I felt my heart begin to beat faster as I wondered what had changed.
‘I’m afraid to tell you everything about me, in case it puts you off,’ he began cautiously, lowering his head, cupping his hands around his beautiful bronzed neck.
I slid off the couch onto my knees and faced this exquisite creature. Meanwhile, that infernal, bastard thong had sliced my arse into two arses - it was so numb, it was such a relief to get up off it. I lifted up Travis’ stubbly, chiseled jaw and looked deep into his rich, chocolate brown eyes. It felt as if I could see into his soul. But I could sense something just wasn't right. We both fell strangely silent and I pulled away.
‘Look, Travis,’ I said, confused and trying to get a grip of myself. ‘Are you really single?’ how someone this gorgeous could be single was beyond me. He nodded his head, but didn’t look up.
‘Have you murdered someone?’ I asked jokingly.
He shook his head with half a smile.
‘My job…’ he replied shrugging his huge shoulders and avoiding direct eye contact, ‘it’s left me with a complicated life.’
Aren’t we all complicated? I thought. Just wait till you meet the rest of my crazy family.
I know I should have been listening more intently to what he was saying, but his physical presence was just so distracting. God, he was so shaggable. While comforting him, I couldn’t help myself rubbing the top of his toned thigh. In an instant, I drifted off into thoughts of him in a rugby kit - all dirty, sweaty and powerful.
; ‘I’m so glad I found you, Tara,’ he pulled my face gently to his and we kissed again.
‘Look,’ I said, doing my best to concentrate by slightly pulling away from those incredible thighs. 'I can cope with most things in life, as long as you’re single and honest with me. The rest we can work through.’
‘… Do you believe in love at first sight?’ Travis asked with conviction.
Sweet Jesus, I thought, I’ve hit the jackpot here. Not only is he a gorgeous northern ride, he’s also in touch with his feelings. Stay cool Tara, stay cool.
‘Well… I believe we can feel a deep connection,’ I answered, not wanting to give too much away. He interrupted me:
‘Tara, I feel like we just fit. It’s as though I’ve known you for years. It’s like, tonight, I was meant to meet you. I would really like to see you whenever I can, but as I mentioned earlier, it’s complicated and won’t be easy for you. I can’t be seen out drunk and partying thanks to my job. I’m in a responsible position. Tonight was an exception because we were celebrating a win and it’s Christmas. I have to keep a very low profile with my personal life.’
I smiled to myself. So, this is a role of a WAG (Wives And Girlfriends). Keep quiet, always look sexy, and always, always, have the latest, largest, designer handbag (just in case the paparazzi are out).
I’ve trained for this job my whole life.
The time was ticking by too fast. It was 4am, my flight back to England was in six hours and I still hadn’t packed. My heart and pretty much all of my anatomy wanted to stay, but my head was telling me to leave.
The room next door had gone very quiet. Travis remained seated, but I stood up with the intention of going next door to grab Laura and do the sensible thing, but, before I knew it, Travis pulled me down on top of him. With my legs straddled either side of those firm thighs; he roughly pulled me into him. I could feel his throbbing manhood pushing hard up against me through my jeans. I gripped his huge biceps. He slowly but firmly began thrusting his rock hard cock against my crotch. I gasped in anticipation as he buried his face into my chest and started biting my nipples through my jumper. Oh God, I was so turned on. Running my fingers through his dark brown hair in ecstasy, I pulled him closer, urging him to continue. Was I really about to have a sexual encounter with a man I barely knew?
But then, the unwanted images started. I mentally tried to push them away, but the pictures of my past crawled into my thoughts uninvited, pushing painful, confusing, conflicting memories to the forefront of my mind.
In an instant, I was back to the age of seven; in my usual hiding place, crouched on the bottom of our stairs in between the coats, peering between the banisters through to the lounge. I always took Panda (my teddy) with me. I would cry into Panda and no one could hear me. Sometimes I would put him over my eyes so I couldn't see daddy hurting mummy.
Mummy was sobbing, but it was Friday. Daddy usually got angry or threw his dinners up to the ceiling on Saturdays. He was ranting something about mummy’s friend being dishonest to her husband and saying she would go to hell for her sins. I didn't like the word hell. It was a bad, bad place where devils would burn you slowly and then they would eat you alive. I wanted to go in and stop daddy shouting at mummy, but it went quiet, very quiet. I inched forward just so I could see through the crack of the door. I could see mummy and daddy praying. I went upstairs to Laura’s bedroom and crept into her bed. She always pretended to be asleep, but I knew she wasn't.
Forcing myself back into the ‘here and now’ and finding strength from somewhere, I leapt up. It was perfect timing - Laura poked her head around the door at just that moment.
‘Err, Travis,’ she said very calmly, but unusually wide-eyed for her. ‘Some of your players have passed out on the floor while showing me how to do a scrum… and one of them is at the bottom of the pile that appears to have forgotten how to breathe.’
‘The lads aren’t used to alcohol,’ he replied calmly while clearing his throat and trying to hide the huge bulge overwhelming his Levi’s. ‘Don't worry, they’ll be fine.’
Dougie ordered a taxi for us and then proceeded to pull Laura back into the living room for another snog. Travis and I stood waiting in the hallway, holding each other like lovesick teenagers.
‘Can I fly over and see you soon?’ he asked, tenderly brushing some hair away from my eyes.
‘I look forward to it,’ I said, dropping my voice a notch or two and fluttering my lashes. YES!! The Big-Man upstairs was on my side for once. We squeezed each other’s hands and sadly said our goodbyes. Laura and I then made our way to the taxi.
‘I’m sending you another text, gorgeous!’ Travis shouted while watching us leave.
I blew him a kiss as Laura and I spilled into the taxi.
CHAPTER FOUR
The journey back home from Dougie’s house seemed to take forever. All I could focus on was getting back to my phone and reading the mysterious text from Travis. Not that Laura noticed my excitement. She herself looked like the cat that got the cream.
‘I didn’t want to tell you earlier, but they’re really famous around here!’ Laura bragged. Barely pausing for breath, she gabbled on about the antics of Dougie and co. I deliberately zoned out, silently embracing how lucky I had been to meet Travis. In my heart and mind and, well, everywhere else, I already knew he could be the one.
I had the passenger door open before the taxi had fully stopped outside mums. I threw the euros I’d been clutching in my hand at Laura and ran to the front door. Laura was oblivious to my torment, chatting away to the driver in what seemed to be slow motion.
‘C’mon! C’mon!!!’ I hollered impatiently. ‘I need the keys to get in!’
Laura staggered out of the taxi still laughing and fumbled in her tiny bag. After drawing out her keys with a triumphant flourish, she dropped them. She reached down unsteadily to retrieve them from the pavement and promptly dropped them again.
‘For the love of God, give them to me!’ I yelled, the sound reverberating in the gloomy half-light of the suburban street. Snatching the keys from her, I opened the door and dived over to my phone. I flipped it open with a racing heart.
[No New messages]
Gulping hard, I shook the phone impatiently. I switched it off and then back on. Nothing.
‘BASTARD!’ I exclaimed, not caring who I woke up. ‘I can’t believe it!’
Feeling a mounting sense of desperation, I switched my phone off again. This time, I left it off for about a minute before switching it back on again. Still nothing. THE LOUSY FECKER!
By now, Laura and the rest of Dublin could hear me from the lounge.
I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. Laura, who had by now cottoned on to the fact that I was more than upset, tried to console me by saying; maybe the texts had been delayed for some reason.
‘Really?’ I asked, feeling a little more hopeful.
‘Well, even if he doesn’t make contact,’ she said, as she staggered up the stairs, ‘you’ve had a great night out, so let it go.’
‘Let it go?’ I convulsed, my momentary good feeling vanishing in an instant. ‘You mean, as in, let-it-go, just forget it? Are you out of your mind?!’
Silence.
‘Laura, come back downstairs!’ I demanded, ‘What about you and Dougie… haven’t you two exchanged numbers?’
No answer. The lickarse, I huffed to myself. ‘To think she has letters after her name,’ I cursed, ‘and she has the cheek to call herself a psychotherapist!’
To bring some much needed attention to myself, I forced out a few fake whimpering tears at the bottom of the stairs hoping someone, anyone, would come down to me.
Nothing.
I needed to think. ‘Come on brain’, I tapped. I stood with my hands placed on my hips trying to focus but the heavily patterned pink and purple flowered wallpaper began to make me feel sick. I perched on the bottom step, held the banister and braced myself before I released a long, whiney whimper. I waited silently… okay, so
that didn't work either. I raised the decibels up to as high as I could muster, gathering pace, momentum and volume, letting out a-huge, long, ear-aching shrill.
The house remained silent. Apart from the bloody annoying singing Santa I’d just set off in the lounge.
‘Selective hearing gobshites!’ I shouted.
I didn't know whose face I wanted to punch the most; the singing Santa’s, Travis’ or Laura’s.
I really didn't fancy sharing the makeshift double bed with Laura in fear of (accidentally-on-purpose) smothering her with something. I stomped up the stairs, loudly flicking on the bedroom light, hoping to annoy Laura as much as she had annoyed me.
I mean, I needed her. I wanted to talk through the entire ‘if, but and maybe’ scenarios. But no. I just got ignored by everyone.
Laura was by now comatose and didn't even flinch during my continued hissy fit. I deviously ripped out pages from her precious book, doodled some willies in it and switched on the sidelight, aiming the bulb directly in her face for good measure.
Suddenly, I had an attack of conscience and pulled the bulb away in case it burned Laura. It hadn’t made me feel any better anyway.
By now I was completely fed-up. I pulled my suitcase down the stairs and flopped on the couch staring at the flashing Christmas tree lights in deep thought. I felt so utterly miserable.
The throbbing pain in my arse from that bloody thong was now being diverted directly to my heart. I threw my skyscraper shoes at the wall, pulled off my skintight jeans and released the offending thong. Then, in a childish fit of petulance, I proceeded to jump up and down on the pathetic pile of clothes like a lunatic. All the while, I recited every obscenity I could think of. Strangely, it didn’t make me feel any better at all. For the want of any better way to react to what was clearly the ruin of my whole life, I pulled on my inside-out, back-to-front PJs, thought of a few more obscenities and started ranting again.