1. Human Nature
'Shy' by Emmaline
Mercy had overslept again, how many times was she going to not listen to Snix's advice and go straight to bed after work. They were currently working in a production of Izz at a reputable London theatre, it was a remake of the classic movie Wizard of Oz that had taken on a Caribbean twist so all the song's were focused on all the different Islands, it had become quite popular with the masses and got some good reviews. They had bit parts but it was a year long contract and they'd just about done two months of the actual show so far and maybe 20 of those days Mercy had been late for work, playing alongside big names like Drake, Mary J Blige, Usher and Rhianna they were living a dream and she seemed hell bent on messing it up.
She lay looking around the room, trying to get her head to stop spinning, the sharp pain accompanying the fast merry go round she eventually made out was the alarm going off, but her arm wouldn't move to stretch over and stop it's confounded noise "Stop" she shouted at it holding her head for the giant gong banging in her head, the noise echoing again for what seemed like an age before she could open her eyes "Please stop" she bawled at the phone jumping around with the buzz it had attached to it "Please for god sake" her eyes rolling even though her lids were shut "Okay I get it, you're not stopping" she grabbed the pillow on the other side of the bed and covered her head with it deciding to wait the alarm out, it would get tired before she followed it's instruction "Thank you" she finally threw the pillow across the bed when the alarm stopped, and silence fell on the bedroom, she close her eyes and allowed herself to fall back into her spinning world
It seemed like only seconds before the damn thing was performing again "What the hell..." she reached over and slapped at her phone sending it to the floor turning her back to the offending gong "Shit" she hissed, when she realised it was actually ringing. She stretched down to grab the phone off the floor, reaching so far over she fell off the bed "Fuck" she screeched as she fit the floor shoulder first "What?" she asked when she finally found the damn thing amongst the quilt and pillows mingled with her on the floor
"Merc" Snix laughed when she answered "I knew you'd still be in your damn bed bitch, are you not scared you'll lose your job, get the fuck up"
"Snix" she pouted "I'm so fucking tired..."
"...And that's what early nights are for, it's alright for Tasha, she's not got commitments and you can bet those dirty draws you've got on she'd have no problem stepping into your fucking shoes on stage, then we'd see what would happen to your late nights together"
"You may well be right Snix but seriously we have such a laugh" she giggled as a flashback from last night slipped into her head
"We'll see how much fun that actually is when you have no money to spend, not job, no..."
"Okay I get it" Mercy rolled her eyes at her girls real talk
"You actually get what I'm saying, am I hearing you right?"
"Yeah I get it" Mercy rolled her eyes again telling her
"So what am I actually saying?"
"Fuck Tash, I get it" she told her with the tone of a naughty school child
"Oh, and I'm also actually saying get out that damn pit of yours and get to fucking work, deal with your shit Merc on a real"
"I'm coming" she giggled "In a bit"
"Yeah" Snix replied knowing she was going to try and get back to sleep when the call finished
"And Snix" she waited to get her attention "Thanks" she smiled down the phone, closing the call before snuggling back under her quilt, ready for another half an hour
Her conscience wasn't allowing her to fall back to sleep, she really did enjoy and need her job, she'd just moved into her own place, got all this furniture most of it on rental and so she had bills to pay, on top of that she'd be letting her cast mates down and they were a great crew, it was a great opportunity, actually she enjoyed being there once she got there. She finally got up off the floor threw her bed together and found the bathroom, the spinning in her head was calming down, she could work with the current buzz.
She smiled as she walked into the bathroom, she'd been sold on the place because of the bathroom, it always made her smiled it had the wickedest acoustics in the house and she made use of it every morning. Turning the sink tap on, she didn't even mind that splash of cold water that always lasted long enough to make you start wondering if the boiler was actually working, in fact she splashed her face with it before grabbing her toothbrush to start her routine "Just in case you're wondering" she looked in the mirror at herself smiling "Water first, always water first" she laughed out loud before carrying on, unsure if she was laughing at or with herself
She finished her teeth and reached in to turn the shower on, jumping back as the spray filled the shower tray, cold water on her hands felt good but on her body, no damn way, she stood waiting for the warm water already humming words from her chosen tune for the day 'Beautiful you wear that smile so well, you know that I'd love to tell you that I, I am far too shy, to say something like that" slipped out of her mouth a short while before she found the beat in the cascading water and carried on singing as loudly as she could to get herself in the working mood. 'You are the rainbow after the rain, your my sunshine on a cloudy day, how can I describe what you do to me' she stepped into the shower her body swinging to the runs going on in her head "Shit" she hissed hearing her phone ringing again "That's Snix" she rolled her eyes thinking "I'm coming" she shouted at her phone abandoning her song for the quickest shower ever, she knew that call was telling her she was late already.
Jumping out the shower and half drying herself she threw on her ever dependable jeans, she loved the things, they provided, everyday, her idea of an ideal world, no ironing, hanging just wash and when ready wash again. She smiled happy she'd left home, her Mom would never have allowed her to leave the house with un-ironed clothes, the clingy top could have maybe done with some attention but she was only going to rehearsals and anyway who was really going to see her at 5.30am except another tired soul. She grabbed her back pack and made for the door, checking her jacket for change before throwing her back pack over her shoulder and leaving for work
"Shit" she stamped her foot waving her hands as the bus pulled off "Stop" she yelled watching as it picked up speed and roared off "Now I'm officially late" she stood telling herself "The tube" she turned to make her way to the station in the opposite direction "I need a ticket" she huffed, when she got to the kiosk, trying to get her breath back for running to get to the station
"To where?" the gentleman's head popped up asking
"To... to... shit where am I going?" she asked herself looking around at the small waiting cue, that had formed because of her indecisiveness, as she spoke "The New Theatre" she held her hand up telling him finally
"Drury Lane" he confirmed, she nodded, she really didn't have a clue the bus was her main mode of transport "Use the Piccadilly line" he told her nodding in the direction she needed to go in
"Piccadilly?" she confirmed before stepping off looking back at the stunning man, his brown eyes piercing as she flashed him a smile, she always enjoyed finding a man's soul in his eyes
She stood tapping her foot, humming her song of the day, trying to keep positive, while she waited for the tube to come, all the time aware of the time slipping away, taking on board right now that she was actually late, and what that could mean for her job "At last" she gasped at the tube came to a halt in front of her, waiting for the doors to open before she jumped on and looked around the carriage "Shit" she hissed when she finally saw that all the seats were taken up, she took a quick look at some eligible faces to see if anyone was going to be man enough and give her a seat and decided that hell would freeze over before that happened, she decided she'd stand right there in the doorway, plugging her earphones in to take her to the happy place her tune of the day was going to take her
She was leaning in the bagging area her head moving as she hummed along quietly 'Beautiful you wear that smile so well, you know that I'd love to tell you, that I, I am far too shy to say something like that' smiling because she knew today was going to be a lovely day. Suddenly a face jumped in front of her she saw his lips moving and took one of her earphones off
"Sorry?" she looked into the eyes of heaven asking 'When our eyes meet, ...' humming in her other ear
"I said you can have my seat" he told her pointing to his seat as he spoke
"Thank you" she smiled having to check her top as her heart pumped heavily and raced for some reason, taking the three steps over to the seat and sitting down, she smiled at him again actually several times as she waited for the tube to take her the long route to her destination, people were leaving and entering the carriage and Mercy was still sitting, still looking, still smiling at this man with the eyes that covered a soul she might want to see more of
"Is this your stop?" the man with the eyes asked, with a smile to match
"No" she looked up at the sign saying Cockfosters "I'm getting off at Piccadilly, Drury Lane or something" she told him, checking her ticket "Yeah Drury Lane" she confirmed
"This is the Piccadilly line, Drury Lane was a while back" he laughed "A long while back, this is the last stop"
"Joke Right?" her eyes turned to slits, this wasn't even funny
"Sorry it's no joke" he frowned seeing she was genuinely upset
"Blast" she took her phone out and checked the time, she was super late, tapping her quick dial "Snix" she called when she answered "I'm on the tube and I'm fucking lost I'm in... Cockfosters ever heard of it?" she looked out at the signage
"No" Snix laughed "It doesn't get any more original than that"
"Just cover for me, I'm staying on it, I should be back in about..." she looked up at the guy standing listening to her conversation
"An hour tops" he whispered
"A fucking hour" she rolled her eyes in disbelief "I can't believe this Snix just cover for me" she told her putting the phone back in her pocket "This shit could only happen to me" she looked up at him, her eyes captivated by his mouth as she watched him licking his lips, it wasn't done in a sexual way, she knew that, but her mind was there, that tongue could give her hours of pleasure and very little pain
"I'm sorry I have to go" he turned to leave the carriage "Oh good luck with the job" he smiled, his whole face broke into a genuine smile, it made her smile wider
"Have a nice day" she grinned watching him leave the tube and walk a way down the platform before she thought to get off and find a way back "Now he was something, I really wouldn't be shy about" she told herself as she went to find a way back
She got to work more than two hours late, Snix was a good friend she'd covered for her "Tonight your ass is mine" she told her as she walked in "Was that a new make of bed?" she whispered laughing
"What?" Mercy asked puzzled
"Cockfoster, was that a man in your damn bed?"
"No I was lost, that's the truth" she smiled at Snix's take on her morning activities, thinking if she'd have had a choice she would have been in bed with him.
They had a full day followed by an evening performance, then after work Snix took her for one drink, at a health bar and then home, she was in bed by 11pm that was very much a first in a long while
The next day she didn't even go to the bus stop she went straight for the tube there was something she needed to do that she should have done the day before, it was unusual for her but she'd woken up that morning singing the same song she'd sung the day before and she wasn't even bothered about finding a new one. She didn't grab any of the empty seats she saw she walked through the moving tube looking for her mystery man with the eyes and lips she needed to be on, she had no luck he was nowhere to be seen she stood humming 'You are the rainbow after the rain, your my sunshine on a cloudy day, how can I describe what you do to me' looking out the window, half not believing what she was actually doing, determined not to miss her stop this time
"Snix" she smiled when she was one of the first that walked into work
"See what an early night can do" Snix laughed
"I think it was more, someone on my mind"
"Sounds cute" Snix sat next to her on the bench, listening to the brief encounter that had happened the day before and what she'd tried to do about the feelings she'd developed overnight, this morning
"You know how I am" Mercy fluttered "Men don't have that effect on me, I've never felt an urge like this"
"We all get our urges, don't mean we have to act on them"
"I know that, which is why this feeling is so damn weird, it's almost scary how impulsive this feeling is"
"I think that's one you'll have to chalk up as a missed opportunity, you didn't even get a name" she laughed "Sounds shit hot romantic though"
"I'm going to have one last try at it tomorrow"
"What?" Snix asked, this wasn't the usual behaviour of her friend
"I told you, this is different"
"Well good luck" she hugged her before they were called and work started, there was only two hours let up before the actual show, everyone was exhausted and somehow Mercy found herself going straight home she had to find lips tomorrow "Do you want a lift?" Snix asked her
"No it's too far out your way and you gave me a lift last night, they give me expenses anyway"
"Straight home" Snix warned
"Straight home" Mercy smiled, leaving Snix to make her way
She stood in the crowded street watching the stars of the show doing their usual meet and greet stuff, wondering when it was actually ever going to be her turn for all of that and if she'd actually do that in this shit weather "There are no fucking cabs" she shouted when five minutes of waiting had produced nothing, she really didn't know what she'd expected, there were hundreds of people coming out the theatre all grabbing cabs, of course they'd be busy, looking up she smiled she was seconds away from that Piccadilly line and once she got off the tube she'd be less than five minutes away from home, she made her way to the tube station
It was quite full for that time of night, but she managed to find a seat, plugged her earphones in and sat watching the station signs as the tube stopped every two minutes it seemed like "Hi" she heard looking up to see eyes and lips standing in front of her
"Hi" she snapped the earphones off her head "Nice to see you again"
"Likewise" he smiled "I see you found your way back, and a seat this time"
"I did" she smiled "I was two hours late for work, but I didn't get the sack"
"I'm pleased" he looked around as someone got up and he spotted a free seat "I'm going to grab that seat, I've got a ways to go" he told her stepping off
'Electricity, pulses between us, you know that I'd love to kiss you, but I, I am far to shy, to do something like that...' going through her mind as she looked up at him, she had to bite this bullet "Hold up" she jumped up and grabbed his jacket sleeve "Your lips look absolutely fucking kissable, I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I don't.." she looked up at him smiling for her cheek, she'd have liked to be able to say this was out of character but, although this was a first it felt very much in character "Can I kiss you?" she asked waiting for shame to fill her up, and not even surprised when it didn't
"I won't stop you" he just about got out before she pulled his face down to meet hers devouring him with every taste, the pecks got longer as he joined in and shocked her when he pulled her in, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back "Sam" he gasped when she let his lips go "My name's Sam"
"Mercy" she grinned at him "We will meet again"
"We will" he grinned back "This is your stop"
"Oh" she checked her chair for anything she'd left "5.30am tomorrow, I'll get your number" she told him as the tube came to a halt
"5.30am" he repeated, watching as she got off the tube, waving as the engine lit up again and the tube moved off slowly at first as they stood staring at each other and then he was gone, with a promise of tomorrow
"Not fucking shy at all Miss Jones" she walked off thinking pleased with herself, excited for what tomorrow might bring, she hummed 'You are the rainbow after the rain, your my sunshine on a cloudy day, how can I describe what you do to me' all the way home, feeling too ridiculous to actually skip, but that's what was going on in her head, she was walking on clouds "Snix" she screamed down the phone when she answered "You'll never guess what I did?" she laughed to herself for her brass
"Please don't tell me you diverted and went out with Tasha again" she knew the girl was rolling her eyes about it
"No" she giggled "I'm at home... just listen"
"What did you do?"
"You know that missed opportunity you said I'd had?"
"Yeah"
"He turned up again and girl I made sure I didn't miss that fucking opportunity, I asked him for a kiss right there on the tube"
"What in front of everyone?"
"Yep" she laughed
"Shame, how did he blow you off?"
"He actually blew my fucking mind, he kissed me back and promised we'd meet in the morning, on the tube, and exchange numbers"
"And you're expecting him to turn up?"
"That kiss said he would"
"You know I'm all for you girl, but you can't throw yourself at some guy on a tube and expect him to take you serious"
"Excuse me... I can and I am" her Diva yelled back at Snix
"We'll see" Snix's warning voice told her "Just be safe about it"
"I will" she laughed, they talked more about the exchange Mercy surprising herself for how much she actually got out of it, as she wittered on about this guy and her, Snix reminding her about her safety again before they closed the call
Mercy lay on her bed thinking about the pending meeting until she fell asleep, waking up well before her alarm went off the next morning, she was in the shower still singing that lucky song of hers, building her courage up and trying to not think about him not turning up, she took more care about how she dressed, ironing and double checking herself before she left the house, making her way to the tube station well ahead of time. The tube finally came, she walked through it looking in the carriages for him and she was almost at the last one when the whistle went for her to get on, she jumped on and walked through to the last two carriages deflated for Snix being right, he wasn't there "Okay" she told herself sitting in an empty chair looking out the window for her stop, at least she'd gotten a kiss, but she was still going to have to take some shit from Snix today
She jumped off the tube, threw her sack on her shoulder and made for the exit, her heart heavy for the disappointment "Hi" she heard when she got to the top of the stairs, looking up to see Sam standing there "Sorry, I was so excited about this morning I got on an earlier tube, I thought I'd wait here"
"I thought..." she smiled not wanting him to think she'd ever doubted him "Hi"
"I got you a coffee" he held the two cups up "I thought I'd have time to walk you to work"
"Thanks" she smiled taking the cup off him as they walked towards her workplace, talking while that song hummed in her head again 'Oh how I wish, I wouldn't act so nervous around you, you know that I'd like to tell you that I, might be a little shy, oh yes I might be a little shy, oh you know that I might be a little shy, but I'm in ...' "Am I?" she looked up at him puzzled asking herself "I could be"
"Sorry" he looked at her trying to grab the conversation
"Sorry" she smiled "It's a song I have in my head"
"It's probably me I don't know why I'm just so nervous around you" he laughed "I'm kind of shy" he blushed
"Really?"
"I guess that will go away as we get to know each other"
"That's going to happen for us?"
"I'd like it to"
"Me too" she grabbed his arm and smiled up at him
The End