Authors: Cassandra P. Lewis
“Four pm mate, I thought you better get up now so you can sleep tonight. Fancy some grub?”
“Y
eah, sounds good” I get up and tell Steve I just need to dig out some shorts and I’ll be with him, he heads out of the room and I check my phone,
‘Glad you’re there safe baby. Be good, see you soon. I love you xxx’
Rosie’s text puts a smile on my face and a spring in my step as I head out for some food with my soon to be married best mate.
“So Stevo, who’s here then?” I ask over a Pad Thai and a cold Singha,
“Mum and Dad got here yesterday, they’re staying in that hotel that Rosie stayed at. Sasha gets in on Thursday”
Sasha is the third wheel in mine and Steve’s tricycle of friendship. We’ve all been friends since university and get on like a house on fire. Sasha is the girl that men want to fuck and girls want to be, she’s funny and cool, likes sports and is drop dead gorgeous. She’s also been my go to shag for the past ten years. Steve notices the uncomfortable look on my face at the mention of her name. He never approved of us being fuck buddies and has always been adamant that friendships and sex shouldn’t mix, “Don’t pull that face Jacko, you know my opinion when it comes to you two. Just remember that you’re with Rosie now”
“Like I could forget! I’m not going t
o be doing anything I shouldn’t. I’m just worried you know, one day Rosie will meet Sash and Sasha is just the right amount of bitch to tell Rosie all the sordid details of our past, of which there are many…it’s not like either of us are shy in the bedroom!”
I scratch the back of my head, Sasha and I have had
some sexual contact every single time we’ve been in each other’s company for the past three years. It got harder to keep a lid on things whenever we were together, even leaving Steve sitting on his own at the table in a restaurant when he came home last year so that Sasha could give me a blow job in the toilets in between the starter and main courses. I know I need to keep my wits about me this time.
“Yeah well, just keep it in your pants, what you’ve done pre-Rosie is irrelevant
.” Somehow I don’t think Rosie will see my being close friends with someone I know so intimately as irrelevant. But I just sip my beer and hope for the best.
On Thursday morning I reluctantly agree to do Steve a favour so that he can get some wedding stuff done. I take Annie’s car and try to keep my head straight as I set out on my way. Steve has asked me to pick Sasha up because he and Annie are taking his parents shopping for traditional Thai outfits for the wedding.
“Hey stranger” Sasha walks
through Krabi airport arrivals. She has so much confidence in the fact that men and a lot of women find her completely irresistible that she seems to float. She looks gorgeous, ‘
Keep it in your pants Jackson,
’ Steve’s warning rings in my ears,
“Hey Sash, you look well” I kiss her on the cheek and give her a hug, “Just one bag? Not like you to pack light!”
“Jackson all I need is bikinis and a couple of dresses, where’s Steve?” Sasha looks past me trying to find our friend,
“Shopping with the parents” I smile and she passes her bag to me
, “let’s get you back to the house then.”
Sasha is also staying with Steve and Annie. As much as it’s great to catch up with her as a friend I just hope it doesn’t come back to bite me on the arse when Rosie meets her.
“Wow, this place is great” Sasha heads out to the pool
as I put her bag down and follow her out, “Fancy a dip?” she turns and looks at me with a look that I’ve seen in her eyes a thousand times,
“Sash…” I protest,
“I know I know, you’re engaged! You can’t blame a girl for trying Jackson” she smiles and I relax a little, I can resist “Go on then Jamo, get us a beer!”
A
s I head into the kitchen I can’t help but see through the window as Sasha strips down to the bikini that she has been wearing under her clothes. I notice that she’s curvier than I’ve ever seen her before, but all I can really think of is Rosie, ‘
It’s ok Jackson, she’s just a friend’
I tell myself and head back out to the garden.
By the time Steve and Annie return home with his parents Sasha and I have had a good couple of hours to catch up. She’s told me about a guy she was seeing but that she doesn’t see it going anywhere, and all about her new job as an event organiser. I’ve told her all about Rosie and she seemed sincere when she said how happy she was that I’ve met someone that can finally make me give up my bachelor ways.
“Sasha! H
ello gorgeous!” Steve gives Sasha a bear hug and picks her up to spin her around. Laughing he pulls her away to introduce her to Annie while his parents sit at the table with me. His dad looks thankful for some shade and the cold beer I’ve just placed in front of him,
“So Jackson, we hear
you’ve been tamed?” Steve’s Mum worries about me more than he does, so the news of my engagement was a huge relief to her, “It’s a shame she couldn’t come with you, I’m dying to meet the woman that’s got you on your knees” she winks and smiles at me and I laugh,
“She’ll be in Devon Kath, you’ll love her” I smile back just as Steve, Annie and Sasha head back out of the house. We’re having a BBQ and a few drinks and I feel relaxed, I’m in great company, with good friends, the only thing missing is the woman I love. I send Rosie a text, ‘BBQ at
Steve’s tonight, I’ll try calling you tomorrow, about 7pm your time. Love you xxx’
I’ve had a great evening and feel that I’ve turned a corner with Sasha. I’m not even tempted when she hints about being all alone in the next room and instead head to bed alone.
My phone is flashing on the bedside table; it’s a text from Rosie, ‘I have a dinner thing gorgeous. Saturday
? same time? x”
I’m a little disappointed, I’ve been here four days and we keep missing each other, all we’ve managed so far is a few texts here and there. It’s only going to get worse come Monday when she starts her tour.
I look at the clock and consider calling her now, but realise it’ll be about ten am in England and she’ll more than likely be right in the middle of working, so I text back instead,
‘Ok baby, I miss you x’
I am exhausted, I’ve only been on my book tour for four days but it’s been none stop. To make it worse, I’ve hardly managed to speak to Jackson at all and I miss him so much. We have been able to text and he’s emailed me a couple of times to see how things are going, but we’ve both been so busy. Him with the wedding and me being Francesca’s puppet, we’ve only actually managed one ten minute phone call. It’s bad enough not being able to see or touch him, but to not even hear his voice is torture.
The tour is going really well though and I got into Liverpool this morning. Pippa is en route to join me and we’re going to out for some dinner and a catch up this evening, I can’t wait.
“Hey you sexy bitch, missed ya!” Pip calls out as she runs from the train to hug me,
“Oh my god I’m so happy to see you!” I hug my best friend and she looks me in the eyes,
“Missing him?” I just nod and stick out my bottom lip pitifully, “Come on you, I need a burger and a glass of vino” she hooks her arm in mine and pulling her travel case along be
hind her as we leave Lime Street Station in search of a bar.
Over dinner Pip and I catch up on how the tour has gone, a new contract she’s just landed and about how much I miss Jackson and can’t wait to see him, and how much I love him, and how happy he makes me…I’m even boring myself but I don’t seem to be able to stop the words rolling off my tongue, over and over again.
“So, Rosetta, when you’ve finished whimpering about your perfect man” Pippa rolls her eyes playfully and I laugh, “I have news!” she places her palms down on the table like she is bracing to tell me something serious, “I have a boyfriend”
“What?” In over two decades of friendship, I have actually never heard those words from her before, “Like a serious, monogamous, relationship?” I cannot hide my smile,
“Yes, well not serious. Not yet
anyway, it’s very new…but I like him a lot, and he came to visit me last week and said he wants to give it a real go. The distance sucks a bit though” She looks up at me and blushes, I’m confused,
“Distance? Where does he live then?” I question,
“Buxton” She smiles and I realise,
“BEN? Oh my god Pip, that’s awesome, I love Ben!”
I’m over the moon, Pippa has never had a real relationship and I always worried that when she did, it would be with completely the wrong guy, but Ben is an absolute sweetheart and he’s gorgeous.
“Well ha
nds off, you’ve got you own. I’m happy RoRo, I think we’ll be good together” she smiles, the girliest shyest smile that I’ve ever seen from her and I’m overjoyed,
“Me too babe,
I’m really pleased for you!
We’re staying at the Hotel Indigo, it’s a trendy new hotel in central Liverpool and I absolutely love it. It’s more contemporary than I usually go for, being a hopeless romantic I’m usually a country house kind of girl but this place is great and the staff are fantastic. Pip of course loves the clean lines and bright colours used all over the hotel and is like an excited small child by the time we make it to our room,
“Oh Rosie, I love this place, w
ell done you!” she is impressed,
“Well done Gold Square Pip, I didn’t book it!” I flop down onto my bed and Pip jumps on next to me,
“Come on, let’s get dolled up and go out!” she smiles excitedly and I can’t help but laugh at her childish enthusiasm,
“
As you wish Carvalho! Shotgun having a shower first though” I jump up and quickly run into the bathroom closing the door behind me as Pippa protests that she has longer hair than me so needs more time, I giggle, it feels great to have my best friend by my side again.
Pip and I head out into Liverpool, dressed to the nines and ready to party. The people here just seem to want to have a good time and the mood is infectious. We bump into a male model that Pippa knows and he invites us to join him and his friends at a club called Playground, and playground it is!
Pippa fits in perfectly with the models, footballers and soap stars but I feel awkward and strange amongst all of these
perfect people. I have always felt awkward around really beautiful people, even Rafe and Pip. I know I’m not ugly but I was a tomboy when I was younger and as I got older my hair got wilder and I think I stopped growing years before I should have. Despite being petite I feel lanky and gawky and just learned to sink into the shadows. Since I met Jackson, my confidence has started to rise slowly but surely. He tells me every day that I’m beautiful and sexy, he loves that I’m small enough to pick up and carry to the bedroom and I know that I turn him on, he’s a walking erection most of the time that we’re together, but years of Michael putting me down have had an effect, and now being surrounded by these people that look like they have been photo shopped it’s intimidating. I decide to try and let go and Pip and I head to the dance floor.
After a couple of
hours of trying to appear like im enjoying myself, Pip being Pip takes me by the arm and leads me out of the club,
“Sorry RoRo, I could see you felt uncomfortable in there!” She apologises and starts to walk, pulling me with her by our linked arms,
“Everyone in there is just so…perfect Pip, I just felt a bit weird” I feel guilty for making her feel that she had to leave when she was having such a great time, she stops and laughs,
“Rosetta, that
place and those people…that was far from perfect! Perfect is you, me and the hotel bar. Come on Honey, let’s go!”
I
’m surprised as we head back toward the hotel; Pip wasn’t enjoying herself as much as I thought she was...she really has changed.
We get back to the hotel and head for the bar, Pip orders a bottle of wine and we grab a table by the window. She spends a couple of hours catching me up on details about Ben Long that I really shouldn’t know but am glad that I do, and I can’t help but feel excited for the future. Pip, Rafe and I were the three musketeers for so long, but now we’re all growing up and settling down and I wonder what’s around the corner for us all. What I do know is that we’ll all be facing it together.
After a great
evening Pip and I are ready for bed, more than slightly intoxicated, happy and both completely loved up.
“Ring him” Pip tries to encourage me to call Jackson,
“Pip, it’s about six in the morning in Thailand, he’ll kill me” I giggle in my drunken state,
“Nah, he
’s the other side of the world, he can’t reach! Ring him!” She throws my phone onto the bed and I notice that it’s already calling him,
“PIP!”
“Hello” I hear Jackson’s voice muffled through the phone and pick it up,
“Hey
baby. Sorry it’s late, I mean early! Sorry” I feel terrible for waking him but giddy knowing that he’s on the other end of the phone,