Chapter 3

Carol and David strengthened their blossoming relationship as the next few weeks flew by. She was falling further in love with him every day and was sure he felt the same way. They couldn't deny the passion they felt for each other which made their relationship so intimate. It was October 1976 and Carol's birthday had arrived and David was determined to make it special. Knowing her so well made this easy for him as he knew she wouldn't like a fuss but he needed to show her that he loved her. He had planned a special day to celebrate her 14th birthday. The day would begin at school as Carol walked in and kissed David in front of a mortified teacher who saw their relationship as trouble.

"Morning darling" David whispered cheekily squeezing Carol's bum as she giggled and slowly kissed him.

"oooooh David and Carol" shouted one of David's mates as they walked by

"Happy Birthday" David said quietly knowing Carol would not want people to know as she struggled being the centre of attention.

"I've got something special planned later for you; just the two of us" David said confident she would be pleased and he was right as she smiled straight up at him.

"Thanks David, I love you" said Carol happy with his approach to her birthday celebrations.

The day at school dragged on all day but David didn't want to make Carol bunk off for the afternoon as he knew she was clever and had all these dream and ambitions of really making something of herself which was one of the things that made her so special to him and was what he loved her for. As the bell rang for the end of school David sneaked Carol off away from their mates who they would usually hang out with after school. He took her to the local park where he had laid out a romantic picnic in a quiet and quaint part of the park where nobody would see them.

"I paid Simon to bunk off and set it up for me as I knew you'd be annoyed if I left school. Is it okay?" David said hoping she was pleased

"David Wicks you are such a romantic. I love it." Carol responded with the biggest grin on her face. They sat their together for an hour or two just chatting about each other not knowing where they would be without one another. David pulled out a small present wrapped in tissue paper.

"It's only something little as I'm pretty skint at the moment" David said confident she would be pleased. She opened the present and it was a cassette of the greatest hits of 1976. She looked up at him and said "I've wanted this for ages but I don't have a cassette player David" Carol responded trying not to laugh.

"I'm working on it Carol. I promise I'll get you one for your fifteenth" David responded mischievously.

"And the greatest hits of 1977?" Carol asked.

"Of course sweetheart" David promised with a cheeky wink.

"Come here" said Carol as she pulled him towards her and passionately kissed him eventually leading to another little fumble. Their passionate encounters sometimes lacked romance but the love and desire they felt for one another was most definitely present. David and Carol both believed in living in the moment which was another quality which made their relationship so deep and strong.

David walked Carol home after their passionate encounter and was looking very pleased with himself tickling Carol's side as they walked down the street occasionally stopping to kiss. Carol said "you still owe me a cassette player" smiling at David who was determined to get her one and give her everything he could as she was the love of his life.

David and Carol had been together for a few months now and were beginning to develop such a depth in their relationship that would change them forever and make them realise what love really meant. Those months were never smooth with Carol and David regularly arguing which showed realism in their romance. Also they often faced the wrath of their families with Derek threatening David and Pat being strongly opposed to their relationship due to her dislike of Carol. However Carol had become a fiery young ambitious girl who was determined to make something of her life which proved an inspiration whereas David was far more rebellious and believed his own charm and manipulative skills would lead him to success. One afternoon they were together at David's talking. Carol's head was settled in David's lap as she lay across him on the sofa. Carol looked up at David and said with such drive

"You know I'm not going to be like my mum. I'm determined to conquer the world and make it sit up and notice me."

"You are going places Carol with your confidence and ambition" David assured her.

"What about yourself David?" Carol asked curious as to what his response would be.

"I'll make sure I'm alright. I'll look after us both." David replied with confidence.

"Come on let's go and meet up with our mates" David suggested.

"Ok but let's make sure we get some time alone later" Carol said as she just wanted to be alone with him.

"Definitely" David said as he kissed her.

That evening they went out with their mates and had a great time having a few drinks and a good old laugh but Carol did sometimes get annoyed with David's cocky attitude and confidence around their mates. Although he still managed to make her feel special and by far the prettiest girl of the bunch; this always charmed her. David did have a way with words and was admired by all the girls; but Carol was the only one he ever really cared and made an effort for as he knew a good thing when it came along. That night they arranged to meet down by the canal for another passionate encounter and David couldn't help but feel a tight not in his stomach as he waited for Carol to arrive; he felt as though he was flushed and burning up with nerves as that was how her presence made him feel. However David was good at putting up a front and being cocky and confident around her and especially their mates but Carol knew deep down they were both as lovesick as each other when it was just the two of them.

As several months flew by Carol and David just got stronger and stronger and they found themselves in a real life whirlwind romance. They spent every day at school together and were often in trouble for sneaking off to make love. Their relationship was frowned upon by many teachers at school who only saw the relationship heading for disaster. This made David more determined to keep their romance alive as he got a thrill out of being rebellious which was partly Carol's attraction to him. He was always in trouble with teachers and older boys at school and Carol couldn't help but love the thrill that came with David's troublesome ways. Also she knew the real David as she got to the bottom of his real feelings. He told her all about his childhood and how he wished his real dad Pete had been a part of life. Carol could relate to this as she felt unappreciated by her parents too who tended to dote on Derek and were preoccupied with her other siblings Max, Jack, April and Suzy to take much notice of her. Their relationship was never without drama though and they would be pushed to a make or break point as David's bad boy way would test the strength of their love and commitment to each other and their future.