Baggage & Buttons (26 page)

‘I thought you were having water? Gabe said …’

‘Gabe said
what
Lexi?’ I snapped as I gave her
a look, making it clear whose side she needed to come down on.

‘Gabe said nothing, vodka and cranberry coming up.’

‘I’ll give you two a minute,’ said Doug as he beat a
hasty retreat with his beer and the two waters.

‘Ok what’s going on?’ she sighed.

‘He’s trying to control me and I don’t like it.’

‘How so?’

‘Dictating when I can and can’t drink,’ I said as I
flashed a glare in his direction to see he was watching me, but he quickly
looked away.

‘Wow, you’re really mad, you have serious scowl face
on and you only save that for when you’re really pissed off. Talk to me.’

‘I’ve had enough of talking for one day thanks. I feel
all bloody talked out. All I’ve done today is bloody talk, I’m like an
emotional talking avalanche today I can’t seem to bloody stop. You talk. You
were laughing earlier with Doug, what’s that all about?’ I hopped up onto a bar
stool next to her.

‘O mate, are you feeling jealous?’ she laughed.

‘You never laugh with anyone but me,’ I replied with a
pout.

‘Dude’s funny, what can I say?’ she shrugged.

‘So you’re getting on ok?’

‘Yeah, he’s kinda cool you know,’ she nodded, with a
faint blush.

‘Lexi you’ve got
such
a crush,’ I laughed.

‘Do not.’

‘Do so,’ I teased.

‘He says Gabe talks about you
all
the time.’

‘Don’t try that tack with me I’m still mad with him.’
I knocked back my drink and asked for another.

‘O shit, are we going to be walking home? I’m bloody
pregnant you know, I should be taking it easy.’

‘That’s low pulling the pregnancy card Lexi.’

‘Mia, he’s so under your spell let it go.’

‘I need to be myself Lex, if I can’t be myself then
what are we doing together?’ I asked frustrated.

‘You just told him you love him. Are you having
doubts?’

‘Not about my feelings for him no, and I know he loves
me, right now anyway. He’s a walking bloody erection though, what if he’s
blinded just by lust? What if that’s all this is for him? What if it wears off
and he changes his mind? I’ve gone and put my heart out there and he’s just going
to trash it and move onto the next girl.’

‘Mia it’s not just lust, you can see the way he looks
at you, he’s seriously in love with you.’

‘We’ll see,’ I sighed rubbing my forehead. It had been
a seriously emotional few days and I felt on edge. I was beyond tired and my
insides were throbbing and not in the good sexual way. ‘It’s just he’s so
bloody controlling Lexi. Is it so wrong to want to just have a bit of fun?’

‘No, but there again look where fun got me. Listen you
just have to be honest with him and tell him to back off a bit. You’re probably
just having a freak out.’

‘A freak out?’ I asked as I sipped my drink.

‘Yes. Two weeks ago you were a single virgin, who
didn’t believe she’d ever fall in love, let alone have a guy love her back this
intensely. You’re moving really fast, it’s enough to freak anyone out. Maybe
you need a time out, take a few nights off from each other to give you space to
clear your head, let it catch up with your feelings. I mean I knew you were in
love with him before you even admitted it to yourself. This is
huge
for
you. Come on they keep looking over here, let’s go back.’

‘Thanks Lex, but I need a few minutes.’

‘Ok, well I’m over there if you need me.’

I gave her a grateful smile and she walked back to
join them as I sipped my drink at the bar. Maybe Lexi was right, maybe we did
need some time apart, to slow down a bit and given I was on and we couldn’t
have sex, now would be the perfect time to do it. I felt a hand on my lower
back and turned to see Doug.

‘Hey,’ he smiled.

‘Hey Doug. So have you had a good day?’

‘Great, Lexi’s really cool. I’m planning on wooing her
with my charms to get her to change her mind and go out with me.’

‘Well I think you’re doing just fine Doug. I don’t see
her laugh often and she blushed when I teased her about you, that
never
happens.’

‘Thanks, that’s really encouraging. So how about you?
You doing ok over here?’

‘Doug I’m doing just great, I’m in the forbidden alcohol
zone,’ I said waving my drink at him. ‘Would you like to cross over to the dark
side and join me?’

‘Sure, I could manage another beer,’ he nodded as he
sat on the stool next to me. ‘How about you do you want another?’ I raised an
eyebrow at him. ‘Don’t look so surprised Mia, I don’t do what he tells me
either, he’s a real bossy sod sometimes.’ Doug ordered a beer and another vodka
cranberry for me. Yes, a bossy sod, that was a pretty accurate description of
Gabe sometimes. A bloody
hot
bossy sod though, damn him.

‘Is he always this controlling Doug?’

‘Take it as a compliment Mia, I’ve never seen him this
bothered by a girl before.’

‘You make it sound like I drive him crazy.’

‘You do,’ he laughed. ‘In a good way I think, he’s really
softened up since he first saw you, let go of a bit of that bravado, that tough
“I don’t give a fuck about anything” armour he’s been wearing for years. He
even told me about what happened with his mum. 13 bloody years of friendship and
not a word, two weeks after meeting you and he’s opening up and spilling his
feelings.’ Doug shook his head, bewildered.

‘He told you too?’ I asked, feeling pleased that Gabe
had opened up to his best friend as well.

‘Yeah, really took me by surprise, I’d no idea that it
happened like that, or that he’s been carrying all that guilt around. I can’t
believe he blames himself, it was an accident. Looking back it sort of explains
a lot though, especially his indifference with women, until he met you and did
a complete bloody u turn. I pissed him off though by pushing too hard, trying
to make him open up and tell me more.’

‘Yes me too,’ I sighed. I looked back around at him,
but he seemed in deep conversation with Lexi. ‘He’s bottling up loads Doug and
I worry about him.’

‘Me too, but Mia seriously, it’s obviously a massive
step for him to have said what he has and to do it with someone he’s only just
met, before he even tells his best friend, well that tells me just how much he loves
you. Like him telling me every bloody five minutes hasn’t already made me see
it,’ he grinned.

‘Thanks Doug that means a lot. Fingers crossed he
opens up to us both even more as I think he really needs to offload. So you
really think he’s crazy about me?’ I asked blushing.

‘Hell yeah. He’s not actually “dated” many girls and
when he has, he’s always been pretty distant with them. It was all about him
and his needs. He tried having a normal relationship with Julie, but I think he
was just trying to be what was expected of a boyfriend and I think it was
because he was desperately lonely, but he wasn’t happy with her, everyone could
see it. He’s totally different with you. Crazy different.’

‘Is that a good thing?’

‘I think so. You may make him crazy sometimes Mia, but
you also make him seriously happy and he deserves some of that, even more now I
know what he’s been through all these years. Come on, I’m going to get shit for
buying you a drink as it is. I don’t need him thinking I’m hitting on you as
well. You may not have noticed but he’s quite possessive and protective when it
comes to you Mia.’

‘Yeah I may have picked up on that,’ I laughed. ‘Thanks
Doug, you’re a really good friend to him.’

‘He’s earned it Mia. I’ve been in a few scrapes and
he’s always been there to bail me out. He’d go to the ends of the earth to
protect you, you could do worse than to have him watching your back you know.’

‘I know, just does he have to do it so closely? I came
here to have a good time, get drunk and dance on tables ’til sunrise, do things
that normal teenagers do.’

‘So tell him that. He may not like it, but he won’t
risk losing you over something so minor Mia. Just be gentle with him, he really
wants to make this work with you and I think you have the capacity to hurt him
far more than anyone ever could.’

I gave Doug a smile, he had that totally the wrong way
around, it was Gabe who had the capacity hurt me, terribly.

We made our way back to the sofas and Doug
deliberately sat next to Lexi giving me no choice but to sit next to Gabe, who
was leaning back, his arms outstretched across the top of the back rest. I was
still cross with him and avoided eye contact, but inhaled sharply when I felt
his right arm move to touch the back of my shoulders and his hand caressed the
side of my arm. I felt my body responding, how did he do this to me? Make me
want to forgive and forget everything with just a simple touch? He nosed his
way through my hair and whispered ‘
I’m sorry’
in my ear. God his voice
was like a full body massage, I just wanted to moan in pleasure. I took a deep
breath and fought the urge to respond, gripping my glass tightly, so he
couldn’t hold one of my hands. He reached across and yanked the drink away,
plonked it on the table and grabbed my hand anyway.

‘Excuse us a minute guys,’ he said, as he pulled me
swiftly to my feet. ‘Come with me,’ he ordered.

‘Do I have a choice?’ I asked, my eyes down, looking
anywhere but at his gorgeous face.

‘Not unless you want me to throw you over my shoulder
again.’

I sighed and shook my head and he tugged on my hand
and led me out of a door near the toilets into the rear beer garden which was
deserted, it was too nippy for anyone to drink outdoors. He pinned me back to
the pub wall, his hands either side of my shoulders.

‘Look at me Mia.’

‘No Gabe. I’m still mad with you.’

‘Mia, look at me,’ he ordered.

‘No, you pull some Jedi Master mind control thing when
I look in your eyes and I need to stay mad to say what I need to say.’

‘Then say it.’

‘You need to back off a bit Gabe. I was locked away in
a boarding school for the better part of seven years and I need to live a
little. I came here with all these ideas of crazy parties and fun and then …
then …’ It was so distracting having him so close to me, he smelled deliciously
of body wash and fresh laundry and
Gabe.

‘You met me? I’m stopping you having fun?’ He sounded
hurt, which wasn’t my intention and I scrunched up my face, annoyed with myself.

‘
No
, I love being with you and I have fun with
you, but it’s not always going to be just you and me on our own all the time
Gabe, plus you need to let me get drunk now and again, let loose.’

‘I’ve told you how much that scares me Mia. Please
look at me when we’re talking,’ he sighed. I put my palms on his chest and leaned
my cheek against them so I was tucked under his chin.

‘No, not until we’re finished, because you’ll dazzle
me with your big blue eyes and your good looks and you’ll make me forget what I
need to say.’

‘So talk fast.’

‘I want to be able to party sometimes and not have you
cutting me off when I’m loosening up. Just let me just be a carefree 18 year
old now and again Gabe, you’re my boyfriend not a protective father. I don’t
want to look back and resent you for not letting me have a good time with my
friends when I had the chance,’ I said quietly, dreading an argument. He sighed
heavily and put his arms around me.

‘So you want to be able to party and get violently
sick in the morning?
That
would make you happier?’

‘Yes though preferably without the sickness and what
about when you’re away? Am I supposed to just stay in and pine for you? Would
you be happy knowing I was at home miserable?’

‘No baby, I don’t want to make you miserable, far from
it,’ he placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.

‘Then tell me how I can still go out and have fun,
without you worrying about me?’

‘God Mia you drive me
insane
. Fine, if you’re
not with me, Doug or Lexi, then you’re with someone I deem responsible enough
to look after you. You don’t wander off on your own, or with someone you don’t
know. I want you to update me each time you change venues and I want to track
the GPS on your phone so I can always find you in case you need me.’

‘
O my god!
You’re so over protective Gabe,’ I
exclaimed. Was this normal behaviour for couples? Surely not.

‘Mia I’m still not at all happy about this. I’ve
conceded on you drinking, so these are my terms, none negotiable.’

‘Fine,’ I sighed. ‘But no lectures the next day if I’m
feeling awful ok?’ He didn’t answer. ‘Gabe, ok?’

‘Fine. Now will you please look at me?’

‘No, there’s one more thing that you won’t like.’

‘Jesus. What now?’ he said with a heavy sigh.