Just Between Us (12 page)

             
“What do you want? Sex … again? Because to be honest I don’t think I could manage it. We’re not friends Kyle, never have been, and when I see you with your cronies it reminds me why.”

             
He nodded, getting up from my bed. “You’re right. We’re definitely not friends. You’re an uptight spoilt bitch.”

             
“Spoilt?” I scoffed, “you’re the king of spoilt! You live the life of Riley on your dad’s wallet and call
me
spoilt!” 

             
“You’re too used to being Mummy’s little princess.”

             
“And you’re too used to getting everything you want.”

             
“Well I do, don’t I?” He raised an eyebrow at me and nodded towards where I sat, meaning me.

             
I shook my head. “You’re a pig.”

             
“And you’re a bitch.”

             
“Get out,” I spat.

             
“Gladly.” He laughed. “Gladly.”

The next morning our parents had left for work and I laid in bed, still recovering from my weekend. I wanted to get up early and go on a job hunt in Lytham, maybe get a nice little café job with three shifts a week. I just wanted enough to keep my dad happy and top up my allowance, but not enough to keep me tied at work all the time. I got up around ten, slowly showered, and got dressed. Just as I was about to leave I heard a tap on my door. I pulled it open knowing the only person it could be … Kyle. He leaned on the door frame and looked edible in his jeans and t shirt combination. His arms were folded, showing his bulging biceps and his face tugged a slight smile.

             
“Yes?” I asked.

             
“Last night we were both tired.”

             
“Yes.” I nodded, walking past him and making my way down the stairs.

             
“So, perhaps today we can admit that both of us are spoilt.” I laughed and turned on the stairs to where he stood, right behind me. He gave me a stomach fluttering smile and touched my loose hair gently.

             
“Saturday was amazing,” he said quietly. “I saw your face last night, you were panicked that I told them, that they knew, no one knows. I didn’t tell my friends if that’s what you think.”

             
I nodded and looked down. “I didn’t tell anyone.”

             
He put his hand under my chin, and pulled my face up to look into his eyes. “I don’t want us to hate each other, Soph.”

             
“Me neither.”

             
“I want to do what we did on Saturday … a lot. I mean a lot a lot.” My stomach flipped and my heart began to race. He moved his hand to my face and I started to panic as he dipped down to kiss me on the step below where he stood. The kiss was different, less urgent, a little softer, and his lips caressed mine as I fell into him again.

             
He pulled back and looked down to me, “My friends are dicks, though.” He laughed, “You just gotta ignore Dave, he’s a complete pervert.”

             
I turned to carry on walking down the stairs. “He never perves at me.” I laughed, “He’s just a prick. Like last night.” 

              “Are you joking?” He coughed. “Last night was Dave’s wet dream come true, you stood there all shaggy hair piled on your head, wearing next to nothing, looking completely fuckable,” he groaned and grabbed me from behind. “All Dave ever perves about when he comes round here is you.”

             
I rolled my eyes, smacking his hands away. “Whatever, those guys all hate me.”

             
He laughed again. “Whatever you say, princess.” He let me go and we walked into the kitchen. “So we really are Okay now?”

             
“I suppose so,” I said.

             
“Good.” He moved into where I stood, with my back against the breakfast bar and kissed me again. I leaned back as he pushed into me, and I lost my train of thought. “How about we go back upstairs?” He grinned.

             
“Are you joking?”

             
“No.” He leaned into me and placed his forehead on mine, “You drive me crazy.”

             
“I’m job hunting,” I said, moving around him and getting cereal out of the cupboard.             

             
He laughed, “Okay. Well I’m going to have you again, Sophie, so you let me know when you’re ready.” He patted my bum and turned to walk away. He was so arrogant, so cocky, and so sure of himself that I had no doubt that very soon Kyle would be having me again.                

Ten
–
Just happy

The first day I went looking, I found a job as a waitress at a nearby café and would start the following Wednesday. I was home for three pm that day, and when I pulled into the driveway Kyle was waiting. He opened the front door and leisurely walked to my car before I could get out.

             
“I think you and I should go for a drive,” he said, climbing into the passenger seat.

             
“Kyle,” I groaned, “this isn’t a good idea. People might see us.”

             
“They definitely won’t see us where I want to go. I’ll drive.”

             
I thought for a second, and as my eyes met his, I knew the decision was made. “Fine.” We swapped places, and Kyle sped out of our driveway, and then our perfect housing estate. We flew past the rows of mock Victorian style mansions, the manicured open plan lawns and expensive cars on the driveways. Soon we hurtled down a nearby country road to God knows where.

             
He moved his hand onto my thigh as he drove. I was wearing black leggings and a loose t shirt. He ran his hand up my thigh, and my legs automatically sprung open as his fingers roamed between my legs over the top of my leggings.

             
I gasped. He looked to me and smirked. “Fuck, Soph.” He shook his head. “I love that you want this so much.” I suddenly felt embarrassed and looked away. “Don’t do that,” he said seriously.

             
“What?”

             
“Look like you’re changing your mind.”

             
“It’s just weird. I mean last time we were drunk.”

             
“You want to get drunk?” he teased.

             
“No.” He ran his fingers over me again, so gently and yet so purposefully that I craved him. We drove like this at high speed for a while. I moaned; he drove. I became braver and reached over to move my hands over his tented jeans, and he pushed himself into my hands as I rubbed and squeezed. Eventually he took a turning into another country lane that seemed to lead to a wooded area. I had driven past here before, but never turned off. He parked the car further up the road and then jumped out. I was still getting out as he made his way round to get me. He took my hand and led me into the long grass that flanked both sides of the deserted road. He pulled me further and further, deeper and deeper into the grass until we couldn’t see the road or the car anymore. Then he placed his hands on my hips and took me in a kiss that was again deep, urgent, and purposeful. I gave in to him, my body was tingling for him, and the area that he had excited desperately wanted him again.

             
We dropped into the grass, his hands roaming my body and mine his. He took his shirt off and then helped ease mine over my head. We kissed again, and I started to unbutton his jeans, reaching in to take him in my hands. We kissed more urgently the more I touched him, and his fingers found the top of my leggings, making their way inside. We were frantically clawing at each other, the foreplay clumsy and urgent as our clothes found their way onto the grass. Before I knew it, he was inside me again, thrusting hard. We let ourselves go, shouting and grabbing at each other like we couldn’t get enough. I gave into him again, shouting his name as I came hard. Kyle continued to pound into me until he found his release.

             
He pulled me onto him, in the grass, naked. “Soph?” he asked, breathlessly.

             
“Yes.” I exhaled, exhausted.

             
“Same time tomorrow?”

The following couple of weeks allowed stolen moments, he began to consume my every thought, my body craving his touch. He would creep into my room some nights after being out with his friends or catch me unawares in the kitchen, pushing me up against the counter and making me turn to jelly at his very touch. We went to our secluded spot a few more times and even did it one night in the party room on the third floor whilst our parents were eating dinner downstairs. It was dangerous and exciting, he couldn’t get enough of me, and that made me feel special. I was aware that this couldn’t go on forever and that no one could find out, but for now we were living for the moment, and I dared to think that perhaps we weren’t the enemies that I always thought we would be.

Now

“You are incapable of packing light,” Kyle moaned as he lifted my suitcase into the small boot of his car. It was late Friday afternoon, and we were setting off to Brighton for two nights.

             
“I need to be prepared for any eventuality.”

             
“How many eventualities can we have in two nights?”

             
“Plenty.” I grinned. He closed the boot and slapped my bum.

             
“Let’s roll,” he said, placing his aviators on, and sliding into his car. It was hard not to be intimidated in Kyle’s company; he was so breathtaking no matter what he wore. Today there was a slight chill in the summer air and so he wore jeans, Vans, and a hoody. His hair was spiked slightly but it was always a little too long to be tamed. He squeezed my thigh lightly, a gesture that showed familiarity and the love of two old friends rather than the passion we had once shared. I looked all right I supposed but didn’t fit the description of a Kyle Hanson conquest. Today I wore an old pair of jeans that I had had a few years and couldn’t bring myself to part with, I certainly wasn’t back to my fighting weight, and so they hung off me a bit. I wore a loose fitting white shirt and my Converse. My hair was too hard to tame and keep straight all of the time, so I wore it loose and tangled.

             
We set off, and I felt excited to be having a weekend of fun somewhere new and also to be enjoying my life, which for the last week I had finally started to do, thanks to Kyle. We were staying at the Hilton on Brighton Promenade and Kyle had booked us a room each.

             
“So,” Kyle said as we neared the motorway, “eye spy or truth and dare?”

             
“What?” I crinkled my nose and giggled. “Eye spy.”

             
“Spoil sport.” Kyle winked at me over his sunglasses.

A couple of hours and some pretty horrendous traffic later we arrived in Brighton. I had never visited Brighton before and was quite surprised by its typically British feel. The seaside seemed unspoilt and had a quaint aura, unlike the neon and nightclubs that were prevalent in Blackpool, the seaside town that neighboured our hometown.

             
“It’s cute,” I said as we drove along the promenade.

             
“Cute?” Kyle nodded. “Suppose so.”

             
We found our hotel and checked in. “Hanson, two rooms,” Kyle said politely, and it hit me how old and mature we were now. We were no longer the silly teenagers who would probably have loved to come to a hotel like this together and giggle as we checked in.

             
We found our rooms. “Right, quick change, and then we’ll go and get dinner,” Kyle said.

             
“Are we dressing up?” I asked.

             
“Just casual,” he said, “we’ll go out properly tomorrow night.”

             
“Okay.” I nodded and retreated to my room.

             
I took my shirt and baggy jeans off, putting on some new skinny jeans and a nice casual patterned vest top. I replaced my Converse with some sandals with a slight heel. Then I added more make up and ran some serum through my tangled hair. I was ready in ten minutes and unpacked a little so that I wouldn’t have to rifle through my bag later for my pyjamas. Just then, there was a knock at the door, I answered to find Kyle looking anything but casual. He had replaced his earlier jeans for a darker pair, brown leather shoes, and a fitted brown and blue checked shirt. I could see the shape of his toned torso underneath the shirt, and I almost gasped.

             
Kyle grinned as my eyes met his, but I looked away quickly, leaving to grab my bag. “You look good, too,” he said, following me into the room, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

             
“Thanks,” I said turning to where he stood. “You don’t look casual.”

             
“Well I knew you’d look this good, so I had to try my best.” He shrugged. A smile tugged at the side of my mouth, and I rolled my eyes.

             
“Still a flirt.” I shook my head.

             
“Still pretending that you hate it, I see.” He placed his hand on the small of my back and led me out of the room. “Now let’s eat.”

             
We stepped out onto the promenade, there was a slight chill in the air, but we walked briskly to ward it off and reach the nearest bar. We found somewhere not far away and ordered some wine. Kyle asked the bartender where there was a good steak and seafood restaurant, and he directed us to a place that was another ten-minute walk.

             
After a couple of drinks, my appetite had disappeared, but we definitely needed to eat as the night was still young. We laughed about some of the people we went to school with and the idiosyncrasies of our parents. Kyle told me that he rarely saw his mum or spoke to her, which made me a little sad for him. I laid my hand on his arm, but he shrugged it off. “I don’t need my mum, I’ve got Mags.” He grinned.

             
“Do you and my mum speak often?” I asked curious, my mum didn’t mention Kyle. She must have assumed that I wouldn’t be interested and so had never kept me up to date.

             
“Once a week or so.” He smiled, “She texts me, checks up on me. My dad … not so much.” I felt for him, as my parents were almost stifling when I was young and just as interested in my every move these days, too. My dad was now remarried, but he still commented on everything I did. One of those comments was about me leaving Simon in our house. He felt it was a bad idea, but the last thing I wanted was all those memories, even if it left me penniless. I always felt like they were too overprotective, but I appreciated their concern, and over the years I learnt to embrace it. It must be awful to have uninterested parents.

             
“That’s nice,” I sighed, “I never knew that.”

             
“She doesn’t talk about me?” He looked perplexed.

             
“I suppose it never came up.” I wondered why but changed the subject, “Anyway, do you still speak to Vinnie? He and Ashley have a baby due in a few weeks.”

             
“Shit, really?” He shook his head. “I’ve not seen my school friends for years. We were never really tight after school. I never thought he’d end up with Ashley, Jesus. That’s nice though. I take it you, Ashley, and Kathryn are still close?”

             
“Ashley and me, yes, but Kathryn lives in New Zealand now, we’re in contact on Facebook. She’s engaged to a doctor out there. She’s a doctor, too like her parents.”

             
“Cool. So Ash know you’re here … with me?”

             
“Yeah.” I looked down to my glass.

             
“She thinking it’s a bad idea?”

             
“Suppose, but she doesn’t know how it is now.” I squirmed.

             
“How is it now?” He glared at me until I looked up into his eyes.

             
“Well we’re friends, siblings, like we always should have been. Aren’t we?”

             
He shrugged. “I would have said it’s complicated, but that covers it as well.” He laughed, taking a swig of his wine. “Come on drink up, let’s go and get food.”

             
“Is it complicated?” I asked, putting my glass to my lips and taking the last mouthful quickly.

             
“Always with you.” He sighed. My stomach fluttered, and I scolded myself. A few wines and we were flirting again. I needed to rein that in as this summer wasn’t about Kyle and me, but I was stupid to deny that there was chemistry. He was making me forget Simon and not just because he took me out of the situation, but mostly because he put himself into the situation.

             
We walked slowly to the restaurant breathing in the sea air, and even in the silence there wasn’t any awkwardness. I had meant what I said, Kyle and I were truly friends now, but maybe the sibling part could never be true. Subconsciously, I had said it to close any doubt that things could be rekindled between us, but he had brushed over it. We both knew that siblings was far from the truth and after a few drinks, I wondered how good Kyle looked naked as a twenty-eight year old man because he had kicked ass as an eighteen year old. 

             
“Soph?” I was broken out of my fantasy. “We’re here.”

             
“More wine?” he asked as were seated. I nodded and began looking at the menu. I needed something substantial to feel less tipsy and more focused without my mind roaming over Kyle.