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Post by kelserchief on Aug 14, 2007 14:32:47 GMT -5
I would really appreciate reviews to my writing... I only do it as a hobby but am always striving to improve my writing. Private message me or e-mail me with your reviews.
Joel
"Here you go." Jacob passed me the can of beer before sitting next to me on the step.
I opened the can and took a sip. "Cheers."
"I don't even know who half of these people are." Jacob laughed. He had arranged a little get together to celebrate his birthday, and his house was overcrowded. Music blared from the stereo which had been carefully placed in the shade, yet the constant chatter of people didn't manage to overpower it.
The sun was out, and it reflected in people's moods; everyone seemed so carefree and lighthearted. It was almost like being back at school. Back in the day when there was nothing to worry about. No bills to pay. No house to keep. No job to attend. It was all so simple.
"Happy birthday Jacob!" A girl's voice screeched from behind us. Then arms were being flung around Jabob's chest as a flame-haired girl kissed him on the cheek. "Great party!"
"Good to see you Nyx. I was beginning to think that you weren't coming." He replied, pulling her on to his lap. She continued to hug him.
She grinned. "How could I not turn up? You would never forgive me." She laughed.
"As long as you're having a good time." Jacob laughed as she stood up from him.
"Nyx!" A voice shouted from the other end of the garden. "Over here!" A tall light haired guy beckoned her over.
"Enjoy yourself." She gave him another kiss on the cheek before walking away.
Nyx was a slender girl. Her dyed red hair was almost luminous in the bright sunshine, and the peroxide flash in her fringe made it appear even brighter. Her pale complexion made her look fresh faced with little make-up added to it. She was smaller than average, and her petite build complimented it. She wore a black denim skirt with knee high boots, and a black band tee. There was something glamorous about her.
"Who was that?" I found myself asking Jacob as he wiped lip gloss from his cheek.
He wiped his hand on his jeans before replying. "She was a friend of a friend. Well..." He trailed off. I gave him a look prompting him to carry on. "...Do you remember a guy I once knew called Andrew Dove?" I shook my head. "Yes you do." I could tell that he didn't really want to carry on but realised he could not start without finishing. My friend who died in the hit and run accident," Suddenly I remembered. "Well that was his girlfriend." He hesitated. "We got to know eachother quite well after he died. She acts like everything is okay, but I think that she hasn't come to terms with it yet."
"How long had they been together?" I asked, not being able to refrain myself from delving in further, watching her laugh and joke with the guy who had called her over.
Jacob shrugged, obviously unsure of the exact time. "Two years about. They lived together in her flat. They were engaged when he died. It absolutely destroyed her."
I wanted to ask more but didn't want to appear overkeen, but it seemed to be too late.
Jacob looked at me. "Why are you so interested?" His grin was very knowing. "Joel is back on the market!"
By this he was referring to my split with Carla. I had ended our year long relationship after rumours of her unfaithfulness. It turned out that they weren't rumours at all and I had got out while I could, but she had been my first serious relationship and ending it had been difficult to come to terms with. To spend so much time with one person and in an instant to be on your own. I could sympathise with Nyx. Although it was not exactly the same, I could at least try and understand what she had experienced.
I wanted to get to know her better.
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Post by kelserchief on Aug 14, 2007 14:33:33 GMT -5
Nyx
I pulled up in my car, pressing the clutch down and braking gently. I pulled on the handbrake and switched the engine off. Climbing out of the car, I saw Jacob pull back the curtain to see me. I gave him a little wave before slamming the door shut. I walked around to the other side, opening the door and hoisting out the crate of beer. Slamming the door shut with my foot, I placed the crate on the bonnet and locked the car up, before picking up the crate up again and staggering clumsily to the front door, where Jacob was already stood.
"Let me take that." He held his arms out and I passed him it.
I shoved my hands in the front pockets of my jeans. "I didn't know what to bring so I thought that we could do in a crate between the two of us." I let out a little giggle.
"I meant to tell you Nyx. There is gonna be three of us. Joel came around and I couldn't turn him out, so I said that he could stay. That's okay isn't it?" I followed him through to the kitchen where he placed the beer on to worktop, ripped the top open, and began placing the bottles into the refridgerator.
"The more the merrier I suppose." I took the beer that he handed me and used the bottle opener to remove the cap.
With that, a guy walked through who I assumed was Joel. Considering Jacob and I had planned this night-in, Joel seemed surprised to see me as if he didn't know that I was coming. "Hey." I said smiling politely.
He smiled back. "Hi."
I passed him my beer and grabbed myself another one.
Joel seemed very mysterious. Everything about him appeared to be dark. His hair was near black, his eyes a very deep brown, and he wore a black hooded top.
"Thanks." He said taking a sip.
I clicked my fingers in a mild frustration. "I forgot the tortilla chips. I'll just go get them out of my car." I walked out of the room and almost as both of my feet were in the hallway I heard their hushed voices. Curiosity got the better of me so i stayed put and listened from a safe but audible distance.
"Jacob, what are you playing at?" Joel said, seemingly irritated.
"I'm not playing anything." He responded, but his voice wasn't very convincing. "I'm just giving you a helping hand."
"With what exactly?"
"I know you're interested in her, and you're not going to get anywhere if I leave you to it are you?" I frowned at Jacob's insensitivity.
"Whether i'm interested or not is not the issue. You can't play cupid. Maybe i'm not ready to move on yet. And i'm sure she won't take kindly to her dead boyfriend being replaced!"
Still the mention of him brought on a stabbing pain that ached my chest. I carried on walking down the hallway and left the house. Andy had been the love of my life. We had planned a future, but that future had been cut short. No-one or nothing had brought so much joy to my life. Andy had been everything that I had ever wanted. At one point it seemed that my life had ended with his. Although I had carried on with my life, there wasn't a moment when he wasn't in the back of my mind. I would be grocery shopping and I would think about the times that we had bickered about which type of coffee to buy, or when I walked through the park, I thought about what it would be like the walk hand-in-hand with him again.
I knew that Jacob wouldn't have intended his actions to be malicious and he was probably trying to do a good deed, but he had to realise that he could not force people together.
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Post by Made2LuvU on Aug 14, 2007 15:54:39 GMT -5
It's getting good! Write more soon!
Made2LuvU
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Post by kelserchief on Aug 14, 2007 16:03:51 GMT -5
Joel
She brought in the supersized bag and placed them next to the empty box that Jacob had emptied. Her face seemed pale and washed out and I knew that she had heard what had been said even though she did not mention it. All of a sudden I felt guilty.
"Right, who want's come nachos?" Jacob asked.
Nyx leaned her petite frame against the worktop. "Sure." She replied, evidently feeling awkward.
"I didn't have time to get the salsa earlier, i'll just run to the cornershop and grab some."
She seemed alaramed by this. We both knew too well what he was doing. "Oh no it's fine, you don't have to do that."
He scrunched up his nose. "It's no trouble. They're not nachos without a salsa dip." He said, grabbing a coat and making his way for the door.
Before either of us could protest further he was gone.
"So..." She trailed off, feeling as awkward as I was.
"So..."
"How do you and Jacob know eachother?" She asked, grabbing her beer.
I took a mouthful from mine. "We used to go to school together, and now we work together." It was idle chit chat. I was under no illusion that she was even remotely interested in anything I had to say.
"You work in media?" She asked rhetorically, obviously knowing where Jacob worked. I nodded in response.
"How about you? Where do you work?" I asked, not wanting to appear egotistical by talking about myself all of the time.
She swallowed a mouthful of beer before answering. "I own the shop Heartcore. So my livlihood is running that place, and I hope to get a chain across the country selling clothes of my own designs."
"Heartcore. Hardcore. I get it." I picked up on the play-on-words.
"Yeah, I put everything in to this business. Start small and grow in time."
She was an interesting girl. I could tell from just a few moments with her. She wasn't the little feisty girl that I had seen in Jacob's back garden only a few days ago. She was beautiful in natural way. Andrew had been very lucky to have found her and captured her heart, but it seemed her heart would always belong to him.
"Don't you get bored being stuck behind a computer all day?" She asked. "That would send me crazy."
I shrugged. "I'm not behind a computer all day. I go to meetings. I interview people. It's not as boring as it sounds. So do you stay in the office all day doing 'paperwork' and employ people to run the shop?" I joked with her, trying to break the tension of being left with an almost complete stranger.
She laughed back. "No, I like to be hands on with my job. People underestimate retail, it's alot more work than people think."
I smiled at her. "I can imagine." To look at her, it would appear that she was a carefree lifestyle, but just after having spent fifteen minutes talking to her, I could tell that she wasn't as laid back as first impression led me to believe. "Do you wanna go through to the lounge?" I said realising we were stood in the kitchen when there were comfortable sofas in the other room.
"Sure." She grabbed a few bottles of beer in her hands and carried them through to the lounge.
After taking off her trainers, she sat down on the sofa and pulled her feet up beside her, wedging her beer in between her thighs.
I put an eighties CD into the player so the silence didn't seem so awkward and sat in the arm chair, placing my beer on the coffee table beside me.
"So..." She trailed off. "What interests you?"
I had to think. Even though I never suspected anything would happen between us, I didn't want to come across as dull incase I bumped into her at any future social events. "Well, most Friday nights I can be found at 'Vintage'-"
"That bar on Park Row?" She asked rhetorically. "I've never been in there, what's it like?"
I shrugged. "It sells cheap beer, I can't say I took much notice of anything else." We both laughed. "I'll have to take you there some time." Then I realised that what I had said sounded like I was offering to take her on a date. "Oh no, I didn't-"
She held her hand up, smiling softly. "No it's fine. I would like that."
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Post by kelserchief on Aug 14, 2007 16:39:25 GMT -5
Nyx
It wasn't exactly a date. I just needed to start up my social life again. Everyone else thought it. Even if they didn't say anything, I knew that they thought that I had become some kind of recluse since Andy had died. They were probably right, but everywhere that I went there were places that Andy and I had been or there were people who knew Andy offering their condolences and the more I saw them the more I was unable to get over Andy.
"You look nice." Joel complimented as I approached him at the bar, before giving me a kiss on the cheek.
I was dressed in a black pencil skirt and short sleeved, tight fitting blouse. My hair was clipped up loosely by a clip, with my fringe falling over my face. "Thanks, you look nice too." Joel had taken the casual and smart approach a grey shirt with a pair of jeans. All of a sudden I felt overdressed.
Joel must have sensed this as he leaned down to me and whispered. "Don't worry you look fine. Do you wanna go and get a table and i'll bring the drinks over. What are you having?"
"A glass of Rose please." I said, taking a breath before turning around to the seated area. Modern looking furniture was place articulately in symmetry. I picked a sofa near the window. Sitting down I stroked my skirt down and fiddled with my hair in the reflection of the window. It felt strange to be in this situation. Even though it wasn't a date, it was odd to be in a one-on-one situation in this kind of environment without Andy. Andy was all I had known.
Joel reached the table and placed my glass in front of me before sitting beside me and throwing his arm over the back of the sofa.
"Thanks." I smiled, evidently feeling a little nervous.
"So..." Joel said. I noticed that 'so' was becoming a frequently used word between us already. We barely knew each other and had put ourselves in this situation. Neither knew what to say to the other.
"So..." I smiled giddily. "You come here often?"
He scrunched up his nose. "Every couple of weeks. There's not alot else for me to do when i'm not working. Most of the time I work out of hours to keep myself occupied.
"...I'm assuming you don't have a significant other." I was really struggling to find something to say to him and that was all that I could think of.
He shook his head. "It's a long story, I don't wanna bore you with it."
"I don't mind. I like being bored." I laughed.
He took a deep breath before speaking. "Well... I was seeing this girl called Carla. We were together just over a year. People I knew had never been too keen on her, but still I saw past what they all saw and I loved her." I could tell that he felt awkward about it.
"You don't have to tell me."
"It's fine." He started again. "Anyway, when people told me that she was seeing someone else I didn't think anything of it. I chose to ignore them. It turned out that they weren't rumours at all. I was travelling home from work early one day and I saw him drive away from our house. I didn't say anything to her about it. Instead, I pretended to go to work the next day, but really I sat in the park all day opposite the house and watched, and waited. Sure enough, he came around again. I left it a little while but then I went back in to the house and caught them at it." He stopped. "I guess it was my own fault. I should have listened to the warnings."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "You weren't to know."
"I should have though. She was the first person I had ever loved. I could have saved myself alot of heartache if I'd have just listened."
I felt sorry for him. He was probably as lonely as I was. Spending so much intense time with one person could do strange things to a person once seperated. I knew that of all people. However, it would always feel as though I was cheating on Andy. We had never split up. He was taken from me and to find someone new was hard, considering that if he were still alive I would never have contemplated it.
"You already know about Andy huh?" I referred to the conversation I had eaves dropped in on.
Joel looked awkward. "I only want to talk about what you want to talk about."
I gave him a little smile. "He was amazing. I wouldn't have changed anything about him. We were engaged when he was snatched from me. I was working late, doing a stock take. I called to say that I was staying late and to not wait up for me. I wasn't going to be home until gone midnight. It was the night before my birthday. Anyway, I got home, and he wasn't there. I tried reaching him. No reply. Later, two policemen were knocking on my door." I blinked back the tears. "I lost him. Hit and run accident." Struggling to keep the tears from flowing I carried on. "He had gone out to buy me some flowers for when I got home for my birthday from the garage. Later on, I found the note on the table. He always left me post-it notes around the house. They always made me smile. Just saying 'i love you' or 'you look beautiful today', he'd leave them everywhere. In the fridge, on the telephone. On the kitchen table, the post-it note read," I took a deep breath before continuing. "'Gone to sleep baby, missing you already, I'm dreaming of you..' Signed with a kiss." I pressed my lips in to a thin line. "It's almost as if he knew he was leaving me. Whenever I think of him, I think of him laying there dreaming of me. Peacefully."
"At least you know he loved you. Nothing will change that."
"Yeah." I smiled. It was then that I realised that I had told a near complete stranger things that I hadn't even told my family. I had confided in him and he in me. Even though the situation was peculiar, it felt good.
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Post by Made2LuvU on Aug 14, 2007 19:19:48 GMT -5
Thanks for updating. More soon? XD
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Post by kelserchief on Aug 15, 2007 13:28:07 GMT -5
Joel
I went home in a much better mood than I had been in a long while. I had enjoyed myself. Even though the initial topic of discussion was rather morbid, it cleared the air. We both knew where we stood. We had both endured alot of heartache from previous relationship and respected that we didn't want to move anywhere too fast.
I threw my keys on the table beside my sofa as my younger brother Joshua approached from the kitchen. "How did it go?" He asked, an eager look on his face.
Joshua moved in weeks after my split with Carla. The thought of an empty house was unbearable. At least with Joshua there, more often than not there was someone to talk to.
I grinned as I threw myself onto the sofa. "It went great. She's a great girl."
"Good good. I'm glad to see you enjoying yourself. Take it steady though, Joel. Too much too fast could spoil it."
I dismissed his comment. "We're not even going out but we're taking it steady and seeing where it leads. If we get together, we get together. If we don't then i've just made a good friend."
With that, the telephone began ringing. Joshua ran to the wall and grabbed it off of the holster. "It's for you." He threw the phone at me.
I caught it then held if to my ear. "Hello?"
"Joel! Get in there you little romeo!" Jacob's voice sounded excited from the other end.
"I don't know what you're talking about-" I began protesting. We had gone for a few drinks and a chat, nothing more.
Jacob cut me short. "-Give over. I just got off of the telephone to Nyx, you certainly made an impression."
I smiled to myself, feeling rather pleased. "Why? What did she say?"
"Nothing." Jacob replied. "She didn't need to. I haven't heard her voice that happy in a long while. So what is your version of events?"
"There is nothing to report. We talked and got to know each other a bit better."
Jacob made teasing noises. "You're smitten! I can tell by your voice."
I scoffed at him. "You don't know what you're talking about, I still barely know her-" The phone bleeped. "I got another call. Hang on." I put Jacob on hold and answered the other call. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's only me. Nyx I mean." Nyx stammered from the other side.
"Hey. How's it going?" I asked politely.
"Good good, you?" She asked.
"Great, i'm great. Listen, i'll just be a second. I got someone on the other line, i'll just get rid of them and i'll be right back."
"I'll call back some other time if you're busy-" She offered.
I declined. "No, it's nothing important. I'll just be a second."
"Okay."
I got Jacob back on the line. "Hey, it's Nyx, do you mind if you call back some other time? I don't want her to think that i'm avoiding her."
"See!" Jacob screeched excitedly. "Good luck pal. Catch you later."
"See you." Jacob hung up and Nyx came back on the line. "Hey, i'm back."
"Hey." She replied. "It wasn't anything important, really." I could tell by her voice that she was feeling a little uneasy. "I just wanted to thank you for tonight. I had a really great time. I couldn't remember if I had told you when I got into the taxi."
I laughed a little, not to mock her though. "Yeah you did thank me."
"Right..." She trailed off, evidently feeling a little foolish.
Struggling for something to say, I couldn't help but sounding overly keen. "I'd like to do it again some time."
"Maybe some other time." All of a sudden her voice lost all of its certainty. Perhaps it wasn't the start I had thought it had been. We must have been on different pages.
"Oh okay. Sure thing. Well i'll see you around." We hung up and all of a sudden I felt like an idiot. How could I have been so foolish to have ever considered that she could have romantic feelings towards me after so little time after losing Andrew.
"Josh, it was a non-starter." I exhaled heavily before throwing the phone on to the seat beside me.
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Post by kelserchief on Aug 15, 2007 16:25:03 GMT -5
Nyx
I put the phone back in its holster, and played aimlessly with the tie on my pyjama bottoms. I didn't know whether I was coming or going. After I had hung up with Jacob, I really considered what was happening. I was leaving Andy behind, and the guilt was too much. I was scared to move on, and to have a day where I forgot that Andy ever existed.
All of a sudden I felt my chest aching, and I began to cry. I couldn't stay stuck in the past but at the same time I felt myself unable to move on.
If Andy had done something that could have made me have some kind of resentment towards him then perhaps I wouldn't have felt so mixed up. Joel had a reason to move on; he had been cheated on. He wanted to forget Carla had ever existed. I couldn't forget Andy. He was my first love. We had shared everything. There was so much history there. I couldn't forget the best two years of my life.
"So stupid!" I muttered to myself, when I had managed to calm down. I was so stupid for ever kidding myself that I could start a new. Who was I trying to fool?
All of a sudden I began to feel guilty. I had heard Jacob and Joel in the kitchen. He was interested in me and I was messing him around. I was toying with him. I was leading him to believe something could develop when I knew deep down that nothing could ever happen between us.
He was a nice enough guy, but I knew that I would always be comparing him to Andy.
I was not going to be over Andy any time soon. Sometimes I woke up in the morning and expected to see him laying beside me, snoring away. I would walk into the kitchen and make two cups of tea, and throw one away when I realised there was no one there to drink the other.
Joel had seemed so understanding. If anyone knew what I was going through it had to be him. Even though we knew so little about eachother, after he had told me about Carla I didn't feel afraid to talk about Andy anymore. It had become so easy. I had not spoken about it so openly with anyone until Joel. It had made me feel better to talk about it and Joel had played a part in that.
Joel was a genuine gentleman. That was plain to see. Yet I found myself in limbo. Unsure of whereabouts I was about to go. Part of me wanted to see Joel again, because I knew that he was a good guy, and to get back out there would do me the world of good. The other part wanted me to stay in my coccoon and think of nothing but Andy. I liked the little bubble where I still felt Andy with me. I felt guided by him. The thing that scared me the most was the thought of losing that feeling. But how long would that feeling last? One day I would wake up and realise that I could have lost years of my life, dwelling over something that will never change no matter how much I wish. Did I really want to find myself at sixty years old, all lonely?
Either way I would feel as though I was doing wrong.
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Post by Made2LuvU on Aug 18, 2007 21:39:10 GMT -5
Wow, you are doing great. The story line is fantastic, and your characters are very well developed! Keep writing more!!!
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Post by kelserchief on Sept 3, 2007 7:18:55 GMT -5
I ain't been on the 'puter in a long while so I thought i'd do a few chapters to make up for lost time... Enjoy... and thanks for feedback.
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Post by kelserchief on Sept 3, 2007 7:19:17 GMT -5
Joel
"There you go mate." Josh passed the cab driver the fare as i climbed out. I caught my reflection in a parked car's window, and undid another button at he top of my shirt. Josh was trying to cheer me up by taking me out. We hadn't gone out in a while, but it was about time that I put myself back out there.
The car pulled away as I shoved my hands in to my pockets and walked slowly to the queue of the nightclub and waited for Josh to catch up.
"It's freezing." I muttered.
Josh rolled his eyes. "You'll be all nice and warm when you get inside, pressed up against all of those beauties."
I stifled a laugh.
We got into the club and fought our way to the bar. The loud music made it difficult to order the drinks but eventually we found ourselves stood at the edge of the dancefloor, looking over the people who danced merrily away intoxicated.
I had a few years on the majority of people who were there. I began to feel a little out of my depth, but they say that youth is wasted on the young.
"Get a few more of these down your neck and you'll be partying away with the best of them." Josh nudged me.
I raised an eyebrow at my brother. "I don't think so."
Little did I know, no more than a couple of hours later I was in the middle of all the action. I was dancing with random girls, not really caring who each of them were and found myself kissing more than I should admit. Blonde, brunette, short, tall. It didn't matter. The loud music made it impossible for conversation so dancing was all I did in between drinks.
"I'm just off to the gents." I shouted to my brother, who stood talking to some buxom blonde with very little on in the way of clothing. He just nodded and I walked away. The heat of the club was making me sweat. I pulled my shirt away from my chest to stop it from sticking to my damp body. When I looked up the sight took my breath away.
The flame red hair was unmistakable. Nyx stood there in a medium length white dress, showing off her legs. The white kitten heels she wore gave her a few inches in height that hadn't been there before. Her make up look simple with just a little gloss and eyeliner.
"Joel!" Nyx sounded surprised to see me.
"Hey." I shouted. "It's been a while."
She nodded. "Months."
Had it really been that long since I had first met her? She looked radiant and I didn't want to take my eyes off of her. I began to think about what I would have been doing at that time if she hadn't have called that night with that sound of disinterest in her voice.
"How have you been?" I asked politely.
"Okay. Work has picked up." She took a sip of her drink through the straw that bobbed in the tall glass. "And you?"
I scrunched up my nose. "I can't complain."
"Listen Joel," She said hesitantly. "I was wondering-"
She was cut short by the brunette who threw her arms around me from behind and kissed my neck. "Hey there." She said sexily. All of a sudden I felt guilty for being as promiscuous as i had been.
"Hey." I said, not wanting to upset either. I didn't want Nyx to get the impression that I was unavailable, yet I didn't want the other girl whose name I didn't even know or ask for to think I was the type of guy who did this on a regular basis.
The look on Nyx's face was unmistakable. She was not impressed at all. I could see the embarrassment that flushed across her face. "Right." She said before walking away to join some girls across the room. It was clear what she was going to say before she had been interrupted. She had wanted to try again. She had perhaps come around to the idea of moving on from Andrew and knew that I had been interested and was willing to give it a go. I had messed up before anything had even started.
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Post by kelserchief on Sept 3, 2007 7:19:36 GMT -5
Nyx
I did feel a little foolish. Joel had looked nice in his shirt and dark jeans with the top half of his buttons undone revealing a tattooed chest.
"Who was that guy you was just talking to?" Sammie asked me. Sammie was a little taller than me with a baby-like-face. We had been friends since high school.
I shrugged before placing my empty glass on the top of a table before lifting my handbag higher on to my shoulder. "Just some guy I used to know."
She looked at me unconvinced. "Who was he?" She knew me better than that, there was no point in hiding anything from Sammie, she would get it out of you sooner or later.
"Do you remember the guy that I went on a date with that I met through Jacob?" I didn't wait for a reply. "That was him. That's Joel."
She looked behind us to take another glimpse. "Taken?" She had obviously seen the other girl all over him like a rash.
"I guess so."
She looked behind again. "He's rather nice Nyx. Why didn't you persue him while you had the chance?"
I held up a hand in protest. "It doesn't matter now."
I walked over to the bar and began downing shots in all flavours, not really thinking about the consequences of taking in this much alcohol. Eventually I stopped going back to girls and claimed my spot at the bar. I didn't even know any of the girls apart from Sammie. I was just tagging along on their night on the town. Nothing felt worse than the feeling of being a spare part.
Who was to say that anything would have happened if Joel and I had have met up again? There was no promise. No guarantee. I shouldn't beat myself up about it. So what if he was with another girl? Had I really expected him to wait until I was ready to move on? It was a big ask.
"Same again please." I shouted to the barman.
He looked at me like a human would look at a pet who had been caught chewing the furniture. "Are you sure you should be having this?" He said disapprovingly.
"A double please." I said persistantly.
The barman raised his eyebrows and began pouring the vodka into the glass. I paid for my drink and didn't collect my change. The drink was placed in front of me, and the rest of the night became a blur from there on.
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Post by kelserchief on Sept 3, 2007 7:20:01 GMT -5
Joel
I had searched for Nyx for a little while after the girl had left me alone but had no joy. I thought Nyx was a sweet girl who deserved the chance. She might have issues but didn't everyone? I couldn't get her face out of my mind when the girl turned up.
Even if I had have found Nyx, would she have believed that I didn't even know who the girl was? If I told her that I didn't know who she was, would that have made things seem worse?
The lights were up and the music had stopped. The club had began filtering out. There was eventually enough room to walk in a straight line instead of weaving in and out of people. I walked over to the bar expecting to be able to find Josh but I found Nyx instead. She was slumped over the bar. Her hair covered her face but it was unmistakably Nyx. I approached her slowly. It was obvious that she had had too much to drink.
"I think we had best be getting you home." I spoke softly as not to startle her. She mumbled something that was inaudible. "Come on." I pulled one of her arms over my shoulder and hoisted her from the stool. "I've got you." She put her weight onto me as I tried to walk with her stumbling next to me. I eventually got us out of the club. I hailed a taxi and struggled to get her into the taxi before realising I didn't know where she lived. "Nyx, where is your house?" She nodded oblivious to anything even though she had now managed to raise her head. "Nyx, where do you live?" No response. She just looked at me with her eyes glazed over. "Sorry about this." I turned to the taxi driver. I grabbed her purse and pulled out all kinds of cards before finding her driving licence which directed us to Ocean Boulevard.
Pulling up outside of her house, I paid the driver generously before struggling once more getting Nyx out of the car. From the outside her house took me aback. I knew she managed a clothes store, but the property looked a little more expensive than I had thought she would have been able to afford. The old cottage style front looked picturesque amongst the trees and flowers that enhanced the front garden. Even in the dark the house looked like a dream.
"C'mon Nyx." I said, trying to lead her to her drive which was home to her jeep. She resisted me and tried to walk on her own. Staggering a few steps on her own and then tippling, twisting her ankle in her heels. "I've got you. Let's get you inside." We walked on the gravel, which made it harder to walk with near enough a corpse. "Where are you keys?" She just handed me her a bag and left me to rummage through tampons, loose change and various nics and nacs before finding her keys. I sieved through the keys before letting us in to her house. Throwing her shoes off as soon as she got in, Nyx staggered in and then sat on the bottom of the stairs, her head in her hands. "I'll get you a glass of water." I wandered around looking for the kitchen; the house was alot bigger than I had anticipated. Grabbing a glass off of the draining board, I filled it up from the tap, and retraced my steps back to the stairs.
Nyx sat there in the position that I had left her in, which still didn't change even when I sat beside her. "Drink this, it'll take the edge off in the morning." She raised her head and glared at the glass as if it were an enemy, then frowning at me before returning her gaze to the glass. I was smiling inside; there was something cute about her being drunk. The way she lolled from side to side and seemed so vacant.
Reluctantly, she took the glass from me and took a mouthful, then resting her head against the banister beside her. Without warning, she forced the glass in to my hand, spilling a little over me in the process and darted up the stairs. By the time I could stand up I could already hear her retching. From the echoing, it sounded as though she had made it to the bathroom. I followed her up to make sure she was okay. Leaning against the bathroom doorway, I could see her limp body hanging over the basin. Crouching beside her, I held her long flame-coloured hair back from falling in her face as she threw up the nights contents. Once things had stopped coming up, she rest upon the toilet, gaining her breath back, and tried standing up. I assisted her, flushing the toilet as she leaned against the wall. She was pinning her fringe back with her hand, revealing her red and watery eyes.
"Do you wanna wash your face and brush your teeth?" I asked. She just nodded and I left her to it, waiting outside of the bathroom. Then it dawned on me: Why was I here? I barely knew the girl. I could have been going home with Josh, and sharing a few more beers before passing out. Instead I found myself almost baby-sitting a stranger. The strange thing was that I didn't mind in the slightest. I wanted to be here. She was a beautiful girl who I wanted to get to know. I wanted her to know me. It was a change from the norm.
She approached from the bathroom several minutes later, looking tired and uneasy on her feet. "Let's get you to bed."
"I've got to be up for work in the morning." She giggled, as she hobbled to the bedroom. I smiled at her. "You had best get your sleep then hadn't you?" I followed her in to the bedroom, where she struggled, stretching her arms around to her back to undo the zip of her white dress.
"Can you get this for me please?" She asked.
Hesitantly I walked behind her and undid the zip, pulling it down to the bottom of her back to reveal her tattooed back; the outline of stars going up her spine and finishing with a single star on the back of her neck which had been covered by her hair.
She wriggled out of the dress until it was on the floor, and all of a sudden, she was stood close to me in just her underwear. I felt a little embarrassed. I didn't want her to think the reason I had helped her get home was so I could get into her bed too. Without warning, she stepped up to me, pressing her body against me, and leaning in to kiss me. As much as I wanted to kiss her, I didn't want her thinking I was using her. I pulled away, taking hold of the tops of her arms, and looked in to her emerald green eyes, almost bowled over by their colour. "Not now." I said softly. "You need to get to bed." She simply nodded before turning around and climbing in to the bed. In just her white underwear, my eyes couldn't help but wander. She had an amazing body. Her body was well in proportion with her height. The satin sheets only covered her from the waist down. Her flame-red hair spilled over her shoulders as she lay down, and her peroxide fringe splayed over her face. "Night night." I crept out of the room and turned the light off, walking down the stairs and turning off the hallway light before locking the door and posting the keys back through the letterbox. I stood there looking at the garden smiling to myself. "Night night beautiful."
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Post by Made2LuvU on Sept 5, 2007 20:10:05 GMT -5
great story
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Post by kelserchief on Sept 6, 2007 13:25:53 GMT -5
Nyx
I staggered up to my desk and fell in my chair, resting my head upon the beech in front of me.
"Good night then?" Liam asked rhetorically, knowing from my state that I had had more than a few cokes. And why not act so surprised at my condition? I hardly ever went out let alone got so drunk the majority of the night was a blur. I mumbled a reply. He laughed a little. "You can go home you know? I can watch the store." He offered.
I shook my head, while it was still on the desk. "I'll be fine."
"You sure?" I shook my head again. "Well the least I can do is go get us our coffee fix." He stood up, leaned against the door and looked at me as i raised my head. "It's about time that you got out and have some fun." Then he left.
Liam was I disagreeistant manager for Heartcore. He was a good looking guy, well built, broad shoulders, and boy-next-door looks that would make any girl go weak in the knees. They had become good friends in the time that they had worked together, but despite much gossip since Andy's death, our relationship was strictly professional.
I sifted through some papers, containing store plans, and potential new stock. My head felt as though it was about to explode but I didn't want to get in to the habit of slacking. Heartcore was my life and my livlihood. Once upon a time, owning my own store was nothing but a dream, but Andy had taken me to meetings with banks to arrange financing my store, and now I was up and running, it was difficult to believe there was a time when I just worked shelf stacking in the local supermarket. From then on I had promised not to let anything get in the way of my running of the store.
I looked around the office, appreciating the silence, even though my ears were still ringing. The purple coloured walls seemed very harsh on the eyes and I found myself scowling at them. There was a memo board to my left which had become a collage of the staff and pictures from their nights out. A little sadness filled me when I realised for the first time how few of the pictures that I was on. I hadn't lived. I hadn't taken advantage of my youth. The truth was though, when I had Andy, I had never felt the need to be young. Partying and socializing were not on my agenda. Saturday nights in, with Andy, a movie and a tub of ice-cream were more than enough for me. My life was with Andy; not a bottle of wine every weekend. After Andy had died, I had become recluse; I didn't want to go anywhere, I didn't want to see anyone, I didn't want to do anything. Yet all of a sudden, in the recent days, I had found myself wanting to go out, meeting new people. Being on my own was depressing to say the least, and still I didn't want anyone to replace Andy. My mind was so mixed up I didn't know what I wanted anymore.
"Here you go." Liam handed me a polystyrene cup with steaming liquid in it, a teasing smile upon his face.
I smiled weakly back. "Thanks." The day was going to feel like an eternity.
Hours later and Liam locked the front entrance to the store. I leaned against it with my head, feeling a little relaxed from the glass' coolness. "Thank God for that."
"Why don't you get yourself home? You've soldiered on through today, I can cash up the tills. Go home, get yourself in the bath, and get an early night. I'll lock up the shop."
"Are you sure?" I asked. Even though it was only fifteen minutes, it was fifteen minutes which would have been much appreciated.
He nodded. "Of course I am. You put enough in to the store, I wanna give you something back. Now shoo." He waved his hands at me, ushering me out of the back.
I gave him a quick peck on the cheek, before rushing out of the back, through the stockroom and grabbed my coat from the office. Without stopping I rushed out of the fire exit, with a little spurt of energy from the knowledge I would soon be home, to be stopped still as soon as both feet touched concrete.
"Hey." Joel greeted me, an awkward smile spread across his face.
I had my car keys in my hands and began fiddling with them nervously. "Hey."
"How's your head?"
I just carried on staring at him. "How long have you been here?"
He shrugged. "Not long." He stepped towards me. "I just wanted to talk."
I took a step closer to my car. "Well I got to get home." I excused, unsure of why he was here. It had been months since I had seen him, why was he lurking around?
He just looked at me. "You don't remember do you?" I looked at him blankly. "Last night, at the club?" He prompted. My glance was still empty. "I took you home. You were a state. I found you at the bar on your own, got you in a taxi and took you home, got you in to bed." I stared at him unconvinced. I couldn't be sure though. I didn't remember most of it from entering the club. He was probably telling the truth. As if to justify his story, he carried on. "You live at Ocean Boulevard. I got the licence out of your purse and got the taxi to take us to Ocean Boulevard."
Unless he had specifically asked Jacob, he wouldn't had known where I lived. Even then, it's not something that would just crop up. "Do you want a ride?" I nodded my head towards the car. "Get in."
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