Chapter 15

"Sarah," Anne called and held out her hands to hug her daughter. "Sarah, how are you?"

"I'm fine," Sarah said frostily. "Tabitha had a little girl, by the way."

"A girl? Ahh, well, we got Adam's text message but we didn't know any more. How is she?"

"She's fine," Sarah muttered and held her coffee tightly, looking around the empty coffee shop. "Keeping us awake half the night, but fine." There was silence for a minute as Sarah looked at her mother. "Well, you wanted to see me?"

"Sarah, I'm sorry if you think we are angry or disappointed with you, we aren't."

"Dad is."

"Dad isn't," Anne responded quickly. "He was shocked, we both were." Sarah sighed and her mother stared at her. "You're his little girl, he sometimes forgets you might be an adult, but you mean the world to him. And he thinks the world of you. And yes, he's a bit stuck in his ways and he isn't good with things he doesn't understand, but he loves you, and no matter what happens, you can't change that."

Sarah stared into the bubbles on top of her latte and glanced up. "He was so disappointed when he found out."

Anne sighed. "Well maybe a bit. He doesn't understand. Or more to the point, he didn't understand. You live in a different world to us at times. He's not comfortable with the idea of you not marrying a nice guy and settling down to start a family and the like. He didn't get it."

"He thought I was doing wrong," Sarah replied instantly. "And he has always been prejudiced. He doesn't like Tabitha, he never has done. He just doesn't get it."

Anne sighed. "He likes Tabitha if she makes his little girl happy." Anne looked at her daughter and frowned at her. "Honestly, believe me. And he will love you and accept whatever you choose to do with your life. And be proud of you."

Sarah took a deep breath and tapped the side of her cup. "He ... he wishes I wasn't a primary school teacher."

Anne shook her head. "Not at all. You think that 'cause he tried to steer you towards business, but the day you got your first job, and we had that meal in that restaurant to celebrate, he didn't shut up about you in the car on the way home. He was made up, Sarah. And you having a girlfriend instead of a boyfriend, isn't going to change that. For either of us." Anne dabbed at her eyes and looked at her daughter. "Do you really think that you having a Tabitha instead of a Terry for a partner is going to undo 23 years of affection and love? Really?"

Sarah shrugged. "Well..."

"It's such a silly, minor thing," Anne told her. "He doesn't care, but he does care if he thinks you don't love him."

"Then why isn't he here?"

"Would you have met me if he was going to be here?" Sarah shrugged. "Now come 'round for dinner on Sunday," her mother told her. "Please."

Sarah groaned. "If I have to."

"You don't have to," Anne told her. "But we'd want you to. And bring Tabitha as well."

Sarah snickered. "You must be joking."

Anne stared at her daughter. "Your father will be on his best behaviour," she told her. "Cause there isn't many times when I don't get my own way, is there?"

"No," Sarah begrudgingly admitted.

"Now come give me a hug," Anne asked. "I hate it when we argue." Sarah sniffed and got up to embrace her mother.

Adam squinted at the naked girl standing with her arms crossed. "Pardon?"

"A massage," Natalie promised. "All set up in my room."

"A massage?" Adam asked and leapt to his feet. "What's this for?"

"A thank you," Natalie told him. "And, well, I was a bit of a bitch with you at the hospital." She held out her hand and looked seductively into his eyes. "I guess if Sarah and Tabitha can forgive you and they were their videos then I shouldn't..."

"Be so pig-headed?"

Natalie screwed up her face. "Do you want a massage or not?"

Adam nodded and touched her on the arm. "Of course." She opened the door to her room and guided the naked man into a calm sanctuary, full of flickering candles and the gentle scent of peaches and lavender. Some soft instrumental music was playing in the background. Natalie guided him onto the bench and poured a generous portion of oil in her hands.

She breathed out with every stroke along his back and Adam sighed with every touch. Adam felt relaxed and almost fell asleep at every motion Natalie made. She had a wonderfully gentle touch that was quite unexpected in someone so prickly and determined.

For Adam, Natalie's unexpected warmth presented a new problem for him. He guessed that if he asked her out somewhere then she would almost certainly come, she had admitted she was lonely before, but after her antics of the previous month he was unsure if he wanted to spend too much time with her.

He liked her, she was the closest he had come to his "ideal woman" but her behaviour with him about the videos had him wondering. Could he be with someone who could be like that?

If nothing else, with massages like the one he had received, friendship was the least he would want and smiled as her hands darted in between his shoulders. "That's lovely," he muttered in appreciation.

She gestured for him to turn over and sat down next to him taking his arm and rubbing her oily fingers over it. "You leave tomorrow," Natalie cooed and pressed down hard on his arms and adjusted herself. "You gonna come back and see us."

Adam smirked. "Well I might. Just to see the naked chicks." Natalie groaned and squeezed his biceps that made him squeal. "I wanna see you, take you out somewhere next week."

Natalie pursed her lips and continued the massage. "You do, do you?"

"Yeah," Adam said nervously. "And I was gonna book a small restaurant near where I work. Cinema first and then meal. Was thinking of Wednesday, so don't arrange owt."

Natalie sniffed. "What if I don't want to go?" she asked. "What if I didn't want to do that."

Adam spluttered. "You always moan you ain't got anything to do. You always moan you are lonely. I don't think I'm gonna get a 'no' from you, am I?"

Natalie stopped massaging him and stared at her house mate. "You what?" She asked fiercely.

"Oh come on. Now Tab and Sarah have the little one, you'll be bored right? So I thought it'd be cool to spend a bit of time with each other. Go for a meal, go for a film. I can show my new place," he said with a giggle. "I got a double bed and a..."

"Fuck you," Natalie cried interrupting him and jumped to her feet. She glared at him, before shaking her head.

"What? Oh come on Natalie?"

"How dare you. I am not some easy hussy for you to pick up," she thundered. "I thought you weren't like that."

"I never said..." Adam trailed off and looked at Natalie standing over him. "Chill love. What's got into you?"

"Nothing," she yelled. "I just don't like..."

"Hey, it's not ya time of the month is it?"

Natalie groaned and picked up one of the candles that lined her room. She shook it over his crotch and watched as Adam's eyes widened and then he made a loud cry.

"No," Natalie cried. "I am not on my period. And you were going to get a very happy finish if you weren't such a cock."

Adam wasn't listening; he had his hands glued to his abused member and scrambling to his feet to put some cold water on his burning penis. "Fuckin' cow," he screamed. Natalie watched him leave the room and sighed; the evening could have been so different and she just locked the door to her room, sinking down behind her door and bursting into tears.

Sarah passed him the keys to his new flat with a grin. "I've cleaned it. Well actually Tabitha cleaned most of it 'cause she's on maternity, I polished the tables."

Adam smiled. "Tables? Oh, the umm, tiny dining table."

"Yeah. But it needed three squirts," Sarah told him and she cocked her head.

"Thanks, you didn't need to."

"Ahh, we wanted to. Cause when we come and visit I know how clean it should be." Adam held out his arm to take cuddle the clothed woman. "I suppose it's the least we could do, you were ummm ... well you were there for Tab when she needed you."

"I did nothing," Adam blurted out. "Well I flirted with the midwife. She was hot. And only nineteen."

Sarah licked her lips and rubbed her eye with the ball of her palm. "You haven't changed. Well actually I s'pose you have. I think you are more ... house trained."

"House trained?"

"Yeah, 'cause you put the toilet lid down now. And no peanuts last night on the floor." Adam shrugged. "No but seriously. Tab said she couldn't have done it with you. It means so much to both of us."

Adam pursed his lips. "I really didn't do much. And it was such an intense thing to be involved in. It was so..." He gestured with his hands and Sarah nodded.

"I know," Sarah muttered. "It's amazing. I keep checking she is OK. She's so little and defenceless."

Adam smiled and looked at himself. "I guess I better get dressed and loaded onto the van. Give ya, yar house back."

"Yeah, OK," Sarah muttered and watched as Adam ran up the stairs. She walked into the front room and sat down on the chair, relaxing her tired muscles; she wished Tabitha was there to curl up with, but her partner was seeing her friend and she just wanted to say goodbye to Adam.

She looked up at the ceiling and heard Adam's footsteps: she really should help him and pulled herself to her feet. "Want a hand?"

Adam shook his head. "I've only got a few things. Most o'me stuff's in storage," he breathed out, struggling with a heavy box and Sarah kindly opened the front door.

It took Adam only a few minutes to put everything except his bike (he was coming back for that) on the van and Sarah took the opportunity to change into something more comfortable. As Adam loaded the last of his boxes on the van, the naked (except a pair of stockings, a dressing gown and a clip in her hair) Sarah watched as he closed the front door. "Want a cuppa?"

"Yeah, go on."

Sarah wrapped her dressing down around her tighter as a draught from the street swirled around her thighs and Adam grinned. "Stop it," she told him and looked back as Adam ogled her from behind.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I would have wanted Natalie to be here to say goodbye," he moaned as they walked towards the kitchen. "Tabitha and you forgave me. And Nat and me, we had some good times. And I wanted one last look of her naked before I leave."

Sarah crossed her arms as she flicked the kettle switch. "Natalie: ahh well, she's pissed off with you. But she does have to work." Adam sneered but Sarah looked at him. "It might be a Saturday but you work on some Saturdays."

"Well I didn't even get a goodbye when she went out this morning."

"Well that's Nat for you. She is annoyed."

"Yeah but I still don't know what I did wrong."

Sarah sighed. "She told me that you asked her out on a date to go do what you wanted and expected her to stay the night and have sex with you."

Adam stared at her open mouthed. "I never said the sex. I told her I had a 'double bed' and was going to tell her that I had a single bed in the spare bedroom when she shouted at me and poured hot candle wax on my crotch."

Sarah groaned. "Well she thinks you only asked her out because you think she's lonely. And it's Nat, she is too proud to relent. She is annoyed with you as it was your last night here and she wanted to make it special. So until you make a move, or she gets bored and forgets why she had the grudge in the first place she'll be annoyed." Sarah poured hot water into two cups and dropped a tea bag in each. "But she is shit in the morning and she just hared off to work. They've not replaced a couple of people who've left so Nat is covering. She was probably late as she always is." Sarah dropped a bit of milk into the tea and then squeezed the tea-bag with the spoon before passing it to her companion.

"Cheers," Adam muttered and took a sip. "I don't know," he mumbled. "She seems like hard work."

"She will be," Sarah told him. "And she is. But she is a great girl."

Adam hummed. "Yeah, she is," he muttered. He stopped looking wistfully at the back door and looked at Sarah. "It's been a weird few months."

Sarah sniffed. "But not unenjoyable?"

"No, very..."

"Enlightening," Sarah suggested with a smirk.

"Yeah, I'd say that."

Sarah grinned. "Learned how to deliver a baby?"

Adam chortled. "I did nothing. I told you that."

"I know, all you did was to play with Tab's tits, tell the midwife that Tab was a lesbian and chat her up."

"Exactly," Adam said with flourish.

Sarah pursed her lips together. "You do yourself a disservice," she told him. "I mean, you were probably a pain in the arse but that's 'cos you're Adam, but Tab said you were great, and she needed someone."

Adam sighed. "And what about you and Tabitha?" Adam asked as he drank from the cup.

"What about us?"

Adam smiled. "It's hurting you. Ya gutted ya weren't there."

Sarah shrugged. "Mebbe."

Adam looked at her as she pulled her gown closer. "It is, isn't it?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. I think Tab has forgiven me, I didn't do it on purpose but I feel so annoyed with myself."

Adam nodded his head slowly in agreement. "Well, what happens next?"

"Tab is going to move into my room and Tab's room is going to be the nursery. And well, I shall be Lara's other mum."

"What about the father? The real, I mean biological, parent."

Sarah snorted. "He doesn't know. Tab didn't want to tell him and I see why. She has me, she doesn't need him. But I'd feel happier if he knew."

"And you aren't going to cement your relationship?"

"How?" Sarah asked. "We have a kid and..."

Adam touched his ring finger on his left hand and smirked. "February 29th on Wednesday. The PA in our office is going to ask her boyfriend."

"What? You mean, marriage?" Sarah stared at the worktop and shook her head from side to side. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Well it seems as though the next step."

She sighed. "Tab would be touched, well made up even." She turned and scowled. "Just when did you start understanding women?"

Adam sighed and picked up the van keys from the side. "I have this way with them."

"Well," Sarah replied with a smirk. "If you are so perfect then maybe you would have not fucked things up with Natalie."

"Yeah, don't remind me," Adam muttered and held out his arms to the almost naked girl, hugging her tightly. "I'd say thanks for having me, but I reckon it was under duress."

"Yeah, it was," Sarah confessed. "But you knew that. And once we got to know you, you were OK I s'pose. Pity about your friends."

"Ahh yes, well I have said sorry," Adam muttered. "And if it makes you feel any better, his credit card was cloned and they racked up thousands of pounds of charges. He's having real trouble."

Sarah's face brightened. "What with the bank?"

"All the call centres for his bank are in India. Or Wales. He can't understand the accent." Sarah laughed as Adam smiled and he put his front door key on the worktop. "I told ya dad I would drop it off here as I hear you got someone coming to look 'round?"

"Yeah, next week I think. Natalie's arranged it, some girl she knows."

"Oh, a women," Adam asked. "I put you off men then."

"I was already off men," Sarah replied and hesitated. "But I think you put Nat off men, we are ready to welcome her into the sisterhood." Adam chuckled at Sarah's facial expression and she continued. "Pity 'cause you are both so alike."