Seeing Hot Pie again, combined with the large glass of wine (she was sure it been Chardonnay and not the Pinot Grigio she'd asked for) had made Arya relaxed and happy. There was no place she'd rather be than sitting in the sun just now with Gendry.
"So are you ready to go see Harrenhal Castle?" he asked her.
"Hmm, has it changed much since the last time we were there?"
Gendry snorted. "I doubt it, seeing as it's been the same for three hundred years, but I haven't been there since school either. I just thought it would be fun for us to go back."
Arya smiled. Yes, happy memories. Every year the school summer trip before the end of term had been to Harrenhal Castle. No-one had minded going to the same place every year as, after the usual educational bit, where they all had to traipse round after the teachers and hear again about Lady Whent, they were allowed to explore the castle themselves until the bus arrived to take them back to school. Of course, Arya had always gone with Gendry and the two of them had pretended they were fierce knights slaying dragons in the cool, dark corridors of the castle.
She particularly remembered the time she had bought a Princess hat with a purple chiffon veil for Sansa in the Castle shop and had also bought a wooden sword for Gendry (he never any money). Gendry had made her put the stupid hat on and knelt before her swearing to fight to the death to protect her. Arya hadn't wanted to pretend to be a princess and had called him 'stupid' for kneeling, but the memory made her smile now. She wondered if she dared to remind him of it.
He asked her what she was smiling about.
"Nothing."
"Well I won't ask Milady again." He harrumphed. "So do you want to go to the Castle or not?"
"Yeah, but some other time. I am just really enjoying sitting here in the sun with you." He looked surprised, then pleased at her answer.
"Ok then. Do you want a coffee or dessert?"
"Could I have another glass of wine?" His face darkened and his brows came down.
"Any wine will do" she said hurriedly. She didn't want a repeat of the 'incident' with the waitress earlier.
"No" His mouth was set in a hard line.
"Why not?" She was indignant. Why was he saying 'No' to her? Nobody ever said no to her.
"Cos I don't want a drunk on the back of my bike." He glared at her.
"I am not drunk" she yelped.
"No, but you will be if you have another of those large glasses of wine. There's a third of a bottle in each glass Arya and it's only lunchtime."
He was scolding her like a little girl. Giving her a lecture! She could argue, but she knew now there were other ways to get what she wanted. She decided to change tack.
"But its five o'clock somewhere and it's so nice, just sitting here with you. I feel so relaxed. Please?" She looked up at him with what she hoped were puppy dog eyes. She was shocked when he said "No" with as much determination as before.
Stupid bull headed boy. How dare he tell her what she could drink! She opened her mouth to yell at him, but thought better of it when she saw the steely look in his eyes and the tension in his shoulders. This was an argument she wasn't going to win. So she shut her mouth before asking meekly
"Coffee then?" She watched his shoulders relax but he still growled
"Sure, but don't start with your fucking London skinny, soya latte shit. Do you want it black or white?"
"White" she said softly. Ohhh this was new. Gendry being so bossy. He was even more attractive when he was angry. She decided she liked it.
She watched him extract his leather clad legs and boots from the picnic table and stomp off. As she watched him go, she couldn't help but notice how almost every female sitting in the beer garden watched him pass – even the ones sitting with guys. He really was gorgeous and he was with her. As she was congratulating herself for being with the hottest guy in the place, it occurred to her she would be insanely jealous if she ever saw him with another girl. God, that was unexpected. She hadn't really thought past shagging him, getting him to take her virginity. What about after that? Assuming she could get him to do it in the first place, what did she want after?
Thinking about it for the first time she realised she didn't know what she wanted. Coming home for the summer was just to catch up with her family (and lose her virginity) wasn't it? She intended to do go back to London and do a post graduate diploma in September and maybe an MA after that. Where could Gendry fit into that? He wouldn't move to London she was sure and she didn't want to spend the rest of her life in bloody Winterfell village. She was getting too far ahead of herself she decided. Achieve your goal Arya – get rid of the virginity thing and see what happens next.
She closed her eyes and visualize herself putting all thoughts of a future with Gendry and worse, thoughts of Gendry with someone else, back in the closet in her head where she put things she didn't want to think about. Mentally she shut the door tightly.
When he came back with the coffee, Arya watched the same wave of female eyes that had followed him as he'd left. Back off, he's mine you bitches! She snarled to herself. Again she was shocked at the strength of her feelings. The rational part of her brain knew he wasn't hers and was still trying to process the implications of that stupid picture that screamed at her she had been in love with him. God, why couldn't he just have got her another glass of wine and all these awful thoughts would have just pissed off – until tomorrow at least.
The animal part of her brain was whispering "YYou want him; you want to fuck him. Just do it, just slide your tongue in his mouth and fucking get on with it." He sat down opposite her again and she watched the white flashes on his leather trousers lift over the supports of the picnic table as he sat down, his crotch briefly, temptingly, at her eye level. Then his arms and his shoulders were straight in front of her. She could see every tendon and muscle in his forearms playing beneath his skin and knew those arms were going to do it for her every time. Maybe it was the wolf in her that made her want to roll her hips in her tight leather trousers – his tight leather trousers – she reminded herself for an extra little thrill, to try to find something to rub herself off. She really felt like a bitch in heat and before the end of the day she was going to have to get some relief from somewhere or she would explode.
"Hey Arya" he interrupted her daydream. She dragged her eyes away from his arms to his face, but he was concentrating on swirling the spoon in his coffee.
"Have you got a guy back in London?" his voice was thick and hesitant. His eyes never left his coffee. This had caught her off guard again. She briefly considered making up a story about a boyfriend she'd recently dumped, to make her sound more exciting, but then thought of the mess she'd got herself into lying about losing her virginity at University and decided she had to be honest this time.
"Umm. No." She stopped short of telling him she had never had a boyfriend.
"What does 'Umm. No' mean?" He was looking at her now with those piercing blue eyes. "That sounds like you had to think about it." He put down his spoon, waiting expectantly for her answer.
"Well, I have friends who are boys, but definitely no boyfriend." There. That was the truth. How would he like that?
"And what are these boys who are friends like?" His eyes never left hers.
God, why did he want to know that?
"Well, there all pretty rich and posh I suppose and come from old families." God, why did she say that? He obviously didn't like it as the brows came down again and his jaw started clenching and unclenching.
"But, but there all pretty useless too" she added quickly. She had to find something to reassure him.
"For instance, we had to go to Brighton for some course work and one of the guys took some of us in his car, but we got a puncture. There were three guys in the car and not one of them would even try and change the wheel. So I said I would do it, but they all laughed at me and we had to wait two bloody hours at the side of a dual carriageway for Roadside Assistance to come and change the wheel. I was mortified. So they are nice boys I suppose, but they're not men." She deliberately put the emphasis on the word "men" as she reached over and took one of his big calloused hands in both of hers. She wasn't playing or acting this time. She meant it. She realised she wanted a man who could change a wheel! A man who would take care of her, fight for her, like he'd promised to do all those years ago. She didn't care if a man was rich or had a good name. She wanted him.
"I wish you had been there" she whispered, looking up at him shyly. He put his other hand over hers and squeezed gently, wrapping her hands in his strong, warm ones.
"I wish I had been there too" he replied and the two of them broke into embarrassed grins. She knew she had to seize this moment.
"If we're not going to the Castle, could we just go back to yours?" she asked and held her breath waiting for his reply.
"Sure." He seemed surprised, but hadn't hesitated with his answer.
"But first we're going to find that waitress. You are going to apologize for being such a rude bitch and leave her the cost of your lunch as a tip." He was telling her what to do again. But she knew he was right and she'd do what he told her to. This time.
