The Story Of Us - Jones Lesley - Страница 45

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I was out having dinner with Cam on a Thursday night at the beginning of May when he asked what my plans were for the coming Saturday. “Actually, its Ashley’s birthday, we’re going to Kings, my Dad’s sorted out the VIP bar for us, we have a stretch limo picking us up, then there are about fifty people coming to the club.”

He puts his knife and fork down. “Why didn’t you ask me?”

“I thought you’d be working.” Shit, I didn’t want another night of walking on eggshells around him, he’d been really hard work for over a week now, and never seemed happy with anything I did.

“No, why didn’t you ask me to sort out the VIP bar for Ashley’s party?”

“Well, because…” I really didn’t need this, was it going to turn into a pissing contest between him and my Dad over who had what power at the club?

“If I had asked you to sort it out for me Cam, my Dad and my brother would want to know why I hadn’t gone through them, then my Dad would want to know how I know you, my brother is already on my case about seeing you and it would all just get complicated… So I just took the easiest option, the option that would cause me the least grief, at least I fuckin’ thought it would.”

“Do you really need to swear to emphasise your point?” Right, he’s just patronising me now.

“Don’t be so condescending Cam, you sound like an old fart.” I put down my knife and fork and stare him square in the eye.

“Why haven’t you told Frank about us yet?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I was just waiting to see how things went, if this was going to go nowhere, then what would be the point in stirring up trouble between you and him?”

“And is it?”

I raise my eyebrows, unsure of what his question means. “Stirring trouble?”

“No Georgia, going nowhere. Are we going nowhere?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I’m having fun, it’s working for me. I don’t know what your thoughts are, other than that you seem thoroughly pissed off with me tonight.”

He gives his regulation shake of the head and his eyes meet mine, he lets out a long breath and reaches his hand across the table to take mine. “Sorry Kitten, I’m not pissed off with you, I just feel a bit gutted that you didn’t come to me, didn’t even mention to me about Ashley’s birthday.”

Okay, now I feel bad, I can see how that could be hurtful, it would be like him coming into the shop and asking one of the other assistance to help him and ignoring me. I let out a long breath and try to explain why I didn’t come to him. “Ashley spoke to my Mum about it, before I had a chance to talk to my Dad my Mum had done it for me; it’s really not a big deal Cam.”

My eyes wander over his handsome face. “Why don’t you come, surely you’re entitled to a Saturday night off once in a while, or do the rounds and then come after?”

He knocks back his glass of wine. “Yeah, I dunno, I might feel a bit out of place, seeing as I’m such an old fart.”

“Now you’re just been facetious.”

“Hmm, I’m impressed, big words from such a little girl.” I don’t know why but that statement really pissed me off, I felt like he was talking down at me, like I was a child. Did he think I wasn’t capable of long words? I pulled my napkin out of my lap and slung it on the table.

“I need to go; this little girl is tired and has a headache.” I pushed my chair back way too loudly for the posh restaurant, grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.

I didn’t hear Cam’s chair move so I’m assuming he remained seated. The instant I stepped outside, I saw Benny start the Jag up in a car park across the road. He pulled up next to me with his window open. “All right Duchess, jump in.”

I had lit up a cigarette. I hadn’t smoked in ages but he had pissed me off tonight so I felt the need. “Fuck off Ben, I’m not in the mood, I’ve had to sit through dinner with your boss acting like a prick, again, I don’t need to be patronised by you as well.”

“Fuckin’ ‘ell George, was only ‘avin a laugh wiv ya, ignore him, he’s got a lot on his plate right now.”

“Not interested Ben, not interested.” I stepped into the alley at the side of the restaurant and smoked my cigarette, I put it out and waited for five minutes but Cam didn’t come out. Well fuck him, if he thought I was going to hang about and wait, he had another thing coming. I looked down the alleyway and could see that it led out to the next street but was blocked by a bollard to stop cars cutting through, so I quickly headed down it. Ben couldn’t see me from where he was sat in the car and I walked quickly, as soon as I stepped out onto the main high street I was lucky enough to be able to hail a cab straight away. I jumped in and gave them Jimmies address and hoped that she didn’t mind me turning up uninvited.

I got the cabby to stop off at the off license and I grabbed a couple of bottles of wine, if Jimmie wasn’t up for a drink, then I would just go home and get plastered by myself.

I rang the doorbell and stood with my forehead pressed against the door, I was so busy going over tonight’s conversation with Cam and his shitty attitude toward me that I didn’t hear the door being opened, I fell forward and face planted right into someone’s chest and I knew, in an instant, in a millisecond, exactly whose chest it was.

He grabbed me by the shoulders at first and I panicked and thought he was going to push me away, but then he wrapped his arms around me tightly, sniffed my hair, kissed the top of my head and said into my ear.” I love you Georgia Rae, show us your tits.”

Everything fell away, the floor from beneath me, the wall around my heart was gone in an instant, the person that I was, the person that I’d become over these past four years crumbled to dust and was gone, disintegrated, decimated.

I had a bottle of wine in each hand, I didn’t let them go but hung on to them, I gripped them so tightly that my hands ached but I needed to hold on to them, they were real, all the time I had them in my hands, I knew that I had some kind of a grip on reality. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed myself into him, taking deep breaths of him in. I thought that perhaps I was dreaming, or perhaps the front door had opened and I had fallen and bumped my head, so I moved the wine bottles that I was squeezing and my brain registered the chinking sound of the glass knocking together.

“Do you know how long I have waited to have you pressed up against me, how long I have wanted to bury my face into your neck and just breathe you in?” I can’t speak, I’m terrified that if I do, I will scare away the magic and it won’t be true, he won’t be here, with his arms wrapped around me “Do you, do you know Gia?”

My insides curl in on themselves at the sound of him, calling me, that name, nobody, only Sean has ever called me Gia, nobody has ever even thought to.

“Four years G… four years and eleven days if you want me to be exact and every single moment has been absolute hell.” He reaches round and using his index finger, he lifts my chin, I close my eyes, I can’t look, I can’t take that chance. What if I have finally had the meltdown of all meltdowns and completely lost the plot and this is all in my fucked up imagination? In that instant, I’ve never, ever prayed so hard to be mentally insane. “Open your eyes G; I need to see those beautiful blue eyes of yours.”

“I can’t,” I whisper, my voice barely audible.

“Why G, why can’t ya, I need to see them, I need to look into them, to see us, when I look into your eyes, I want to be able to see you and me and I need to know that we’re still us, Sean and Georgia. Are we, are we still us G?” Very slowly I open my eyes, hoping for heaven, fearing all that I will get is hell but they’re there, those dark brown eyes with their flecks of gold, my very own personal piece of heaven is staring right back at me.

“There’s my girl.” He smiles that lazy lopsided grin down at me and I whimper. He’s so much taller than I remember, not as tall as Cam but he must be well over six foot now. “Can I kiss ya G, I want to kiss you. I need to kiss you G. Can I?”

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