Something That Makes Me Whole
Trois
Orchid linked her arm through Sarah's as Jimmy held the door to the bar open, smiling widely at the tall young woman who just smiled shyly in return. The pair of them followed the guys to a raised seating area next to a billiards table, which they instantly began organising teams for games.
Orchid sat down in a seat at the table as Sarah disappeared and Zack went round asking about drinks, he was obviously getting the first round. "Do you want some help?" She piped up, not wanting to sit at the table alone.
"Sure." He smiled.
The two of them pushed through the crowds to the bar where a fat bloke with plenty of tattoos served them. As they were debating how to get them all back to the table in one trip Jimmy appeared just behind Orchid and offered to take some too. She gave him another shy smile and headed after Zack. Jimmy made her nervous, but the good kind and all she could do was turn red when he spoke to her.
They set the drinks down and sat around the tables they had pushed together, before all claiming their order whilst Matt cleared his throat. "We've devised a plan on who play's who."
"I don't care about playing, I'm not that good." Orchid announced, setting down her bottle of beer.
"Oh that's alright, you're playing with Jimmy. He can show you." Matt grinned as he stood and moved to set up the rack for the first game. Sarah and Zack were stood - closely as always - waiting to play Brian and Matt. The other member of their band, Johnny, was much younger than them and visiting his dad anyway.
Jimmy slid across the leather seat to sit beside Orchid who sort of grinned at him so he grinned back. Then she began playing with her hair nervously, fully aware of the looks Sarah kept sending her. Instead she turned to look elsewhere so she couldn't see her smirking friend. "I think drinking games are much better." She said, breaking the ice between them.
"I'll agree with you there." He replied, lifting the bottle to his lips and taking a gulp, his adams apple bobbing as he did; Orchid couldn't help but watch, but then turned away to hide her burning cheeks.
"Me and Sarah travelled around Europe after graduation, this summer and we spent a fair few mornings with our heads in the toilets of our hotel rooms." Orchid said, smiling at the memories. "Especially in England. We stayed with Sarah's relatives and those guys, the English, seriously know how to play drinking games, dude."
"Oh I don't know, we went to Germany once and they can put beer away like I don't know what."
"Sarah, do you wanna play a drinking game instead?" Orchid then called out.
"No, it's too early." She replied.
Orchid groaned and slid further down into her seat. For a while her and Jimmy sat talking about absolutely nothing but she was comfy with that because those conversations told her the most about people. Then came their turn to play Brian and Matt.
Brian POV
I couldn't help but watch as Jimmy stood behind her and showed her how to play the game, wishing that was me. I couldn't help but have visions of me doing things to Jimmy out ot jealously. I shouldn't like her but I couldn't help it.
I was normally the cut and run sort of guy who only stuck around for the one night stand but Orchid was making me change and she didn't even realise it. I only liked her so far, but I knew it would probably end up going further. It had happened once before but that was what made me like I am, it was what made me shy away from relationships. Though when I fell, I fell hard.
She was far too good to be true and Jimmy would break her heart. Orchid didn't deserve that. And sure she had caught me out and was playing back, but that only made me like her more.
Zack used to be like me, just because he used to be the sort to jump on the bandwagon and now he had Sarah so what was to say I couldn't have Orchid? Apart from my reputation and my ego? Actually, they were the only three things stopping me but I was big headed and they always came first. I never sacrificed them for anything and I didn’t intend on making an exception.
I averted my attention to a pretty little red head at the bar and smiled. She wasn’t Orchid but she would do, when I looked back to the table because Zack had kicked me and told me it was my go, I saw Orchid and Jimmy's lip pressed together firmly, his arms were clamped around her just about non-existent stick of a waist and I could tell she was smiling. That stung pretty badly, causing me to hit the ball too hard, forcing it off the table and it bounced heavily across the floor.
At least they stopped with the tonsil hockey. "Woah, Haner, I thought we were playing pool?" Orchid asked with an amused smile my way, as she reclaimed the missing cue ball and placed it on the table.
"Yeah well..." I shrugged as I came up with a lie. "I was seeing if I could pot it in a beer glass instead."
"Well you can pay for all the broken glasses then." She answered, shoving me aside with one swift nudge of her hip at me. I stumbled a few steps to the side before regaining my footing and going to grab up my drink which I finished in one gulp. Eventually we ended up with the drinking games but I didn't drink that much because I had been the guy elected to wake everyone up in the morning.
End POV
Orchid stumbled up the door with Jimmy clinging off of her, whilst she fumbled with the key and tried to kiss him; Brian just leaned up the wall in a huff. Eventually they fell through the door. But they all stopped short at the sight of the little girl, stirring where she laid on the sofa. Brian's breath caught in his throat and instantly he went over when she sat up. "Amber!" He said happily, scooping her up in his arms and planting kisses all over her.
Orchid just watched as the little girl clung for dear life to her roommate. "How did you get in here?" Brian then asked as he stood her on the sofa and sat down to remove his shoes.
"Kate picked the lock." She explained.
"Where is she?" Jimmy asked where he stood beside Orchid.
"Oh yeah, she said to give you this daddy." Then she produced a tatty piece of paper. "Then she said you wouldn't ever be able to give me back because she won't be here anymore."
"I'll be at mine." Jimmy said quietly to Orchid before leaving. She busied herself as Brian chatted with his daughter, until Amber came into her room and watched her.
"You're really pretty." She said and Orchid turned to her with a smile; then she sunk onto the edge of her bed as she rooted in a drawer for a hair brush. "I like your hair."
"Thank you, I like yours too."
"I'm Amber," the little girl came across and climbed up beside her "daddy said that you have the name of really pretty flowers."
Orchid laughed. "I'm Orchid-Rose."
"I like your fairies." Amber then said, looking at the little ornaments on the bedside table. If this had been her niece, Reese, she would have been picking them up and poking them; Amber however had her hands folded in her lap and was just studying them. There was no question that she was Brian's daughter since she looked like him, and all of a sudden a different Brian was on show. One that Orchid actually liked far more than Jimmy, and she felt compelled to stay at her own apartment.
Orchid stood, leaving the little girl studying her fairy filled room and went to find her roommate. "Brian." She said and he turned to look at her from the kitchen. She went over to him and took the tin from his hands and opened it for him, before pouring the spaghetti and tomato sauce into a bowl and shoving it in the microwave. "You should be proud of her."
"I am." He grinned. "Her mom, Kate, she's an idiot. She doesn't know whether she's coming or going. One minute I'm allowed to see Amber, the next I'm not. The last time I saw her was five or six months ago when Kate finally made contact after Amber had been living with me for a year. She can't stand her mom."
"How old were you?"
"15, young I know but that doesn't stop me from loving her."
"She can have my bed tonight because your room is suitable for a four year old."
"What about you?"
"Jimmy."
"Oh."
"I have no lectures tomorrow morning so I'll look after her for you."
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, anyway, I’m off. I’ll be back at about ten to nine tomorrow.” Orchid then said slipping on some flats that were by the door; she was only walking down the corridor but the carpet out there already looked skanky and disease ridden and the semester had only started two weeks ago. "Bye Amber!"
She heard a small 'goodbye' and she smiled at Brian when he bid her farewell, before opening the door and stepping out onto the carpet from hell. Then she went the few doors down till she reached Jimmy's room.
Orchid sat down in a seat at the table as Sarah disappeared and Zack went round asking about drinks, he was obviously getting the first round. "Do you want some help?" She piped up, not wanting to sit at the table alone.
"Sure." He smiled.
The two of them pushed through the crowds to the bar where a fat bloke with plenty of tattoos served them. As they were debating how to get them all back to the table in one trip Jimmy appeared just behind Orchid and offered to take some too. She gave him another shy smile and headed after Zack. Jimmy made her nervous, but the good kind and all she could do was turn red when he spoke to her.
They set the drinks down and sat around the tables they had pushed together, before all claiming their order whilst Matt cleared his throat. "We've devised a plan on who play's who."
"I don't care about playing, I'm not that good." Orchid announced, setting down her bottle of beer.
"Oh that's alright, you're playing with Jimmy. He can show you." Matt grinned as he stood and moved to set up the rack for the first game. Sarah and Zack were stood - closely as always - waiting to play Brian and Matt. The other member of their band, Johnny, was much younger than them and visiting his dad anyway.
Jimmy slid across the leather seat to sit beside Orchid who sort of grinned at him so he grinned back. Then she began playing with her hair nervously, fully aware of the looks Sarah kept sending her. Instead she turned to look elsewhere so she couldn't see her smirking friend. "I think drinking games are much better." She said, breaking the ice between them.
"I'll agree with you there." He replied, lifting the bottle to his lips and taking a gulp, his adams apple bobbing as he did; Orchid couldn't help but watch, but then turned away to hide her burning cheeks.
"Me and Sarah travelled around Europe after graduation, this summer and we spent a fair few mornings with our heads in the toilets of our hotel rooms." Orchid said, smiling at the memories. "Especially in England. We stayed with Sarah's relatives and those guys, the English, seriously know how to play drinking games, dude."
"Oh I don't know, we went to Germany once and they can put beer away like I don't know what."
"Sarah, do you wanna play a drinking game instead?" Orchid then called out.
"No, it's too early." She replied.
Orchid groaned and slid further down into her seat. For a while her and Jimmy sat talking about absolutely nothing but she was comfy with that because those conversations told her the most about people. Then came their turn to play Brian and Matt.
Brian POV
I couldn't help but watch as Jimmy stood behind her and showed her how to play the game, wishing that was me. I couldn't help but have visions of me doing things to Jimmy out ot jealously. I shouldn't like her but I couldn't help it.
I was normally the cut and run sort of guy who only stuck around for the one night stand but Orchid was making me change and she didn't even realise it. I only liked her so far, but I knew it would probably end up going further. It had happened once before but that was what made me like I am, it was what made me shy away from relationships. Though when I fell, I fell hard.
She was far too good to be true and Jimmy would break her heart. Orchid didn't deserve that. And sure she had caught me out and was playing back, but that only made me like her more.
Zack used to be like me, just because he used to be the sort to jump on the bandwagon and now he had Sarah so what was to say I couldn't have Orchid? Apart from my reputation and my ego? Actually, they were the only three things stopping me but I was big headed and they always came first. I never sacrificed them for anything and I didn’t intend on making an exception.
I averted my attention to a pretty little red head at the bar and smiled. She wasn’t Orchid but she would do, when I looked back to the table because Zack had kicked me and told me it was my go, I saw Orchid and Jimmy's lip pressed together firmly, his arms were clamped around her just about non-existent stick of a waist and I could tell she was smiling. That stung pretty badly, causing me to hit the ball too hard, forcing it off the table and it bounced heavily across the floor.
At least they stopped with the tonsil hockey. "Woah, Haner, I thought we were playing pool?" Orchid asked with an amused smile my way, as she reclaimed the missing cue ball and placed it on the table.
"Yeah well..." I shrugged as I came up with a lie. "I was seeing if I could pot it in a beer glass instead."
"Well you can pay for all the broken glasses then." She answered, shoving me aside with one swift nudge of her hip at me. I stumbled a few steps to the side before regaining my footing and going to grab up my drink which I finished in one gulp. Eventually we ended up with the drinking games but I didn't drink that much because I had been the guy elected to wake everyone up in the morning.
End POV
Orchid stumbled up the door with Jimmy clinging off of her, whilst she fumbled with the key and tried to kiss him; Brian just leaned up the wall in a huff. Eventually they fell through the door. But they all stopped short at the sight of the little girl, stirring where she laid on the sofa. Brian's breath caught in his throat and instantly he went over when she sat up. "Amber!" He said happily, scooping her up in his arms and planting kisses all over her.
Orchid just watched as the little girl clung for dear life to her roommate. "How did you get in here?" Brian then asked as he stood her on the sofa and sat down to remove his shoes.
"Kate picked the lock." She explained.
"Where is she?" Jimmy asked where he stood beside Orchid.
"Oh yeah, she said to give you this daddy." Then she produced a tatty piece of paper. "Then she said you wouldn't ever be able to give me back because she won't be here anymore."
"I'll be at mine." Jimmy said quietly to Orchid before leaving. She busied herself as Brian chatted with his daughter, until Amber came into her room and watched her.
"You're really pretty." She said and Orchid turned to her with a smile; then she sunk onto the edge of her bed as she rooted in a drawer for a hair brush. "I like your hair."
"Thank you, I like yours too."
"I'm Amber," the little girl came across and climbed up beside her "daddy said that you have the name of really pretty flowers."
Orchid laughed. "I'm Orchid-Rose."
"I like your fairies." Amber then said, looking at the little ornaments on the bedside table. If this had been her niece, Reese, she would have been picking them up and poking them; Amber however had her hands folded in her lap and was just studying them. There was no question that she was Brian's daughter since she looked like him, and all of a sudden a different Brian was on show. One that Orchid actually liked far more than Jimmy, and she felt compelled to stay at her own apartment.
Orchid stood, leaving the little girl studying her fairy filled room and went to find her roommate. "Brian." She said and he turned to look at her from the kitchen. She went over to him and took the tin from his hands and opened it for him, before pouring the spaghetti and tomato sauce into a bowl and shoving it in the microwave. "You should be proud of her."
"I am." He grinned. "Her mom, Kate, she's an idiot. She doesn't know whether she's coming or going. One minute I'm allowed to see Amber, the next I'm not. The last time I saw her was five or six months ago when Kate finally made contact after Amber had been living with me for a year. She can't stand her mom."
"How old were you?"
"15, young I know but that doesn't stop me from loving her."
"She can have my bed tonight because your room is suitable for a four year old."
"What about you?"
"Jimmy."
"Oh."
"I have no lectures tomorrow morning so I'll look after her for you."
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, anyway, I’m off. I’ll be back at about ten to nine tomorrow.” Orchid then said slipping on some flats that were by the door; she was only walking down the corridor but the carpet out there already looked skanky and disease ridden and the semester had only started two weeks ago. "Bye Amber!"
She heard a small 'goodbye' and she smiled at Brian when he bid her farewell, before opening the door and stepping out onto the carpet from hell. Then she went the few doors down till she reached Jimmy's room.