Consumed (6 page)

“When was that?” Michael asked.

“The next, you’re back to being a bastard!” she finished.

“I’m tired,” said Joel, “and I don’t trust them. There’s something about them. Had we all gone with them - they’d probably have called one of their friends to come and take anything of worth from the van...It’s in the papers all the time, that sort of crime.”

“Well I don’t know what papers you’ve been reading,” Lara said. She turned her back on Joel and climbed back into the van. Once in, she laid down on the row of seats at the back.

“Shit,” Joel muttered. He had only just made it up with Lara, he didn’t want to ruin things again. Especially if he had any chance of fixing their broken relationship.

“What’s going on between you two?” Michael asked, picking up the mixed feelings between them.

“Just give us a minute,” said Joel. He walked over to the van and clambered up onto the seats in front of where Lara lay. He closed the door behind him to ensure Michael didn’t follow. “I’m sorry,” he told Lara. She didn’t reply. She just laid there, on the back seat, with her eyes closed. “Did you hear me?”

“Yes. Two apologies in one day. You must be coming down with something.”

“I meant what I said earlier,” he told her. He kept one eye on Michael to make sure he wasn’t listening to the private conversation but he needn’t have worried for Michael had turned his attention to throwing stones across the road. “I know it’s too late and the feelings aren’t mutual but...I do...I do still love you.”

“What do you want from me?” she asked without so much as moving. “Am I supposed to leap up and profess my undying love for you? Are we supposed to pick up from where you dropped us, as though it never happened? The two of us together forever? Back to boyfriend and girlfriend, married with kids before we know it...Live a long happy life, growing old together whilst watching our children continue in our footsteps...Starting their own family? Is that it?”

“What if I said yes?” he asked.

“What? I don’t have time for your games,” she moaned.

“Not a game. What if I said I did want to marry you? What if I told you that all this time, without you...I’ve been miserable. I know you have too...The time apart just made me realise how much I loved you...Helped by seeing you today...”

She opened her eyes to look at him, “You’re being serious?”

He nodded, “Marry me.”

“Do you know how ridiculous you sound?”

“I don’t care. We’ve wasted enough time.”

“We?”

“I...”

“We can’t get married,” she told him. “We’re too young for starters...”

“My folks got married early. They’re still together.”

“And mine are divorced so that must tell you what I think about the institution of marriage.”

“We could get engaged at least,” he pressed - desperation oozing from his voice.

“Do you have any idea how you are sounding at the moment?”

“I’m sounding like someone who is in love. Look, I want you. I know that now. I’m sorry for leaving you. I truly am. If I could take it back I would. Honestly. But I can’t. I just need for you to forgive me and say you’ll give it another go...That you want to give it another go...”

“And what if I don’t want to?” she asked.

He paused.

“What if I said okay to us getting back together and then you went and dumped me again? Do you know how much that hurt? How many nights I cried myself to sleep? Any idea?”

“It won’t happen again, I promise. I swear. You’re the one I want. We were great together, you know we were. And we’re meant to be together. If not then you’d have met someone else. Or I would have...But neither of us did, in the time we weren’t together. Come on, a speed bump, that’s what it was. We just need to get over it. I won’t let you down again. I won’t hurt you again.”

Lara sat up and rested her back against the back of the seat.

“I need to think,” she said. “This is all happening too fast.” And it was happening too fast. She had woken, that morning, hating him for what he had done for her. Deep down she knew she still loved him but what if he did dump her unceremoniously, by text, again? She knew she couldn’t take it a second time. Part of her wanted to tell him they could have another go but the other part of her feared they’d just be kidding themselves and the chances of them having a relationship were doomed from the offset.

Joel desperately wanted to push her for an answer but knew, to do so, would be to push her away. “Okay,” he said, “well...Take as long as you need,” he said. He only hoped that she didn’t need too long to think about it as he wanted nothing more than to cradle her in his arms once more. And some petrol for his van.

CHAPTER FIVE

The tow-truck turned off the road and slowly made its way up a dirt-track towards a large, nice looking house which was set back against some woodlands.

“You guys live here?” Dan asked from the back seat.

“Whole family does,” said Stephen. Johnny simply muttered - still annoyed at his brother for offering help to the people who left him stranded. “Me and my brother grew up here!” he continued happily.

Stephen parked the truck outside the house and backed up slightly until the car was in line with a garage which was set apart from the rest of the house. Stephen hadn’t even turned the engine off before Johnny jumped out of the truck and made his way towards the house.

As soon as Stephen finished maneuvering the truck, he turned the engine off and climbed out. Dan took his lead and also stepped into the fresh air - followed by Hayley and Charlotte.

“Still no signal,” Dan moaned as he shot a quick glance at his mobile phone.

“Really is a nice home you have here,” said Hayley - for no other reason than to fill the silence.

“I’ll just get the car off and then we’ll go back for your friends...”

“Thanks, we really appreciate it,” said Charlotte.

“Not a problem,” said Stephen. “So you got anyone waiting for you? You need to borrow a phone and let them know you’re running late? We have a phone just inside the house,” he continued helpfully, “yours if you need it...” Stephen moved to the back of the tow-truck and started lowering the car until all four wheels were back on the floor.

“We’re going camping,” said Hayley.

“Nice,” said Stephen. “Should have just pitched your tents where you ran out of petrol. Could have stayed close to the van and got someone to help with the fuel situation before you were ready to go home again.”

“Did cross our minds,” said Dan. He slid his mobile phone back into his pocket.

“You should have told me you were bringing back some friends!” called an elderly woman from over by the front door. Stephen rolled his eyes at the sound of his voice.

“My mother, Andrea...” he said. “I apologise now, she doesn’t get out much!”

“I’m just helping them out,” he called over to his mother. The group turned to see the lady, in her sixties, making her way over to greet them.

“I’m Stephen’s mother,” she said, “so very nice to meet you all...Are you staying for some dinner?”

“Mum, I’m just helping them out...I don’t even know them...They were just parked up on the side of the road...Ran out of petrol. We’re going any minute...”

“Going? You’ve only just got here!” his mother moaned.

“I’m just taking them back to their van and giving them a tow to the nearest petrol station.”

Dan stepped forward, “Honestly, if it’s a problem - we can make a call and get someone to come and meet us...”

“No!” said Stephen. “It’s not a problem. If it was, I’d say so. It’s all good.”

“Andrea,” said Stephen’s mother. She extended her hand towards Charlotte. “You are?”

“Charlotte,” she took Andrea’s hand and shook it. As soon as she let go, Andrea moved to Hayley and did the same.

“Dan,” said Dan when Andrea finally got to him.

“It’s lovely to meet you all. Now I insist you all stay for dinner,” said Andrea. She smiled at Stephen.

“They have friends waiting for them,” said Stephen whilst undoing the chain which bound the car to the truck.

“Well I suggest you go and get them,” she insisted. “Bring them back here. You can all have something to eat and then be on your way....”

“Thank you,” said Dan, “but that won’t be necessary. But thank you.”

“Nonsense. I insist. Come inside and meet the rest of the family,” she took him by the hand and pulled him towards the house. He had no choice but to go with her. “Come along, girls...” Andrea turned back to Stephen who was left standing by the truck, “Run along and fetch their friends,” she said, “we’ll be waiting.”

“Mum, they really don’t...” his words fell on deaf ears as the front door slammed shut. He sighed and reattached the chain to the back of his truck to stop it from swinging around when he next drove away.

* * * * *

“Please, make yourself at home,” Andrea told Dan and the two girls as she led them through to the living room. She pointed them towards the sofa which lined the longest wall of the room.
Small coffee tables with lamps were on either side of the settee.

“Thank you,” Charlotte said.

“Listen, this really isn’t necessary...It was good enough of your son to help us in the first place. We don’t want to put you to any further trouble,” Dan tried to tell Andrea but she wouldn’t hear it.

“It really is no trouble at all,” she continued, “it’s nice to get visitors. We so rarely get visitors out here. The boys rarely bring anyone home. Their father, Robert, and I actively encourage it too!”

“Is that their dad?” asked Hayley. She was looking at one of the many framed pictures which were nailed to the walls - nearly all of them family related. The picture she pointed to was of Andrea standing next to a tall man who towered over her. The two of them were standing in front of some trees, in a small clearing, with their arms around each other. Both of them looking at the camera with a solemn expression upon their faces as though it were forbidden to smile in any of the photographs.

Andrea was a fairly small lady, with her grey hair and faded blue eyes, but she looked much, much, smaller standing next to the man in the photograph. Hayley considered that it could have just been the angle the photo was taken at but it was most likely the man would be well over six foot tall. Unlike Andrea’s all grey hair the man’s hair was quite a bit darker, with the exception of his beard which looked as though it belonged on someone else with the amount of grey hairs growing throughout it. Even had it not been for the grey of his beard, the wrinkles on his face would have given away his age - for other than those two factors, you’d be forgiven for thinking he was another son.

“Yes, that’s Robert,” said Andrea. “That photograph was taken sometime last year,” she carried on despite none of the three youths really needing to know. “The picture on the right,” she went on, “is of my daughters - Tammy and Suzanne...Tammy is the one on the left; my youngest daughter.”

Hayley looked at the picture of the two girls. The same pose as the previous picture and even the same spot. Tammy was standing, taller than her sister despite being the youngest, with her arm around her sister. She had waist length blonde hair. Despite the picture not being a close-up shot it was clear to see her eyes were of the brightest blue - maybe catching the sun’s reflection to make them appear brighter in the photo than they were in real life?