“AISLING! Are you alright?” shouted Soph. My whole body rattled as she vigourously shook me awake.
“Are you alright?” she repeated. Words couldn’t even begin to describe how awkward I felt. I nodded as Megan wiped the tears from my face, and almost sobbed again when they were leaving.
“No…don’t leave me…please…” I whispered after them feebly. Once again, I snuggled into the duvet on the sofa and waited for Nath to ring. Eventually he did.
“Hey sme-“
“COME HOME! NOW!” I shireked. He went silent, and mumbled to someone near him. “Calm down…what’s happened?”
“Well…nothing, but you know I hate being alone! It’s freaking me out!”
I heard Nathan sigh.
“Just…try and hold out for another day. If you still feel the same, you know where the money is.” Hearing Nath’s voice made me feel slighlty less cagey. After he hung up, I ran to the room we shared and started to pack my things. There’s no way I’m staying in this flat on my own any longer! As I mumbled away to myself, the phone rang again. I smiled slightly, thinking it was Nathan again.
“What d’you want now?” I giggled. Silence. Then, a heavy rattling breath began to growl down my ear. It gave me the creeps.
“Erm…sorry, you must have the wrong number.” I squealed awkwardly, slamming the phone down as I grabbed my bag and money and legged it down the road to the train station.
“Gloucester…one way.” I panted.
*
The phone rang again. I hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t be the heavy breather who’s been ringing me over the last few hours and not saying a thing, but Nathan. Hope, however, is pointless because what you hope will happen, never happens.
“Hello?” I mumbled lazily.
“Nice top babes…” grumbled a familiar voice. My whole body tensed in fear. It was that voice. That voice that crooned from behind me the night I was kidnapped as a child; that voice that told me I was his little angel’ that voice that haunted me every night for the past 10 years. My favourite cup slipped from my hand and smashed against the floor, splashing tea onto my toes.
“Wh-what d’you want?!” I stuttered. His cackle made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
“You. That’s what I want.” he replied in a sinister tone. No matter how hard I tried to hold them in, the tears just forced their way past the barriers that were my eyelids. He started his heavy breathing antics again; making me sob even louder.
“Stop! Just stop! Why are you doing this?” I pleaded. The man’s cackle became louder as did my sobbing.
“You know my boyfriend’s coming home soon? He’s…he’ll knock-“
“Don’t make me laugh. That soft piece of shit can’t do a thing.” he chuckled. I slammed the phone down, kicked it across the room and unplugged it for good measure. As my bood began to boil, Nathan texted me: ‘Nearly home…missed uuuu!!!!!! xxxx’ The door clicked, signalling he was outside. He walked through the door; I jumped on him.
“YOU. CUNT!” I screamed. His hands jumped to his face to protect it from my punches. Each time my fists collided with hs body, he let out a slight groan. Satisfied that I’d proved my point, I moved away. I turned around. Nathan’s eyes widened, his eyebrows rose up and he gasped for breath.
“What the hell?!”
“THAT’S for leaving me!”
“You knew I was coming back!”
“Yeah, that doesn’t stop that…MONSTER ringing me at all hours!” Nath’s shock quickly turned into confusion.
“You mean…he rang? He rang you, here? WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY?!”
“Because, Nathan baby, it costs a fucking fortune to ring and text another country, and some of us can’t afford contract phones like mummy can!”
“Don’t you dare drag my mum into this!” I walked over to him. My clenched fist was so close to his crotch.
“I’ll drag who I like into it.” I spat, swinging my fist forward. His mouth fell into the shape of an O. He fell to ground like a sack of shit and cupped his crotch in his hands. watched him writhe around in pain. He began breathing heavily, like a woman in labour, and his face slowly turned a deeper shade of red. I couldn’t stay mad at him for long; he’s got one of those faces.
“I’m sorry…” I whispered to his back when we were in bed. Nath rolled over. He smiled weakly as he moved my hair away from my face.
“I’m sorry too…for leaving you on your own. To be honest, I deserved it.” he whispered, casting a glance at his groin. As he moved towards me, Nathan winced in pain. I bit my lip, knowing that’s what I’d done. Instead, I moved to him and we forgot about the past few days. He was my Nathan; I was his Aisling.
“Anyway…how was your hollibops?” I asked.
“Ahh, not too bad. Got a few bruises which I have no recollection of getting, drank five times my body weight in beer…and got a tan! Not that you noticed when you were beating the shit out of me…” he pouted.
“Nath, I’m really sorry…” I whined.
“I know you are!” he laughed. The morning came, and so did mine and Nath’s flat hunt. As we walked to one flat in particular, I experienced complete deja vu. Everything seemed so familiar.
“No. Not here.”
“Aise, what’s-“
“I said not here. It’s…it’s…” He got the hint immediately, and we left for the next one. It was near Soph’s, right across the hall actually. So guess where we ended up living…?! Never again did I wake up crying because of the flashbacks, or hear that voice down the phone. Instead, I had my boyfriend and my friends around me 24/7. Sometimes life can be amazing…
Aisling and Nathan
Start from the beginning
