Solitary man

Katie smiled at Bam as he pulled a beanie over his dark curls and then adjusted his jacket. He had just got out of the shower and was smelling fresh and looking delicious in spite of the frown creasing his brow.

‘Just be yourself,’ Katie said, and Bam pulled a face

‘I always am,’ he replied

‘Yes. Well, maybe don’t go on about skating all the time and don’t go on about the bands you love so much…everyone knows about them,’ Katie said, trying to help.

Bam cocked a brow. ‘Do I?’ he asked

‘You do,’ Katie said with a bright smile, ‘I don’t mean you to stop talking about your passions all together but maybe on the first date, just concentrate on the woman you are with.’

Katie had a hard time trying to work out why Bam was having such a hard time keeping a girl for more than five minutes. After his divorce two years go, it took him a while to find his feet again, to find what he had loved again because Missy had taken it all away from him and he slowly got to know his friends again and decided it would be good to put himself back on the market and though tons of girl's fell head over heels for him, he couldn’t seem to keep them for very long and it baffled Katie to the point she wanted to pull her hair out, shake the woman he was with and ask them if they were blind, stupid or both. He was incredibly good looking, funny, gently once you got to know him and all round a good guy.

Bam was her brother’s friend and since her brother had moved away, got married and had a kid; Bam had become her friend too. They were child hood friends and things were fine until Missy came into the picture but since the divorce, Bam re-established contact with Katie. Katie was the one to push him to pull himself together, to go out, to find the life he once had and, maybe go on a few dates.

Katie had always looked at Ape and Phil’s home as a second home and even though Missy kept Katie and Bam apart, she still saw Ape and Phil and the rest of Bam’s friends. Katie’s own parent’s had passed a few years earlier – first her mother and then her father a few months later and during that time Bam been there for her and her brother. He was wonderful, holding her hand as her father slowly passed away, from what they said was a broken heart after loosing his wife.

Katie straightened Bam’s jacket and the pointed to the door. ‘Just be yourself,’ she reminded him.

Bam grinned at her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and walked out the door to his hummer. Katie ran her fingers through her long hair wondering if she was giving him the right advice as she watched him. She really shouldn’t have been giving him advice when none of her dates worked out either. She just couldn’t connect with any of her dates, and none of the men made her stomach flutter with butterflies…the way Bam made her feel. He couldn’t see it though, he wouldn’t have gone for her in a million years. She saw more to Bam than the woman he went out with, she stood in the boiling hot sun or froze to death on some days when she watched him skate. She would listen to him for hours going on about the bands he loved, because she loved them too and many nights screamed at their concerts he took her too – yes, sore throat, sore feet and sore head but it was always worth it. If only Bam would see further than their friendship or he would, like one of his favorite songs, be a solitary man.

The following day Bam went over to Ape and Phil and wasn’t surprised to Katie sitting in the Kitchen going through some of Ape’s favorite recipes. ‘Where are Ape and Phil?’ Bam asked

‘Shopping. How did your evening go?’ Katie asked curiously, closing the recipe book in front of her but not before marking the page on a scrap piece of paper.

‘Fucking awful,’ Bam replied and shook his head. ‘Half way through the meal she phoned a friend to pick her up.’

‘Oh Bam,’ Katie said softly. Her heart ached for him – no one deserved to deserted through a meal but what was Bam doing to offend them so much?

‘What did you talk about?’ Katie asked, and Bam lowered his eyes. ‘Bam, you just can help yourself can you?’

Bam shook his head. ‘No, I can’t. I talk about things I love and I can’t stop.’

Katie smiled at Bam and rubbed his arm affectionately, ‘You’ll find someone Bam. Someone who loves what you do and even if she doesn’t, she’ll love you for who you are.’

‘I think I already have met the girl Katie,’ Bam said

Katie blinked at Bam, he had never sounded more certain about anything. ‘Justine? I thought that went bad though.’

‘No, and it did,’ Bam said with a laugh, ‘she was nice enough, sweet and very honest with me, which was what I needed.’

Katie shook her head, confused by everything. What girl was he talking about – he didn’t take long to go on the rebound but she was surprised it was this fast…and then it suddenly hit her and she shook her head more vigorously this time. ‘Bam please don’t say you want Missy back. I’ll stand by on anything but not with taking her back because she was bad for you…you were bad for each other.’

Bam peered at her from under a curl and shrugged his shoulders.

Katie sighed. ‘Have you spoken to this girl about your feelings?’ She didn’t want to say it, she didn’t want to say Missy’s name encase it were true and if she said it out loud, it would only make it more real for her.

‘No. She’s…perfect,’ Bam said and Katie felt herself tremble inside. His eyes were sparkling, something she hadn’t seen in a long time and the look on his face told her this time he was for sure in love, that he had found someone meant for him – even if it was Missy.

‘She’s beautiful, funny, sweet,’ he went on and grinned at her again, ‘and I didn’t say it was Missy.’

‘So what’s the catch if it isn’t Missy?’ Katie asked folding her arms across her chest

‘I’m scared if I ask her I’ll scare her away,’ Bam said

‘You aren’t helping me here Bam,’ Katie said through a laugh, she couldn’t help it and even if it was Missy, she just wanted to see Bam happy again. ‘You’re a dope you know that? Just go ask her out, talk to her, anything because you’ll never know if you don’t try. She might be the perfect one for you in the end – this is something you need to do and since when do you back down to anyone…just go, go now and ask her want you want to ask her Bam, I dare you!’

Bam gave Katie a big grin, ‘you’re right. I’m going to do it right now.’ He leaned in gave her a kiss on her forehead, leaving Katie to shudder. She lifted her fingers to her forehead, still feeling the tingle of his warm lips. Then he was gone, to tell someone he had feelings for her…

For a little while, Katie stood in a daze – if this girl was the one for him, she was going to loose her best friend all over again and she was going to have a mend a broken heart without letting anyone know, again. Missy or no Missy she was loosing Bam.

Katie’s daze was broken when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and gave Bam a bright smile, hiding her true feelings. ‘Did you forget something?’ she asked

‘No,’ he said with a warm smile. ‘You gave me advice and I’m taking it. I’m here to tell the girl I love how I feel…now you can make this the worst day of my life or the best day of my life.’

‘Me?’ Katie asked baffled.

Bam laughed. ‘Marry me Katie! I don’t want dates, I don’t want you as my girl…you mean more to me than that. I’ve loved you since I can remember, I’ve just always been too much of a wussy to ask you out.’

Katie blinked her eyes – only in her wildest dreams did she ever think of him asking her to marry him…was it a dream? The answer to that came swiftly when Bam swept Katie off her feet and he pushed his lips to hers. It started off tender but soon turned into a passionate kiss, one that sent tingles down Katie’s spine and made Bam excited like he had never felt. A kiss so sweet, it put the juiciest, plumpest fruit to shame. One that left them breathless.

‘When…how?’ Katie asked breathless once they parted

‘I knew a long time ago but it hit me last night or Justine did. When she left, she said I couldn’t stop talking about my friend Katie, and that’s when I realized what’s been happening – none of the girls I was going out with was you. I was putting them off on purpose, I only wanted you.’

Katie smiled and cupped Bam’s cheeks in her hands. ‘Need I tell you the answer to your question?’ she asked

Bam licked his lips and pulled Katie even closer. ‘I don’t need to hear it but you might want to say it out loud,’ he said and glanced over her shoulder to Ape and Phil who were standing in the kitchen with bag’s of groceries in their hands, quietly, with smiles plastered on their faces.

‘Yes! I will marry you,’ Katie said and pushed her lips to Bam’s again, who didn’t hesitate one bit to return the kiss.

‘By time,’ Ape said softly, smiling up at Phil

‘By time too. The ring is next...this is the best damn thing I have ever seen - how long have waited Ape?’Phil asked

'Too long,' Ape smiled, 'but for once both are happy, including us. I hear wedding bells and pitter patter of little feet!'