Authors: Cassandra P. Lewis
There are absolutely no phones allowed at the spa so I resign myself to the fact that I won’t be hearing from Jackson until later on and turn my phone off. We spend the morning relaxing in the Jacuzzi and steam room, swimming and lounging under heat lamps by the pool, to say that by lunchtime I am extremely chilled is an understatement, I feel like I could sleep for a week.
We head into the restaurant for lunch.
There is something liberating about eating in a packed restaurant but being surrounded by people wearing dressing gowns, and wearing one yourself. The three course dinner is surprisingly light and the complimentary glass of champagne goes down a treat.
After lunch
we all have treatments booked. Pip and I have surprised Rafe with a full body exfoliation and hot stone massage, while I head for a facial and Pip for a manicure and pedicure.
“Mmm this is bliss!” Pip exclaims sleepily from the chair next to me in the salon as we both have our scalps massaged before our hair and makeup gets done,
“It really is, but
I feel like I want to go to bed not go out!” I am exhausted; I didn’t sleep well last night and am ready for bed.
“Nah, you know what my nights out are like RoRo, you’ll
soon wake up!”
Rafe joins us to get his hair styled,
and he looks thoroughly refreshed and relaxed as he sits next me,
“Was it good for you?” I ask sarcastically, he looks completely spent,
“Amazing little sis! This was a great idea”
As Rafe slumps into the stylists chair next to me
in post massage bliss and Pip begins to discuss her shoe choices for the evening ahead I begin to feel excited. This is my brother’s big night, Jackson and I will have to wait.
We head back to Rafe’s flat in time to see Matthew getting ready to head out,
“Where do you think you’re going looking so hot?” Rafe asks, Matthew does look good in a fitted shirt and chinos,
“Actually, I’ve got a date with Mr Jackson James, if that’s ok with you?” he smiles as he kisses Rafe and heads for the door,
“Matthew” I stop him and walk over so that I
can speak quietly, “I haven’t heard from him all day. Please, will you tell him I’m sorry” he kisses me on the forehead and winks as he heads out of the flat, he turns to Rafe before he leaves, “Be good Alvez!”
Before lo
ng the flat is full of people. Every variety of gay man you could hope for on a night out, Sophie from the café and a few friends of Rafe’s as well as Matthew’s cousin Jennifer, who is as boring as Michael and I can’t imagine her enjoying one of Pip’s nights, but this is Rafe’s fag do and I am not going to worry about anyone but him tonight. My camera is charged and my purse is loaded, my bank card actually groaned as it made its way out of the cash machine earlier on, but it’ll be worth it.
As we gather our things an
d get ready to leave we hear loud horns from the street below. Rafe laughs loudly as he looks out of the window and sees the two fire engines that Pip and I have hired to take us to the club, complete with model friends of Pip’s in fireman uniforms, well the bottom half at least. There’s a stampede as the horny party goers scramble to get on board but the three of us lag behind for just a few moments. For the first time, the three of us smile as we acknowledge our mutual contentment; we’re all in relationships and couldn’t be happier.
We arrive at Sway Nightclub and are given the VIP treatment. The doorman is a close personal friend of Pippa’s and has done us a few favours.
We’re shown to our seats and the mood amongst our group is fantastic, it gets even better as we watch the gorgeous male strippers remove every single item of clothing that they’re wearing, it’s certainly an eye opener. I never thought that I would
enjoy this sort of thing and I don’t know if it’s just because we’re all having so much fun or if it’s because these men are incredibly sexy, but I love it. Before long I catch myself cheering and calling for them to ‘TAKE IT OFF’ just as much as everyone else in the room.
After the show we are shown to our private booth in the club, we have our own topless waiter serving us all night so all we have to do is drink and enjoy ourselves. Thanks to our VIP status, a couple of the dancers come and join us at our booth posing for photos and even giving Rafe a lap dance, at which I see my brother blush for the first time ever and he forces me to switch places with him. I try to go along with the experience, screaming as a naked penis is thrust into my face and then trying to compose myself for the photograph that Pip is trying to take, but before long the embarrassment becomes too much and I just cover my face while I erupt in fits of giggles.
We dance
and drink the evening away and I haven’t had so much fun in such a long time. The shock of Jennifer dancing on the table and eagerly kissing one of Rafe’s friends, who was gay at the start of the night but left with Jennifer twenty minutes ago is too much for me. I know that I need to stop, I am completely hammered. I fish around in my handbag for my phone to text Jackson and instead lay my hand on the key to his flat. I haven’t spoken to him since last night and I need to see him.
I make my excuses to leave. Rafe and Pippa
are having a deep and meaningful at the back of the booth and I guess it’s about how their lives have changed. I kiss my big brother and my best friend, say goodnight to the other fag do revellers and head out to find a taxi, I give Jackson’s address and am letting myself into his flat within half an hour.
I try to close the door quietly. As I turn around I’m confronted with a shirtless Jackson standing in his front room, I close one eye to focus and notice that he is holding a baseball bat loosely at his side.
“Rosie?” he puts the bat on the sofa, “
It’s three in the morning, what are you doing here?” I hold up the key,
“Y
ou said I could let myself in.”
I can hear myself slurring my words as I speak and he
laughs as he walks towards me and pulls me into a close embrace,
“Of course you can” he kisses me on the forehead and pulls me toward the kitchen,
“You need water!”
There’s nothing worse than waking up with a hangover. I’m looking down at Rosie drooling onto her pillow in a drunken stupor and already laughing internally at how rough she is going to feel when she finally surfaces. I decide to leave her to it, I need coffee.
I head into the ki
tchen to put the kettle on and see Rosie’s handbag on the sofa, she must have just thrown it there when she got in. The contents are strewn across the cushions and I hope she hasn’t lost anything. I notice the baseball bat and shake my head when I remember the noise she made trying to get into the flat at three this morning, and then I spot her camera.
I have got to see what
a mess they all were last night. I have a quick peek in the bedroom, sleeping beauty is still snoring soundly so I switch on the camera and hit the view button.
The first few photos are of Ro
sie, Rafe and Pip getting ready. I quickly skip past the photo of Pippa in her underwear; it feels wrong, like I’m looking at my sister or something. There’s one of Rosie after she’d finished getting ready, posing with a glass of champagne. She looks incredibly sexy and I can’t help but feel jealous of any men that saw her like that last night, I was too busy being angry and ignoring her and missed out completely, by the time she got to me she was hammered, carrying her shoes in one hand and a kebab in the other.
As I flick through the photos, I feel like
I’m watching a slideshow of their evening. I find myself smiling at their happy faces as more and more people appear in the pictures, before long there are photos of Rafe with men half dressed as firemen and Rosie and Pippa being carried over shoulders laughing, onto a fire engine. A feeling stirs in me that I’m not used to, I start to tap my foot, the sight of her being touched by a half dressed bloke, especially when she looks like that, makes my blood boil. But I know she was just having a bit of fun, it was Rafe’s big night after all.
I didn’t know what
their plans were for last night, all I knew is that Pippa was arranging everything and keeping her cards close to her chest. so when I see the photos of big buff blokes taking their clothes off for my girl’s entertainment I’m a little surprised to say the least, but it’s all good fun. There are photos of all the party goers enjoying themselves, Rafe, Rosie and Pippa posing together waving cash toward the stage, and I can’t help but laugh knowing that they were enjoying themselves.
The next photo is obviously in a club, Rafe is standing on a table
posing while a topless waiter hands him a huge drink with straws, umbrellas and sparklers poking out of it in all directions. It’s one of the campest photos I’ve ever seen and I’m not used to seeing Rafe like that, I can’t help but laugh.
I click next and Rafe is getting some sort of lap dance from
an oiled up bloke in just a thong, and even on the small screen of Rosie’s camera I can see how uncomfortable he is. I click next and I’m shocked to see Rosie taking Rafe’s place, she’s laughing as this guy rubs her hand down his chest. I click next and he’s now completely naked with his hands behind his head, displaying himself to my fiancée. Rosie has her hands over her face on one photo but is smiling on the next, while this prick stands with his dick in his hand next to MY girl’s face!
I am fuming but click next.
Rosie is now posing for a photo with her private dancer, obviously he’s finished as he has put some loose trousers on, but she’s smiling with her hand on his chest and I’ve seen enough.
I put the camera down on the side and my b
lood is racing through my veins. My first taste of jealousy and it’s not just because she’s talking to a bloke in a pub, I’m actually seeing her with a fucking dick in her face. I place both hands on the kitchen counter and take a deep breath.
“
Morning!” Rosie groans from the doorway to the bedroom, squinting at the brightness of the living room,
“Hi” I respond bluntly but she doesn’t seem to notice my frustration,
“I need coffee” she walks toward the kitchen and stands behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist, “Are we friends again now!”
I actually completely forgot that we had already been
arguing and now I’m even angrier. This is what she needed space for, groping other men?
“You know where the kettle is,
I’m going for a shower” I head out of the kitchen and Rosie calls me back,
“
Jackson wait, I thought we were ok. I love you, I’m just trying to take us slowly!” she is pleading, thinking that I’m still angry about her not wanting to move in,
“Rosie, cut the crap. I’ve seen your photos from last night, looks like you wer
e having a grand old time with Magic Mike!” I’m annoyed at myself for being so jealous but I can’t help it,
“What? Are you serious Jackson? Firstly, how dare you go through my handbag, and secondly, I was having a laugh for my brother’s last big night of freedom, what’s your problem?” we’re no
w standing about a metre apart staring each other in the eyes, both too stubborn to give in,
“I didn’t go through you
r handbag for fucks sake Rosie, what do you think I am? Your camera was on the sofa!” I shake my head before continuing to respond, “And my problem is that you are with me, and I’ve just seen you laughing and joking around with some bloke’s junk in your face! How would you feel if it was me? If it was photos of me with a naked woman on my lap, ramming her tits in my face?” I hold my hand up as she opens her mouth to speak, “Don’t even respond Rosie because I know how you’d react, you’d be out of the fucking door!” I turn to walk into the bedroom and she follows,
“I cannot believe
you’re being like this Jackson. It was just a bit of fun, with a gay stripper who wouldn’t be a threat to you even if he was straight. You’re being ridiculous!”
“And you’re a hypocrite Rosie; you’d end this if that was me! And you know
I’m right!”
“Yeah but I’m not the one who can’t be trusted Jackson!” she spits out the words so venomously that I can’t speak,
and when I turn to face her she has her hand over her mouth, already regretting her outburst but unable to take it back,
“Fuck this Rosie, it’s not worth it!” I pick up my keys
and wallet from the counter and head out of the flat, grabbing some trainers from the shoe rack on my way. I’ll put them on outside, I just need to get out. Rosie doesn’t follow and I quickly realise that I don’t have my phone, I don’t know if I’ve just ended our relationship but right now, it’s me that needs space.
I zip my wallet and keys in my hoody pockets and start running. I haven’t stretched, I don’t have my iPod or water but I just keep running. Before long I’m having a full on conversation with myself in my head. Internally vocalizing all of the confusion and the frustrations that this relationship is bringing me.
I don’t think I can do this,
it’s just too hard. We’re constantly battling lately; I can’t help but wonder if all this is down to me and what happened in Thailand. Am I subconsciously pushing Rosie away because of Sasha or does she know? And that’s why she doesn’t want to move in. I love Rosie so much and can’t imagine not being with her, but is it really worth all this stress?