The 20 Dates Challenge

Twenty - Date Number Eight Continued

Date Number Eight Continued

Alex’s arms are wrapped tightly around my waist. The sun shines through the window, baking my skin a smooth golden-brown. I can feel his gentle, even breaths on the back of my neck. The DVD must have been put on replay as I can hear it is still playing. I slowly roll over so I am facing Alex. His nose twitches as a strand of my hair brushes his face and he sneezes in his sleep. I giggle quietly and he settles back onto the pillow, burying his face in the nape of my neck. I stroke his hair and slowly go back to sleep.

When I next wake, the clock on the wall says it’s two in the afternoon. I can hear the shower running in the bathroom. I roll over onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. I trace pictures in the cracks of the plaster.

The water turns off and the door opens. Alex enters the main room wearing nothing but a towel. His face is flushed and water drips from his hair. He stares at me.

‘Morning,’ I say.

He smiles.

‘Morning beautiful,’ he replies.

He picks up his bag and drops it on the bed beside me. He rummages through it and pulls out a clean pair of jeans and a shirt. Folded in the jeans I can see blue-satin, his boxers. He smiles and walks back into the bathroom. I climb out of bed.

I’m still wearing the shorts and shirt I’d been wearing the day before. I get my own bag and pull out clean clothes. I scrunch them up in my hands and wait for Alex to return from the bathroom. When he comes in, he walks over to me quickly and leans down to kiss me. I drop my clothes on the bed and wrap my arms around his neck.

‘Morning again,’ he whispers when he leans back.

I pick my clothes back up and run into the bathroom. I tie my hair into a bun and shower quickly. Back in the main room, Alex is talking to a guy at the door. He turns and winks at me, showing two plates of eggs and bacon on toast. I take the plates and he pays the guy. I set them down on the table and sit. He sits across from me.

I pick up a strip of bacon and take a bite. It’s very crunchy and salty. It tastes amazing.

‘What time do we leave?’ I ask him.

‘I say we take the three-eighteen train. That’ll get us back to Southbank at four-thirty,’ he says through a mouthful of eggs and toast.

I finish quickly. By the time we are done, it is quarter-to-three. We pack and check out of the hotel. We sit around the pool while we wait for the taxi. It shows up and we are left waiting at the station for ten minutes. We buy chips from the machine and eat them quickly. The ride back to Southbank is slow. I fall asleep on Alex’s shoulder. He shakes me awake when we get to Southbank station. He drives me home. Both our mothers are sitting in the kitchen when we get in.

They great us before we hurry to my room.

‘My mum must’ve walked over,’ Alex says, sitting down on my bed, ‘her car’s not on the street.’

‘She’s probably hoping you’ll drive her home,’ I say, sitting beside him.

‘Maybe I don’t wanna go home,’ he pushes me down on the bed and kisses my neck.

I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him close. I kick my shoes off and he does the same so we can lie on the bed. He rolls us over so I’m lying on top of him. He lifts the back of my shirt. His fingers tickle my skin and I giggle. A knock at the door has us jumping apart.

‘Come in,’ I say, trying not to giggle.

My mum enters.

‘Alex, sweetie, you have to go now,’ she says softly.

Behind her I can hear someone crying. Alex gives her an alarmed look.

‘What happened?’ he asks, standing up.

I take his hand and stand beside him.

‘You’re mum just got a call,’ Mum hesitates, ‘your dad’s on the way to the hospital. You’re gonna meet him there.’

Alex runs out of the room and pushes past her. He grabs his mum’s hand and drags her out of the house. I hear his car start. I look up at Mum.

‘Come on, we’ll go with them,’ she says.

I follow her out to the car. We drive past the auto shop on the way. Smoke billows form the front windows. Two fire trucks, a police cruiser and an ambulance are parked on the curb. Fire fighters are still trying to control the blazing inferno while a police officer is talking to one of the guys who works there. Mum pulls over and I run up to him.

‘Marv, what happened?’ I ask him.

The police officer gives me a look suggesting I shouldn’t be here.

‘She works here,’ Marv says, then turns to me, ‘no one knows. One minute, Rick was fixing up a car, the next, the whole place is on fire.’

I realise he is nursing a burn on his arm.

‘Rick’s off to the hospital, but I’m guessing that’s where you were headed too,’ Marv laughs sadly.

‘Is anyone else hurt?’ my mum asks.

‘Nah,’ Marv shakes his head, ‘not as bad as Rick anyways. Couple of us have burns, but Rick got the worst,’ he looks down at me again, ‘good thing you and his boy weren’t here. The office can’t be reached because the roof caved in. You’d still be in there.’

He shakes his head and the officer turns to us.

‘Please, move along. This place is dangerous enough.’

Mum nods and grabs my arm. She drags me back to the car. I get in and we continue on to the hospital.