NINE
When Jack left mum literally just stood staring wide eyed at me until it became just too uncomfortable. “You know, you never told him where you live.”
“Oh shit you’re right!” I gasped and she told me to watch my language.
“What’s going to happen when he calls round for you and you’re back in that God forsaken village with your dad?” I could see that she was already formulating some kind of plot.
“I don’t know, maybe if you’re feeling kind then you can give him my address.”
“I might forget what it is though.” She spoke oddly.
“Use one of my letters?”
“Don’t keep them.” She shrugged. “Nothing happens in that village anyway, nothing, it’s like a void that doesn’t really exist unless you’re inside it. Looks like the only way to keep your boyfriend is if you stay here with me.”
I could not believe what I was hearing. “Are you seriously trying to blackmail me to stay here with you?”
“Please would you stay, darling?” She brought her hands together. “It would mean the world to me. And Charlie. I’ve missed having you around, it’s my turn to have you anyway.”
“I’m not a toy-”
“Darling, please, you’ll have a nice life here, it’s lovely. You’ll have your mother and your boyfriend and-and-”
“I have a job back home. And dad. How would he feel after all this time if I dumped him to come and live with you? Angie. Then there’s Angie, that’s a whole other nut to crack.”
“Fine. Don’t stay here. I was just thinking for the summer, not permanently if you didn’t want. I understand especially as you’ll move in with whoever-”
I started to turn towards the stairs, “I’m not ever going to live with you.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say.”
“Here’s something that’s not very nice you can contemplate over, abandoning me for four years and then expecting me to like you when you finally decide to see me again.”
“Dear God you hold a grudge!” Mum sighed. “Look, please, consider it at least. Just for the summer. I’m worried about you darling, it would do you some good to get out of that village, to give yourself new offers.” Tilting her head she gave me a motherly look that made my insides twist. “Consider it.” Realising she wouldn’t give up I relented and told her I’d think it through but went upstairs.
I did run it over through my mind and it did make sense, it would be easier to see Jack but then I’d only just started being his girlfriend, he wasn’t exactly a reason to uproot myself but all along I had been desperate for a change, something to break the rut I was stuck in. The job was fine, the moment I went on that date with Toby it ruined everything with my job but the real problem was Angie. Perhaps mum wouldn’t mind putting up a spare room for her? Would Angie even want to come? I went and daydreamed out of the window, it would be the easier choice to just go home and carry on but jumping in the deep end and saying yes to Jack had really altered me. No, I wasn’t going to spend the summer in that village, I would take mum up on her offer. This was my choice for me and whether Angie liked it or not she’d have to deal with it. She wouldn’t have been there most of the time anyway; she’d be doing her own thing.
I went downstairs and mum was looking over different flower arrangements for the wedding. “Alright.” She glanced up and frowned. “I’ll come here for the summer.”
“Oh darling!” Mum threw her arms around me, seeming genuinely ecstatic that I’d agreed. Maybe she did care more than I thought. “That’s fantastic news. I’ll go and tell Charlie, he’ll love having someone else around the house. Hey, maybe he can teach you guitar.”
I gave a slightly stiff smile and politely said, “yeah, I’d like that.”
“Ok then, you can go home, tell your father and then be back here by this coming Friday. I’ll send Charlie down with the car-”
“I don’t have a lot of stuff, I’ll go by train again.” I said and she raised her shoulders and full on beamed at me. “Will dad be upset?”
“How should I know?” She shrugged and gathered up a load of paper. “I haven’t seen him in years. From what I can recall he’ll probably just nod along, he’s not bothered about much.” I straightened up and opened my mouth to defend him, about to claim that he’d brought me up when she’d left but he hadn’t really, I had grown up by myself and looked after him along the way.
“Maybe.”
I was packing my things up the next morning when mum came in and told me not to bother, I’d only be bringing it back and it would save on the luggage. Shrugging I agreed and only packed the things that I would need throughout the week. “By the way,” she said standing perfectly straight in the doorway, “there’s a certain rock star waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs.” I waited. “I’m not sending him up here!”
I raised my eyebrows, “why not?”
“Why do you think? I know what teenagers are like…Well, you’re the teenager I don’t know how old he is. How old is he?”
“Uh,” I tried to think, “twenty five? Yeah. Twenty five. But twenty six in July.”
Her eyebrows rose up, “well what can I say? Jerry Lee Lewis married a thirteen year old.”
I wrinkled my nose up, “hang on a minute, stop inferring that we’re getting married. We literally only just started dating.” Then I jumped to my feet and headed towards her, “we should stop talking about this because he can probably hear you.” I slid by and hurried down the stairs. He had been picking up various ornaments from the burro but jumped and put them back when he saw me.
“Morning.”
“Hi.” I breathed as I reached the bottom step. “I-I don’t have that much time today.”
“Oh?” His eyebrows pulled downwards. “Why’s that?”
“I’m going home.” Realisation dawned on his face as he remembered me telling him I lived with my dad. “But I’ll be back by Friday.”
“For how long?”
I shrugged, “the whole of summer. Mum talked me into it.” I knew she was upstairs, just out of sight as she eavesdropped on our conversation. “It’ll probably mean being roped into wedding planning which is just my luck. Shall we-shall we go somewhere else?”
He shrugged and nodded so I opened the front door and we began slowing walking down the garden. It was yet another beautiful day outside. “I’ll take you to the train station if you like.” I nodded. “I’m going back to London tomorrow, we’re working in a recording studio for the next two weeks. Your song will get recorded.”
“Oh!” I blushed, “that’s so embarrassing.”
“How? That’s not embarrassing, it was meant to be a nice gesture. To try to prove to you-”
“I know I know. It’s a lovely gesture it’s just, well, people will find out it’s written about me because it’s got Ruby all over it and then when we become public then-”
He twitched his face, “we’re already becoming pretty public. Don’t you remember yesterday? People were at the market and they all clocked us holding hands and then,” he shook his head as he laughed at the memory, “when your mother shouted out that we were getting married. Ha, that was funny. But people probably think that’s true.” We got to the end of the garden and began turning around and heading sluggishly back towards the house. “By the way, I told the rest of the band about you. When we’re done recording I’ll come and take you to them. They’ll love you. They like feisty women that keep us on track.”
“Imagine if I was Angie.” I muttered more to myself. “I’d be the biggest distraction in the world.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jack stopped and shuffled around so he was stood in front of me.
“I’m not much of a distraction.” I looked down at myself shyly. “She is. Angie’s wonderful she’s-”
“Stop going on about her all the time!” He hooked his finger under my chin and brought it up so that I was made to meet his eyes. “Angie isn’t the perfect person you think she is. And besides,” he gave this half smile that actually made me go weak at the knees. “She’s not you. And you would be a huge distraction, it’ll be hard enough trying to keep me mind off of you when I’m recording. That’s why I didn’t invite you. I wouldn’t be able to tear myself away from you long enough to get in there and do some work.” Then he unexpectedly dipped his head and surprised me with a fleeting kiss on the lips.
“Oh.” I managed afterwards and Jack laughed. Then, taking a deep breath in and trying to lower my voice to make it sound maturer and more seductive I said, “I quite liked that.”
I reached up and pulled on his shirt and he allowed me to pull him so his lips were a hair’s breath away from touching mine. “Mmm.” He breathed; I could practically feel the vibration from his speech. “I bet you did.” Closing my eyes I met his lips with mine, his were so big and shapely. They were perfection in form of lips. Our mouths opened and my fingers threaded hesitantly into his hair. Jack’s hands rested on the small of my back and then he pulled me to him so that my lower half was pressed firmly against his. It was magical. Heavenly. It was probably better inside my head than in reality though seeing as I wasn’t exactly a skilled kisser. His tongue fluttered against mine and I thought to myself “oh my sweet Lord Jesus we’re French kissing!” and I made this excited, happy little noise and it just made Jack growl and pull me to him tighter. When we broke away he held me to him, my chest rose and fell deeply. Pressing his forehead to the top of my head he spoke in a sweetly gravelly voice, “I’d take you right now if I didn’t have the feeling that your mother was watching us.”
I snorted and looked up at him, “but I’m as innocent as a wild rose.”
“Yes, yes you are,” he kissed my forehead, then my cheek and then my lips before kissing my chin as passionately as he had with my mouth previously. “It makes me almost scared to touch you.” He admitted although his hands were threaded around my waist, under his touch and through the fabric my skin was zinging and tingling and singing in ecstasy. “I won’t break you, Ruby. Never.”
I laughed, “alright then.” I reached up, on tiptoes and kissed his lips before stepping out of his hold and taking his hand in mine. “I’ve got to finish packing or I’ll miss my train.”
“Oh what a shame that would be,” he grinned, “your mother wouldn’t have you that’s for sure. I’d have to whisk you away to my secret place and keep you to myself for the whole week.”
“How dreadful, we wouldn’t want that.” I smirked as I opened the front door. We went inside and despite what my mother had said earlier I led him straight to my room.
“Hey, what’s all this then?” He chuckled as he glanced around the room I’d been staying in. You could tell I hadn’t resided in it for very long, it just didn’t have that bedroom feel yet. “Nice bed. Want to try it out?”
“I already have.” I didn’t look over my shoulder as I went to my duffel bag. “As in sleeping. I’ve slept on it.” I amended.
“Hmm,” I heard him flop onto it and bounce up and down. “I think you should come and sit on it with me.”
“I think you should dream on.” I replied and it made him bark with laughter.
Mum conveniently happened to walk by, double take and then come and stand in the doorway. “Uh what’s going on in here then?”
“Left the door open so you’d know nothing sinful was taking place.” I replied wearily.
“No, I don’t care, not under my roof-” I turned around and gave her a look. How could she take the moral high ground on this? “Fine,” she huffed, “whatever, I’m going to talk to Charlie. You’d better hurry up and go soon Ruby, your train leaves soon.” She left and I returned to checking that I had everything packed.
When I was done I picked it up and turned around, Jack was sitting on the bed biting his thumb nail. I went over and ruffled his hair, I didn’t know why, I just had an urge. He smiled affectionately at me and got to his feet. “We ready to roll?”
“Yup.” I grinned as we headed out of my room. “You don’t have to come with me to the station you know, Charlie can take me.”
“I won’t see you for two weeks, I think I’d like to take you.” He replied as we ran down the stairs. “Bye Mrs.” He called to mum.
“Yeah, see you Friday.” I called not sure how to say goodbye to her. Mum called back but she didn’t come and see me off. She wasn’t completely reformed then.
Jack owned a Jaguar which he’d parked conspicuously around the corner. It was midnight black and looked as if it had just been driven out of the showroom. “Wow.” I breathed. “It’s so pretty.”
“It’s my baby!” He chuckled as he unlocked it then went and opened the passenger door for me. “There you go, love.” I slid into the car, it had leather interior and even smelled expensive. He closed the door and I watched him walk around the bonnet and then get into the driver’s side. “Listen to this.” He revved the engine and it was seriously like a growling cat. “Sound of angels.” He muttered before reversing out of his spot. We were on the country roads, Jack racing along at a dangerous speed and grins plastered on both of our faces when he spoke, “I don’t think you should get on that train.”
“You weren’t serious when you were on about kidnapping me were you?” I faked looking horrified.
“No, I wouldn’t do that. I’ll drive you back to your village.”
“I don’t know the direction.”
“Well I’ve already driven past the bloody station now!” He snorted at both of our stupidity. “What station would you have gotten off at?” I told him and he nodded slowly. “We’ll go from there. I think I can get there. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?” You would have expected that to be his famous last words but it wasn’t. Obviously we had to tackle winding country roads and not a straight line of a track so it took maybe an hour or so longer but Jack still drove to the station. It was a nice journey, he talked and I talked and it was so comfortable. It was as if we’d known each other for a lifetime instead of about two or three weeks.
When we got to the train station I told him it would be fine and I’d get the bus back to town but I think that he wanted to know where I lived so he insisted on driving me up to the doorstep. The talking slowed down then because we were both concentrating on finding our way to my house. Eventually we navigated our way but it was early evening. “Will you be alright to drive all the way back to Kent in the middle of the night?” I asked unsure.
He shrugged, “I’ll be fine.”
“You could stay at mine for the night you know. Dad wouldn’t mind. Obviously we couldn’t share a bed or he’d burst a blood vessel but you could take my bed and I’d sleep on the settee.”
He smiled at me before pulling up outside of my house. “Is this it then? Where little Ruby’s lived all of her seventeen years?”
I sucked in a breath, “yes.” He got out and went to open my door, I looked up at him before getting out, “do you want to come in Jack?”
The shadow of light fell so that I couldn’t quite see his expression but he gestured for me to get out. I did so. “Well, is this something you want to spring on your old man now?”
“He’ll have seen me get out of some man’s car, I think now is the only good time.”
“Fair enough, who am I to argue?” He locked the car and then followed me to the house. Dad answered the door and blinked when he took in the sight of Jack standing at my shoulder.
“I seen you on the telly before.” Dad said quietly.
“Yes sir,” Jack gave an affirmative nod, “that’s because I’m in a band, sir. Rough Justice.”
“What you doing here then?”
“Escorting your daughter home, sir.” He must have flashed dad a smile because dad’s eyes narrowed. We all went inside and into the lounge. “I’m-”
“He’s my boyfriend dad.” I spoke, glancing anxiously from Jack to dad and so forth. “And he needs somewhere to stay the night.”
Dad spluttered, “there’s a public house down the road,” was his reply, “you can go and bloody well ask down there.”
“Oh please,” I rolled my eyes, “he’ll stay here, we’ll have separate rooms and-”
“Actually,” Jack pulled a face, “I have to go up to London early in the morning so I’d probably be better off going straight back to Kent now.”
I looked at him hurt but dad ruined the moment, “you drove her all the way from Kent?”
“How is that a problem?” I furrowed my brows at my father. Sometimes he was protective in the strangest of ways. “He was too busy driving for anything to happen.” Dad’s face nearly exploded.
“I should really go,” Jack was shifting his weight from foot to foot.
“Alright,” I sighed, “see you soon and thank you very much for my lift back.”
He smiled dotingly at me, “my pleasure,” then offered his hand to dad, “Jack Philips.” Dad shook his hand and then I saw Jack out of the door. He ducked his head and gave me a kiss that lingered long after his lips had left.