Making Up.
New Year, New Beginnings.
'Good morning sir!' she smiled, 'what can I get you on the first day of the new year!' 'a girlfriend' she chuckled, 'I don't think it will be too hard for you sir, but I only can get you food' John smiled looking up at the redhead, 'you're just called Gu?' 'Lucy, but Gu, yes, since I was a kid' John nodded, 'so, can I have a black coffee, waffles and syrup' 'ice cream?' 'no thanks' 'cream?' 'no' 'sorry, I have to ask' 'it's ok' 'anything else sir, we have special offers on pancakes today, free toppings' 'please, with syrup and bananas and lemon' making notes, 'do you want a pot of coffee' 'just a cup' 'ok, will do' walking off in her waitress dress which did amazing things for her curves, she gave the order and headed to clean table in her area, 'so, what do you do?' 'I'm a student here at ASU' 'in what?' 'Politics and Philosophy' he smiled, 'so, got any plans for when you're done?' 'be the change you want to see in the world' John smiled, 'good idea Ghandi' 'thank you'.
Lucy brought him his food, ‘thank you very much’ ‘no problem’ she smiled, ‘let me know if there’s anything else I can do’ ‘can you just talk?’ ‘there’s no one around, I’ll clean the table for a while’ John smiled, ‘so, what music do you like?’ ‘not this music, it was picked by the manager’ rolling her eyes, ‘more pop punk, I come from the East Coast’ ‘I can tell, Boston?’ ‘that’s me’ ‘you going home?’ ‘someone got shot to death on my street, I kinda would prefer not to’ John looked at her, ‘what?’ ‘yeah’ she murmured, ‘I can see why you wouldn’t’ ‘yeah’ ‘so, what’s your sound?’ she smiled sitting on a table, ‘hmm, Transit are pretty good, I like The Wonder Years, Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, A Day To Remember, Blink 182, that kind of music’ he smiled, ‘what about the music in Arizona’ ‘the only band I’ve heard from round here is The Summer Set, I met Brian here, we got chatting about How I Met Your Mother, dick who doesn’t know what no is, killed the bar’ John smiled, ‘not a great start’ ‘sorry if I seem like a bitch, but eurgh’ ‘it’s cool’.
'So, just Punk then?' 'oh, no, I like some Hip Hop, Hoodie Allen, Drake is kinda my guilty pleasure and Mod Sun, I like all sorts to be honest, quite like garage from the UK right now, people like Disclosure and Rudimental, Aluna George' John smiled, 'you do like variety' 'hmm, of course I grew up with music like Tom Petty and Ryan Adams, have an older brother who had a Death Cab habit, which is one hell of an addiction' John smiled, 'your brother sounds cool' she laughed, 'he is' Lucy nodded, 'Stay Young Go Dancing is my favourite I think or The Sound Of Settling on Transatlanticism' John smiled, 'good choices' 'hmm, it's before Tiny Vessels' she murmured, 'it is' going silent for a while she dealt with some customers who had come in asking them for their orders.
John looked at her, ‘you ok?’ ‘sorry, just reminded me of an odd Summer I had’ John smiled, ‘odd?’ ‘my friend used to like this band when I was younger, there was a line in a song, love is a luxury she said, I’d rather be in love than dead, but not with her, she’s the kind of girl that makes love hurt, I guess I met a boy who does the same, but it’s the kind of suffering you need’ ‘you need to suffer?’ ‘I think so, Sartre believed, you know what he believed’ John smiled, ‘your memories and thought make you who you are’ ‘to know true happiness you must know pain, I just remember Tiny Vessels at the bad end, but sometimes it’s kinda worth it’ ‘how can that be worth it?’ ‘at the time, I’d agree, however in reflection, I wouldn’t have met my ex, so it’s good’.
John smiled, ‘I like you but I need to go ’ ‘course, get you the bill’ heading off and getting the reciept, here you go John’ ‘thank you’ he smiled writing his number down on the receipt and heading out after putting the cash down, she picked it up and noticed, ‘call me, cos you’re no tiny vessel to me’ she blushed pocketing the reciept and paying the bill happy with the 20 tip, ‘pizza tonight’ she thought.
-x-
John smiled seeing her text, ‘you aren’t to me either if it helps’ John smiled, ‘good to know’ Gu smiled, ‘what would you like to do?’ ‘wake up with you eventually, I wanna talk all night with you, I like how you listen’ ‘I like how you listen too, and you sound kinda perfect if you wanna do that and not saying what I wanna hear?’ ‘nope, I do, it sounds girly, but I like the idea of it’ ‘you keep being a girl my friend’ John laughed, ‘so, what can I do to get us there?’ ‘you wanna get coffee or something, I have some time after my lecture today, I work there at the weekends from now on?’ ‘oh, cool sure about 3 ok?’ ‘sure, how about the coffee place on third in Tempe?’ ‘absolutely, sounds good!’ ‘Are you in lecture’ ‘I am, Thoreau’ ‘oh, sorry, I’ll see you later’ ‘see you’ John smiling to himself.
John smiled joining her at the table as she doodled in a notebook, ‘hello?’ ‘oh, hello’ she smiled putting her pen down, ‘you ok?’ ‘I’m good’ ‘I am away for a bit in a couple of weeks but I will try’ ‘that’s ok’ he smiled, ‘I think the 23rd’ ‘so, you’ll be away for my 22nd, how could you?’ she smirked, John chuckled, ‘when?’ ‘day after, it’s all good’ ‘oh, no I’ll come back for that, no problem’ laughing a little, ‘it’s all good no pressure’ laughing a little, ‘so, how’s your week been?’ ‘been working on the set for the tour’ ‘oh, cool’ sipping her drink, ‘is that why you asked me if I’d seen local bands?’ John laughed, ‘you got me, yeah, I guess’ she nodded, ‘so, what’s your sound’ ‘our music taste’ ‘sounds like a good band’ John chuckled, ‘I like to think so’ laughing a little, ‘how’s your week?’ ‘my friend has set up a LARP society and I’m the vice president’ ‘what’s LARP?’ ‘live action role play’ John looked at her, ‘not that kind bud’ laughing, ‘no swords and stuff’ John laughed, ‘serious?’ ‘hmm, we do cowboys and indians in the desert’ ‘isn’t that racist?’ ‘I just watch those, I don’t think it would be good for me graduated in June’ laughing beginning to talk.
'Cochise?' 'it's kinda one of my favourite songs right now' as she her phonw rang, she ended it, 'my mum' John chuckled, 'sorry' 'it's ok' 'my mum has just discovered emojis lord' 'what the faces?' 'exactly, she makes up her own' John laughed, 'awesome' talking about family, 'so you're the youngest of two' 'I am indeed' 'and your brother?' 'he's a firefighter' 'wow, that's pretty cool' 'so is my dad, and my mum well she was a housewife, but she was a nurse' John smiled, 'so, you like helping people your family?' 'I guess, they're good people, I was lucky' she nodded, 'born lucky' 'I was adopted' 'oh, sorry, is your brother? 'he's my twin, we were lucky, I say older brother, cos he is by about 15 minutes' John laughed, 'we have different birthdays by minutes' John laughed, 'that's pretty cool' 'I think so' laughing a little, 'want another' 'I'm freezin' - a hot chocolate would be nice' 'coming up' John grinned, 'you want my jacket' 'then two people will be cold, I'm fine' 'ok' smiling and chatting all afternoon.
John walked with her to the bus stop, ‘thank you’ John smiled, ‘I promise, when I get home, I’ll be around, I’m in Manila this week ok, then I’ll be home until the 23rd, then back’ ‘ok’ he smiled, ‘I don’t want you to think’ ‘it’s ok, I understand, I’m not going to moan about you going off and doing what you’re good at just as long as you tell me about it, and Manila must be pretty crazy right now’ ‘of course, after the typhoon’ she nodded, ‘take care John’ moving his floppy fringe from his eyes, he smiled kissing her hand softly, she smiled looking down, he grinned, ‘you’re beautiful’ she smiled, ‘well, thank you, you’re pretty handsome too’ ‘I’m going to go listen to Transit and The Wonder Years for the next week’ she giggled, ‘enjoy!’ laughing a little, ‘will do’ heading for Manila, ‘bit different music for you’ ‘the girl I’m dating is a fan’ Gare smiled, ‘she has a good taste, Transit?’ ‘she’s from Boston, hometown isn’t it?’ ‘student’ ‘yeah’ Gare smiled, ‘did good’ John smiled, ‘I know’ laughing a little.
-x-
'Can I sit in your section?' 'course' showing him and his friends to a table, 'I'll be back in a few minutes to get your order' 'five Miller's please?' 'course' writing it down, 'food in a few minutes then' John smiled, 'that's who you're dating?' Jared asked, 'yes it is' 'what does she study?' 'politics and philosophy' 'alright, you did good' 'thank you' laughing as she came back with beers, 'do you want ice anyone?' 'no, we're good' 'food?' taking an order, 'when can I see you?' 'is after shift ok?' 'sure, darling' she smiled, 'how was Manila?' 'it was really good, yeah devastating damage though' 'of course, only so much you can do really, you can build houses, but you can't rebuild homes, anyway, I will get your order in' Gare looked at John, 'don't mess this up cos I like her' John smiled, 'I don't intend to, I love her honesty, I think I fell for her to be honest, I don't know how she feels about me, and that's far more scary' Jared smiled, 'good'.
John met her, ‘you ok?’ ‘I’m fine’ walking with him, ‘what would you like to do?’ ‘I wouldn’t mind a hundred cocktails’ John laughed, ‘but wanna go dancing?’ ‘sure’ he smiled, ‘I know a place with good music and a cocktail bar’ ‘you lead the way, I’ll change quickly’ ‘oh, of course’ changing in the toilets, she came out, ‘you look gorgeous’ ‘glad you think so’ heading downtown, John took her hands resting her bag on a table, ‘come on’ pulling her close, she rested her head on his chest, ‘what’s up babe?’ ‘a long week, dead line week for term’ ‘alright darling’ spinning her she giggled, ‘thank you’ he grinned, ‘it’s ok, cocktail?’ ‘just a vodka and cranberry, we’ll build up slowly’ John laughed getting drinks passing hers, ‘thank you’ ‘no problem’ chatting over drinks about travelling, she then thought if she was seeing enough of the world at all, ‘Lu?’ ‘sorry’ he smiled, ‘what’s up?’ ‘been considering a masters for a bit in International Relations’ ‘cool’ ‘I think I was just convinced’ laughing.
Walking with her giggling, John picked her up and took her to her apartment, ‘sweetheart’ helping her with her key, he ordered a cab for herself as she fell asleep straight away on her bed, leaving her a note explaining, he didn’t blame her for getting drunk to be honest, heading home, she rubbed her head in the morning, ‘sorry x’ John laughed in practice, ‘it’s ok, darling, you ok?’ ‘I’m fine, I feel like I’m on a boat though’ he laughed, ‘you do have a high threshold though’ ‘thanks’ laughing, ‘want me to come over and take care of you?’ ‘I’m going to make pizza and watch bad movies’ ‘that’s what boyfriends are supposed to do’ Lucy grinned, ‘yeah, you are, come over boy, I need a friend’ thinking she had just won at life at that line, John grinned, ‘I understand’ she soaked into her sofa, waiting for him, watching the minutes float.
John smiled coming in, ‘what can I do for you’ ‘just eat ice cream with me’ John took her hand sitting with her on her sofa pulling her close, ‘I should have been more wary of it it’s my fault’ ‘I drunk them, it’s mine’ John smiled, ‘we will share the responsibility’ laughing a little, ‘so, Mean Girls, huh?’ ‘I’m sorry’ John laughed, ‘I’m just glad I have the opportunity to, never loved anyone before to do it with’ ‘me neither’ John grinned, ‘you love me?’ ‘it was kinda easy’ John chuckled, ‘I wish it had been for me’ giggling, ‘it’s ok’ kissing him softly, John pulled her in close, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ brushing his cheek, ‘it’s your birthday on the 24th, I’m away on the 23rd but I’ll be back’ ‘it’s ok’ kissing him softly, ‘good’ making out, John fell on top of her, ‘shall we?’ ‘are you sure?’ ‘I think so’ John smiled, ‘I’ll take it slow’ ‘ok’ ‘go to bed?’ ‘I think it’s a little late for that’ John chuckled, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ John grinned, ‘I know’ making love all afternoon, holding her under her blankets, the feeling of her snuggling into him, precious.
-x-
6 months later:-
Jenny smiled as Lucy brought iced tea in a jug to the verandah table, ‘thank you’ pouring out a glass, Lucy smiled, ‘no problem’ ‘you have a lovely place you and John’ ‘we do’ ‘you bought it?’ ‘we did, it was cheaper to buy it then keep renting a place to be honest’ ‘terrible really’ ‘it is’ chatting about the house, ‘so how are you and John?’ ‘we’re good, really good, been very lucky to find someone like him’ Jenny smiled, ‘I’m glad everything is going well’ laughing a little, ‘me too’ ‘so, when does he get back?’ ‘tomorrow around 2pm’ ‘and, your plans?’ ‘I now work for a charity and do my masters in the afternoon, it’s easier that way’ ‘charity?’ ‘indeed, I work full time for a charity that looks after children who are terminally ill, it’s a tragic but rewarding job really’ ‘must be’ ‘hmm, I do the communications for them’ ‘that’s good’ chatting over food, ‘I should get going, I’m just glad someone else is looking after him, I have two others’ laughing.
John smiled getting home, ‘baby’ Lucy smiled as John kissed her neck, ‘hey sweetheart’ John grinned, ‘how’s work going?’ ‘it’s ok’ John nodded, ‘good’ pulling her around and kissing her softly, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ wrapping her arms round his neck, ‘we live in our dream house’ ‘yes we do’ John grinned, ‘I love coming home to you’ picking her up, ‘mum said she popped around?’ ‘she did’ ‘iced tea on the verandah like a southern belle’ ‘of course’ giggling, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ heading for the bedroom making love all afternoon, John held her, ‘can we get pizza and eat in bed?’ John asked, ‘sure, love’ John smiled, ‘awesome’ ‘or, I can cook pizza from the freezer and bring it to bed’ ‘can’t afford it’ she pondered it for a moment, ‘as you have come home and it’s been ages, I can budget’ John grinned, ‘good’ ordering food, ‘is money tight?’ ‘we’ll be fine’ ‘you sure?’ ‘yes, be fine’ ‘good’ kissing her head.
Lucy went into work seeing Greta, ‘morning’ she smiled taking her hand, but she was cold, ‘oh, god’ it hadn’t been long buzzing for a nurse, she noticed she was crying, ‘oh, I’ll call for her parents’ ‘I will’ Lucy calling them, arriving, ‘she passed away in her sleep’ her parents crying, ‘we weren’t here’ ‘she left a note for you, sir, madam’ reading it they smiled, Lucy peaking, ‘it’s beautiful’ Vee nodded sorting it out, ‘Lu, you were her favourite person’ ‘I did my best’ ‘you will come to her funeral, right? ‘of course’ ‘thank you’ hugging them hoping she would never have to go through this herself, getting home she just cried, ‘babe?’ ‘one of the kids died who I liked’ John held her, ‘it’s ok, what was her name?’ ‘Greta’ John smiled, ‘pretty name’ ‘it is’ hugging her tight, ‘her funeral is about a week, her parents asked me to be there’ John smiled, ‘come with you’ ‘thank you’ ‘no problem’ kissing her head, ‘I have things I wanna do this evening, I’ll cook’ ‘ok’ she wiped her eyes, ‘it’s ok’ ‘I know, I don’t know I should have been’ ‘darling, you made the last days of a little girl better, better you cared’ ‘thanks’ ‘cake?’ ‘after dinner’ John smiled, ‘ok’.
'What are you doing?' John asked popping in the spare room, 'I'm making things to sell online on etsy' 'dresses, very nice dresses' she smiled, 'my mum had a load of fabric and so I took it, and thought about it and then started on patterns, I found some vintage ones in a thrift store, I'm just uploading the pictures now' John smiled, 'is money that bad?' 'it will get better John, it's just we had some bills like the bed and stuff we pay for short term, be fine in a few months' 'you sure?' 'sure, I budget, we'll be ok' John nodded, 'I'm sorry' 'you don't need to apologise' 'I'll have birthday money' 'and it's for you, no' John sighed, 'we won't always have this will we?' 'the mortgage is paid in nineteen half years?' John laughed, 'I'm not worried' 'good'.
John held her in bed, ‘are you happy?’ ‘yes, John very happy’ he grinned ‘good, I don’t want you to be sad or alone’ ‘I’m fine, John’ he smiled, ‘good, I need to take care of you, you’re my darling’ she blushed snuggling into him, ‘we’re fine, I’ll be here as long as you love me’ he grinned ‘always’ ‘always’ kissing softly making love, Lucy woke up early and checked the shop, ‘oh wow’ ‘what?’ ‘my dresses have gone, I better get these sent’ John smiled, ‘wow, that’s cool how much did you sell them for?’ ‘30 plus packaging and postage’ John nodded, ‘you should make some more’ ‘I’ve got request emails’ ‘awesome’ ‘gee’ John smiled, ‘if it gets bigger you should sell through 8123’ ‘I don’t wanna mass produce’ ‘you don’t have to darling’ kissing her softly, ‘so by day hospice officer, by night dress maker’ she giggled, ‘you’re mad, but I love you’ John grinned, ‘love you too’ kissing softly.
-x-
2 years later:-
Lucy smiled making a dress, a big dress at the weekend, John grinned, ‘you under the dress?’ ‘I am, this wedding dress is going to kill me’ John chuckled, ‘babe, I love you’ ‘I love you too’ John sitting in her studio room slash the music room getting his guitar, ‘so, is this nearly done?’ ‘just the boning to do which I am finishing now’ ‘good, are you going to make your own?’ ‘oh, hell no, I’ve got my dress’ John looked at her, ‘what?’ ‘there’s a dress that goes through the family, it’s a vintage lace dress’ John smiled, ‘you up for using it sometime?’ she smiled looking up at him, ‘absolutely, got any ideas for when?’ ‘hmm, maybe in July before my little red ends up frying’ she giggled, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ finishing up she got out, ‘so, I am going to be an O’Callaghan?’ ‘I hope so’ kissing softly, he wrapped his arms round her, ‘how much is that dress?’ ‘I said I’d do it cheaper than the catalogue the same style of dress’ ‘how much was it in the catalogue?’ ‘3000’ ‘holy, and how much are you charging?’ ‘about 2000, it’s about 750 for materials and the rest work, paid up front, I have to take it over’ John grinned, ‘awesome’.
'Did she like it?' 'loved it, problem is, I have the measurements for 3 bridesmaids' John smiled, 'how much for that?' 'well it won't take me so long and I have the fabrics from her dress, so I said about a 1000' John smiled, 'you're really good at this' 'I am so glad I listened to my mum about this stuff' John grinned, 'me too, we can buy pizza more' laughing, 'indeed' laughing a little, 'it's so nice to not worry about that stuff?' 'it is, I just thought it was the best time to ask, cos we are good' 'I agree, I don't want a huge wedding, I mean what I'm getting is priceless' John grinned, 'you know what to say' 'how about our anniversary' 'we met on the 1st' 'exactly, you'll always be home for it' John smiled kissing her deeply holding her cheeks, 'you're priceless darling' heading for bed making love all night.
John smiled finding her making dresses, ‘all good’ ‘my back hurts’ John chuckled, ‘sorry babe’ she giggled, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ sitting her on his lap, ‘so, when can we begin a family?’ ‘I’ve been picking up little thigs for a nursery in preparation and putting them in the loft’ John smiled, ‘serious?’ ‘I just want to be prepared and the cost, it’s less expensive’ John nodded, ‘so soon, maybe when we’re married?’ ‘absolutely, you’ll want six right?’ ‘no pressure darling’ giggling, ‘I’d love a daughter to put in pretty dresses, but I know it’s important to you’ John grinned, ‘you’re a twin, don’t they run in families?’ ‘oh, good point’ John laughed, ‘good job I had preparations’ ‘are your broody?’ ‘yes’ John smirked, ‘good’ laughing.
-x-
10 years later:-
John smiled, ‘you’ll be fine, you’ll like school, learn new things, make new friends’ knowing it felt like the biggest lie he had ever told, Emily and John smiled, ‘you’ll be fine’ kissing their heads, ‘mum, can we have pizza tonight?’ ‘yes, and every Monday’ John looked at her, ‘really?’ ‘yes’ as they headed into class, ‘why?’ ‘Monday, they’ll need something to look forward to’ John laughing taking her hand, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ kissing her softly, ‘now we have the house to ourselves?’ ‘I can see where you’re going with this’ heading for bed, going wild going through the door making love.
'Apparently we're not normal, we have loads of sex' 'I've heard, my friends sit looking at me jealously' John chuckled, 'good' kissing her shoulder, 'I love you' 'I love you too' kissing her deeply, John got on top, 'I like to get all dirty with you' Johnny grinned, 'give me a second' ok' getting up she got her scarf and covered his eyes with a bit of surprise, 'now try and please me' he grinned, 'babe, your body to me is a wonderland, I love getting my hands on it, and I wanted to bang you more when you became a mother darling' kissing down her body touching and caressing making love again.
Emily and John smiled seeing pizza, ‘thank you’ ‘no problem darlings’ John smiled taking a slice, ‘so, how was it?’ ‘I liked it but John didn’t’ ‘it’s so boring!’ ‘I know, but you have to do it, unfortunately’ John sighed, ‘I’m glad we have pizza’ John chuckled, ‘well, if you don’t like it, we’ll consider some options’ ‘like what?’ ‘home schooling or a change, I don’t know, but we’ll see, if it’s really bad, but I think you’ll be fine, when you have friends, say your dad’s in a band, you’ll be fine’ John laughed, ‘that’s not what I want you to do’ laughing over food, ‘I’m kidding, be fine’.
John held Lucy in bed, ‘just say your dad is in a band, be fine?’ ‘I’m sorry, but really it’s pretty cool’ ‘damn right it is, I’d brag’ laughing, ‘I brag about you all the time and don’t even mention you can play guitar which is a hella sexy thing’ John grinned, ‘good’ kissing her softly, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’.
they lived happily.
Lucy brought him his food, ‘thank you very much’ ‘no problem’ she smiled, ‘let me know if there’s anything else I can do’ ‘can you just talk?’ ‘there’s no one around, I’ll clean the table for a while’ John smiled, ‘so, what music do you like?’ ‘not this music, it was picked by the manager’ rolling her eyes, ‘more pop punk, I come from the East Coast’ ‘I can tell, Boston?’ ‘that’s me’ ‘you going home?’ ‘someone got shot to death on my street, I kinda would prefer not to’ John looked at her, ‘what?’ ‘yeah’ she murmured, ‘I can see why you wouldn’t’ ‘yeah’ ‘so, what’s your sound?’ she smiled sitting on a table, ‘hmm, Transit are pretty good, I like The Wonder Years, Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, A Day To Remember, Blink 182, that kind of music’ he smiled, ‘what about the music in Arizona’ ‘the only band I’ve heard from round here is The Summer Set, I met Brian here, we got chatting about How I Met Your Mother, dick who doesn’t know what no is, killed the bar’ John smiled, ‘not a great start’ ‘sorry if I seem like a bitch, but eurgh’ ‘it’s cool’.
'So, just Punk then?' 'oh, no, I like some Hip Hop, Hoodie Allen, Drake is kinda my guilty pleasure and Mod Sun, I like all sorts to be honest, quite like garage from the UK right now, people like Disclosure and Rudimental, Aluna George' John smiled, 'you do like variety' 'hmm, of course I grew up with music like Tom Petty and Ryan Adams, have an older brother who had a Death Cab habit, which is one hell of an addiction' John smiled, 'your brother sounds cool' she laughed, 'he is' Lucy nodded, 'Stay Young Go Dancing is my favourite I think or The Sound Of Settling on Transatlanticism' John smiled, 'good choices' 'hmm, it's before Tiny Vessels' she murmured, 'it is' going silent for a while she dealt with some customers who had come in asking them for their orders.
John looked at her, ‘you ok?’ ‘sorry, just reminded me of an odd Summer I had’ John smiled, ‘odd?’ ‘my friend used to like this band when I was younger, there was a line in a song, love is a luxury she said, I’d rather be in love than dead, but not with her, she’s the kind of girl that makes love hurt, I guess I met a boy who does the same, but it’s the kind of suffering you need’ ‘you need to suffer?’ ‘I think so, Sartre believed, you know what he believed’ John smiled, ‘your memories and thought make you who you are’ ‘to know true happiness you must know pain, I just remember Tiny Vessels at the bad end, but sometimes it’s kinda worth it’ ‘how can that be worth it?’ ‘at the time, I’d agree, however in reflection, I wouldn’t have met my ex, so it’s good’.
John smiled, ‘I like you but I need to go ’ ‘course, get you the bill’ heading off and getting the reciept, here you go John’ ‘thank you’ he smiled writing his number down on the receipt and heading out after putting the cash down, she picked it up and noticed, ‘call me, cos you’re no tiny vessel to me’ she blushed pocketing the reciept and paying the bill happy with the 20 tip, ‘pizza tonight’ she thought.
-x-
John smiled seeing her text, ‘you aren’t to me either if it helps’ John smiled, ‘good to know’ Gu smiled, ‘what would you like to do?’ ‘wake up with you eventually, I wanna talk all night with you, I like how you listen’ ‘I like how you listen too, and you sound kinda perfect if you wanna do that and not saying what I wanna hear?’ ‘nope, I do, it sounds girly, but I like the idea of it’ ‘you keep being a girl my friend’ John laughed, ‘so, what can I do to get us there?’ ‘you wanna get coffee or something, I have some time after my lecture today, I work there at the weekends from now on?’ ‘oh, cool sure about 3 ok?’ ‘sure, how about the coffee place on third in Tempe?’ ‘absolutely, sounds good!’ ‘Are you in lecture’ ‘I am, Thoreau’ ‘oh, sorry, I’ll see you later’ ‘see you’ John smiling to himself.
John smiled joining her at the table as she doodled in a notebook, ‘hello?’ ‘oh, hello’ she smiled putting her pen down, ‘you ok?’ ‘I’m good’ ‘I am away for a bit in a couple of weeks but I will try’ ‘that’s ok’ he smiled, ‘I think the 23rd’ ‘so, you’ll be away for my 22nd, how could you?’ she smirked, John chuckled, ‘when?’ ‘day after, it’s all good’ ‘oh, no I’ll come back for that, no problem’ laughing a little, ‘it’s all good no pressure’ laughing a little, ‘so, how’s your week been?’ ‘been working on the set for the tour’ ‘oh, cool’ sipping her drink, ‘is that why you asked me if I’d seen local bands?’ John laughed, ‘you got me, yeah, I guess’ she nodded, ‘so, what’s your sound’ ‘our music taste’ ‘sounds like a good band’ John chuckled, ‘I like to think so’ laughing a little, ‘how’s your week?’ ‘my friend has set up a LARP society and I’m the vice president’ ‘what’s LARP?’ ‘live action role play’ John looked at her, ‘not that kind bud’ laughing, ‘no swords and stuff’ John laughed, ‘serious?’ ‘hmm, we do cowboys and indians in the desert’ ‘isn’t that racist?’ ‘I just watch those, I don’t think it would be good for me graduated in June’ laughing beginning to talk.
'Cochise?' 'it's kinda one of my favourite songs right now' as she her phonw rang, she ended it, 'my mum' John chuckled, 'sorry' 'it's ok' 'my mum has just discovered emojis lord' 'what the faces?' 'exactly, she makes up her own' John laughed, 'awesome' talking about family, 'so you're the youngest of two' 'I am indeed' 'and your brother?' 'he's a firefighter' 'wow, that's pretty cool' 'so is my dad, and my mum well she was a housewife, but she was a nurse' John smiled, 'so, you like helping people your family?' 'I guess, they're good people, I was lucky' she nodded, 'born lucky' 'I was adopted' 'oh, sorry, is your brother? 'he's my twin, we were lucky, I say older brother, cos he is by about 15 minutes' John laughed, 'we have different birthdays by minutes' John laughed, 'that's pretty cool' 'I think so' laughing a little, 'want another' 'I'm freezin' - a hot chocolate would be nice' 'coming up' John grinned, 'you want my jacket' 'then two people will be cold, I'm fine' 'ok' smiling and chatting all afternoon.
John walked with her to the bus stop, ‘thank you’ John smiled, ‘I promise, when I get home, I’ll be around, I’m in Manila this week ok, then I’ll be home until the 23rd, then back’ ‘ok’ he smiled, ‘I don’t want you to think’ ‘it’s ok, I understand, I’m not going to moan about you going off and doing what you’re good at just as long as you tell me about it, and Manila must be pretty crazy right now’ ‘of course, after the typhoon’ she nodded, ‘take care John’ moving his floppy fringe from his eyes, he smiled kissing her hand softly, she smiled looking down, he grinned, ‘you’re beautiful’ she smiled, ‘well, thank you, you’re pretty handsome too’ ‘I’m going to go listen to Transit and The Wonder Years for the next week’ she giggled, ‘enjoy!’ laughing a little, ‘will do’ heading for Manila, ‘bit different music for you’ ‘the girl I’m dating is a fan’ Gare smiled, ‘she has a good taste, Transit?’ ‘she’s from Boston, hometown isn’t it?’ ‘student’ ‘yeah’ Gare smiled, ‘did good’ John smiled, ‘I know’ laughing a little.
-x-
'Can I sit in your section?' 'course' showing him and his friends to a table, 'I'll be back in a few minutes to get your order' 'five Miller's please?' 'course' writing it down, 'food in a few minutes then' John smiled, 'that's who you're dating?' Jared asked, 'yes it is' 'what does she study?' 'politics and philosophy' 'alright, you did good' 'thank you' laughing as she came back with beers, 'do you want ice anyone?' 'no, we're good' 'food?' taking an order, 'when can I see you?' 'is after shift ok?' 'sure, darling' she smiled, 'how was Manila?' 'it was really good, yeah devastating damage though' 'of course, only so much you can do really, you can build houses, but you can't rebuild homes, anyway, I will get your order in' Gare looked at John, 'don't mess this up cos I like her' John smiled, 'I don't intend to, I love her honesty, I think I fell for her to be honest, I don't know how she feels about me, and that's far more scary' Jared smiled, 'good'.
John met her, ‘you ok?’ ‘I’m fine’ walking with him, ‘what would you like to do?’ ‘I wouldn’t mind a hundred cocktails’ John laughed, ‘but wanna go dancing?’ ‘sure’ he smiled, ‘I know a place with good music and a cocktail bar’ ‘you lead the way, I’ll change quickly’ ‘oh, of course’ changing in the toilets, she came out, ‘you look gorgeous’ ‘glad you think so’ heading downtown, John took her hands resting her bag on a table, ‘come on’ pulling her close, she rested her head on his chest, ‘what’s up babe?’ ‘a long week, dead line week for term’ ‘alright darling’ spinning her she giggled, ‘thank you’ he grinned, ‘it’s ok, cocktail?’ ‘just a vodka and cranberry, we’ll build up slowly’ John laughed getting drinks passing hers, ‘thank you’ ‘no problem’ chatting over drinks about travelling, she then thought if she was seeing enough of the world at all, ‘Lu?’ ‘sorry’ he smiled, ‘what’s up?’ ‘been considering a masters for a bit in International Relations’ ‘cool’ ‘I think I was just convinced’ laughing.
Walking with her giggling, John picked her up and took her to her apartment, ‘sweetheart’ helping her with her key, he ordered a cab for herself as she fell asleep straight away on her bed, leaving her a note explaining, he didn’t blame her for getting drunk to be honest, heading home, she rubbed her head in the morning, ‘sorry x’ John laughed in practice, ‘it’s ok, darling, you ok?’ ‘I’m fine, I feel like I’m on a boat though’ he laughed, ‘you do have a high threshold though’ ‘thanks’ laughing, ‘want me to come over and take care of you?’ ‘I’m going to make pizza and watch bad movies’ ‘that’s what boyfriends are supposed to do’ Lucy grinned, ‘yeah, you are, come over boy, I need a friend’ thinking she had just won at life at that line, John grinned, ‘I understand’ she soaked into her sofa, waiting for him, watching the minutes float.
John smiled coming in, ‘what can I do for you’ ‘just eat ice cream with me’ John took her hand sitting with her on her sofa pulling her close, ‘I should have been more wary of it it’s my fault’ ‘I drunk them, it’s mine’ John smiled, ‘we will share the responsibility’ laughing a little, ‘so, Mean Girls, huh?’ ‘I’m sorry’ John laughed, ‘I’m just glad I have the opportunity to, never loved anyone before to do it with’ ‘me neither’ John grinned, ‘you love me?’ ‘it was kinda easy’ John chuckled, ‘I wish it had been for me’ giggling, ‘it’s ok’ kissing him softly, John pulled her in close, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ brushing his cheek, ‘it’s your birthday on the 24th, I’m away on the 23rd but I’ll be back’ ‘it’s ok’ kissing him softly, ‘good’ making out, John fell on top of her, ‘shall we?’ ‘are you sure?’ ‘I think so’ John smiled, ‘I’ll take it slow’ ‘ok’ ‘go to bed?’ ‘I think it’s a little late for that’ John chuckled, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ John grinned, ‘I know’ making love all afternoon, holding her under her blankets, the feeling of her snuggling into him, precious.
-x-
6 months later:-
Jenny smiled as Lucy brought iced tea in a jug to the verandah table, ‘thank you’ pouring out a glass, Lucy smiled, ‘no problem’ ‘you have a lovely place you and John’ ‘we do’ ‘you bought it?’ ‘we did, it was cheaper to buy it then keep renting a place to be honest’ ‘terrible really’ ‘it is’ chatting about the house, ‘so how are you and John?’ ‘we’re good, really good, been very lucky to find someone like him’ Jenny smiled, ‘I’m glad everything is going well’ laughing a little, ‘me too’ ‘so, when does he get back?’ ‘tomorrow around 2pm’ ‘and, your plans?’ ‘I now work for a charity and do my masters in the afternoon, it’s easier that way’ ‘charity?’ ‘indeed, I work full time for a charity that looks after children who are terminally ill, it’s a tragic but rewarding job really’ ‘must be’ ‘hmm, I do the communications for them’ ‘that’s good’ chatting over food, ‘I should get going, I’m just glad someone else is looking after him, I have two others’ laughing.
John smiled getting home, ‘baby’ Lucy smiled as John kissed her neck, ‘hey sweetheart’ John grinned, ‘how’s work going?’ ‘it’s ok’ John nodded, ‘good’ pulling her around and kissing her softly, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ wrapping her arms round his neck, ‘we live in our dream house’ ‘yes we do’ John grinned, ‘I love coming home to you’ picking her up, ‘mum said she popped around?’ ‘she did’ ‘iced tea on the verandah like a southern belle’ ‘of course’ giggling, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ heading for the bedroom making love all afternoon, John held her, ‘can we get pizza and eat in bed?’ John asked, ‘sure, love’ John smiled, ‘awesome’ ‘or, I can cook pizza from the freezer and bring it to bed’ ‘can’t afford it’ she pondered it for a moment, ‘as you have come home and it’s been ages, I can budget’ John grinned, ‘good’ ordering food, ‘is money tight?’ ‘we’ll be fine’ ‘you sure?’ ‘yes, be fine’ ‘good’ kissing her head.
Lucy went into work seeing Greta, ‘morning’ she smiled taking her hand, but she was cold, ‘oh, god’ it hadn’t been long buzzing for a nurse, she noticed she was crying, ‘oh, I’ll call for her parents’ ‘I will’ Lucy calling them, arriving, ‘she passed away in her sleep’ her parents crying, ‘we weren’t here’ ‘she left a note for you, sir, madam’ reading it they smiled, Lucy peaking, ‘it’s beautiful’ Vee nodded sorting it out, ‘Lu, you were her favourite person’ ‘I did my best’ ‘you will come to her funeral, right? ‘of course’ ‘thank you’ hugging them hoping she would never have to go through this herself, getting home she just cried, ‘babe?’ ‘one of the kids died who I liked’ John held her, ‘it’s ok, what was her name?’ ‘Greta’ John smiled, ‘pretty name’ ‘it is’ hugging her tight, ‘her funeral is about a week, her parents asked me to be there’ John smiled, ‘come with you’ ‘thank you’ ‘no problem’ kissing her head, ‘I have things I wanna do this evening, I’ll cook’ ‘ok’ she wiped her eyes, ‘it’s ok’ ‘I know, I don’t know I should have been’ ‘darling, you made the last days of a little girl better, better you cared’ ‘thanks’ ‘cake?’ ‘after dinner’ John smiled, ‘ok’.
'What are you doing?' John asked popping in the spare room, 'I'm making things to sell online on etsy' 'dresses, very nice dresses' she smiled, 'my mum had a load of fabric and so I took it, and thought about it and then started on patterns, I found some vintage ones in a thrift store, I'm just uploading the pictures now' John smiled, 'is money that bad?' 'it will get better John, it's just we had some bills like the bed and stuff we pay for short term, be fine in a few months' 'you sure?' 'sure, I budget, we'll be ok' John nodded, 'I'm sorry' 'you don't need to apologise' 'I'll have birthday money' 'and it's for you, no' John sighed, 'we won't always have this will we?' 'the mortgage is paid in nineteen half years?' John laughed, 'I'm not worried' 'good'.
John held her in bed, ‘are you happy?’ ‘yes, John very happy’ he grinned ‘good, I don’t want you to be sad or alone’ ‘I’m fine, John’ he smiled, ‘good, I need to take care of you, you’re my darling’ she blushed snuggling into him, ‘we’re fine, I’ll be here as long as you love me’ he grinned ‘always’ ‘always’ kissing softly making love, Lucy woke up early and checked the shop, ‘oh wow’ ‘what?’ ‘my dresses have gone, I better get these sent’ John smiled, ‘wow, that’s cool how much did you sell them for?’ ‘30 plus packaging and postage’ John nodded, ‘you should make some more’ ‘I’ve got request emails’ ‘awesome’ ‘gee’ John smiled, ‘if it gets bigger you should sell through 8123’ ‘I don’t wanna mass produce’ ‘you don’t have to darling’ kissing her softly, ‘so by day hospice officer, by night dress maker’ she giggled, ‘you’re mad, but I love you’ John grinned, ‘love you too’ kissing softly.
-x-
2 years later:-
Lucy smiled making a dress, a big dress at the weekend, John grinned, ‘you under the dress?’ ‘I am, this wedding dress is going to kill me’ John chuckled, ‘babe, I love you’ ‘I love you too’ John sitting in her studio room slash the music room getting his guitar, ‘so, is this nearly done?’ ‘just the boning to do which I am finishing now’ ‘good, are you going to make your own?’ ‘oh, hell no, I’ve got my dress’ John looked at her, ‘what?’ ‘there’s a dress that goes through the family, it’s a vintage lace dress’ John smiled, ‘you up for using it sometime?’ she smiled looking up at him, ‘absolutely, got any ideas for when?’ ‘hmm, maybe in July before my little red ends up frying’ she giggled, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ finishing up she got out, ‘so, I am going to be an O’Callaghan?’ ‘I hope so’ kissing softly, he wrapped his arms round her, ‘how much is that dress?’ ‘I said I’d do it cheaper than the catalogue the same style of dress’ ‘how much was it in the catalogue?’ ‘3000’ ‘holy, and how much are you charging?’ ‘about 2000, it’s about 750 for materials and the rest work, paid up front, I have to take it over’ John grinned, ‘awesome’.
'Did she like it?' 'loved it, problem is, I have the measurements for 3 bridesmaids' John smiled, 'how much for that?' 'well it won't take me so long and I have the fabrics from her dress, so I said about a 1000' John smiled, 'you're really good at this' 'I am so glad I listened to my mum about this stuff' John grinned, 'me too, we can buy pizza more' laughing, 'indeed' laughing a little, 'it's so nice to not worry about that stuff?' 'it is, I just thought it was the best time to ask, cos we are good' 'I agree, I don't want a huge wedding, I mean what I'm getting is priceless' John grinned, 'you know what to say' 'how about our anniversary' 'we met on the 1st' 'exactly, you'll always be home for it' John smiled kissing her deeply holding her cheeks, 'you're priceless darling' heading for bed making love all night.
John smiled finding her making dresses, ‘all good’ ‘my back hurts’ John chuckled, ‘sorry babe’ she giggled, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ sitting her on his lap, ‘so, when can we begin a family?’ ‘I’ve been picking up little thigs for a nursery in preparation and putting them in the loft’ John smiled, ‘serious?’ ‘I just want to be prepared and the cost, it’s less expensive’ John nodded, ‘so soon, maybe when we’re married?’ ‘absolutely, you’ll want six right?’ ‘no pressure darling’ giggling, ‘I’d love a daughter to put in pretty dresses, but I know it’s important to you’ John grinned, ‘you’re a twin, don’t they run in families?’ ‘oh, good point’ John laughed, ‘good job I had preparations’ ‘are your broody?’ ‘yes’ John smirked, ‘good’ laughing.
-x-
10 years later:-
John smiled, ‘you’ll be fine, you’ll like school, learn new things, make new friends’ knowing it felt like the biggest lie he had ever told, Emily and John smiled, ‘you’ll be fine’ kissing their heads, ‘mum, can we have pizza tonight?’ ‘yes, and every Monday’ John looked at her, ‘really?’ ‘yes’ as they headed into class, ‘why?’ ‘Monday, they’ll need something to look forward to’ John laughing taking her hand, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ kissing her softly, ‘now we have the house to ourselves?’ ‘I can see where you’re going with this’ heading for bed, going wild going through the door making love.
'Apparently we're not normal, we have loads of sex' 'I've heard, my friends sit looking at me jealously' John chuckled, 'good' kissing her shoulder, 'I love you' 'I love you too' kissing her deeply, John got on top, 'I like to get all dirty with you' Johnny grinned, 'give me a second' ok' getting up she got her scarf and covered his eyes with a bit of surprise, 'now try and please me' he grinned, 'babe, your body to me is a wonderland, I love getting my hands on it, and I wanted to bang you more when you became a mother darling' kissing down her body touching and caressing making love again.
Emily and John smiled seeing pizza, ‘thank you’ ‘no problem darlings’ John smiled taking a slice, ‘so, how was it?’ ‘I liked it but John didn’t’ ‘it’s so boring!’ ‘I know, but you have to do it, unfortunately’ John sighed, ‘I’m glad we have pizza’ John chuckled, ‘well, if you don’t like it, we’ll consider some options’ ‘like what?’ ‘home schooling or a change, I don’t know, but we’ll see, if it’s really bad, but I think you’ll be fine, when you have friends, say your dad’s in a band, you’ll be fine’ John laughed, ‘that’s not what I want you to do’ laughing over food, ‘I’m kidding, be fine’.
John held Lucy in bed, ‘just say your dad is in a band, be fine?’ ‘I’m sorry, but really it’s pretty cool’ ‘damn right it is, I’d brag’ laughing, ‘I brag about you all the time and don’t even mention you can play guitar which is a hella sexy thing’ John grinned, ‘good’ kissing her softly, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’.
they lived happily.