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34:
I woke up rosily naked, and tangled in Will's bedsheets. We hadn't actually gone all the way last night, but we'd come pretty close. In fact, we definitely would have, had we had any contraception with us. I'd come off the pill after a nasty break up with my ex-boyfriend, having seen no need to stay on it if I wasn't with someone, and I hadn't even thought about bringing something with me. I may have wanted Will, but I wanted not to get pregnant right now even more, so we didn't. Neither of us wanted to risk having babies just yet. I'd have to ring Mum when I got home to get her to renew the prescription. Now that would be another awkward conversation.
At a guess, I'd say it was around 9.30 in the morning. We hadn't had all that much sleep last night, so I wasn't surprised we'd slept in. I felt Will shift behind me, and I turned to face him, pulling the sheets closer to my body, so as not to expose myself. His eyes opened slowly as I did so.
"Good morning." I whispered, running my hand across his cheek.
"It's a very good morning." He wriggled closer to me, and kissed me on the mouth, before nuzzling his face into my hair. I giggled- it tickled.
"What time is it?" He yawned.
"About half nine, I think."
"You sure you have to go home, Lex? You can stay here for the rest of the week instead."
"Nice try, mister, but no. School waits for no one- I've got to go back."
"I wish you could." He replied stubbornly. My boyfriend was really nothing more than a petulant child at times. I laughed.
"So do I! But I'm sorry- I can't, even if I'd like nothing more than to stay."
"What, so I can rock your world?"
"No, so I can rock yours." I quipped back.
"Fighting talk, sweetheart."
"You better believe it, Benedict. Now, come on, out of bed- I want to make the most of today." I crawled out of his arms as he spoke, pulling his shirt over my head. It had been quickly discarded last night, and had lain in a heap along with the rest of our clothes while we slept.
"That suits you. Although I like it best when you're not wearing anything." I laughed- he was such a boy. It covered everything, hardly surprising since he was so much taller than me, so I gave him a twirl, the material flaring at my knees in the draft.
"I might keep it, you know. I like how it smells."
"It's yours." He promised. He had his arms crossed behind his head, and was using them as a pillow.
"Thank you. I'm going to go shower, and then we can head off."
"Okay, can I join you? I mean, in the interest of saving water, and therefore helping the planet and that?" I rolled my eyes at him- he was so predictable.
"Come on then, my little eco-warrior." I teased, heading for the shower and hearing him scurry out of the bed after me.
"Hey! I'm not little!" Such a boy.
We managed to pry ourselves away from one another for long enough to get changed and leave the flat. I'd packed my bags with Will's help once we'd dressed, since I wasn't going to be coming back to the flat once we left- it was easier for me to just go straight to the train station instead. It was a moment tinged with sadness; I'd hardly been here and already I was having to leave.
Instead of staying in bed all day like Will wanted, we headed to Covent Garden, stopping off at a little pizzeria for lunch, before wandering to the train station. Will had to get back to work for a meeting before my train left, so he didn't get chance to see me board and pull away from the station. Instead, he bade me farewell whilst I was waiting for it to arrive, hugging me tightly against his chest.
"I'll come and see you as soon as I can, okay?"
"Okay." I pulled away from his slightly so I could smile at him. I knew he was really busy with work, so I wasn't expecting it to be for a while. I knew I would too, be busy with school in the coming week, so I doubted I'd be able to come and see him anytime soon, either.
"And I'll call you every day."
"I know you will." I grinned. "And I look forward to hearing from you. I'll ring you when I get home." I leaned up and kissed him then; a kiss that told of what was to come.
"And I you." He kissed me again, for longer this time, before he was forced to head back to work- he was supposed to have left the station ten minutes ago. Pam was going to have his head on a stick at this rate. I'd only met her once, but I knew she meant business.
He left soon after, reminding me to make sure I rang him when I got in safely, and wishing me a safe journey. I watched him leave with great sadness; being separated from each other little more than a day into our relationship, didn't exactly seem like the best way to start off as a couple, but I knew we could, and would, make it work.
The train journey home gave me a chance to reflect on the weekend, and it passed quickly- I was so glad that Rach had convinced me to go. Fumbling in my bag for my car keys as I walked out of the station, I realised I'd still got the set Will had given me for his flat- I knew I'd forget them! I'd have to post them to him now! Pulling out my phone, I dialled his number to tell him I'd got them, and that I'd arrived safely in Derby. I climbed into the front seat while I waited for him to pick up, dumping my suitcase on the back seat, and shutting the door as I did so.
"Hey, sweetheart. You home yet?"
"Not yet- I've just got off the train, but I will be once I've collected Monty. Oh, and I'm really, really sorry, but I've forgotten to give you your keys back! I'll have them posted down to your office as soon as I can- I'm really sorry!"
"Good. And don't worry, the keys are yours- you weren't supposed to give them back."
"What?" Surely he was joking. Giving me keys to his house seemed like a very, very big deal.
"I never said you were going to give them back. Now you can come and visit me whenever you please."
"Will, are you sure?" I asked, looking at the keychain he'd given me as if it were a prickly grenade- about to blow up in my face at a moment's notice.
"Yes, Alexis- it's yours. Now, I'm sorry sweetheart, but I'm going to have to go- my next client's here."
"Okay. I'll ring you tonight." I promised as I hung up, glancing down at the keys for his London flat once more. We were certainly moving quickly!
Turning on the ignition, I tried to forget about it, and drove straight to Jack and Van's practice to collect Monty. No doubt, he would be, as usual, unimpressed that he had to come home with me. Unfortunately, I was right with that assumption- he sulked the whole way home, right from when he saw me! Anyone would think I mistreated the little guy!
I rang Will again when I got home, before I looked over my lesson plans and headed to bed. I was totally exhausted, and desperately needed to regain my strength if I had any chance of controlling my unruly class.
Thankfully, I wasn't too sleep- deprived to deal with them on Tuesday, or Wednesday, come to that. Now that the bank holiday was over, I felt I was back into the swing of things, and it was time for netball training on Wednesday evening before I even knew where the time had gone.
We'd arranged for Rach to come and pick me up, since I was driving us to the match on Saturday, even though she'd driven me to training last week too. I was not looking forward to the inquisition that would most definitely begin as soon as I got into the vehicle. With my kit bag slung over my shoulder, I headed out into the car park. Rach had already texted me to say she was on her way, and I didn't want to make her wait. Sure enough, I spotted her car a couple of minutes later, and I waited by the doors until she pulled up alongside me before I got in.
"Hey." I said as I climbed in, tossing my kit bag over the back seat, and turning to look at her. She had a sly smirk plastered all over her face.
"What?" I asked her, wondering the reason behind her expression.
"So how was your weekend?" She pulled off the kerb as she spoke.
"Good, thanks."
"So your non-boyfriend boyfriend was glad you came to see him?"
"Yes. In fact… he's actually my boyfriend now, Rach." She squealed at that admission, the sound making me jump in my seat.
"At last, girl! Hallelujah! So now I can ask you how he was!"
"How he was?"
"Yeah, you know." She wiggled her eyebrows at me and wriggled in her seat suggestively. I groaned. The girl had no filter.
"Rach, him being my boyfriend does not mean that you can ask me things like that!"
"Alexis, this is part of the best friend code! You should know this by now- I'm privy to all pertinent information about you and, now that you're together, him." Rach always had a tendency to spout bullshit when she wanted information.
"Seriously, Rach? What cheesy American drama have you been watching now?" Rach had an obsession with many American TV series', and, as a result, their dialogue often leaked into her everyday speech.
"Stop changing the subject, Alexis! You still haven't answered my question! How was he?"
"I wouldn't know, Rach. We didn't have sex." I admitted, looking out the window.
"What? Why? I bought you lingerie for a reason- you're supposed to use it!"
"We didn't have any contraception." I explained, turning to face her.
"Seriously, Alexis? Have I taught you nothing?" Her face was aghast at my admittance.
"What do you mean, 'what have you taught me?', Rach?"
"Alexis, you always take protection! Especially if you're going to meet your non-boyfriend boyfriend, who is now your boyfriend! I thought you were on the pill, anyway."
"I came off it after Sean." Sean was my twat of an ex-boyfriend.
"He was a dick." Rach agreed; she'd never liked him from the start, and she always liked to remind me of that fact. It was part of the reason it had meant a lot to me that she'd approved of Will. "But you do need to get that sorted again. I'm not ready to be Auntie Rach just yet; I need time to prepare to be the best Aunt that's ever existed. Couldn't you just ring your Mum and ask her to renew your prescription?"
"I know, I keep meaning to ring her, but I haven't had chance. I'll ring her when I get in tonight to ask- she'll probably be off shift by then."
"In fact, why don't we sort it out tonight? You need to take a full set of pills before you're protected, so we'll go to Tesco after training."
"I know I do- I'll sort it. Why do we need to go to Tesco, though?"
"Why do you think?" She wiggled her hips again and my stomach dropped.
"No, Rach. No!"
"Yes, Alexis, yes!"
"Rachel!" I screamed, mortified. "I am more than capable of buying my own condoms!"
"And have you?" She continued, totally unperturbed.
"No, but-."
"Then we're going, Al. End of" Her tone was final, and I groaned. I hoped this training session never ended and we never made it to Tesco.
Unfortunately, it did not go on forever. Instead, rain halted play, and we had to leave early, much to Rach's excitement, and my disappointment. I'd never seen her so excited. No, wait, the only time I'd seen here more excited was when she was buying me lingerie on Will's behalf. I swore it wasn't normal for her to take such an active interest in my sex life.
Yet, here we were, stood in front of the condom stand at Tesco. I'd been relegated to carrying the basket, while Rach picked out what I needed, much to my embarrassment and her entertainment. She was currently throwing in every style and size they had.
"Rach, I don't need all of them!" I whispered, looking around anxiously in case someone saw us.
"Okay, what size? That should narrow down your selection." She rested her hand on her hip and looked at me.
"I am not answering that!"
"You mean you don't know?"
"Oh, I know." She raised an eyebrow at that. "I may not have slept with him, but…" I trailed off.
"Alexis, you saucy minx! I knew you had it in you!" I grinned wryly, picking up the regular sizes she'd put in the basket, and putting them back on the shelf. Her eyes widened at that, and she smirked.
"You've definitely picked yourself a good one!" I didn't reply, and instead simply watched on in horror as Rachel literally cleared the shelves, dropping their contents into my basket.
"Are you kidding?" I asked, following her to the checkouts once there was nothing left on the shelves.
"You two are going to be good together, I can tell. It's always good to be over-prepared."
"This is not over-prepared; this is ridiculous." I exclaimed as we headed to the self-service checkouts. I was trying to shield my basket from view, but I was having little success. A basket full of nothing but condoms did raise a few furtive glances from the other shoppers.
I scanned the items as quickly as possible, stuffing them into two of the see-through carrier bags. Rach paid with her card before I got the chance to use my own.
"Tell Will he can thank me later." She winked, leading the way whilst I followed- both hands now laden down with my purchases.
"Thanks." I grudgingly admitted, speed walking towards the exit before someone saw me. I did not want someone I knew to catch me buying nothing more than condoms. Who knew they were so expensive?
"Alexis?" I heard someone behind me call. Damnit; I was so busted. I turned to face the voice.
"Mrs Lee." I greeted, shoving the bags behind my back, and praying she hadn't seen their contents.
"Just doing some late night shopping, are we?" I watched as she craned her neck, trying to see what I was hiding.
"Yes; just some last minute essentials." I heard Rach snicker next to me at that, but I ignored her.
"I see. Well, don't forget about the re-scheduled meeting tomorrow- and do tell Annie not to be late this time." I gritted my teeth at her subtle dig, but I didn't let my annoyance show.
"Yes, Mrs Lee."
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow, Alexis." She turned and waddled off with her trolley, no doubt heading straight for the biscuit aisle. Letting out an enormous sigh of relief, I looked to see Rach nearly keeled over with laughter.
"Don't say a word." I muttered, walking as quickly as I could out of the store. What were the chances of that happening? Fate was definitely not on my side at the minute.
Rach hadn't been able to say much during the ride home- she'd been too busy laughing at my misfortune to get out anything more than a choked "See you on Saturday" when I climbed out.
Stowing my purchases safely in my wardrobe, I grabbed my phone and rang Mum, as I started off with Monty for his evening walk. I figured it was just as easy to contact her when I was on the go, and it meant that I got the phone call over with as soon as possible. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, she picked up.
"Alexis, you're not in hospital are you?" I guess, after all that had happened over the last few weeks, it probably made sense that that was the first thing she asked.
"No, I'm fine, Mum." I promised, tugging on Monty's lead to hurry him along. He was currently taking great interest in sniffing all the wheelie bins we walked past. Unfortunately, it was bin day, which meant that there were lots of bins available for his perusal. "I was just ringing to ask if I could get you to renew a prescription for me?"
"Good, I'm glad to hear it, Alexis! Yes, I should be able to do that for you. What prescription is it?" Here came the awkward part. It was both a curse and a blessing to have your Mum as your GP, and this was definitely the curse. Still, it was probably better than having to go to the doctors.
"The pill."
"Which one, Alexis?"
"Mum, the pill…"
"Oh, right. If I say yes, do I get to meet Will?"
"You can meet him soon." I promised, pulling my phone away from my ear when I heard her squealing at the other end of the line.
"Is that a yes?" I asked, once she'd quietened down.
"I'm at the practice tomorrow, so I can get them for you then." She agreed.
"Do you want me to come and pick them up at the practice, or should I go to your house?" I asked.
"No, I can drop them round to you. I'll need to remind you about how to take them anyway. I can come round tomorrow night if you're in then?"
"That would be great, Mum, thanks. I'm in all night from when school finishes." Annie was on a date tomorrow night, so we'd cancelled our usual evening fitness class, leaving me with a free evening.
"Right, I'll see you tomorrow night. And Alexis, be careful. I want planned grandbabies. Even when you're on the pill you're not fully protected until you've taken a month's worth of pills."
"I know, Mum. I will be." I promised, blushing as I thought of my newly purchased stockpile. I definitely did not need to worry about that side of things anymore.
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Alexis- take care." I wished her good bye and hung up too. At least that was now sorted, and it hadn't been quite as bad as I thought it would be.
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