Missing Martha

16

After finishing their dinner, the school trip made their way back to the bus.
"Can we park here overnight?" Asked Ollie, looking to Martin who was sitting back down on the driver's seat.
"Oh Yeah.. no, no we can't I'll drive us to a car park." Muttered Martin, looking at the map.
"Not a chance, you've had three beers." Said Zoe, "there's a car park just about a mile away, I'll drive."
"You sure?" Asked Martin, standing up as Zoë took the drivers seat.
"Yeah, you go to sleep." She replied, smiling at Martin.
"Thank you, Zoë." He said, putting his hands on her shoulders from behind and briefly kissing her cheek.

Ollie and Ryan lay in their double bed, Martin lay down onto his row of seats, and took off his jeans before climbing into his sleeping bag as Zoë drove on through the night.
"Are you alright, sir?" Asked Ollie, making eye contact.
"Don't worry about me." Replied Martin,
"Yeh But are you?" Repeated Ollie,
"Things will get better." He said, looking up at Lucy who sat up in the top bunk before he rolled over and closed his eyes.

After about five minutes the engine turned off and Zoe sat down on her seat, looking out the window at the stars before she looked over at Martin, who opened his eyes slightly to look at her. He smiled a little, he knew it was her he wanted; he had never clicked so quickly with someone in his whole life. He could almost go as far to think that he loved her, but yet again, she knew so much about him, but he knew so little about her. Just the fact that she was single, pretty and musical. He didn't know her problems, her issues, her background. Martin began to wonder what more there was to the lady he was quickly falling in love with. He connected more with her than he did with Emily, that was for sure. But then Martin began to remember the times that he and Emily had had when they were younger.
They weren't all bad, after all.
Yes, the forced kisses and the dates were awkward, but those special times when they couldn't stop laughing, those inside jokes, that time where he was well and truly blown away by how beautiful she looked on a specific day..
Maybe he loved her after all.

***

"Daddy! Daddy!" Called Martha from the back seat; Martin looked in the rear-view mirror at his daughter. She was brunette, she looked like her mother. Her rosy cheeks contrasted with her porcelain skin and her deep brown hair with that fringe that sheltered those always moving eyebrows.
"What is it, Marthy?" He asked, grinning, he loved being alone with his daughter. There were no boundaries.
"You know that bridge in Florence?" She asked; they had been to Florence two months prior,
"Yeah?" Replied Martin, entirely focused on his daughter.
"If you stand on it with someone you love, you will have true love's first kiss."
Martin burst out laughing, "have you been watching to many princess movies?" He asked.
Martha giggled, he treasured her giggles; "when you find a lady you love, will you kiss them there.?" She asked. Martha knew that Emily and Martin were no more than friends, they had told her- they were peers, not lovers.
"I don't need a lady to love, Ive got you! My little lady." Replied Martin, smiling at her.
"You might not always have me." Said Martha, Martin looked in the mirror again in confusion.
But she was gone.

"Morning sunshine." Said Ollie, poking Martin's shoulder.
Martin squinted in the light,
"Morning.." he moaned, stretching. Slightly shaken at his dream.
"We bought breakfast." Said Cloda, "Come on outside when you're ready."
Martin took a look outside and saw everyone on the grass surrounding a picnic table eating sandwiches.
He looked over behind him where he noticed Zoe, blinking on her mascara.
"Hiya." He said, slightly startled.
"hey." She replied, putting the mascara back in her small grey bag, "should I put on lipstick or are you gonna kiss it off?"
Martin laughed, "steady now." Before sitting down beside her,
"We survived the first night." She remarked, brushing her hair.
"Guess we did." He replied, watching her.
"Are you alright, Martin?" She asked him, looking in his eyes,
"Y-yeh..?" He replied with a hint of confusion.
"Last night, you almost brought all of us to tears." She said, mustering a smile.
"Apparently I'm a sentimental drunk." He said, opening up his ruck sack and grabbing a clean shirt.
Zoe looked over at him before grabbing a blanket and walking outside.
Martin looked out the window at the pier; that's where he had spent last summer with Emily and Martha. Memories flooded through his head; that was one of the eighteen times that he and Emily had kissed, and one of the only times that they kissed out of pure love for each other.
He recalled putting Martha to bed in a hotel nearby and walking back into the his bedroom to be greeted by an overwhelming wave of love from Emily. Saying that it was the best day of her life.
He couldn't deny that it was the best day of his life too, he missed them both more than ever.

After getting changed, Martin made his way outside, trying to look elsewhere from the pier, he put on his sunglasses and sat down beside the band.
"Morning." He said, looking over at Lucy who was making sandwiches. "You okay."
"Yeah." She said, with a hint of indifference. He was still worried about her, but he knew that Lucy didn't want her friends to know about her dad's abusive behaviour.
"Hey sir, what do you want on your sandwich?" Asked Jemma, cutting the baguettes.
"Just ham please- thanks Jem." He said, taking out this phone.

Ollie sat on the grass beside Ryan and Mr McCafferson, who was scrolling through his text messages.
"Who's Sophie?" Asked Ollie. Ollie noticed Miss Flynn briefly looking down.
"What are you doing looking at my texts?" Laughed Martin, putting his phone to his chest and noticing Zoe's subtle gaze. "She's my sister you nosy kid." He replied, shaking his head and laughing, only saying it to prove to Zoe he was single.
"Just in case you were cheating on Miss Flynn." Added Ollie, making Ryan snigger.
Martin's mouth dropped slightly, "you really push the boundaries don't you?" He laughed, turning off his phone and putting it back in his pocket while taking a bite of his sandwich.
"When did you guys get up?" He asked them, leaning back and soaking in the sun.
"Just before seven." Said Ollie, "I was up first."
"God, I thought teenagers were supposed to lie in and stuff." Muttered Martin, the time was now quarter to eleven.
"Not with Ryan snoring!" Laughed Jemma, "he was like a horse."
"I do not snore!" Repelled Ryan,
"Oh yes you do!" Said Zoe, making everyone laugh,
"See! Even Miss Flynn agrees!" Laughed Ollie,
"Right now I don't know how I slept through it." Chuckled Martin, looking at Zoe. She was wearing a loose sheer white top, Martin didn't want to stare for too long, but he was almost breath taken by how beautiful she looked today. Her blonde hair fell onto her shoulders effortlessly with a slight curl and twist. She smiled. He liked it when people smiled.
Ollie nudged Martin's arm, immediately pulling him out of his trance as he took out his phone again, scrolling through nothing.
"so.. when are we going to hit the road?" Asked Zoë, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head.
"Pretty soon." Replied Martin, trying not to get distracted, "wanna get to Paris before the rush hour.. whenever that is in France." Said Martin, looking up to the village in the distance, "where'd you all get ready?" He asked,
"That hotel over there, the yellow building." Said Ryan, pointing to the building.
Martin nodded, "right.. okay.." he replied, feeling a jolt inside of him, that's where they stayed; he, Emily and Martha.
"Gimme ten minutes." He said, walking back into the bus to grab his things.
"Yeah I'm gonna go too." Added Zoe, standing up, "you five be good."
"Sure will." Said Ryan, lying down on the grass sun bathing as Martin and Zoe made their way to the hotel.