Wishes you Regret

Strong and Sugary

Freyas POV:

Amy huddled in to my side as I slid down a lamppost. I sighed as her curls tickled my face, and blew them. They reminded me of Evan's... No! No no no... The lads were not allowed back in my head after three years. But... Had they forgotten me? I had not forgotten them...

Out of the dark nothingness, headlights sped by, then veered to a stop and reversed to us.

Kyles POV:

My heart pounds as I see two forlorn shadows huddled together. I run out the car, run towards her. 'Claudia!' I yell.

She turns her head, hair whipping back. I sieze her arms, crush her to my chest. If I could I'd keep her like that, protected forever.

'Kyle,' she whispers.

I hug her tighter.

'Kyle... I can't breathe!'

Oh. I release her slightly, pull back to look at her. Her face is pale, streaked with rain and dirt. She is dressed impractically, but man-- no. Can't think like that. Her eyes are dim, her smile gone. I kiss her forhead and bury my face in her hair. A voice in the back of my head tells me that I've held her for too long, and I let her go.

I notice the other girl. Wild dark curls tumble over her face and she stands in the drizzle like a statue. She looks right back at me and sees straight through my feeble mask of friendly concern. I shrug off my jacket and bundle Claudia's small frame up.

'Come on... Get in the car sweetie. You too...?'

'Amy,' she says. 'Amy.'

After a while we decide to go to my home in Dundee. Mo drives. I glance back at the sleeping Claudie. Every time, Amy catches me.

I wonder if I'm always so obvious.

When we arrive I carry Claudia to the sofa and get a blanket, blue, her favourite colour. She'd know the exact name for it, or make one up. Mo shows Amy to the shower and says he'll be back; he needs to tell his girlfriend where he is.

I make hot, strong and sugary coffee, just how Claudia likes it, and place it next to her. I sit down across the room with my guitar and strum some lyrics... Duh-deh-duh, duh-deh-duh, duh-deh-duh-duh-deh-duh,duh-deh-duh-deduh-deh-duh-duh...duh-deh-duh-duh...

Freyas POV:

I wake up slowly, stretching. I smile as I see the colour of the blanket I'm wrapped up in. Duck-egg blue. My favourite colour.

Next to me, on a small table, there is a cup of dark coffee, long cold. I smell it. Sugary too. Just how I like it--only I prefer it hot.

Across the room, in a red armchair, Kyle is snoring gently, guitar on his knees. By his feet, sheets of paper flutter. The window is slightly open. I walk over to shut it, but as I drop the latch, a word on the top sheet, scrawled messily, catches my eye.

Claudia.

I pick it up.

Claudia, Claudia, your talking, your teasing, you know I have feelings too, they're all for you...

Kyle stirs and his glinting eyes open. They widen, and he grabs my arm. I drop the sheet, my body tensing, my face blankening.

He sighs, lets go, runs a shaking hand through his hair, gets it stuck, pulls it out.

Says sorry.

'It's okay.' I smile. It is Kyle. He won't hurt me.

He gets up, mumbling. 'You closed the window...'

'Yes?' I ask.

'Nothing... Just can't sleep with the window closed unless I'm wasted, man.' he says, a whisper of tension and worry fading. 'How much of that did you see?'

As quickly as the tension left, it grew back.

'Not much... Just the first line.' I add in my head: And the second, third and fourth.

He smiles back at me, relaxing once more.

'Coffee?'

'Strong and sugary, please Ky. Do you have a hairbrush?'

He looks at me. 'Yes... Somewhere. I'll just buy a new one.'

I laugh, cutting more stress away. 'You liar! Look me in the eyes and tell me you have a hairbrush!'

He gives it a go and fails. 'Alright, alright! I haven't got a brush! Happy?' he laughs. 'I'll buy one today.'

'And a toothbrush? And cosmetics! And new clothes! Ooh and--'

'Lets just go shopping, Claudie. Okay?'

'Right. But the coffee can go in a flask right?'

'Right you silly lass!' he ruffles my short hair and I ruffle his wild hair. And, predictably, get my hand tangled.
Claudia, Claudia, your talking, your teasing...

I need different music. There is a Jake Bugg CD in the car, and we sing along as we drive. We left a note for Amy telling her where we were going.

As we go, I put the song out of my mind.