SOS - Kiss me, I'm Irish, pt3

I've been given the honour of hosting Soap Opera Sunday again (thanks, Brillig!). To play along, add your link in the Mr. Linky below (conveniently placed above my story this time). If this is your first time, check out the rules. And above all, have fun, in a melodramatic and sudsy way!





Part 1
Part 2



So it wasn't just a one-night stand.

I allowed that thought to propel me through the rest of my day. And I was reasonably sure I was happy about that turn of events too.

The phone rang again after 5pm. I dashed up to my bedroom to answer and stumbled over something as I answered the phone. I bit back a curse and put on my charming voice.

"Hello?"

"So what movie did you want to see tonight, Ellybean?"

"Is there an action movie showing?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You get better every time we speak. I had you pegged for chick-flicks."

"Ugh. No."

"I'll be by to pick you up in an hour?"

"Okay." I hung up and ran for the shower. I was just finishing my make-up when the doorbell rang. I bounded down the stairs. Billy was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. The t-shirt stretched across his muscular chest. The blue jeans fit his very fine behind in a way that even my mother noticed.

We headed to his Civic and he opened the door for me. I was taken aback, completely.

"Uh, thanks."

"Not used to gentlemen, El?"

"Not really."

"Shame."

***

We wound up at a chick-flick after all, so we stuck to the back of the theatre, where no one would complain if we spent the movie making out. It was awkward - it naturally progressed to making out from him putting his arm around me, but the armrest was annoying. I thought about the theatre my Mum used to talk about in Vancouver that only had armrests on every other seat in the back row wistfully, and giggled softly as we rearranged ourselves for what seemed like the millionth time.

"What?" Billy whispered in my ear."

"Just thinking about something my Mum told me about once."

"While we're making out?"

"It's pertinent. There was a theatre in Vancouver that used to have armrests every other seat in the back row. I'm thinking it would have been more comfortable." I whispered. Billy smirked. The younger teenage girls sitting in front of us whipped around.

"Could you shut up?!" One of them hissed. Billy stood up.

"Let's go, Ella. I'll treat you to a Blizzard."

As simple as that we walked out of the theatre.

***

"So I'm headed out of town again next week."

"I figured as much. Do you only ever work out of town?" I savoured the Blizzard as we spoke.

"Well, I get casual shifts at the lake station, but yeah, the majority of my hours are out of town. It's a permanent part-time." Billy had ordered an entire meal, and was wolfing down his fries.

"Well, that's good. It's still building seniority, right?" I stole a french fry and dipped it in my ice cream. Delicious.

"Exactly. Eventually I'll be able to transfer into a position here in town. But in the meantime it's all the same health authority."

"So you'll be back again next weekend?"

"No, this is a long turn around. I'll actually be gone 3 weeks. Enough time for you to finish your finals, anyhow."

"Are we going to get together for beers when you get back?" I didn't want it to sound needy.

"Absolutely."

***

"Ella, this is Bill. I'm back in town and was hoping we could go out tonight." I listened to the message a second time to scribble down his phone number. The doorbell rang. I heard my Dad open the door.

"Ella! Someone's here for you!" He bellowed up the stairs. I thumped down the stairs, curious. I wasn't expecting anyone. Bill stood there in cut-offs, a hoodie and tevas.

"I just got your message." I smiled.

"I figured. Volleyball at the park tonight. Interested?"

"Sure. I'll warn you though, I suck."

"It's okay. You'll be the only girl there, it'll be a novelty." He kissed me on the cheek as I stepped out the door.

***

We were covered in dirt and sweaty. I hadn't sucked as badly as I'd expected to, given that Billy's friends consisted of a bunch of the varsity volleyball team from our graduating year. I guess I thought I had something to prove, so I dove for balls and took spikes in the face and all kinds of ridiculousness. But I'd earned my props, and was invited to play again, by guys other than Billy. I flopped back into the grass in the cool early May evening and stared up at the sky while Billy brushed the sand from the court off his feet. He stood and pulled me to my feet.

"Let's walk." He twined his fingers in mine and we headed toward the other side of the park. We passed the playground and I paused. There was an old firetruck that had been partially converted into a jungle gym. I'd loved playing on it as a little girl. I ran through the sand and climbed up onto it. Billy laughed and followed. I ran down the back of the truck as carefully as I could and stopped at the ladder crank. I stopped to untangle my braid and knock some of the sand out of it.

"Why don't you ever wear your hair down?"

"I do. Sometimes."

"I've known you since we were fifteen. I've never seen your hair down."

"Sure you have. I wear it down with a barrette all the time."

"No, all the way down. Not down sort of, but in a convenient way for when you decide to put it up." He closed the gap between us and pulled a strand of my hair free from my hands. The way he played with it gave me chills.

"My hair is thick. It tangles really easy. It's easier to wear it in a braid."

"But it's gorgeous. It's shiny and about a hundred different colours all at once."

"It's red, Bill."

"Yeah, but it's the most beautiful red I've ever seen." He pulled my hands out of it and pulled the braid I'd just plaited out, running both hands through it. It brought him so close I could feel his heartbeat.

"Uh, thanks." I was confused. No guy had ever complimented my hair the way Billy was. No guy had ever run his hands through it like Billy was. He pushed me back into the ladder wheel and kissed me, tangled up in my hair. I pulled away, breathless and freezing. May wasn't exactly shorts-after-dark weather in Hometown. I untangled his fingers from my hair, distracting him with kisses. Then I jumped down off the fire-truck and dashed over to the swing set.

"Ella?"

"You're it."

"On, this is on!" He jumped off the edge of the firetruck and ran towards me. I waited until he was committed to a path and ran in the other direction. He changed direction instantly. I climbed back onto the firetruck and ran down the length of it before jumping off near the front. I dashed back toward the back of the firetruck again, and Billy stopped running, halfway down the truck. He jumped from the top of it down into the sand and landed just a few feet away. I dug in to run faster but the sand was too much. He tackled me in an instant, rolled me into my back and pinned me.

"I win." He breathed against my ear before he started kissing me again.

"Oh no. I think I just won."



To be continued