Baggage & Buttons (15 page)

We’d just got on the bus when I felt my phone vibrate,
it was a reply from Gabe. I looked at Lexi, but she was engrossed in another
game on hers so I opened the message.

Yes we’re on at this end too. I’ve just got home so
I’m going to look into the nearest giant panda zoo for you. Worried about you
going out with this murder on campus. How are you feeling today? x

Great news about Doug. God I’ll be so excited if you
find a zoo, I adore pandas. I’ll be fine, I’ll be with Lexi and we’ll stick to that
street and the popular bars until we hook up x

Don’t think I didn’t notice you avoided answering my
question about how you’re feeling. We’ll discuss that later, along with you
taking some self-defence classes. I’m looking forward to seeing you x

You too Gabe x

I sighed.

‘What’s up?’ said Lexi, without even looking up.

‘Gabe, he’s so overprotective. He’s cross that I’ve
not answered his question of “
How are you feeling
?” and he wants me to
take self-defence classes. He’s worried about the murder and letting us go
out.’

‘So lie. Tell him we’re staying in until he’s ready to
meet us, easy.’

‘Lexi. That’s not the answer, we promised not to lie
to each other.’

‘Yeah right,’ she snorted. ‘Love to see how long that
lasts.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Come on Mia,’ she laughed, putting down her phone. ‘Don’t
be so naïve, no one has a relationship where they don’t lie to each other now
and again.’

‘Well that’s no way to have a meaningful relationship
with someone Lexi. I have no intention of ever lying to Gabe and he’d better
not to me.’

‘Seriously?’ She gave me an unconvinced look.

‘Yes. I’m not saying I won’t avoid telling him
something that I think he’s better off not knowing, but no way do I ever want
to lie to him outright. How can you ever trust someone if they do that?’

‘Good luck with that one,’ she muttered, arching her
brows.

‘Do you lie to me?’ I asked, fixing her with a firm
questioning gaze.

‘None that I can think of no,’ she shrugged. ‘You’re
my best friend, be a pretty shitty friendship if I had to lie to you, wouldn’t
it?’

‘So why should a boyfriend be any different?’

‘Wow, you’ve sure changed your tune in the last two
weeks. I never thought I’d hear you advocating relationship values.’

‘No me neither, but even with Kai and all the others I
never lied Lexi. I was upfront from the start that I didn’t want anything
serious and that I didn’t want sex.’

‘Whatever, I lay bets that at some stage in your relationship
you’ll lie to Gabe.’

I scowled at her, we were going to have to agree to
disagree on that one. I sent mum a quick text to let her know Lexi and I were
ok, she’d panic if that murder was on the news.

We settled into our History lecture. It was so much
easier to concentrate without Gabe being in the same room with me, distracting
me with his good looks, smiles and under the desk erections. I really needed to
schedule in more studying if we were going to continue spending so much time
together.

Back home Lexi put on some tunes and I opened a bottle
of wine and took two glasses into the lounge and offered her one.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked, looking at me puzzled.

‘What?’

‘Is this a test? You have a go at me for smoking on
Wednesday, now you’re handing me wine?’

‘No, no test. You were right, it’s your body, it has
nothing to do with me.’

‘Well no, but you’ve made me feel all bloody guilty,’
she grumbled.

‘What are you saying?’

‘I feel like I shouldn’t have a bloody drink. I’ve
hardly had any fags today and feel like a complete shit when I do and I can’t
even bear the thought of shagging anyone either. What’s wrong with me?’ she
whined, as she looked up at me all sadly. I walked around the sofa and sat down
next to her, putting both of our wines on the coffee table.

‘You’re pregnant Lex.’

‘Well I was fine doing it all last week.’

‘You didn’t know last week, finding out’s bound to
change things. Are you having doubts about your decision now?’

‘No. I just feel …
I feel
… O I don’t know what
I feel,’ she sighed as she put her head in her hands.

‘You care, even though you’ve made the decision not to
have it, you care.’ I rubbed her back for her.

‘Well I shouldn’t care,’ she said dropping her hand
and looking at me.

‘Well the fact that you do should tell you what I
already know.’

‘What?’

‘That when you’re ready Lexi Clarke, you’ll be a
wonderful and caring mother,’ I smiled.

‘You’re getting all soppy again. You’re not getting
broody this soon are you?’

‘
No
,’ I said forcefully. ‘Christ believe me it’s
the
absolute
last thing on my mind. You know me, I’ve never been
maternal or broody.’

‘Does he want kids?’

‘I’ve no idea Lex. I think it’s way too early for
that
talk. I mean he doesn’t even know when my birthday is.’ I suddenly gasped and threw
myself back on the sofa and pinched the top of my nose. ‘O
shit,
my
birthday.’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘It’s Christmas eve,’ I groaned as I quickly sat up, grabbed
my wine glass and started glugging.

‘You’re just remembering your birthday’s on Christmas eve?
I would think that day and Christmas day are the last two days anyone would
forget are their birthdays. I would’ve been so pissed at my parents. Why do
people shag 9 months earlier? They really need to be a bit more considerate.
There should be a worldwide ban on sex in March for people who celebrate
Christmas.’

‘How am I going to tell him?’

‘What the hell’s going on? I’m lost.’

‘Lexi, his mum died on Christmas eve, so it’s not like
I can say “
hey let’s go out and party”
is it?’ I looked at her in
despair. How was I going to handle this with him?

‘O shit, poor guy. Like it’s not bad enough anyway,
but at that time of year?’

‘You can’t tell him,’ I said, giving her a look.

‘
What
?’ she said, with a stunned look back at
me.

‘You can never tell him,’ I said, firmly shaking my
head.

‘So what? You’re just going to hide all the cards and
presents and then what? Bring them out on another day? You’re going to lie each
and every year and rope the rest of your friends and family into it? After just
giving me the big “I’m never going to lie to Gabe” speech?’

‘Then what the hell am I supposed to do?’ I snapped,
frustrated.

‘You’re going to have to tell him and maybe get used
to the fact that you may never be able to celebrate it with him.’

‘O Lexi this is
so
fucked up,’ I sighed.

‘Well you’ve got another 3 months before you have to
tell him. I imagine he’d feel pretty shit if he didn’t know. So however he
takes it, you’re going to have to tell him and it’s his choice how he handles
it.’

‘Christ are relationships always this complicated?’

‘How the hell would I know? I’m Lexi “
two dates is
my record”
Clarke.’

‘I need more wine.’

‘Drink mine, it’s going to bloody waste anyway.’

I was already feeling tipsy as I got changed to go out,
wine was quickly dulling my confusion over how to handle my birthday with him.
I decided to wear a pair of very short and close fitting black utility shorts
with thick black wool tights, a nude low cut long sleeved blouse and my high
heeled nude ankle strap shoes. I tipped my hair upside down, back combed and
sprayed it to make it a bit wilder, before pulling it into a full pony tail. I
layered on some black and grey eye shadow and put on some eyeliner, mascara and
my usual Vaseline and a bit of silver jewellery, deciding against any other
bracelet, I liked Gabe’s on its own. I knocked back another glass of wine and
went in search of Lexi, who was still getting ready in her room.

‘Hey Lex.’

‘Hey, wow you look good. Those nude tones suit your
skin tone,’ she smiled.

‘They do don’t they?’ I smiled and stumbled into the
wall.

‘Holy shit are you pissed already?’ she laughed.

‘No,’ I shook my head. ‘Just a bit merry.’

‘How many glasses have you had?’

‘How many glasses are in the bottle?’ I giggled.

‘Typical. You decide to go on a bender when I’m
sober.’

‘Hurry up or I’ll have to open another bottle.
Lexi
we’re both in tiny shorts,’ I gasped, as she stood up wearing her denim shorts
with a black polo neck.

‘O Jesus, I’m going to have to watch you like a hawk
tonight. You’re pissed already.’

‘Not so,’ I pouted.

‘Yes so, I think I’ll be bringing the sick bowl to you
tomorrow. So do I look ok?’

‘You look fab.u.lous darling,’ I announced, with a
flourish of my hand.

‘Come on then Craig Revel Horwood, let’s go. I’ve a
feeling I’m going to regret this.’

We got a cab to Princes street and started in a
cocktail bar where I had three Velvet Elvis cocktails, before moving on to the
next bar along, then another and another. I was starting to really wobble and
was having to focus my eyes and concentrate on just standing up straight. We
were being hit on left right and centre and Lexi got to the point of just
saying ‘
Fuck off’
before they’d even got within 3 feet of us.

‘What’s with all these guys? Are they on heat or
what?’ she exclaimed.

‘We’re two sexy girls out having fun, of course
they’re on heat. O shit. Speaking of on heat, what time is it?’

‘A little after eleven.’

‘O shit,
shit
. I thought it was earlier. I haven’t
checked my phone or rung Gabe.’ I started rummaging in my bag for it and
panicked. ‘Lex, Lex I can’t find my sodding phone. LEX.’

‘You’re already holding it you
pissed moron
,’
she tutted, snatching it off me and smacking me on the head with it. ‘O look
two text messages and five voicemails from him. Anyone would think he missed
you. Do you need me to read them for you?’

‘Noooo. I don’t want to read or listen, he’s going to
be
so
mad. I’ll ring him, he loves my voice on the phone. I’ll woo him
around.’ I found his name and pressed call and he answered immediately.

‘Where the
bloody
hell are you?’ he snapped.
‘I’ve been trying to contact you for the last two hours.’

‘Hey there sexy boy, I’ve missed you
so
much
today.’

‘And I’ve missed you. Now where are you?’ he barked. He
sounded very cross.

‘What are you wearing? I’ve got a very
very
tight and extremely short pair of shorts on. They hug my bottom really tightly,
I think you’ll really want me in them.’

‘Mia stop trying to seduce me over the phone and tell
me where the bloody hell you are please.’

‘I’ve been thinking about our pool table session and
I’m thinking we ought to try it in the
actual pool
,’ I whispered.

‘Are you drunk?’ I heard him sigh heavily down the
phone.

‘Just a little bit, don’t be cross with me Gabe, I’m
having fun with Lexi.’

‘Tell me where you are Mia?’

‘I don’t know, some bar. There are loads of men trying
to chat me up, but I told them
I’m taken
. I’ve got a very lovely
boyfriend thank you.’

‘Thanks for that Mia. Is Lexi with you?’

‘Yes she’s right here. She’s very tall you know, she’s
six foot.
In flats,
’ I exclaimed nodding my head as I looked up at her.

‘Put her on please Mia.’ He sounded very forceful.

‘Ooooo you sound
so
sexy when you’re cross and
bossy. Have I told you how hot you are? You’re so sexy and hot baby.’

‘Mia, please put Lexi on the phone. Now.’

‘Gabe,’ I sighed. ‘I’ve missed you so much today.
Where are you? I want you.’

‘I want you too baby,’ he sighed in response, ‘which
is why you need to put Lexi on the phone
now.
I won’t ask again Mia.’

‘Why what are you going to do? Are you going to punish
me and
spank
me again? I really liked that,’ I giggled.

‘
Mia
, Lexi, NOW,’ he barked. I gasped and put
my hand over the speaker and looked at Lexi open mouthed.

‘He’s
very
cross with me Lex and he wants to
talk to you. Put it on the speaker phone thingy, I want to hear, he’s so sexy
when he’s mad.’

‘Spanking?
Really?
’ she said as she took the
phone off me shaking her head and pressed the speaker phone button. ‘Gabe it’s
Lexi.’