Baggage & Buttons (23 page)

‘He dresses nicely too Lex. We’ve found ourselves some
classic public school boys.’

‘Whatever. I’m going to have to put my bloody legs
down now. Can you move forwards at all?’ she asked. I looked for the seat slide
button and moved until my knees were touching the dash.

‘Better?’

‘Much, thanks.’

I noticed the heated seat button and pressed it to
help ease my back ache and smiled remembering how hot Gabe had got last night,
when I’d accidentally turned it on.

‘Hey girls, nice to see you. Thanks for letting me tag
along,’ said Doug as he eased himself behind Gabe’s seat.

‘Hi Doug nice to see you too,’ I replied.

‘Hey Lexi.’

‘Hey Doug.’

I looked in the rear view mirror, but could only see
Doug and he’d gone slightly pink. I smiled to myself, pleased with our little
ruse. Gabe got in and moved his seat forward before fastening his belt and
pulling off. Nobody spoke, so I leaned over to Gabe’s dash to put on some music
and break the awkward silence.

‘What’s up?’ he frowned.

‘I can’t find your CD slot, I was going to see what
you had in there.’

‘I don’t have one, got an iPhone dock down here in
front of the gear stick. Grab my phone out of my jeans, pocket on the left.’

I leaned over and slid my right hand into his pocket. ‘Why
did you have to push it so far down? Ahhhh got it, christ it’s chunky.’

‘Nope, that’s not my phone Mia.’

‘Shit sorry, I felt something hard, but in my defence
you’re never soft.’

‘
GUYS
,’ shouted Lexi and Doug in unison from
the back.

‘Ok sorry, I have it now. So what are we going for
everyone?’

‘Dance,’ said Gabe and Doug together as Lexi shouted ‘Metal.’

‘Sorry Lex, outvoted. Greatest Dance Hits it is.’ I
pressed play and Gabe turned up the volume on his steering stick and even Lexi
joined in as we sang our way out of the city and down the country lanes.

‘How much further, I can’t feel my legs?’ she moaned.

‘Try being here, I’m 6’2” and Mia’s seat’s further
forward than Gabe’s,’ retorted Doug. ‘I’m used to going shotgun.’

‘6’2” yeah right in your dreams,’ she scoffed. ‘I’m 6’
in flats, no
way
you’re taller than me.’

‘Am so.’

I looked over at Gabe and smiled as they bickered in
the back. He mouthed ‘
What?’
He didn’t know this was Lexi’s way of
flirting. I just smiled again, happy for her, and looked out of the window at
the hedges rushing past. We soon turned off and drove between two lodges, over
a cattle grid and made our way up the tree lined avenue to pull up in a car
park behind a magnificent stately home. I managed to get out of the car before
Gabe had a chance to come and open my door and I didn’t just see the disapproving
look, I felt it.

‘God that feels better,’ Lexi groaned as she stretched
her limbs, while Doug did the same. I checked the sky, it was overcast so I
grabbed my cardigan and wrapped it around me, while Gabe pulled on a navy
jumper and I reached for his hand. We headed towards the entrance and he and
Doug flashed their National Trust passes at the booth and we all went straight
through.

‘Is this like a Benjamin Button deal with you two?’
Lexi asked, while I giggled.

‘
What?
’ protested Gabe, giving us both an
annoyed look.

‘Neither of you dress like typical teenagers, you
don’t seem to drink Gabe and you both have old people’s National Trust memberships,
you must be way older than you both look.’

‘So, we like heritage sites and culture what’s wrong
with that? We probably had a slightly different upbringing that’s all.’

‘A posh one. Where did you both go? I bet it was Eaton
or Harrow or something wasn’t it?’

‘Not quite. Dunsmaster boys school actually, but
equally up there in the snobbery and results stakes,’ said Doug. ‘Anyway, I
thought you two went to a girls boarding school too?’

‘I’m hurt. You mean you can’t tell a posh bitch lies
beneath this punk rock façade? God Rowleys failed me, I must speak to Mama and
Papa and claim an immediate refund,’ teased Lexi in her best Downton Abbey
voice, making us all laugh.

‘Where do you want to go?’ Gabe asked me, inspecting
the arrows pointing to various walks.

‘I love water, so can we go down by the lakes?’

‘Sure, it’s a flat walk so it’s probably better if
you’re still in a bit of pain. How about you two? Are you heading down with us?’

‘I prefer the forest route,’ said Doug ‘Lexi you up
for it? It’s a bit more strenuous, but you come out up on that hill and there
are some amazing views.’

‘Sure, whatever,’ she replied with a nonchalant shrug,
trying to play it cool. I grinned at her and she pulled her tongue out at me.

‘We need to meet back here by 2 p.m. to get to the pub
for lunch ok guys?’ instructed Gabe, before they headed off in the other
direction.

‘Gabe this is awesome, they’re getting on so well.’

‘What do you mean? I was on the verge of pulling over
and giving them the “
If you can’t behave I’m going to make you walk from
here”
speech.’

‘That’s how Lexi flirts.’

‘Seriously?’ he asked, astonished.

‘Yes, she really likes him Gabe.’

‘Well he loves feisty woman, just like me, we’ve never
liked twinset and pearl girls so maybe we’re both onto a winner.’

I let go of his hand and put my arm around his waist
and he reciprocated, but put his hand in the back pocket of my jeans.

‘Why were you stiff in the car earlier, when I was
looking for your phone?’

‘I was thinking about us getting all steamy in there
last night.’

‘Well don’t worry, while I’m on I can still give you
hand or blow jobs.’

‘Christ are you trying to get me hard again? Can we
not talk about sex for a while? It’ll do me good to have the break, you’re
wearing me out.’

‘
Me?!
It’s you. Is it normal to have sex so
often?’

‘Probably not as much as we have been, but I can’t
keep my hands off you.’ He finally smiled and kissed the top of my head. ‘Plus
it’s all new and exciting. I hear that once couples have been together a while
it can dwindle down to a couple of times a week, then a couple of times a month
and before you know it, it’s special occasions only.’

‘
NO?
Gabe promise me that’ll never be us? I
couldn’t bear not to touch you all the time.’

‘Glad to hear it baby. I don’t plan on letting you go
untouched either.’ He kissed me again and pulled me closer to his side as we followed
the path through the trees. I noticed he kept looking down at me, like he was
going to say something and then kept changing his mind.

‘Ok what’s going on?’ I asked.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Something’s been on your mind since we were in the
car and you obviously want to talk.’

‘Just something you said earlier that’s all, it’s
bothering me.’

‘What?’

‘You said something about a pact and keeping up your
end of the deal losing your virginity. What was that all about?’

‘On our first day of lectures Lexi and I made a deal
that she was going to try and date someone and I was going to find someone hot
to lose my virginity to, a no strings thing,’ I shrugged. He stopped walking, let
go of me and fixed me with a very unhappy glare.

‘Seriously?! That’s the only reason you agreed to go
out with me? It was a fucking dare?’

‘Well I wouldn’t put it exactly like that,’ I said as
I looked up at him, confused at his reaction.

‘Then how would you put it Mia?’ he asked with a sharp
tone.

‘Why are you all mad at me? I told you from the start
I was only after sex no strings, and I didn’t exactly hear you complaining.’

‘I thought you’d agreed to sex no strings with me
because you
liked
me, I didn’t think it was because I was the first
piece of meat you saw after a
fucking
dare,’ he hissed.

‘Gabe, how could you say that? Of course I liked you,
I told you that. It wasn’t really a dare or a bet, just an agreement we made to
change our lives. I wasn’t going to sleep with just anyone, I agreed with Lexi
that I would if I found someone that I was really attracted to, that I craved.
It was pure coincidence that I spotted you the same day.’ He ran his hand
through his hair as he looked at me, seeming unconvinced. I stuck my fingers in
his jeans pockets and tugged him back to me and looked up at him. ‘Gabe,
please. I had a whole University to choose from if it was just about finding any
old guy with a penis that day. I saw you and fell for you, literally if you
remember, the second I saw you.’

‘You really mean that?’ he frowned.

‘Yes and it’s not like I just agreed to hook up with
you straight away either remember? You were with Julie, I do have morals you
know. I could have gone out and got drunk before our date on the Friday and got
it over and done with and I didn’t, I waited for you. It was just an agreement
Lexi and I made because neither of us was happy with the way our lives were
going. Don’t make it something it’s not, please.’ He stayed still, looking down
at me as he chewed on his lip. ‘Gabe seriously, I chose you to lose my virginity
to, it was supposed to just be all about casual sex and you went and made me
fall in love with you, so who cares how it happened? You’re going to tell me
you
never fucked a girl on a dare before?’ I saw a look of embarrassment flicker cross
his face. ‘Well there you go, don’t make a big deal of this. I love you, surely
that’s all that matters.’

‘Say it again,’ he sighed as his face softened and he
put his arms around my waist.

‘I
love
you,’ I smiled. ‘And not just for your
sensationally fabulous penis and mad skills in the sack.’

‘Mad skills?’ he arched an eyebrow.

‘
O yeah
,’ I nodded. ‘I struck damn lucky
picking you for my first.’

‘Your bloody only Mia, and it was me that struck
lucky,’ he said as he lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me properly.

‘So, are we ok?’ I asked as he broke away.

‘Yes,’ he sighed. ‘I suppose I should be grateful you
made a bloody pact or you may not have agreed to go out with me at all.’

‘I have a feeling I would have anyway Gabe, regardless
of your persistence. I seem to have this uncontrollable attraction to you, though
I may have tried to hold out a bit longer before putting out.’

‘I’d have waited forever for you Mia. There was no way
I was letting you slip out of my fingers again, not after losing you that first
night.’ He kissed me again and put his arm around me as we started to walk
again.

‘How could you be so sure Gabe? I don’t get it. You’ve
been with so many girls.’

‘I don’t know baby, I mean I’ve looked at plenty of other
girls and thought yeah, they’re attractive I’d like to fuck them, but I’d never
had my breath taken away, never had that feeling in my stomach that I got when
I saw you, it just kind of twisted and went all funny and I wasn’t
just
thinking about fucking you as I looked at you, I knew instantly that I wanted
to take care of you, to protect you, which was totally new.’

‘You get that stomach thing too?’ I asked surprised.

‘All the time. You get it for me?’ he asked, equally
surprised.

‘Every time I look at you,’ I blushed as I felt it go
again. ‘Do you think you were drawn to me because I remind you of your mum?’

‘Maybe,’ he shrugged after thinking about it for a
while. ‘Does that bother you?’

‘Not really, I’m just trying to understand why me? I
just find it hard to believe you chose me, I mean you look … like that,’ I said
with a gulp. ‘You could have
anyone
Gabe.’

He stopped again and cupped my face with his hands. ‘Don’t
do that, don’t make out like you’re not worthy Mia. You have no idea how
beautiful you are do you? And not just to me. I get so jealous at Uni when I
see guys checking you out and you’re totally oblivious. You just don’t seem to
realise how desirable you are.’

‘You really think I’m beautiful?’ I blushed. ‘No guy’s
ever said that to me before you, I get called pretty a lot.’

‘You’re the most beautiful, stunning girl I’ve ever
seen. I told you baby, you’re
my
perfect and that’s all that matters
isn’t it?’ he asked as he searched my face.

‘Yes,’ I whimpered all breathlessly. I never wanted
him to stop looking at me the way he was looking at me right now, so full of
tenderness and love. He was my perfect too. He picked me up, dropping me onto
his hips and I clung onto his neck as his hands weaved into my hair and he
kissed me.

‘I’m so in love with you Mia Page,’ he sighed as he
rested his forehead on mine.

‘And me with you Gabe Austin,’ I whispered, feeling my
stomach flip again.