Losing Love

Mandy came to a sudden halt when he pressed the button on his keys and a brand new black Range Rover flashed open. Ok, then. He is a rich smart ass, she thought to herself and smiled.

"You going to stand there all night or were you planning on getting in?" He asked, after placing his niece securely in her car seat. She rolled her eye's and proceeded towards the jeep.

"Just admiring the view." She commented as she hopped up onto the seat.

"Oh well thank you." He teased.

"You really are full of it." She told him as she folded her arms and turned her head to gaze out the windscreen. "You said you would try." She reminded him, still looking straight ahead. She heard him chuckle as he nodded his head.

The engine roared to life and he pulled out onto the road towards her house. She gave him quick directions. He seemed to have taken it all in but it was basically a straight road to her house.

"Mandy." She heard Kerry squeal her name from the back of the jeep.

"Uh-huh?" She answered turning in her seat.

"Are you Josh's new girlfriend?" She questioned innocently.

"Kerry!" Josh warned looking back at her. Mandy smiled smugly watching him turn slightly red.

"No, sweetie, I'm not." Mandy confirmed smiling at the tiny blonde as she sighed.

"Oh-" She sounded disappointed. "You are nicer than the last girlfriends he had." Kerry turned her head to gaze out the window. Her small face stuck to the glass. Mandy's eyes narrowed noticing how the little girl used girlfriends, plural. He obviously had more than one.

"So Mandy, you thinking of going to college next year?" He asked trying his best to change the subject but sounding truly interested at the same time. She felt comfortable around him, or maybe it was the fact that she did not care what anybody thought any more. It did not matter to her.

"Yes, I am thinking of going to Liberty University next year." He stared at her for a moment, a wide smile stretching across his face exposing his perfect teeth.

"Woo, so you are joining us?" He almost shouted. This guy was a serious loony but Mandy admired his sense of humor, it reminded her of herself. If she wasn't in so much emotional pain she might have actually cracked a joke. She smiled weakly at his enthusiasm. "You sure you want to be thrown in with your brother and the rest of us? Things can get a little rough." He laughed.

"I'm sure I can manage." She stated.

"Yeah, I am sure you can." He said sounding serious.

"Well, I wouldn't see him next year anyway. Next year is the year you go on work experience abroad, right?"

"Yes, that's right." He confirmed. "Two years without me, what ever will you do?" He smiled crookedly.

"Oh Casanova, how would I survive?" She mocked, holding her hand to her head looking distressed. She saw him shake with laughter beside her. "Eighteen years of my life I have felt helpless and then all of a sudden you walked into Pitter-Patter playground and boom! -- There it is, I feel whole." She smiled as she saw him accelerate into more laughter.

"You actually do have a sense of humor in there." He joked, sounding surprised.

"I try." She respond. "So Mr. Loves himself too much, what do you study? Or wait are you too good to study with the rest of us commoners?" He looked at her and rolled his eye's at her question.

"English and Law." He said casually.

"Mmm, very impressive." She commented turning her head to look out the window. He seemed to know all the right strings to pull so far, but she wasn't convinced, nobody could be so perfect.

They both stayed silent for the rest of the drive. It wasn't an awkward silence like she thought it would have been. She watched as houses and trees flew passed her like bullets. All she could hear was the heavy breathing of Kerry in the back. She had fallen asleep, her head was handing down in what looked like a painful position. Mandy tried her best to fix her several times but she just continued sliding down. "She will be fine." Josh assured her, whispering. Mandy just nodded her head. "Is it this estate turn on the right?" He asked. She looked at him, mystified, for a moment until she realized she was almost home.

"Oh yes, that is it." She stuttered. "It's the corner house on the left." She told him. Matt was sitting on the small wall surrounding their red bricked house when they pulled up. She saw him say goodbye and flip down the phone. She was guessing he was on the phone to his girlfriend. It must have been hard for him to stay away from her for so long, Mandy could see he loved her.

Josh pressed the button on the door and his window rolled down. "Hey, man." They both greeted each other shaking each others hand. Josh received a slap on the back from Matt. Mandy never got that with men. If someone did that to her she was sure they would have broke a bone. She got out while they were deep in another conversation and walked around the large jeep to Matt's side.

"So how is Suzie?" She heard Josh ask. She turned her head to her brother and shot him her evil eye's

"What?" He asked, shrugging.

"Even, Casanova here, knew about Suzie before I did." She spat. He rolled his eye's and turned back to Josh to inform him on how she was surviving without him. Men can be so vain sometimes, Mandy thought to herself nodding her head. Listening to Matt ramble on about how Suzie was mourning after him made her want to stick her fingers back her throat. She was sure the girl was just fine, out enjoying herself with her friends. Then, he stopped and looked at both of them sceptically.

"Casanova?" He questioned. "Hope he kept his hand's himself in that jeep." Matt warned.

"Seriously, get a grip." She grunted, folding her arms.

"Just checking. He has a very interesting reputation." Matt laughed.

Mandy smiled at Josh almost evilly. "So his four year old niece had informed me." She grinned still staring at him. He smiled crookedly and shook his head.

"Want to come in?" Mandy asked, trying to be polite.

"Am, no thanks, I should be off. I have to get Kerry back. They'll think I kidnapped her." She was hoping he was going to say that. She was sure she would have to own a butcher knife to cut through the tension in her house.

"See you next week." Josh told him shaking his hand. "The Rocks party in on Saturday week." He confirmed. They both looked at each other and laughed. Mandy recognized the name, Matt had told her a few stories about that place. A night of catching sexually transmitted diseases, as had once put it. They both said their goodbye's and Matt returned to the house.

"Thanks for the lift." She smiled gratefully. A smile could would make any man's heart skip a bit.

"No problem." He said looking away. Mandy had made more of an impact on him than she had thought. "Well, take care of yourself. I enjoyed our little verbal battle." He chuckled as he extended his hand.

"I will and me too. Tell Kerry I said Happy Birthday." She smiled shaking his hand. He nodded in agreement and flashed a wide grin at her. She turned and walked up the four intended steps to her house. She stayed at the door as he turned the car.

"See you in college, Casanova." She shouted after him. She laughed as he shook his head and rolled his eye's. She stayed there until she could no longer see his jeep. She turned and sighed as she looked at the house. She had decided she needed to speak to her mother. She needed her by her side and she wanted her support with this. The only way she was going to get it was if she spoke to her. "He goes nothing." She breathed as she opened the door. Already, the tension hit her in the face like she had been hit with a life time of guilt.