All the Small Things (part 27)
Sunday night
“Ow.” Danny stopped, blew a few times across his fingers, then slurped at his tea. Mugs should have lids, wouldn't have this problem then.
He set off again, reached the landing and stopped at the end of the corridor, listening. The toilet flushed, and Harry emerged in boxers and a Surf Ninja T shirt. The drummer saw him, smiled and shrugged, then went into Doug's room.
The cistern filled and the corridor became quiet again. From upstairs, he heard the faint murmur of Tom's voice, talking, pausing… And laughing.
Been too long since we heard that. He sipped his tea and plodded down the corridor. He sat at his desk, set down the mug, slipped on his headphones and pressed the magic button on his iPod. After a moment he picked up the drink again.
When the mug was empty, he set it and the headphones down, turned out the light and stood beside his bed. He shed his T-shirt, bunched it up and threw it towards the corner of the room where the hamper normally lived, unbuttoned his jeans, undid the heavy belt buckle and let them drop to the floor. He stepped out of them, sat and pulled off his socks and sent them after the shirt, lay down and listened to the wordless hum of conversations filtering through the wall and ceiling.
“Dougie?”
“Mm?”
“About before. In the bathroom.”
“Scared you. I know. Sorry.”
“Me too.”
“Dinner was great. Where did you learn to cook? I'm useless.”
“Margherita. She worked for my parents for a while. She was nice. I spent a lot of time with her. She taught me a lot.”
“And how to cook as well?”
“No! She was like, fifty.”
“And very experienced in the ways- Ah! Don't, ha-ha no don't, Harry no, my a-ha-ha ow!”
“Yeah, I'd better get to bed too. We've got a long day, a long week ahead… You're sure about this? It's going to be so hard… You're amazing… No I'm not. I'm not very nice at all.… But I've been so harsh with Dougie…”
Danny smiled. Nice, that sound.
His hand drifted over his hip and rested on his boxers.
“Dougie?”
“Dougie…”
“Mm?”
“Where did you go today?”
“Secret mission. Heheheh. Agent Double-O Dougie, licensed to-”
“But where?”
“Doesn't matter now.”
“Please…”
“Edgware Road.”
“Why?”
“Secret mission.”
“Why?”
“Get something. Some parts. Fix something.”
“What?”
“Doesn't matter.”
“Fix what?”
“Doesn't matter any more.”
“Fix what?”
“Harry…”
“I don't know, maybe… That's what Danny said. I hope so, 'cos I hate being like this. And he really deserves better… Danny? Yeah, he is. He's the one made me do this, you know, call… Yeah, it's all his fault… I don't know, he got really obsessed with it… Me too. Couldn't ask for a better friend… All right. You too… See you soon… Love you too. Bye.”
“Why did you just take off like that?”
“Full of surprises, that's me.”
“You just left, didn't tell anyone.”
“Didn't know I had to.”
“Didn't take your phone.”
“Sorry.”
“Didn't leave a note.”
“What?”
“Just took off. Disappeared. Could be anywhere.”
“But I'm-”
“I'm just trying to understand.”
“Harry?”
“I just want to…”
“Come here… Let it out… that's it…”
“Hi Fletch, it's Tom. Sorry I missed you. Got your message about the meeting tomorrow morning. They do realise we're in the middle of recording, don't they? Sorry, I know it's not your fault. OK. Well, the others have plenty to do anyway. OK, see you tomorrow. Cheers, Fletch, bye.”
The sun was warm on their naked bodies. The brunette looked up, swirled her tongue again, blew cold and then breathed hot.
Danny's hips bucked, and he groaned. “Not so fast.”
He felt her laughter rather than heard it, then felt something wet and warm spread around him and draw him in, and he felt the roughness of her tongue sliding pressing just there oh and the cool air and a lick and too fast and a swirl and her tongue probing no don't and chasing the fold of skin no please and the warmth and oh no-
He lifted his hand away and strained, willed himself back from the edge. Too late? No. Close though.
He relaxed, opened his eyes and reached towards his bedside table, groped for the box of tissues, pulled one out, then another, set them beside his hip and dropped the box back in its place.
Rachel. Her name's Rachel.
He shut his eyes.
The sun was hot and Rachel was lying there, waiting. She was gorgeous.
She grasped him, stroked, then surrounded him with her fingers, squeezed, twisted, pulled him to her, and her hand guided him and so hot and no and he picked up the tissues and so tight around him and her nipples against his and no and salty and he rolled onto his side and the heat and no and he tried not to but so deep and hot and… oh and she said already and oh and is that it and I'm sorry and she pushed him off and he twitched and she sighed and he twitched and dribbled, and she said, there's a bus in a few minutes, and he twitched and dribbled some more, and he wrapped the tissues around it and waited for it to stop.
“Do you have to go?” he whispered, and grasped her hand. “Please.”
Rachel looked at him the way his maths teacher used to.
Then his eyes opened, and he was in his room, holding nothing but his shrinking todger and some soggy tissues.
Scratch an itch, Nan would say, and you only make it worse.
He peeled the tissues away before they stuck, folded them and wiped himself, folded them again, dropped them in the bin with one hand, and tucked himself back in his pants with the other.
He lay on his back and listened. There was a creak in the wall as the house settled, another above him that might have been Tom moving. But no voices.
Danny turned onto his side and felt for his jeans, for the phone in his pocket, blinked at the sudden glow while his fingers searched for the pictures he took earlier. He smiled at the figures on the tiny screen until the backlight faded for the sixth time, then set the phone on the bedside table. He pulled the duvet over his shoulders and settled down into the pillow.
After a moment, he turned over, reached for the vacant pillow beside him, and pulled it to his chest.
⇐ Part 26 - Part 28 ⇒