Authors note: Italic writing is memories ok? Thanks for the reviews. They're always welcome. I know it's a sow goer so far... but it WILL start picking up soon. You'll soon discover by the way that my Sian has language as bad as mine. Thanks as always to my ever lovely proof reader.
Authors note 2: Sian lives in Southport not Manchester, so she has a weird mix of accent that you get from living there... (as people from that area will confirm.)
Authors note 3: The ride described at Blackpool Pleasure Beach DOES exist ;)
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I stopped at the bottom of the flight of stairs, looking up. Even red eyed with a dribbly nose and blotchy skin she was achingly beautiful. She was leaning against the wall, arms wrapped around her knees clutching the phone in her hand.
Approaching her carefully, I smiled gently, slowly climbing the stairs until I was on the step in front of her. Kneeling down so she could see me, I gently reached out for her hand, patting it.
"Hey hey" She blinked and wiped her nose with her sleeve again. Sniffing, she looked at me.
"Hi. Sorry, just spoke to me dad. He kept apologising. I told him I hate him and never want to see him again." I nodded, understanding her anger. Rubbing her knuckles in small movements, I told her I understood, to be met with anger and some venom spat at me.
"How the hell can you understand? You don't even know me". She snarled at me. I just patted her hand and standing up, moved to sit next to her.
"Understand the 'half brother stuff?' Nope, I've no chance of that, but I can try. Understand the whole 'my dad's a cheating bastard?' Yup, I've got a pretty good idea on that." Resting my arms on my knees I looked at her sideways and carried on pushing my luck. "At least both your parents love you." Meeting her angry glare I carried on, feeling slightly emboldened by my luck with her so far. "You don't hate your dad, you're angry, when you calm down, you'll call him." Shrugging at her shocked expression, I let her know I'd heard some of the nasty comments said about me. "Not bad for a thick 'Scouser' eh?" Standing up and dusting the back of my shorts, I placed my hand on her shoulder lightly, to sort of show her I wasn't really angry over the wrong facts I'd revealed I'd heard said about me. Well, not at her. It went with territory of dealing with bigots like Lee. Disappointed she hadn't stuck up for me maybe, but then again, I'd acted aloof and cold at her to try and cope with my feelings. I went for my shower, wrinkling my nose when I realised how badly I smelled from my run.
Hearing a knocking at my door as I towelled myself dry I wrapped my gown around myself and padded over to open the door to Sophie, I mean who else would it be? Sure enough, a slightly less angry version of the brunette was standing on my door step. Her eyes widened when she saw my state of undress. I watched her eyes widen slightly, gentle settle on where I hadn't closed the gown fully, exposing some skin. With a determined stare right at a point over my right shoulder and pink blush rising up her neck and cheeks, I accepted her apology for being 'an ungracious git' (her words) and watched amused as she scuttled back to her room with one backward glance at me, the blush covering her cheeks fully by now.
Closing my door and getting dressed quickly, I sat down on my bed thinking about Sophie's actions. It was fair to say the interest from me wasn't totally one sided surely? She seemed relaxed enough in my company the previous night to fall asleep snuggled up to me. Unless I was mistaking her actions... but... no. Surely that look up and down my robe clad body and her gaze looking quite pointedly at my chest, then anywhere but there... that's how I was with girls I fancied. Or just plain clumsy.
Tying my hair into a loose ponytail, I thought about it.
Nahhhh... Surely? I couldn't actually be THAT lucky could I? Grabbing my phone I sent a quick text to Ben and Ryan, letting them know I was still alive and enjoying my weekend. Grabbing my wallet and acting impetuous for once, I grabbed a jumper and my keys and found myself knocking on Sophie's door. With a simple "going out for a drive, wanna come?" I found myself driving down the motorway, no particular place in mind to go, just wanting to get out for a bit.
Initially thinking of heading for the beach back home, I spotted a destination sign on the motorway as Sophie chose some music on my iPod. The sign making my mind up for me. I'd been paid, why not? I reckoned Sophie needed a bit of fun, and if it meant time spent together, that could only be good right? Casting a quick glance at my travelling companion as we sang along to Pink, I pondered the strange turn our... .what? friendship? Relationship? Our 'whatever' anyway, had taken over the past 24 hours. Nothing was said about what Lee had said on the Thursday. About me being clumsy around her because I fancied her. She'd seemed ok enough about me being gay to fall asleep on me and stare at my chest. I mentally shrugged, I'd just go with the flow I guessed.
Sophie looked at me as I indicated to take the exit I wanted, asking me where we were going, and then laughing when I pointed to the destination sign. Blackpool. Gay capital of the North, and more importantly, home to arcades and a huge fun fair.
Half an hour later and we were eating chips, walking down the prom, just enjoying each others company. Sophie, I'd discovered had a wicked sense of humour and was a natural mimic. Sitting on a bench eating our amazingly unhealthy lunch and trying not to share it with the seagulls, she added conversations for every person who walked past. From arguments to declarations of love, she had us laughing for an hour. Even the dogs walking past had conversations added in.
Wasting some money killing all manner of aliens and bad guys in the arcades we'd eventually ended up in the fair, wandering around after buying ride tokens. Laughing after going on most of the scary rides, we'd ended up by the Avalanche. Raising an eyebrow at Sophie's look of delight at the ride and her "I've never been on this one." Grabbing my hand, she dragged me into the queue and fifteen minutes later we found ourselves waiting for the next ride.
I looked at the ride with more than a little trepidation... it was based on a bobsleigh ride. Each carriage in the chain sitting two people. Snugly. REALLY snugly. Like, the person in the front sits between the legs of the person behind them. I gulped a little. Uh oh. The ride had pulled up, the laughing passengers exiting the opposite side to us, leaving the carriages empty.
"Come on slowcoach!"
I blinked and looked at the carriage, Sophie'd sat herself in the front, leaving me just enough room behind her. Flickering my eyes between her and the gap, I managed to squeeze myself in, placing my knees either side of her hips as she sat in front of me. Grabbing the hand rails on the inside of the carriage with a death grip as she shuffled back closer to me, her entire back resting lightly against me. Oh Jesus. She was trying to kill me wasn't she? My bloody hands, totally by themselves took a firm hold around her waist as she totally relaxed back as the ride started, the carriages dragged up the sharp incline to the top. Her head leaning back close to the left side of my face, I saw her smile gently, her eyes closed. Feeling my pulse beating in my ears...and...err... well... OTHER parts of me... I wondered if she possible was enjoying this closeness as much as me. Casting one more glance at her before the ride plunged making everyone scream, I dared to hope she wasn't as straight as Lee would like her to be...
The ride was fast... too fast and full of twists and turns and one extremely bright flash in our faces. The speed allowing me to take a firm grip on Sophie's middle as she screamed in delight, both of us laughing as the ride finished.
Using my thigh to help push herself up from her seat and then offering me a hand to get out, we left the ride and headed through the inevitable shop to exit and start making our way back to the car. I was still thinking about the feeling of holding Sophie and how damned perfect she fit against me when I walked into the back of her.
"Ow!"
She smiled as I grumbled slightly, "look, that was the flash". I looked at the video wall she'd pointed at, and a brilliant photograph of the pair of us. Laughing and looking so damned happy. My arms wrapped around Sophie, her cheek next to mine, both of us looking so... alive. I caught my breath for a minute. Biased though I might seem, we looked so good together. I stole a glance at Sophie's face. She had a weird unreadable expression on her face, a little half smile tugging at one corner of her mouth. I impulsively walked to the counter and ordered two copies. The server only keeping us waiting a few minutes, handing us the photos with a "cute couple" comment and a wink and then we were on our way again, headed back to the car and back to Lancaster.
There was silence in the car on the way home, other than Sophie thanking me for a nice few hours out. Every now and then I would look at her and see her looking at her copy of our photo. It was a peaceful silence we had in the car, a content silence. Only broken by Sophie telling me she'd cook my tea as a thank you as I was parking my car close to the college. Following her up the stairs, I stopped when we got to our corridor, shoving my keys in the lock to my door and turning around at the sound of my name.
"Sian, I'll just get some stuff and make us that dinner" smiling she approached me she put her arms around me, resting her head on my shoulder. "Thanks for today, it was sweet, and just what I needed."
I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, relishing in the feel of her body against mine again. Pulling slightly back from our hug, she placed her hands flat on the front of my shoulders, looking at me strangely. We were pretty much the same height, I had maybe an inch on her so could look slightly down at her. We stayed like that for an eternity. She seemed to be thinking something over, and I wasn't going to push her. Searching my eyes for what felt like a decade she closed in on my face, breathing the same air, our lips almost touching. If I'd moved, we'd have kissed.
I didn't need to move.
She moved that last tiny distance and then I got to feel what those soft lips felt like on mine.
I think I died, literally. They were heaven. Remembering to join in, I let her set the pace before nibbling at her bottom lip. I swear things were getting hotter between us in the corridor. I'd not moved my hands, frightened to move them, frightened to scare her off, I just stayed still, letting her lead the dance between us. Well, except for my lips. They were happy to do anything she asked. One of us groaned, I think it was me, it could have been Sophie, I didn't care. We were kissing, she was kissing me and the building could have fallen down around my ears and I wouldn't have cared or noticed.
Sophie's hand had moved and wrapped itself in my hair, and my hands, not obeying any command I was trying to give them, had moved to cup her face, relishing being able to touch her and touch her THIS way. A few weeks of pent up frustration finally unleashed, and Jesus she was into this. She had to be the way she was kissing me.
Then.
She was gone. Backed right off and my hands were left scrabbling for where she'd been a millisecond earlier. Completely wrong footed and not knowing what had just happened, I stared at Sophie, leaning on her door, breathing heavily, flushed from what we'd just done. I was just about to follow her when I heard the reason she'd broken off, noises on the stairs and then...
"Hey guys"
Ches and Katy.
Fucking brilliant.
They stood there for a minute, before Ches smiled his goofy smile and walked past mumbling something about not having privacy at home and going to his room. Katy stood still, looking from me to Sophie and back again a few times.
"You ok guys? We couldn't get any 'us' time at home, came back early you know?" She smiled hesitantly between us. She must have known SOMETHING had gone on. Both of us were breathing heavy and flushed and the atmosphere was pregnant with expectancy.
Still looking between us like a tennis umpire, she moved a step forward... "Soph... you ok?"
Sophie tore herself away from the gaze we'd had going on .
"Yeah, fine, laters".
And with that, she'd gone, door opened and closed, no, slammed on me and Katy.
I stood there, no really knowing what to do. Looking at Katy, I tried to talk, but nothing came out, I just squeaked, pointed at Sophie's door and walked in to my room, shutting my door behind me and sliding to the floor in a graceless heap.
What the hell had just happened?