So - Chapter 5! It's a bit fluffy, but as we know from the "reeal" DA - the fluffy stuff comes before the misery and gloom!
Please review - and please enjoy!
John caught his arm around Anna's waist, pulling her into him under his coat, against his shirt. Anna could feel the warmth of his body through the fabric and she could hear the hissing bangs of the fireworks in the park behind the house but Anna didn't care, she was too busy enjoying the internal silence of their moment together. Sliding a hand up his shirt, Anna ran her nails down the base of him spine, jumping as she heard their names being called behind her, the couple span on their heels to face the source of the voice.
"Come in you two, you must be frozen to the bone – happy new year!" Michael O'Reilly, one of John's oldest friends had invited to them Dublin to see in the New Year. It was cold and damp, but it was by far the most enjoyable couple of days Anna had spent in a long time, her evenings curled up in John's arms in their bed. It had taken a lot of persuading but she had finally convinced him that she wanted to spend her nights with him, he was reluctant at first, always reluctant to have her in his house, and equally reluctant to come to hers. Always aware of his ex-wife and her always unfailing ability to know the ins and outs of his private life and to use them against him. But here now in Dublin, away from their respective homes, the 'other time' that John had spoken of all those nights ago in the pub in Leeds had come, and Anna was genuinely content, she found that although she enjoyed her job and her life before John, but she felt a certain sense of completeness now in her life, although to voice that out loud would seem like some kind of dereliction of feminist duty to suggest that she needed a man to feel complete.
Sat in Michael's kitchen drinking the last dregs of the cava bottle, Anna was besieged with questions that her hosts had been too polite and sober to ask for the past 2 days.
"Ok, so now I have to know Anna – what's the … deal – I mean your … well … what are you doing with John. Your great for him, I haven't seen him this happy in God knows how long – but … what are you doing?"
"Christ you're a fine one to talk Michael – never seen a man with more inappropriate girlfriends than you." Said John laughing, even though he laughed Anna could feel his position shift in the chair in discomfort, she knew he that John had insecurities about their relationship even in its most basic and infantile form, reaching over she squeezed his arm she wanted him to know that despite his own insecurities she was happy.
"The deal? The deal is – I like him, he's a sweet kind man who makes me happy, very happy, happier than I've been in a long time I think." She smiled, and really felt like she had something to smile about, she had a man who had taken her away to Dublin for New Year's Eve and a man who Anna thought she was in danger of serious falling for, perhaps a man she had already fallen for.
Tiptoeing into the kitchen, Anna flicked the kettle on; the dawn was breaking through the glass windows making even the drunken detritus from the last night's party look pretty in the dappled half-light that only a winter's daybreak can bring. It was cold dressed only in John's shirt and the icy tiles burned her feet but Anna enjoyed it, the cool quiet came soothing to her minor hangover, although she was sure she had fared better than the houses other occupants. She heard a groan behind her, turning to see Michael rising off the sofa, the imprint of the sofa fabric had left a pinkish indent on his cheek where he had fallen asleep on the armrest. He staggered to his feet, bending over he leant his forehead against the counter top.
"Good morning Anna, how did you sleep?
"Well thanks," she lied, but she wasn't in the mood to reveal why she had been very awake until quite recently . "Do you fancy a cup of tea? Or Coffee?"
"Tea thanks, you're an angel. Here you know I did mean what I said last night, you're a god thing for John, he hasn't been happy in a long while, his wife's been … ach – you're good for him that's all."
"No go on, what about his wife – do you know why they're not divorced?" Michael sighed, taking a sip of the steaming cup of tea, he had known John a long time, he had been John's best man and had seen his best friend be broken down by Vera, bewitching beautiful all those years ago – but bad news for John.
"Vera and John weren't a … healthy couple, they were built on passion, when they fought they would row like you never heard, John wasn't the same man that his is now, he still drank then and they would fight and scream and lash out, one of them would leave and then a few days later, a week sometimes, they would be back together. They separated about 10 years ago, they had been married about 17 years and Vera was bitter, she thought he would come back to her – so she wouldn't give him a divorce and he never seemed to want to push it, if he kept his head down she didn't bother him, when he went after her for a divorce then she was back in his life."
Anna slipped back into the bed, she heard John hiss as her cold toes went down the back of legs. Placing the cups on the bedside table she curled into his back kissing his shoulder, he was warm against her cold skin, her teeth chattered against his neck.
"Jesus woman – you are bloody freezing. Come here…" he turned around in the bed, so that they were face to face, wrapping his arms around her he pulled her to him, kissing her on the top of her head. Tracing her fingers along his back though his pyjama t-shirt Anna smelled his scent, inhaling deeply.
"How's your leg? Some of my patients hate the cold, it freezes up the pins."
"My knees' fine – it doesn't hurt very often really, it just gets stiff and a bit awkward. Which given it got smashed by a metal press is very impressive – I am eternally in debt to all medical professionals the world over."
"I'll hold you to that! John … why don't you get a divorce from your wife? If you did we wouldn't have to sneak around." She leant back to look him in the eye, he looked back at her, a half smile on his lips.
"She won't give me one, she says 'in my opinion the marriage is not irretrievably broken down'"
"But why?"
"Because that would make me happy – and that's one thing that Vera won't do and she knows that I can't afford to fight it, and I don't want to see more of her than I have to and so probably won't push it. Do you really want me to though?"
"I would – if it's the only way I get to see more of you. But I know it's a lot to ask, I've known you 4 months … "
"OK I'll look into it again – I'd probably have to see a bit less of you, for the next month or so. If Vera thought I was after a divorce because of another woman then she'd never give me one."
"I can cope with that – If I get you afterwards … all of you."