An Unforgotten Bet: (A Contemporary Romance) (7 page)

Tom awakens with a smile. He can smell Rose’s sweet floral perfume before he even opens his eyes, and he can feel her warm body in his arms, rising and falling with every deep breath. He wants to wake her up, to see that smile again and to look into those eyes, but she looks too peaceful to disturb.

After watching her for a few moments with his eyes only half open, he decides to wake her. But just as he reaches out a hand to tap her on the shoulder, music begins blasting from her phone. She wakes with a start, jolting bolt upright and frantically scrabbling around. Tom notices that it’s nestled in the pile of clothes on the floor next to him and bends down to pick it up, but Rose leaps across the bed and snatches it up before his fingers can even touch it.

He stares at her, bewildered, unable to comprehend her sudden panic. She stares back, her phone still singing in her hand.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” he says, not even trying to hide how hurt he is. But Rose doesn’t move; it’s almost as if she’s staring right through him. “Rose?”

Suddenly, it stops ringing.

“Yes?” she asks, snapping out of her trance.

“What’s wrong with you?”

She stares at him blankly. “Nothing, why?”

“Who was calling you?”

“Uh, just work, I think,” she says, scuttling off the bed and beginning to pull on her clothes. “I should go, actually, I’m going to be late.”

“Rose, why do I feel like you’re hiding something from me?”

She looks up at him, her lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m not. Nothing. Why would I be hiding something from you?”

“I just get the feeling that—”

“Well, I’m not,” she snaps, pulling on her jacket and heading towards the door. Tom leaps up and follows her, conscious that he is fully naked but too desperate to care.

“Rose, I’m sorry,” he says, grabbing her hand as she marches across the living room. “I’m sorry.”

She turns around to face him, cracking a slight smile at the sight of his naked body. “It’s fine, Tom, honestly. It’s my fault, I’m sorry. I have to go now, though. I’ll call you later?”

“Yeah, okay,” he says coolly, dropping her hand and backing away slightly. “You won’t forget, will you?” The voice in the back of his head is screaming at him again for appearing so needy and desperate, but he can’t seem to stop himself from asking her.

“No, Tom, I won’t,” she says, her tone a little more patronising than it needed to be. “I’ll see you later.”

She opens the door to walk out, but he grabs her wrist before she steps over the threshold. “Your car. I need to drive you to your car.”

She stares at him. “My car?” And then suddenly, it clicks. “Oh Damn, my car!”

“I’ll put my clothes on. Stay there,” he mumbles, rushing back into the bedroom. He throws on yesterday’s trousers and an old flannel shirt, and within thirty seconds he’s running back out to her, running his hands through his tousled brown hair in a feeble attempt to tame it. “Come on, I’ll drive you there.”

The forthcoming awkwardness is evident as they step into the car, and Tom turns on the radio to try and lighten the mood. Rose faces away from him, her elbow resting on the window and her hand propping up her chin.

“What time does your shift start?” he asks, trying to make light conversation.

“Uh, soon,” she says, shaking her head. “Sorry, I’m just very tired.”

“It’s okay.”
 

After what seems like hours, but in reality is only about ten minutes, they arrive back at the restaurant. It’s difficult to comprehend how different the atmosphere is this morning in comparison to last night, and Rose exhales loudly as she opens the door.

“Thanks for giving me a lift,” she says with a weak smile.

“Don’t mention it.”

“I’ll call you later?”

“Sure you will,” he says, avoiding eye contact.

She looks at him quizzically, and then sighs again. “Okay. Bye, then.”

“Bye.”

With that she leaves without further explanation, slamming the door behind her as she goes. Tom sits motionless, staring after her as she marches across the pavement to her car, leaving him alone to wonder where the hell he went wrong.

He watches her drive away, his mind swimming with questions and potential answers, and his body unable to muster the strength to drive away himself. Just as he turns on the engine, his phone rings. He immediately dives into his pocket, hoping more than anything that it will be Rose, but it’s not.

“Hey, Mom,” he sighs. “What’s up?”

“Don’t sound too happy to see me, sweetie,” she says sarcastically, her tone almost defensive. “I just thought I’d give you a call to see how you were doing.”

“I’m good, Mom. How are you?” he says, brushing off his guilt.

“I’m good. Very good, in fact,” she replies. There’s silence on the line for a couple of seconds, presumably because she’s waiting for him to interrogate her further, but he doesn’t, so she just keeps talking.

“You’ll never guess who I got the chance to speak to on the phone today,” she says, her voice high and giggly. “Remember Rose’s Mom, Shannon?”

“Yup,” he says curtly, biting his lip.

“Wait, is everything okay? You don’t sound so good. You haven’t had a fall out with Rose, have you?” The sudden panic in her voice takes him by surprise, and his stomach begins to twist itself in knots.

“No, of course not. Why?”

“Oh, good,” she says, sighing with relief. “We’re going over for dinner tonight. I was wondering if you’d like to join us?”

“Uh,” he says, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I actually have some plans tonight with friends. What time?”

“Oh, straight after work, honey. About five thirty, probably,” she says, sounding disappointed. “You can make it, right?”

“Yeah,” he says, attempting to sound as optimistic as possible. “Where are we meeting them?”

“We’re driving down to their house. It’s just about thirty minutes from our place.”

“Okay, sounds good,” he breathes.

“So you’ll come?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Oh, good. I’m so glad! It’ll be just like old times.”

“Yeah, old times,” he mumbles, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply so he can breathe in the remainder of Rose’s perfume which is still lingering in his car.
 

“Danny,” calls Rose, bursting in through the front door and sprinting into the bedroom. She hasn’t even brushed her hair yet and she can still smell Tom’s cologne on her skin. “Danny, we need to talk.”

Danny stares at her, then stands up slowly.

“Where the hell have you been?” He begins to move towards her, but Rose doesn’t flinch. Soon, he is standing within only centimetres of her face. His breath smells foul, and she winces as he stares at her.

“Danny, I’m leaving you.”

“No, you’re not,” he demands. The expression in his eyes changes instantly, from anger to pain. “No you’re not leaving me, Rose.”

“Danny, we talked about this last night. I don’t love you anymore and I’m leaving,” she whispers, her voice cracking before she manages to finish the sentence.

“Rose,” he breathes, reaching out a hand and grabbing her wrist. “Rose, please don’t do this to me.”

“I haven’t loved you ever since you cheated on me, Danny. People don’t cheat on people they love. And now it’s too late, I’ve met someone else.”

“Who is he?” asks Danny, his pale bony fingers releasing their grip on her arm.

“His name is Tom Flynn.”

He stares at her, opening and closing his mouth. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” she shrugs. They stare at each other in silence until her phone rings.

“Is that him?” he asks, nodding towards it.

“No, it’s my mother,” she snaps, relieved to have a reason to stop talking to him. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hey,” she says cheerfully. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good,” she says. She tries to avoid Danny’s penetrating stare by turning away from him, but it’s almost as if she can feel his eyes boring into the back of her head. “How are you?”

“I’m good, too. Great, in fact.”

“Oh? How come.”

“You’ll never guess who called me — I was so surprised at first, I don’t even know how she got my number. Remember Tom’s Mom? She said you two had met up recently. You never told me.”

“Oh, shoot, I’m so sorry, I forgot to call. It’s been too long since we last spoke. Now’s not a really good time to talk about it, though, I—”

“It’s fine, Rose, I get that you’ve been busy,” she says warmly. “That’s not what I called you about, though.”

“Oh?”

“I actually invited Tom and his family around for dinner tonight. They’ll be here around half five.”

“Ah,” she says, her voice wavering. “I’m kind of busy tonight Mom.”

“Busy? Busy doing what?” asks her Mom, her cheerfulness replaced by dismay.

“Uh…actually, you know what, it’s not that important. Sure, I’ll be there,” she says, trying to sound as excited as possible. It’s not ideal, and her thoughts are still scattered all over the place, but one thing that Rose has never been able to do is to let her Mom down.

“Oh, really? Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course.”

“That’s great, then. Try and come a little earlier so I can spend some time with you. It’s been over a week since I even spoke to you, that’s far too long!”

“I know, Mom, I will,” she says, smiling. “I’ll see you then. Love you.”

“Love you, honey.”

She doesn’t even look at Danny as she exits the room, slamming the door behind her.

Work drags even more than usual today, and when Tom is just beginning to think that he won’t be able to make it through, his phone vibrates in his pocket. His hands shake as he reaches for it, hoping that it will be an explanation from Rose for the way she acted this morning. But it’s not.

From: Luke
Sent: 10:39
Hey, just checking that you’re still alright to meet up tonight.

Tom hesitates for a moment.
Will the dinner be over in time?
But when he remembers how Rose acted with him this morning, his mind is instantly made up.
To: Luke
Message: Of course. Looking forward to it.
 

He sighs, standing up to get another cup of coffee to try and make time pass faster.

By the time he does finish work at 5pm, Tom can barely keep his eyes open. Rose still hasn’t called or text him, and he’s beginning to feel more foolish with each passing second.
But of all people to do this to him, he never thought it would be Rose. She was always so happy, so open, and so carefree. What happened to her?

By the time he reaches his parents’ house, it’s already 5:15pm. His Mom opens the door before he even reaches it.

“Hey, sweetie, it’s good to see you,” she says, kissing his cheek as she brushes straight past him towards the car. “We’re a little late, so we’ll have to head off right away. Is that okay?”

“Uh, sure,” he says, taking off his tie and trying to ruffle his shirt a little to make himself appear less formal.

“Hey, son,” says his Dad, smiling at him as he steps out of the door and locks it behind him. They bundle into the family jeep, Tom sitting in the back seat and his parents sitting in the front.

“It’s just like old times, eh?” says his Mom, grinning to him through the font mirror. He grins back, trying to ignore the endless knotting sensation in his stomach which only seems to be getting tighter and tighter.

When they arrive, Mrs. Evans is already standing in the porch to greet them. She looks very different to how he remembers her — much older and much more haggard — but her she’s still smiling and her eyes are still sparkling as they always did. She has that same oversized, crooked smile as Rose, and it widens when she sees them.

“Hey,” she shouts, opening the door as they approach. “I’m so happy you guys could come today!”

His Mom runs right up to her, throwing her arms around her neck and laughing.

“How have you been?” she asks, tears in her eyes.

“I’ve been good,” says Mrs. Evans. Rose’s dad wanders up behind them looking nervous, and Tom wonders whether either of them told his parents know about the cancer.

“Phil,” says his Mom cheerfully, holding out her hand to greet Mr. Evans.

“How are you?”

“I’m good. Better than ever, actually” he says, smiling. He had never been a man of many words, but Tom had always admired him.

“Come on in,” says Mrs. Evans, gesturing inside. “Rose is just setting out the dinner, we were beginning to think you weren’t coming!”

“Tom was just finishing work,” says his Mom, and Mrs. Evans turns towards him, smiling.

“Oh, Tom,” she says, nodding as she takes in his new image. “You look so great, I’m so proud of you. What are you doing with yourself now?”

“It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Evans. I’m an accountant now, if that’s what you mean,” he says with a smile.

“Oh, an accountant,” she repeats, clearly trying to sound impressed. “Very nice. But please, call me Shannon.”

“Thanks,” he says with a polite smile. She lingers for a moment, presumably trying to think of something else to say, but eventually she invites him inside.

He hears Rose’s laughter before he sees her, and when he steps into the kitchen she’s busy hugging his Mom.

“It’s been too long, Mrs. Flynn,” she says.

“You can call me Carol, Mrs. Flynn sounds so old,” his Mom says, and Rose giggles. “Oh, Tom, look who I’ve just bumped into! Go on, give her a hug.”

Tom forces a laugh as he walks over to Rose and embraces her. She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t need to — the sound of her breathing and the sweet smell of her perfume is all it takes to rekindle the memories of last night. She’s smiling as they peel themselves away from one another, but she doesn’t return his gaze.

“I hope you all like steak and apple pie,” she says with a grin, turning away from him. “Not together, of course.”

His Mom laughs far too loudly, and Tom can feel himself beginning to blush. Mrs. Evans shakes her head.

“Still the same woman as ever, Carol.”

“You bet,” grins his Mom.

The table arrangement is the same as it always was when they were kids — the two men sitting across from one another, the two women sitting across from one another, and Rose and Tom sitting across from one another. He grins to himself as she pulls out her seat.
Now she’ll have no choice but to look at me.

From the get go, it’s clear that the vast majority of their parents’ conversation is going to be about how they haven’t seen each other for so long, and how good it is to finally meet again. Rose rolls her eyes as her Mom recounts the story about how she called Rose and found out that she’d bumped into Tom, and Tom has to force a piece of steak into his mouth to stifle his laugh.

Despite everyone else’s enthusiasm, Rose’s crooked smile isn’t as wide as usual, and he can tell by the way she carries herself that something is off. He wants to ask her what’s wrong, what he has done to upset her, but now isn’t the right time. Occasionally she looks right at him, a pained, confused look in her eyes, but she doesn’t say anything.

“You two are very quiet tonight,” his Mom remarks. They both smile, praying that she will leave them alone. Thankfully, she does.

The meal is almost over, when suddenly Tom feels something brushing against his thigh under the table. He reaches down to see what it is and move it away, when suddenly he realises — it’s Rose’s hand. When he looks up she’s grinning at him and biting her lip. The table is narrow and their knees touch underneath it, allowing her to extend her arm quite far without anyone noticing. Tom’s breathing hitches as she rubs his inner thigh through the thin fabric of his work trousers, and he can feel himself getting hard.

His fantasy is interrupted by the loud clink of china, followed by Mrs. Evans’s cheerful voice. “Anyone for apple pie?”

Everyone nods in agreement, and she begins to clear their plates. Rose’s innocent expression betrays nothing as she passes her empty plate to her mother with one hand, the other still rubbing Tom’s inner thigh under the table. He can feel himself getting hot as she inches closer and closer to his cock, and he takes a sip of water to try and cool himself down.

“Rose, could you help me, please?” his mother asks from the other side of the kitchen.

“Sure,” she says, and Tom exhales into his glass of water, frustrated and relieved at the same time. All he can think about now is sex, and he’s taken completely off guard when she gives the top of his inner thigh a sharp squeeze before pushing out her chair and going over to help her mother.

Tom can’t stop himself from letting out a deep groan as she squeezes him, and his mother furrows her eyebrows.

“That was so good,” he groans. “The steak, I mean. Thank you Mrs. Evans.” He can hear Rose giggling from the other side of the room.

“Any time, Tom,” says her Mom. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“Oh, yes, it was delicious as always,” his Mom pipes up.

Mrs. Evans smiles as she returns, four bowls of apple pie balanced in her arms. Rose follows her with the remaining two, winking as she places one down in front of Tom. He raises an eyebrow at her, but she just grins.

When he’s just about half way through his apple pie, he feels her again. This time she’s almost groping him, and he has to bite down on his spoon to stop himself from groaning.
She looks so innocent,
he thinks to himself, watching her intently as she talks to her Mom across the table.
I wonder what else she could be capable of.

Then suddenly, her hand is on his bulge. The table cloth is very long and almost drapes down to the floor so no one can notice, but he now finds it impossible concentrate on a word that Mrs. Evans is saying as she talks to him. She seems satisfied when he laughs and nods, though, and then continues talking to his Mom.

Two can play at this game,
he thinks to himself, cramming the last of the pie into his mouth and putting down the fork, giving him use of both of his hands.

“That was really good, Mrs. Evans. Thank you.”

“No problem,” she smiles, and then turns back to his Mom.

Rose is still eating so she only has use of one hand, meaning Tom has an advantage. He reaches down under the table, squeezing each of her inner thighs with his hands, slowly working his way higher and higher. She doesn’t say anything, but he can hear her breathing quicken, and her eyelids flutter slightly. When he finally reaches his destination she’s already very wet — so much so, that it’s soaking through her panties. All it takes is for him to pull them to one side and brush his finger gently over her clit, and she drops her fork.

Everyone’s attention is drawn to her, she he can see her cheeks beginning to heat up.

“Are you okay?” he asks as innocently as he can manage. Her eyes widen as she stares at him.

“I need to be excused, if that’s okay. I’m just going to the bathroom.”

“Okay,” says her Mom, thankfully oblivious to what happened.

Tom grins to himself as he listens to her bare feet pad across the kitchen to the bathroom, and he occupies himself while she’s away by politely pretending to listen to Mrs. Evans talking about how nice their new neighbours are.

“Tom, can I borrow you for a sec, please? There’s something I want to show you. Is that okay, Mom?” His head snaps back to see Rose standing in the doorway. Her composure has returned, and her long hair is swept to one side.

“Of course, you two go and have fun. I can imagine how bored you are by our conversation,” she laughs lightly, and Tom happily obliges, carefully sliding himself out of his chair and angling himself away from the rest of the party to hide his erection as he exits the kitchen.

Rose leads him upstairs to what he presumes is her room, shutting the door behind them when he enters. He takes a few seconds to stare around, nodding in approval and breathing in the all too familiar aroma of her perfume.

“It’s nice. This is your room, right?”

“Yup,” she says. “I uh, don’t stay in it very often, but it’s still nice to have somewhere, you know.”

“Where do you stay?”

“Just in an apartment somewhere.”

He squirms on the spot at her vague reply, but before he has a chance to probe further, she’s right next to him, her body pressed up against his as she breathes into his face.

“I can’t keep my hands off you,” she moans, her hands finding their way to the buttons on his chest. “I don’t know why you have this effect on me.”

He smiles, watching as she slowly unbuttons his shirt, but closing his eyes the moment her skin brushes against his.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” he says, leaning over to kiss her.

“I know,” she breathes into his mouth, her eyes alight with mischief.

Suddenly she’s peeling away his shirt and he’s lifting the bottom of her floral dress, pulling it over her bed and tossing it onto the floor. She giggles as he fumbles with her bra strap, and it isn’t long before her hand finds its way into his boxers.

He lets out a long sigh of relief as her hand finally touches his erection, shuddering as she slides it along his length.

“Don’t make too much noise,” she whispers, straddling him so that his cock is in between her legs while she pleasures him. He’s longing for her to suck him, to feel her lips on his most sensitive area, and he takes a deep breath.

“Fuck me with your mouth,” he whispers suddenly, his eyes flickering open as he speaks. She laughs and does a double take, but amazingly she obeys. He shuffles backwards a little to allow her to move her head down towards him, resting his back against the wall and opening his legs wide.

She teases him for a moment, blowing on the tip of his cock and coaxing him into believing that she will pleasure him, before finally flicking the tip with her tongue. Even the slightest touch makes him groan, and he closes his eyes, waiting for more.

“Do you like that?” she whispers, and she does it again.

He nods, squirming on the spot and clamping her head between his legs. “Please don’t stop.”

Between his squinting eyes, Tom can see her grinning as she plunges her head back down between his legs, and he can’t stifle his loud groan.

“Shh,” he hears her muffled giggle from below, but he can barely hear her over the sound of his own shallow breathing.

His hips begin to thrust as she slides her tongue up and down his length, lingering at the tip to tease him slightly, and within only a couple of minutes he can feel himself building up to the climax. He lets out another grunt of satisfaction to let her know that she’s close, when suddenly she pulls away. Once again, his eyes immediately flicker open.

“That’s all you’re getting,” she smirks, wiping her hand on the back of her mouth. He stares at her in disbelief, his mouth hanging open.

“No, Rose,” he breathes, lifting his hips and moving them towards her. “Please, I need to come.”