Then Came You (13 page)

“I got you a job!” She fist pumps the air and I gasp, my eyes going wide.

Shock runs through me as I stare at her, barely daring myself to believe her words. “Y-you’re kidding, right?”

She shook her head proudly. “Nope, apparently Boss-man was desperate. You can start tomorrow…?” I nod slowly, figuring I could probably turn up after school. “Great. You start at five, get there a little earlier and I’ll show you around, get you sorted and all that kerfuffle.”

I’m grinning at her like crazy now, amazed that this stranger I’ve met three times has just improved my life so much. “You are the
best!
” I exclaim, throwing my arms around her and jumping with joy. “Thank you, thank you,
thank
you.
”

She laughs and pats my back gently. “It’s alright – just come by straight after school and I’ll get you started. I can’t wait to have a new work buddy!” Her eyes sparkle as she steps back, a wide smile on her face. “I’m just glad it’s someone like you.”

Dana gasps and hugs me when I tell her I have a job. “That’s great news,” she tells me. I have a feeling she really does understand how much I needed this. After all the times she’s been to my house and never once seeing my father, I guess she figured out on her own that it wasn’t that great.

“I’m so happy for you.” She pushes her lip stud in and out with her tongue. “You deserve a chance to make things work. Have you told Tyler?” I shook my head at her. I hadn’t seen him since lunch earlier that day, and now it was three O’clock, and the final bell had rung. “Well, go tell him! He’s over there.”

I laugh, wave goodbye, and jog over to where Tyler is standing and talking to one of his player friends. He sees me straight away and grins, turning away to walk over to me.
“Hey, Grumpy.”

I mock-scowl at him, hating the fact that he still hadn’t dropped the nickname.
“Hey to you, too: and stop calling me that already!” He chuckles and strokes my arm before folding his hand around mine, warmth spreading over my skin like a wildfire. “I forgot to tell you before, but I’ve got a job now.”

He smiles proudly, pressing his lips to my head.
“Really?
Awesome, when do you start?”

“Now.”

He grins. “Then I’ll take you there. Where is it?”

“The grocery store on Windsel Street?”

“Got it,” he pulls me after him by hand towards his car. “I think I’ll be shopping a lot more in future.” He sends me a flirty smile as he takes the steering wheel in his hands and waits for me to buckle up. I roll my eyes at him.

“You better.”

As promised, Clara was waiting for me at the car park, and she was jumping up and down. “You made it!” She glances at Tyler and raises an eyebrow, before turning back to me. “We’re going in the back entrance, but
he
can’t come with us.” She says nicely, wiggling her brows at me and giggling. Tyler nods and presses a couple of kisses to my lips.

“I’ll see you later, then. Want me to give you a ride home?” He asks me. I nod shyly. “Okay then, I’ll be right here.” He kisses me one last time, before getting in his car and driving away. I turn round to Clara.

“Right,” she says, her hands clasped in front of her. “Let’s get this party started!”

In the back entrance, Clara gives me a tour of the stocking room, the two offices and the break room. She tells me what I’ll be doing, gives me a schedule and grabs me a yellow cap and shirt. I put them on in the staff toilets and walk out feeling like a banana.

“We look alike!” She giggles, flicking a strand of dark hair happily from my shoulder. “But you have such nicer hair. Anywho, how about we actually start working? I’ll show you what we do, although it really isn’t that hard or that much.”

I nod, “so long as I get paid enough to pay the bills, I don’t mind
how
hard the work is. I just really need this job.” She shoots me a sympathetic look.

“I know. I was in the same predicament when I was in high school; my dad walked out on us and my mum had a crappy job that paid hardly anything.” I listen intently as she tells me her story, feeling reassured to know that she’d come from a similar background and had come out alright. Not like it meant
I
would, but it was reassuring to think that I
might.

“You know,” Clara tells me as we work side by side restocking shelves. “I’m glad you came, Darcy. I think we could become good friends.”

I agree with her before carrying on with the job, both of us talking lightly as we work. By the end of the week, I’ve made enough money to pay one fine, and already it’s like a load off my back. By the end of the month, I’ll have paid every debt my dad owed, and I’ll be able finally relax a little.

I can only hope.

Nineteen

I’m standing under the 20% OFF ALL FROZEN GOODS sign and listening as Clara tells me how easy her college subjects are and nibbling on M&M peanuts. I’d just finished another shift and I also had an envelope with my weeks wages stuffed into my bag pockets, which I kept patting just to make sure I hadn’t lost it. I’d been working at the store for three weeks now, and I had managed pay off the fines and the bills.

I felt like I could breathe again. Clara sighs and leans back on the shelf, kicking a box of cans absently as she thinks. “I need a life,” she says finally.

“Huh?” I frown at her, popping another red M&M into my mouth. She rolls her eyes at me.

“Well, all my life revolves around is home, college and this stinking job. I need… a boyfriend.
One like yours; where did you
find
him?”
She leans over eagerly and I laugh loudly.

“He found me, more like.” I shrug. “We just kind of met and spoke a few times, and then he asked me out. Well, actually, he kissed me first. But I wouldn’t change a thing.”

She sighs wistfully. “You are so lucky. The only guys who ever look at me are all jerks and creepy stalkers: and they only want one thing. It begins with S, ends with EX and can be prevented with a good old-fashioned kick in the balls.” I let out a short laugh and she smirks. “You need to keep hold of him, y’know. He’s special for you.”

“I know,” I smile softly. “I don’t think I’ll ever want to let him go.”

After our chat, Tyler arrives to pick me up, a huge smile on his face. “Hello, my lady.” His warm eyes glisten and his curly dark hair is damp from a shower and wilder from the water. He’s wearing a navy hoodie and faded jeans, and he looks just as perfect as ever. I return his crazy smile as I hop into the passenger seat.

“Why hello to you, too.”
I return in a posh accent. The corners of his eyes crease as his smile grows and he takes my hand in his as we drive. I look out the window, watching the houses go past before I realise we’ve gone past my street.
“Um, Tyler?
You’re going the wrong way.”

He shakes his head slowly. “No I’m not. I’m taking you somewhere special.”

I blink at him. “Why?”

“Um, because you’re my girlfriend?”
He laughs at me, leaning over to kiss my lips at a red light. “Now be patient and prepare to be amazed – you know how great I am at coming up with the best dates.”

I scoff. “It must be because you’ve had a lot of practice.”

He shakes his head and looks me in the eyes. “No, it’s because I have the best girlfriend. You know I haven’t been on that many dates before you: it was mostly just hanging out with the guys and a group of girls at shitty places teens with no imagination go.”

“Um,
you
went to those places.” I point out with a smirk. He rolls his eyes at me, fighting a smile of his own.

“Yeah, but that was before I met you.”

We drove in comfortable silence to wherever the hell he was taking me, and in the end, I closed my eyes and fell asleep, tired after a long day of school, and then work. The busy schedule was taking a toll on my sleeping pattern, and I ended up spending half the night catching up on homework that my teachers kept piling on. Before I got a job, I never knew just how much work high school was, but then again all my focus had been on the money problems that were getting worse and worse.

Since my dad hasn’t got a job, I end up paying for
everything
now. And I’ve noticed him also sneaking money out for beer and whatever else he thinks he needs. He still goes at all the time, but now I just ignore it and pretend it doesn’t bother me; it’s not like he cares about
me
anymore, anyway.

I wince at the pang of pain in my chest, right where my heart is. It’s hard to think that the man who raised me with a warm smile and a friendly laugh doesn’t give a damn about me anymore and is drinking his life away. It’s like all my childhood memories have been stained by alcohol, smoke, and a broken man.

“Darcy? We’re here.” Tyler’s soft voice floats through my thoughts and a smile spreads across my face before I can even open my eyes. When I do, he’s smiling right back at me, his gold eyes shining in the dim light bouncing back from the headlights of the car.

I groan and stretch my arms, looking around. “Where are we?”

He shakes his head and leans back. “Ah uh, I’m not telling. You’ll just have to trust me.”

“And what if I don’t?” I challenge him. He sighs.

“Then I’ll take you back right now.” I look into his eyes and sigh too, before unbuckling my seatbelt. His eyes flash with some emotion as I open the door and climb on, folding my arms as I lean down to look at him as he still sits in the car.

“Are you coming, or do I have to find this surprise myself?” He grins, copies my actions, and moves round to stand by me.

“I’m glad you trust me,” he admits, pressing his warm lips on mine and wrapping a muscular arm around my shoulders, tucking me to his side perfectly.

I smile up at him. “You better not ruin it now.”

“I won’t.” He promises, and I believe him.

Ten minutes later, and I’m sick of his hands covering my eyes. “Are we nearly there yet?”

“No,” he laughs. “You asked me
this
five seconds ago.”

“What are you, a clock?” I retort.

“No, I’m just a very patient person, unlike *cough* you *cough*.”

I let us fall into silence for a moment as we walk on, before opening my mouth to speak one more. “That was the worst fake cough I have ever heard.”

He laughs again, before finally telling me to stop. “Okay, you can look now.” He lifts his hands away from my eyes and I gasp.

Surrounded by fireflies and roses, was an old stone pavilion, right next to a river. It was
vintage
and looked like it came right out of a classic romantic novel, with the stone archways and the engravings on the outside. Inside, was a white, iron swinging chair, with potted plants around it. From where I was standing, I could see the whole pavilion, the fireflies and the shimmer of the water behind the beautiful structure. In the sky, a million perfect stars twinkled down on us like fairy lights against dark velvet.

It was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.

“Do you like it?” His husky voice floats into my ear and makes me shiver as his hands rub along my waist.

“I love it,” I breathe, drinking in the scene with fascination. “It’s
beautiful.
”

He presses his lips to my ear. “So are you,” he whispers. I turn around in his arms, smile softly at him, and lean up to give him a kiss. Our lips flutter against each other a few times, before he pulls me tighter to him and draws his tongue along my lower lip, nibbling it slightly. I moan softly, opening my mouth to taste him.

After a few minutes, he pulls away with a gentle sigh, his eyes bright with happiness. “I wanted to tell you something,” he starts huskily, his face flushed from the kiss. “But I think I’ll wait until the end of our date. “

I open my mouth to protest, but he smirks, bends down in a bow, and offers a hand up to me. “Can I have this dance?”

“There’s no music, moron,” I grumble, a grin spreading across my face as I place my hand in his nonetheless and let him lead me to the opening, surrounded by roses and fireflies. He twirls me under the stars slowly and I go dizzy with happiness and another feeling, a stronger feeling. I let him pull me to his chest and sigh, tucking my face in his neck, my head resting on his shoulder as we slow dance to the silence of the night.

“Darcy,” he breaks the silence slowly, his voice deep and comforting. “I want to tell you now.”

I stop and pull back to look into his golden eyes curiously. “Tell me, then.”

He nods hesitantly, and leads me to the pavilion, where we lean against the railings and look out at the water. “I know that, um, we haven’t known each other as long as most couples, but it doesn’t matter. Darcy, I know you might not feel the same yet, but I
do
and so could you, in time. But I want to let you know because I need to get it off my chest and I want to know how you feel as well-“

My heart hammers against my chest. “Tyler-“

“Darcy, I love you.”

I gasp, my eyes rising to gaze into his eyes, my lips dry and open in shock. My heart is racing and my mind is flashing and shouting a million words at me. He goes bright red as well, but he doesn’t look away.