The crisp ocean breeze blew straight through me as we sat on a small beach towel, of course on the sandy shores of Bondi. The beach was very empty today, which was odd. But nevertheless, I enjoyed the peace and quiet that came with it.
"You smell that?" I ask, taking a whiff of the salty breeze.
"What? Dead fish?" Nikki returned, a chuckle escaping from his lips.
"No." I rolled my eyes, peeling my eyes away from the waves rolling in. "Fresh air. You know, something you don't get in L.A." I rolled my eyes, side glancing at Nikki.
"Hey, I quite enjoy getting high off the fumes." Nikki chuckled.
"Of course you do. Why doesn't that surprise me? Anything that gives you a buzz or some kind of pleasure, you're all for it." I play with the sand beside me, watching as a little hermit crab began to slowly pass us.
"Well yeah. What's wrong with that?" Nikki turned his head to look at me.
"Nik, you need to start experiencing life without substance or fumes. Take a moment to enjoy the ocean breeze. Enjoy the taste of a home-made cooked meal, enjoy the moments without the grog and smokes." I murmured, turning my head to look at him.
"That's why I have you." He slightly smiled. "You're my fresh ocean breeze, you can cook quite good and well, you make me forget about the booze and cigarettes for a while." He shuffles his hand over to me, placing it onto my thigh. "You're the addiction I can't go without."
I didn't have a reply, I didn't exactly know what to say. Nikki was much the same to me, he was my addiction. Whether he was a toxic addiction, I guess I was still trying to understand it. Turning my head away from Nikki, I stared back towards the crystal clear, blue ocean. It was gorgeous, I always thought it was.
"Alright, do you want the food now or after?" Nikki finally questions.
"After?" I furrowed my eyebrows. What did he mean by 'after'? Did he have something else in mind.
"After it is." Nikki grinned excitedly. Within seconds, he bounced to his feet. Ripping off his shirt, his bent down and grabbed a hold of me, throwing me over his shoulder.
Having bitten my tongue in surprise, I was almost out of breath as I felt Nikki sprint down the sandy beach and finally to the water. Once he was in about waist deep, he threw me from his shoulder and into the water. With quite the splash and half a inhale of salt water burning the inside of my nose, I coughed and carried on when I finally brought my head back out of the water.
"Nik, you need to stop doing that." I complained while half choking.
"Why would I? It's just too much fun." Nikki teased, splashing his face with the cool ocean water.
"And I'm not wearing any swimmers!" I exclaimed, trying to hide the smile when I noticed the way Nikki seemed to be looking at me.
"I don't think that bothers you all too much, baby. Considering I seen those pictures." Nikki flirted, for some reason I didn't see any jealousy in his eyes or even in his expressions.
"No you didn't." I shook my head, staying exactly where I was stood.
"Oh, but I did. If I recall exactly, you were making out with that Barnes dude." Nikki cocked an eyebrow, now a glimmer of jealousy finally reflecting in his eyes.
"I see." I nodded my head, biting my lip. "You were just jealous, huh? Just because not only was I kissing somebody else, I was also naked." My chest fluttered somewhat as I watched Nikki's face screw up and his shoulders shrug back.
"I never said I was jealous." Nikki argues.
"You didn't have to. That just said it all." I smirked, floating backwards in the water.
"You've never once volunteered to be naked in the ocean with me." Nikki stated in a dark tone.
"Because I've never been in the ocean with you! Besides now and once before!" I exclaimed this time, finding his statement quite ridiculous. "With an attitude like that, don't expect it for a while." I frowned, turning my head away and giving him the cold shoulder. I didn't exactly mean how I spoke and what I said to him, but I sure as well did at the same time. Just waiting to see how and when he would react.
Hearing a sigh, I felt his hand rest on my waist, before he physically turned me back around to face him. "Don't be like that, baby." His green eyes pierced into mine, making my entire internal organs feel almost airy.
"You started it." I rolled my eyes, looking away from him for several moments. Noticing a school of fish swim by us, making sure to keep their distance.
"How about we make it our first?" Nikki murmured, using his thumb and point finger to turn my head to face him.
"What? Kissing in the ocean?" I asked almost sounding innocent. I was far from innocent, even I knew that.
"That too." Nikki chuckled. "But I was hoping we could skinny dip?"
I opened my mouth, struggling to spit out a word. Flickering my eyes back towards the almost empty beach, I looked back into Nikki's eyes, my mouth shutting and peeking into a smile. "Hate to break it to you, but I'm engaged to Jimmy. Don't want to confuse the paparazzi." I teased, pushing Nikki back and quickly splashing around and back towards the shore.
"Hey!" Nikki complained.
Giggling, I finally got to the sand and began to run for my life in my completely drenched clothes. But to my luck, that was a complete failure. Not because I tripped on my once pulled up pants, but because I tumbled over, face first into the sand. My pants wrapped around my ankles and my bare bum exposed from wearing a black lacy g-string.
"Isn't this quite a sexy sight." Nikki almost dropped to the ground in a fit of laughter.
With a moan, a mouthful of sand, and very red cheeks, I rolled over and stared up at Nikki who was stood by my side. He was almost pissing himself with how much he was laughing.
"Aren't you a little cheeky today." Nikki joked, making me roll my eyes and slowly sit up.
"Shut up, Nik." I spat the remaining sand out. I was almost gagging at the taste and just being able to feel more sand scattered around the inside of my mouth.
"One would say, they ordered the rump." Nikki again joked, making me want to actually bury myself in the sand. I was completely mortified.
"Nikki shut your face." I say in a squeaky voice, he knew I was embarrassed and he was playing on it.
Nikki continued laughing, but he lowered himself onto the sand, beginning to hover above me, making me have to lay back into the sand. Couldn't say I was very comfortable.
"Don't get salty with me." He joked once more, making me crack a smile this time.
"Enough with your old man jokes." I groaned, staring up at him.
"Alright. Than I'll proceed on to what I actually planned on doing before you dacked yourself." Nikki goes to lower himself once more, but I stop him.
"Dacked? What's with you and the new slang." I giggled.
"I figured, one way or another, yank or aussie, my girl has to fall back in love with me." Nikki flirts, lowering himself again. His eyes dropping to my lips as his face inched closer to mine.
"Smooth Nik, real smooth." I compliment against his cool lips.
At least he didn't have a mouthful of sand, but he was about to. Allowing Nikki's lips to meet my own, I melted into the kiss. My eyes fluttering shut and one of my arms draping around his shoulders and neck, holding him close. I loved it, I couldn't get enough of Nikki.
Before we could deepen the kiss anymore, or go a little too overboard in public, Nikki pulled back with a smile. "Disregarding your sandy mouth, that was nice." He whispered against my lips, pecking me once more.
"That's okay, we'll be matching in a second." I tease, using my free hand to grab a handful of sand.
With a very confused Nikki, I reached up and slammed the pile of sand directly against his mouth. I was satisfied with how well I got him, but I was also dreading it, considering I had the sand fall back down onto me and go into my eyes. That, I didn't plan.
Nikki, completely disgusted, rolled off of me and spat out the sand. A look of annoyance crossed his features as he looked back at me, that was until he gave me a crooked smile. "Well, I enjoyed that." He sarcastically admits.
"I didn't, I got it in my eyes." I murmured, trying to rub my eyes without putting more sand in.
"Suck shit." Nikki chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I mumbled.
Picking myself up and off of the sandy shore, I pulled up my pants and began to walk back down towards the water. I needed to wash some of the sand off of me, enough to at least be able to rub my eyes. Walking into waist deep water, I dunked my head underwater for several seconds and brought it back up to the surface. Standing up straight, I used my hands to try and rub around the sand that was in my eyes.
"Take two." Nikki chuckled from behind me, obviously also coming back into the water to wash himself down.
"Yeah." I slightly laughed, managing go get rid of the sand. "How did you enjoy your breakfast?" I turned back around to face him. He had just splashed water into his face.
"Yeah it was fucking great." Nikki rolled his eyes, giving me a large toothy smile.
"Good, I thought you would have." I returned, lowering myself in the water and just watching him. "I thought it was pretty enjoyable. Because sharing is caring, I thought you ought to enjoy it with me."
"Ghee, thanks." Nikki's voice grew higher.
"You're welcome." I smirk. Having an idea come to mind, I looked away for a second to try and hide my smile, but it was merely impossible.
"What's so amusing, now?" Nikki sighed, obviously knowing I was either up to something, or perhaps I was just laughing in general.
"Nothing." I bit the insides to my cheeks.
"Yeah, okay." He slowly nodded, not looking convinced.
Before I could even mention anything about a shark or crocodile, just to scare him, I was startled when Nikki squealed and pranced about in the water. Within what would have been a millisecond, Nikki had launched out of the water and was now stood back on the sand.
"What's the matter?" I frown, looking around and into the water. There was nothing around, the only thing that I could see in the water was a couple of starfish and some seaweed.
"Something fucking touched me!" Nikki yelled back, the anxiety written across his face.
"Nik, there isn't anything here." I sighed, shaking my head. I was trying not to laugh at him, but it was a little hard with the expression he had.
"There was! It fucking touched me Sue!" Nikki dramatically answered.
"Nikki, there's nothing. Stop being a wuss." I laughed this time.
"I'm not being a wuss! Something is in there! Get out Sue! Get the fuck out of the water." Nikki was now beginning to freak out even more.
Rolling my eyes, I descended out of the water and over to Nikki. He immediately wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight as he hugged me. Talk about over dramatic.. Nikki always seemed to go overboard like this. I remember specifically him going off at me, having a freak out that I almost touched poison ivy. So this? This was almost no different, except he wasn't having a go at me.
"You right now? I'm out of the water." I pull back in the hug, staring at him with a blank expression.
"Yeah. Just don't go back in, okay?" Nikki rested his hands on my waist.
"You are the biggest wuss I have ever met." I state.
"I am not." Nikki shook his head, a bashful smile playing on his lips. "I was just worried about my girl."
"Bullshit." I laughed. "You might just want to check your pants, I think you might have shit yourself."
"Sue, shut up." Nikki chuckled. "I'm starving, let's go and eat."
~
Returning back home after my overnight stay with Nikki and of course, with most of the day also spent with him, I had questions flying at me from all different directions. Vince and Mick, Doc even had several questions for me, Angry didn't exactly speak, not that I paid any attention to him. And finally Tommy. Tommy did not stutter a word, instead, I felt his eyes burning a hole through me, everywhere that I went.
"So, you and that Sixx bloke are sorting out your shit?" Doc questioned, taking a breath of his cigarette.
"I can't answer that." I mumbled, the heat rushing to my cheeks.
"Why not?" Tommy snapped, he looked furious.
"Because it is none of your fucking business." I snapped back, sending a glare into his direction. Storming away from the rest of them, I walked through the back door and headed straight to the bathroom. I was keen for a shower, especially after today's time in the ocean. Slamming the door shut behind me, I was quick to strip off and turn on the shower. I needed to freshen up, it sure was going to make me feel better.
With the hot water running down my body, I closed my eyes and smiled. It gave me a chance to think back about the day I had, about spending it with Nikki. It was very playful and I had a blast. It was very different to how Nikki and I have acted together, it was nice. We were almost like smitten teenagers, fooling around, making jokes, picking on each other. It sure made me laugh a few times just thinking about it.
When I was finally finished in the shower, I walked from the bathroom, in my towel, to the bedroom. Having to stop short in the doorway, I stared directly at an annoyed looking Tommy. His eyebrows were knitted together, eyes narrowed at me and lips were pressed in a firm line. If we hadn't of been fighting and bitching, and perhaps if things hadn't been happening with Nikki, I would have admitted how good he looked. Even if his annoyance and expression kind of irritated me also.
"Take a picture. It will last longer." I state, my arms crossed over my chest as I stared right back at Tommy.
"I could say the same to you." Tommy cleared his throat, his eyes finally peeling away from me and onto the bed.
"If you don't mind, I want to get dressed. So can you get out?" I bit the insides to my cheeks.
"I do mind, actually. And what should you care? You've seen me as many times as I've seen you. It's nothing new." Tommy shrugged in a cold tone.
"Well, half of the time I didn't volunteer now did I?" I answered sarcastically.
Tommy gazed up, his eyes started from my feet and gradually continued up my body. They paused on my breasts hidden by the towel, that was before his eyes connected with mine once again. His annoyed expressed slightly disappeared and instead was replaced with quite a smirk.
"Suzie-fucking-Q! Long time no see!" A very familiar voice sounded from behind me and further up the hallway.
Looking over my shoulder and away from Tommy, I spotted a very smiley Jimmy standing there with a beer in hand. Further back from him stood Hunter and Dara. They were out of work early, they must have shut because it was quiet.
"Barnesy!" I exclaimed.
Making sure my towel was on properly, I raced away from my room and back up the hallway. As soon as I got to Jimmy, he enveloped me into a hug, it was as if we hadn't seen each other for months. Well, it sure felt like it had been months. A lot had happened since the last time I saw him.
"It's nice to see you too, beautiful." Jimmy chuckled, hugging me tight. "I see, you haven't changed much." Jimmy pulled back and gave me a wink. "Still keen on nudie runs."
"Excuse me. I just got out of the shower." I rolled my eyes. "Where the hell have you been? I've missed your face roaming around."
"Went back to Adelaide with the band for a little while. But I decided I wanted to spend more time over here in Sydney, so I've rented out an apartment in the city." He gave me a sweet smile.
"Good, I like it when you're around." I slightly laughed.
"How about you get dressed and we'll chat more? Hunt and Dara reckon it's their shout at the pub." Jimmy stood up straight, looking back over his shoulder at the pair.
"Sounds good." I smirked.
~
Drinks at the pub started off great. Well, I thought they did. I was more than pleased to be seated beside Jimmy, just being able to talk to him once again. It was refreshing talking to somebody I hadn't seen for a little while.
"So, I hear shit has hit the fan since I've been away." Jimmy commented, his voice lowering since we were surrounding by everyone. Dara, Hunter, Vince, Mick and Tommy.
"You've got no idea." I sighed shaking my head.
"How about you enlighten me with what been going on." He suggested, raising an eyebrow.
Biting my lip, my eyes lingered over towards Tommy. I wasnt sure if I really wanted to discuss it all with him in hearing range. Or really any of them. I just wanted it to be between Jimmy and I.
Jimmy noticed this and of course grabbed my hand from under the table. Placing his drink down, he stood up. "You fellas will make sure to look after my drink?" He asked out loud.
"Of course man." Hunter grinned.
"Oh yeah, we'll make sure to slip a little somethin' in there." Tommy rolled his eyes, a playful glint in his brown eyes. He was rather happy tonight, compared to earlier this afternoon.
Furrowing my eyebrows at Tommy, I looked over towards Vince who swallowed slightly and awkwardly looked down at his own drink. That hit home with him, even though that was months and months ago. It still bothered him, not that I could blame him.
"Yeah, yeah." Jimmy rolled his eyes and tugged me up with him. "I wouldn't mind grooving to this song. Join me Sue."
Being dragged out of the booth by Jimmy, he pulled me over to the dance floor. With his hands entwined with mine, he began to dance, making me do so with him. The song had only just began and of course, the song itself had been around for ages, I'd say almost 10 years.
'I was tired of my lady, we'd been together too long
Like a worn out recording of a favorite song
So while she lay there sleepin' I read the paper in bed
And in the personal columns, there was this letter I read,'
"So I gathered you didn't want to talk around the others." Jimmy chuckled.
"Yeah, thanks." I smiled.
'If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain
If you're not into yoga, if you have half a brain
If you like making love at midnight in the dunes of the cape
Then I'm the love that you've looked for, write to me and escape,'
"So what's been going on, from your point of view." Jimmy stated more so than asked.
"Well I am pretty sure you know about what Tommy and I had been doing." I start, waiting to see whether Jimmy would reply or at least nod, to which he did.
"Well that's gone to shit. Tommy wants more than what I want. I love him, but I'm not in love with him. I know I have feelings for him, but it will never exceed how much I feel for Nik." I sucked in a breath. "So he's been pissed at me, because I've been talking and paying attention to Nik. He's jealous, he loathes that. So we have been fighting."
'I didn't think about my lady, I know that sounds kind of mean
But me and my old lady had fallen into the same old dull routine
So I wrote to the paper, took out a personal ad
And though I'm nobody's poet, I thought it wasn't half bad,'
"Well of course, the bloke is fucking infatuated with you. I didn't see it before, but since coming back, it's clear as day." Jimmy chuckled.
"Don't say that." I sighed, my forehead creased into a frown.
"Alright, just pretend I didn't." Jimmy chuckled once again.
"Anyway, I am attracted to Tom. I really am. And well, I can't resist him sometimes and it frustrates me. So of course, it leads to something." I added.
Jimmy didn't talk, he just nodded his head as we continued to dance.
'Yes, I like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain
I'm not much into health food, I am into champagne
I've got to meet you by tomorrow noon and cut through all this red tape
At a bar called O'Malley's where we'll plan our escape,'
"Well, besides that. Angry and I aren't exactly on talking terms."
"I gathered that. You've been givin' him the cold shoulder." He nodded. "Don't bother explaining, Angry filled me in." He gave me a small smile.
"He did?" I stared at him in surprise.
"Of course he did. That was pretty much the first thing he told me. He's devastated about it all, by you ignoring him, it's killing him."
'So I waited with high hopes and she walked in the place
I knew her smile in an instant, I knew the curve of her face
It was my own lovely lady and she said, "oh, it's you"
Then we laughed for a moment and I said, "I never knew",'
I shrugged my shoulder and took a glimpse away from Jimmy and back over to the booth. Everyone was at the table, that was except for Tommy. He was nowhere to be seen. He was quick to disappear and where he went, I wasn't sure. But I definitely made sure to look around Jimmy and I, to see whether he was ease-dropping by chance.
"So moving on, what else?" Jimmy ushered me to continue on. "What's going on with Nikki, last I saw and heard from you, you didn't want a bar from him. Now?"
'That you like piña coladas and gettin' caught in the rain
And the feel of the ocean and the taste of champagne
If you like making love at midnight in the dunes on the cape
You're the lady I've looked for, come with me and escape,'
"Well, I've been spending some time with him." I smiled, my cheeks heating up. "And it's been really nice."
"I can tell, have I ever told you, you're cute when you blush?" Jimmy teases poking his tongue out.
"Shut up." I giggled, letting go of his hand and gently slapping his chest.
Opening my mouth to speak once again, I was knocked onto the ground when I felt a force intervene between Jimmy and I. Coughing, I rolled myself onto my bum and looked up to see that Nikki had been the person to break us apart.
"I knew it was you!" Nikki yelled hysterically. The two men were on the dance floor, wrestling and trying to pin a decent punch in on each other.
I was gobsmacked. What the fuck had gotten into Nikki! Scattering from where I had been sitting, I rushed over to Jimmy and Nikki. Nikki had the advantage over Jimmy at this stage. The fact that he had interfered between us and was now hitting Jimmy, really pissed me off. He knew there was nothing going on between Jimmy and I, so what the fuck was this all about?
"Nikki! Stop it!" I hissed, trying to tug him off of Jimmy. But tonight? Nikki had a killer grip on Jimmy, I could pry them from each other.
Looking around me to see Tommy who was stood not so far away, within the darkened part of where he was stood, I swore I seen the outline of a smirk on him. But I wasn't entirely sure and not that I gave a shit at this point. "Tommy! Get him off Jimmy!" I exclaimed, almost hopelessly.
Within seconds, Tommy was by my side and of course, picking Nikki off of Jimmy. Restraining him in his surprisingly strong arms.
"That's enough Nik!" Tommy hoarsely spoke.
Kneeling down beside Jimmy, somehow feeling a slight déjà vu over it all. I stared down at him with concern written across my face. "Are you alright?" I asked.
"And you love that fucker!" Jimmy screeched, he was ropeable. "No I'm not alright! Fuck! What's his fucking problem!" Jimmy roared, his accent becoming a little stronger with the angrier he got.
Getting up and turning towards a very pissed off Nikki, I glared at him. He sure made a big mistake. No surprise, he was great at doing them. "What the fuck do you think you are doing!" I hissed at Nikki.
"Oh I know about you two! Sneaking around, screwing each other! You fucking disgust me!" Nikki yelled back at me.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" I ask shocked.
"Don't act dumb Sue. I fucking know everything." Nikki glared daggers at me. His green eyes were dark and almost gloomy, the tears in his eyes were beginning to roll down his cheeks.
"You don't know shit! I don't even know what the fuck you are on about Nikki!" I snapped.
"You know what? Fucking forget it." Nikki growled, ripping himself out of Tommy's grasp and storming off.
Taking a much needed breath, I watched Nikki leave the pub. My heart was pounding in my chest, my stomach was all knotted up and I was very confused and kind of hurt.
"What is he talking about?" I frowned, looking directly at Tommy.
"I don't know, Sue." Tommy shook his head, slowly walking over to me. "Look, come on baby. Let's sit down. Don't worry about Nik-"
"Tommy, I don't know what's going on!" I exclaimed. I couldn't comprehend what was going on and what had just happened. Feeling the tears build up in my eyes, I tried to hold them back. I was frustrated and confused.
"Come here, beautiful." Tommy pulled me against his chest. "It's gonna be alright."