Expectations

Tom’s POV

I knew I was staring at the poor girl in a funny sort of way, probably, but it couldn’t be helped. At her mentioning of handcuffs it took all of me not to imagine her in them, and I still failed and had the image burning at the back of my mind as she continued to speak; about what, I wasn’t too sure. It was a pity I’d never get Laura in handcuffs. She always had to be the dominant one; she was always the one to start something, at first because I didn’t feel we were ready for it and now because I wasn’t in the mood. No, not for what she had in mind.

“Let’s swim!” Annette’s slightly louder tone pushed me from my mind and back into reality. I watched as she got up and ran into the waves, squealing as the water hit her knees. I smiled to myself as I observed her dancing in them for a moment and I wondered about her just a little more. I wondered what she thought of me, and what she thought of me hanging out with her instead of Laura a lot of the time. I wondered if she’d have even let that pass through her pretty mind. I didn’t want to give her the wrong impression at all, but would that perhaps be the right one? Watching her now made me want to know everything about her. I wanted to breathe her in and never release her. I got up from the floor and raced after Annette, tripping on the wet sand just as I reached her and falling straight into her.

“I’m so sorry,” I blurted out as she emerged from the water. “I’m so, so sorry. I’m so clumsy.” She started laughing then, and didn’t stop for quite some time as I stood there holding her up once her legs collapsed and she had to hold her stomach. When she did finally calm down, there was a brief moment where our eyes met, and it seemed neither of us dared to look away. My eyes found her lips, which she licked as she noticed my stare before screwing her face up in revolt.

“The water tastes disgusting!” she shrieked, and I laughed, so she splashed me and my face was soon to match hers.

“I will get you back for that, my darling,” I said, without really thinking. She blushed a little and ran off through the water in a slow, rather awkward way with me chasing behind her. I hadn’t felt that free in such a long time as I chased after her under the sun.

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Annette had to leave before it got too late because she’d promised her dad she’s see him and so I left, too, though I could have easily spent a few more hours in the water and another few sitting on the jetty. I got back on the bus alone, as Annette was travelling in the opposite direction this time, though the ride alone gave me a little time to think. I’d wanted to kiss Annette so badly at several points today, and that scared me a little. I was a taken man. I already had a girlfriend, who could be wonderful and everything I’d ever need and desire. She may have cheated on me, but two wrongs never made a right.

I was walking around the last street corner to my hotel when I stopped, suddenly, in disbelief of what I was seeing just up ahead. Laura was kissing some other guy what appeared to be goodbye. She went to walk into the hotel before stopping, turning, and running back up to wrap her arms around his neck. She was never like that with me. I could feel the tears burning in my eyes as I marched up the street and wiped them away before I entered the hotel, hopping in the elevator and trying to calm myself down before I got to the 15th level. Laura had only just got in when I arrived.

“I realise now that I must bore you but you could have had the decency to have told me so!” I yelled across the hall at her, but she didn’t even bat an eyelash. “Who was that guy?”

“Phil?”

“I don’t know!”

“Well you asked, honey, so you should fucking know. Phil is a friend.”

“Oh, a friend? How many friends do you kiss like that, hmm?” She rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch then, flinging her bag down by her feet.

“It’s nothing serious. He’s just… there for me. For now.”

“Uh huh. And who’s there for me when you’re out with him?” I knew I was crying, and probably shaking, but I couldn’t help myself. I was beyond upset. This woman was everything to me, and I’d already lost her.

“Well you seem to be having a swell time all by yourself so I don’t see the problem with it!”

“For your information, I’ve been hanging out with a lovely young girl called Annette. You know I don’t like to do things alone.”

“Oh so you can have friends and I can’t? You can have female friends?”

“I haven’t kissed Annette! I’m not fooling around behind anyone’s back!” I felt guilty then, because I definitely wanted to. If this conversation had been this morning, I think I might have, too.

“So you want me to believe that you’ve been hanging out with some other girl you haven’t mentioned until just now and you haven’t fucked her?”

“I don’t care what you believe. I don’t care anymore. I can’t do this.”

“What are you saying?” She seemed so suddenly to be taking our relationship seriously. She stopped picking at her nails and her eyes met mine, and in them I saw things breaking.

“I’m saying we’re over. I’ll find somewhere else to stay. I can’t be here with you.”

“Don’t fucking bother. I’m staying with Phil come tomorrow afternoon anyway. He has a house right by the beach. He cares for me, not for some part of me that you seem to think exists.” That part hurt more than seeing it in action. It was the realisation that she actually wanted somebody else more than she wanted me. I couldn’t handle her anymore as she smiled at my staring, so I walked off and slammed the door to the bathroom. I was still crying; I didn’t care if she could hear it. I thought about texting Annette to see if she was free tonight so I had a reason to leave and to have some company, but I wasn’t sure how appropriate that’d be. I only just got her number, texting would cost me a fortune in another country, and she really did have better things to be doing than wasting time with me.