Musings - Mama Kat's Workshop (18th August 2011)

A short story inspired by your favourite song.

(The song is at the bottom, play it as you read...)

She loves books and 80s power ballads and his sense of humour.
He loves books and 80s power ballads... and her...

Opening the frosted front door he found her once again stood on his doorstep. The rain had drenched her hair, her tears her cheeks. She was here again, using him as her buffer for heartbreak. He usually didn't mind, after fifteen years of friendship he was used to applying the glue to her shattered pieces but today... today he had had enough.

He slammed the door shut. She used her key.

He moved into the kitchen and slammed that door behind him too. He was on a roll, finally. Courage was uncharacteristically on his side and he conceded that it was possibly Dutch due to the amount of Jack Daniels he had consumed in the past two hours. Hearing she was one half of another failed relationship always hit him hard. Fifteen years had equalled seven, make that eight failed guys. Eight guys that were not him.

She slammed the door shut. He refilled his glass.

He heard the thud of her suitcase as she dropped it heavily in the hallway, then the stomp of her shoes as she followed him. He could feel her staring at the back of his head incredulously. He didn't care. She moved into the room to look at his face. He still didn't care. She spoke; his fizzing emotions mounted.

"You're drunk!" She sat and tried to smile, for the most part oblivious to his feelings, "I get dumped and you drink... something is off with this picture."
"So what happened this time?" He stretched for the bottle, she moved it out of reach.
"He thought it was okay to share himself around, I did not." She took a drink straight from the bottle, still oblivious.
"Did you ever consider that you pick these losers so the relationship is guaranteed to end sooner or later?"

He had her attention. Courage flew the coop.

"What?"
"Forget it." He lunged for the bottle. She downed the last two shots in spite.
"No. If you have an opinion give it..."

Courage returned. It dragged self pity and impatience with it.

"You haven't had a relationship with a guy that has lasted longer than two years since we were seventeen." Ha! It felt good to finally call her on it, queasy but good.
"There has been you..."
"Then why is it that you can find it in your heart to fall for any guy but me?" Gulp. Now she was really staring at him.
"Do you want me to fall for you?"

He stood, arms flung wide. She stood, no longer oblivious.

"It never occurred to you in fifteen years that I'm the one who wants to be with you?" There... he said it.
"I wondered."
"You wondered!?" Now he snatched the bottle from her, it didn't matter that it was empty, ownership counted.
"Did it never occur to you that in fifteen years that is all I needed to hear?"

She smiled at him, broadly. He scowled back, darkly.

It hit him that she loved him at the same time that she hit him on the arm, hard.

"Ouch."
"How about now that Jack has given you a pair of balls you..."

He yanked her to him. She was silenced with a kiss...

:) xx

(My favourite song is 'To Be With You' By Mr Big.)