Authors: Theresa L. Henry
“Because you just
asked me.”
“Oh, alright
then.”
“Well, if you
don’t really want to–”
“I want to. I’m
just surprised
you
want to.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t you just
see me make a complete cock of
meself
, I know they
did,” he nodded towards the still watching Dizzy and Fern.
“Forget them. They
make a cock of themselves all the time,” Crystal laughed.
“You still haven’t
said why?”
“Because I like
you and I can’t wait to get my tweezers on those eyebrows.”
~~~
Shane had wanted
to collect her from her home, but she had refused. She knew she liked him, but
she was still a bit wary of his personality. She was sure he didn’t mean to,
but for some reason he exuded an aura of unpredictability. In the end, they had
agreed to meet at the tube station and he would pick her up from there.
Expecting a dinner
date, she’d been surprised when he asked her to wear jeans and sneakers. They
were also meeting at 1:00 pm which intrigued her.
Standing outside
Mile End Tube Station, Crystal checked her watch yet again. She was early.
Shane seemed so unsure of himself when they’d made the date, she hadn’t wanted
to risk him arriving and her being late.
“Eager to see me
were ya?”
Spinning around,
Crystal came face to face with a still grim-faced Shane. The only way she knew
he was joking was by the sparkle in his eyes.
“Not really, I
just loath lateness.”
“Oh, you
loathe
it, do ya?” He teased.
“Well, I can go
away and come back later if you like!”
“Nah, you’re here
now so ya might as well stay. Anyway, it’s okay to want to see me. I wanted to
see you too.”
Gearing up to tell
him off for his cheeky comment. Crystal tuned into the latter half of his
statement and for the first time she saw Shane smile. And he looked so handsome
she couldn’t stop staring at him.
“What’s the matter
with ya?” He asked as his smile disappeared.
Prepared to
be strung up
rather than admit her thoughts, Crystal changed
the subject. “So where are we going?”
He was still
giving her an odd look, but he didn’t push for an answer. “Go-Karting.”
“Go-Karting?”
“Yeah, have ya
tried it before?”
“Well… no, I
haven’t.”
“Don’t worry,
you’re gonna love it!”
She wasn’t so
sure. She drove around London and the suburbs because her job required it. But
in all honesty, she could do without a driving date. She could see how excited
he was and that was the only reason she smiled and lied through her teeth. “I’m
looking forward to it.”
“What, more than
going to some posh restaurant where ya can dress up all fancy-like and wear ya
high heels?”
Crystal didn’t
know what to say because he had just summed her up perfectly. So she just
burrowed deeper into her winter coat and shrugged her shoulders.
“Go-Karting it is
then. Come on, princess, we need to get going. We’ve still got a bit of a drive
before we get there.”
~~~
It only took one
circuit of the indoor track for her to realize two things: Shane was an
excellent driver and she loved Go-Karting.
She did her best
to beat him and on her fourth attempt she managed it. “I beat you! You better
get used to eating dirt.” She joked as they stood beside the cars.
“You did alright
for a beginner.”
“Well, nobody’s
going to accuse you of giving too much praise, are they?”
“You’re right.
Can’t say I’ve ever ‘ad that problem.”
She rolled her
eyes at him. And before she knew what was happening, he kissed her. It was over
so quickly she didn’t even have time to process it.
“Better?”
Crystal remained
quiet not knowing what to say or make of the kiss.
“Go and change out
of those coveralls. Here, take this,” he said handing her a VIP badge suspended
from a yellow lanyard. “When you’re done, walk out the main doors and follow
the crowd. Security will show ya where to go. By the time ya come back the real
show should be about to start.”
She didn’t
understand what he was talking about. But before she could ask, Shane pushed
her forward. Glancing around she saw that the crowd had begun to change. The
groups of families with children had disappeared. In their place were men and
women who looked as though they had turned up for something other than
Go-Karting.
Looking over her
shoulder, she felt a reluctance to do his bidding. But she knew the sooner she
changed, the sooner she would be back to make sense of what was going on.
Again dressed in
her jeans and trainers, she walked out the dressing room and immediately felt
the change in the atmosphere. Nothing of the fun day out remained. In its
place, the roar of loud engines and fuel permeated the air.
The night was lit
up with an abundance of floodlights. Loud music played and the crowd surged and
pushed her along. People were everywhere, laughing and joking as they moved
forward.
One flash of the
badge Shane had given her and security led her away from the main body of the
crowd. Her final destination was an outdoor stand that overlooked a huge racing
track. Although they had arrived during daylight hours, she hadn’t noticed this
section of the grounds.
Feeling isolated,
she took in the tarmacked track that seemed completely out of place in the
surrounding countryside.
Standing by the
railings, Crystal buttoned her coat and pulled on her gloves while she searched
the crowd for Shane. But the sea of multicolored uniforms made it impossible
for her to pick him out.
The lights dimmed.
Strobe lights bounced off the ground and reflected into the night sky. This was
a world she didn’t know. This was where the rich and famous came to play. A
shiver ran along her spine and she didn’t like the feeling.
“You came with
Shane.”
It wasn’t a
question, rather it was a statement that carried an air of accusation.
Reluctantly, she
pulled her attention away from her search and looked in the direction of the
person who had just spoken to her.
“Where is he?”
Crystal asked the affluent looking man beside her.
“He’s down there,”
he nodded towards the starting line.
About to probe
further, she was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of a loud claxon.
Everything was so different. The cars that were now before her reminded her of
the vehicles she’d seen on TV at Formula 1 events.
“What is this
place?”
“This is where
Team Sinclair gets taken seriously.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m the man
that’s going to take us to the top.”
Crystal had no
idea what he meant. Nothing made any sense especially his cryptic comments. He
spoke about
us
, as though she should understand his meaning. This was
her first date with Shane and up to this point, she had been enjoying herself.
Yet, in under an hour everything had changed. She searched the crowd again.
“He’s standing
beside the green and white car.”
She followed the
direction of his pointing finger and managed to find the starting line. Men and
women walked towards the cars. People who looked like mechanics milled around
the area with equipment she couldn’t give name to.
She finally found
him. Even though his helmet obscured his face, she knew it was him because of
the way he held himself at a distance. While others talked and gesticulated,
Shane ignored everything going on around him. He appeared as a lonely figure in
the sea of showmanship that surrounded him.
“Is this
dangerous?”
“Only if you don’t
know what you’re doing. Shane knows what he’s doing.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Oliver
Sinclair. Remember it because I’m the man who’s going to take us to the top.
And nothing and
nobody
is going to stand in my way.”
If Shane hadn’t
preoccupied her thoughts, she would have paid closer attention to the look of
ruthlessness in Oliver Sinclair’s eyes.
“How does this all
work?” She asked.
“There are two
groups each comprised of seven cars. Each group makes twenty circuits of the
track which should last around thirty minutes. Shane is a part of the first
group.”
She listened to him
but didn’t give him her full attention because the race had already started. By
the time Shane had completed five circuits, Crystal’s nerves had started to
fray.
If there were any
rules, she couldn’t figure them out. As far as she could tell it was all about
the win, and how that came about—didn’t seem to matter.
Having led for
most of the race, Shane eventually finished in second place. When his car came
to a halt, men in green and white coveralls immediately surrounded it. Working
with deft movements they inserted hydraulic jacks beneath the car and pulled it
off the track. Looking over her shoulder, Crystal noticed that Oliver Sinclair
had disappeared. When he had left, she couldn’t say.
“What the hell was that?” Ollie shouted in Shane’s
face.
“Back the fuck off
before I make ya!”
“Do you think this
is some kind of joke? Well, it’s not. This is about regaining my F1 license.
This is my only chance and you just lost the race.”
“I’m in the finals
ain’t I? So why don’t ya get lost so I can look at this engine, or you can keep
running ya mouth, and I’ll leave!”
Shane wasn’t in
the mood for Ollie. The track they were racing on was a piece of crap, and he
needed to use all the time between now and his next race to make adjustments to
the wheel alignments. He also wanted to check and tweak his engine.
“Just do what you
have to. I don’t want any more mistakes. Do we understand each other?”
“Mate, if ya don’t
get out of me face, I’m going to shove this wrench up ya ungrateful arse.”
Shane looked Ollie in the eyes and did him the courtesy of lowering his voice
before he continued. “Remember,
you
need me—not the other way around.”
Ollie
surreptitiously glanced around. Then nodded and took two full steps backward.
Without another word, Shane turned his attention to the stands. He had seen
where Crystal was standing earlier, so he had no difficulty picking her out.
She was staring back at him.
She looked so
forlorn, he wanted to go to her, but that was impossible. Thinking he should
wave or do something equally as frivolous, he didn’t follow through. Instead,
he looked away. Frivolity wasn’t his style.
A persistent
niggling caused him to turn back towards Crystal. She hadn’t moved a muscle. It
was as though she was waiting for him to acknowledge her presence. She waved.
Surrounded by the noise and bustle of drivers and mechanics, he didn’t know how
to respond. So he left her gesture hanging in the air as he again turned away.
He had done all he
could to the car. Sitting at the starting line, Shane rotated his shoulders and
shut out the world. All his attention now focused on what he had to do—win the
race.
Six cars stood
side by side ready for the flash of the green light that would indicate the
start of the race. He knew what his car could do. Now, all he had to do was
show the rest of the motoring world.
Unlike a Formula 1
car where the controls are located on the steering wheel, his car was a
direct-shift gearbox. What he’d also kept to himself was that he’d made changes
to the components of the engine that he wasn’t ready to disclose. He needed to
see how the car performed before he took anyone into his confidence. He still
had a while to wait, but if things panned out as he’d planned, he was sure he
was finally on his way to his future and his fortune.
~~~
The screen began
the countdown at five. The light flashed green and the cars pulled away in a
cloud of burning rubber. Her gaze remained glued on Shane’s car. Each time the
thundering cars passed before the stand, Crystal’s amazement grew at just how
fast they travelled.
Throughout the
show stopping competition, she was sure her heart rate had never been so
elevated. She jumped up and down and threw her fists in the air and cheered him
on each time he roared past the stand. The atmosphere was electric and the race
exhilarating. But, it was also the most dangerous sport she had ever witnessed.
Shane won the
race. He didn’t just come in first, he annihilated his opponents and left them
in his wake.
~~~
“You’re angry,”
Shane said as he glanced over at Crystal whose concentration
was
fixed
on the dark winding road.
“Not really. It’s
just that maneuvering these country lanes is difficult at night.”
“Sorry love, I
asked you to drive because I really need a break after all that driving.”
“What’s going on,
Shane? What was that all about?”
“I’m not a hundred
percent sure yet, but I hope tonight is the beginning of everything.”
His words were
abstract, but Crystal somehow understood the importance of the night.
Throughout every circuit he’d driven, she had been with him all the way. Her
frayed nerves gave testament to that.
She understood
that the races that had taken place were some form of test. She also knew Shane
was a good driver, maybe even great, but she didn’t know enough about the sport
to be certain. However, if the reaction of the crowd was anything to go by, his
skills were real and they loved him.
Taking her eyes of
the road for a few moments, she glanced over at him. He had pushed the seat as
far back as it could go and appeared to have fallen asleep.
By the time they
made it back to London, he was snoring softly. Not having the heart to wake
him, she decided to drive to her house.
“Shane,” Crystal
called quietly.
His eyes opened.
He didn’t appear disoriented, just wide awake and alert.
He took his time
looking out the window before turning back to her. “Is this where ya live
then?”
“Yes, it is. I
decided to drive here rather than wake you.”
“Does this mean I
get to sleep over?”
“If you’re too
tired to drive—then yes.”
Crystal didn’t
know where her agreement came from. She had just met him and logically, she
should be much more wary of allowing a near stranger to sleep at her house. But
somehow she wasn’t worried.
As Shane looked
around her sitting room, she tried to see it through his eyes. Since leaving
home, everything she had acquired, was through her own hard work. And she was
proud of her accomplishments.
There was no
getting away from it, she loved color. And it was everywhere. She knew she had
overdone things, but she didn’t care. This was her place and she had expressed
herself in her own way.
Her feature wall
was decorated
in multi-colored floor to ceiling stripes. The
sofas were bright orange with lime green scatter cushions and a matching orange
and green rug sat atop her treated hardwood floors. Crystal also loved plants.
They were everywhere. While, the bold colors were too much for some people, for
her, it was the perfect expression of her freedom of choice.
“Bit bright ain’t
it, Crys?”
“Maybe, but I like
it.”
“Why?”
“Because all the
colors make me feel good inside.”
Shane remained
quiet for so long, she steeled herself for his ridicule.
“Only ever do the
things that make you feel good inside, Crys.”
“So you like it
then?”
“Nah, looks like a
drunk clown threw up in here.”
“Shane!”
Walking up to her,
he placed an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “Sorry, but I have
to ask. Didn’t ya tell me you were an interior designer?”
“I am.”
“Bloody hell,
remind me to never hire you!”
“Actually, I’m
extremely good at what I do!”
“Relax, will ya, I
was joking.”
Giving him her
dirtiest look, she attempted to shrug off his arm. He wouldn’t allow it.
Pulling her around, she tried to look anywhere but into his eyes.
The finger he
placed under her chin was difficult to resist. When she finally met his gaze,
she found it impossible to ignore the amusement dancing throughout his eyes.
“You think you’re
so cute don’t you?!”
“Yeah, I’ve kinda
got a way about me. Want me to show ya?”
About to say
something smart, he didn’t give her a chance. His head descended and he rubbed
his lips against hers. This kiss bore no relation to the peck he’d given her at
the track. This meeting of their lips carried an intent Crystal couldn’t ignore
even if she had wanted to—which she didn’t.
The kiss began
with a slow exploration. A back and forth rub of his lips, a gentle stroke of
his tongue. His large hands urged her closer as they pressed against her back.
Yet, all the while he gave her the opportunity to pull away if that was what
she wanted.
Moving closer,
Crystal placed her arms around his neck and leaned into him. The kiss changed
so fast she felt a tingle all the way through her body. Her heart sped up and
her breathing accelerated as he took their connection deeper. His tongue danced
around her mouth with such intensity, it surprised and scared her all at the
same time. The kiss felt like nothing she’d experienced before. It traveled
through her at such a rapid pace, her body immediately filled with a need to
experience the touch of their naked skin pressed against each other’s.
Crystal pulled
away and walked to the door while attempting to slow her breathing. When she
reached it she looked over her shoulder.
“Are you coming?”
“Lead the way.”
Off the hallway,
she stopped by a door, turned the handle and entered the room, all the while
feeling Shane’s presence only inches behind her. The touch of a soft kiss
against her neck caused goosebumps to rise on her skin. She switched on the
light, stepped back and watched as he glanced around.
“This isn’t your
bedroom is it?”
“Nope. I said you
could sleep over, not sleep with me.”
Crystal enjoyed
the sound of his laughter. It showed her that he didn’t take himself too
seriously. She liked that. All that remained was for her to find out just how
much she liked him.
When Crystal woke
up for work the next morning her house so quiet, she couldn’t tell if Shane was
still there. Tiptoeing to her spare room, she quietly opened the door and peeked
in.
She smiled. There
he was, stretched out across the bed with the yellow and white covers hanging
mostly on the floor. Feeling pleased that he hadn’t left while she was asleep,
she retreated and closed the door.
Dressed and ready
to leave for the day, Crystal gave a small yelp when she turned and saw a sleep
disheveled Shane watching her from the doorway of her kitchen.
“Were ya gonna
leave without saying goodbye?”
“Yes, but I was
going to leave you a note.”
“Good thing I’m a
light sleeper then ain’t it.”
“Um... if you say
so but I looked in on you an hour ago.”
“I must have been
more tired than I thought. How about a good morning kiss?” Half way towards
her, he stopped. “Don’t move, I’ll be back in a minute.”
Crystal looked at
the big clock hanging on her wall and frowned. Picking up her coat, she put it
on while she waited, sure he wouldn’t notice the one little change.
“I thought I told
ya not to move.”
Crystal laughed
before she realized he was actually serious. “I’m going to be late for work,
Shane. I need to go.”
“Well ya better
stop wasting time and get over here and kiss me.”
In less than ten
minutes the man had ordered her around twice and somehow she didn’t seem to
mind. Moving forward, he opened his arms and she stepped into them. Having him
in her house and being in his arms for some reason felt completely natural.
His lips descended
and Crystal understood why he had disappeared. His breath was minty fresh—he
had found the toothbrush she had left out for him.
Giving her a
gentle brush across the lips, he pulled away. “Morning, Crys,” he said as he
smiled down at her.
“Good morning,
Shane.”
His eyes sparkled
and Crystal would have been content for hours just standing there wrapped in
his arms.
“You liked that,
huh? But I can do way better.”
His head lowered
again and as their lips met everything around her exploded. They both jumped
back.
“Shit!”
“Blood hell!” They
both exclaimed at the same time. Then broke into laughter.
“Give me two
minutes.”
“I can’t. If I
don’t leave now I’m going to miss my bus.”
“I’m driving ya to
work and while we’re on the way, we can talk about what just happened and when
we’re gonna see each other again.
After that first
morning they had either spoken or seen each other every day. This was the
happiest she had ever been and she knew it was all because of Shane. He made
her happy with his cheeky comments and dry sense of humor. Finally, she felt as
though she was breaking out of her mother’s shadow. Living the life she wanted
to and not the one Gwendolyn had prescribed for her.
Leaving work,
Crystal rushed out of the building and looked around. There he was. Just as he
said he would be leaning against his car waiting for her.
Crystal hurried
forward. When he saw her, he smiled in greeting.
“Hello, love. Did
ya have a good day?”
“Yes, and it just
got better.”
“Because of me?”
“Yes, because of
you.”
Sometimes Crystal
didn’t understand him. One moment he was so sure of himself and the next it was
as though he couldn’t understand why she loved being with him.