Sad_Girl
Blue Crack Supplier
*Disclaimer: Although obviously inspired in part by people who exist in real life, this story is in no way meant to represent reality, past, present or future. The author has no personal experience or contact with the band or their friends and family. There are facts within this story which may be contrary to real life either because they were changed for artistic purposes or simply because the author had no knowledge of the truth on a particular subject; i.e.: dates and times. No offense is intended to anyone who inspired this work of fiction. It’s just a wandering thought which I found trapped in the maze of my imagination.
Babyface pt 2
Larry hurried through the chilly evening air, shoulders hunched, arms tight to his body to keep warm. His cheeks were cold and pink by the time he reached the store, and he had to pause a moment and smooth his shaggy hair down before he dared to enter the store. He stepped inside, the air warm and sweet with the scent of her perfume as it hit his face. Larry smiled as he felt himself enveloped in her presence. She was intoxicating.
“Oh, hey kid. Janet left an hour ago. I guess she changed her mind.” Brian said when he looked up from the stack of eight-tracks he was sorting and recognized him. Larry’s heart felt as if it had been thrown in the deep freeze; hard and cold and painful in his chest. He blinked at the slightly older man in shock, gnashing his teeth together, his jaw thrust out in defensive anger. He drew in a deep breath to steady himself and decided it would be best not to say anything at all. He turned on his heel and marched back out of the store hurriedly.
That Bitch! How cruel could she be? It would’ve been one thing to simply tell him no, she wasn’t interested, but to lead him on just to ditch him? He felt his eyes begin to burn and blinked back the unwanted moisture that started to develop there. This was not worth crying over. He’d done too much crying in recent months, he certainly wouldn’t shed a tear over this. She wasn’t worth it. His teeth were clenched so tightly his jaw began to ache but he couldn’t make himself relax.
So what if she’d been one of the few things he’d had to look forward to lately? So what if she was the first thing he thought of in the morning, and the last thing he thought about at night? Clearly, he’d been wrong about her. She was not the person he’d thought she was. He hunched his shoulders closer to his neck and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked briskly away from the store, trying to outrun the feeling he’d just been the butt of a cruel joke.
“Larry? Larry, wait!” He heard a woman’s voice calling from behind him, and he stopped in mid-step. He froze for a moment, his mind racing nearly as quickly as his heart. What did she want now? Half of him hoped she was coming to apologize, the other half suspecting she was about to hurt him even further. He kept his head down, studying the shabby boots on his feet and the cuffs of his threadbare jeans, not wanting to let her see the hurt in his eyes.
He heard her footfalls slow as she caught up to him, heard her panting breath when she stopped beside him. She leaned over, her hands on her knees, her long blonde hair falling in her face as she took great gasps of air. When she could finally breathe enough to speak again, she straightened her posture and looked at him, trying to catch his eyes with her own.
“Hey, what did Brian say to you?” She asked, her chest still heaving as she drew in deep breaths. “He is such an ass hole!” She added when Larry didn’t respond right away. He glanced up at her, his silvery blue eyes peeking out at her from beneath long lashes, his hair hanging in the way as well.
“He just said you were gone already.” He told her with a shrug, trying to act as if he didn’t really care either way.
“Bastard! God, I swear if I thought I could get a better job…” she cursed, letting her words drift off unfinished and sighing heavily. “I’m sorry.” She said finally, bending slightly and dipping her head to one side to look into Larry’s eyes. She smiled sweetly at him and added. “You still want to go to the show?”
“Yeah. Uh, I mean, if you do.” Larry replied, feeling the blood creep back into his cheeks despite the cold air. A warmth returned to his body, like stepping out of a basement and into the bright sunshine. He knew already from the weeks he’d been stopping into the store to see her that that warmth was a direct result of her smile.
“Yeah. I have to run home first, though. Do you mind?” She asked and Larry shook his head, his heart quivering at the thought of going to her place. He’d certainly imagined being invited back to her place more than once in the previous weeks. He swallowed hard over the lump of anticipation that welled up in his throat and tried to think of something to say. The words simply would not come to his mind, and what thoughts did spring up were not suitable to speak.
“So do you live close?” She asked as they fell into step with each other and hurried away from the busy business district and into a somewhat dodgy residential neighborhood.
“Not too far.” He told her. “Do you know where Artane street is?” He asked and she nodded. “It’s actually just off of there.”
“That’s not far at all.” She commented, leading the way into a two story apartment building with peeling paint on the walls and a broken window on the front door. “Little nicer neighborhood, too.” She said with a smile as she noticed the way he looked around, taking in every little thing about the place.
“What? No, I mean this is fine…” he said, uncomfortable with lying but not wanting to be rude, either. She laughed out loud at this, her green eyes dancing, the sound of her laughter reminding him of waves lapping at his toes on the beach. It almost literally tickled. He smiled involuntarily, casting his gaze downwards again shyly. Janet led him up the narrow stairs to a landing with one door on either side. She turned to the left and slid her key into the lock.
“It’s not much, but it keeps me relatively warm and dry.” She told him, flipping up the light switch on the wall as she entered. The florescent ceiling light cast a waxy yellow light down onto the small, one room apartment and all of her sparse belongings. There was a sofa in the middle of the room, which pulled out into a bed. Against the far wall there was a small television set with a set of rabbit ear antennas decorated with balls of tin foil in an attempt to get better reception.
Next to the television on either side were bookcases. One bookcase was over full with books of every shape and size, on an eclectic variety of subjects. On the other bookshelf sat a stereo system and the top two shelf were lined with record, the bottom shelf with stacks of eight track tapes. Behind the sofa was a folding card table and a four mismatched dining chairs, and against the opposite wall there was a refrigerator, a stove and a small cupboard with a rusty sink.
To many people it would have simply been a dump. A rat trap. A hell-hole. Whatever euphemism one might use to describe shabby living conditions. Despite all of the problems, however, Larry saw something more. He saw freedom. This may not be a mansion, but it was hers. She had her own space, her sanctuary, to which only she had the right to decide who came and went. He smiled at her and shook his head.
“It’s fine. It’s not bad at all.” He told her, and she could tell by the strength in his voice that he meant it. She smiled happily at his approval and moved quickly across the room, dropping her keys on the table as she passed it. On the east wall there was an old wardrobe, and next to it the only door in the place other than the one through which they had entered. She opened the wardrobe and rifle through her clothes in search of something fresh to change into.
“Are you hungry?” She asked, draping a shirt over her shoulder as she spoke. “There’s not much in there, but you’re welcome to anything in the fridge or cupboards.” She told him generously. Larry grinned to himself. This was much more the Janet he had imagined her to be.
“I’m all right, thanks. Are you hungry?” He offered. “I could fix you something.”
“No, thanks. I had a late lunch.” She informed him as she closed the wardrobe and opened the door to the small bathroom next to it. “I won’t be long. Look through the records or something. Turn on the Tv.” She ordered him when she saw that he was still standing in the same spot near the door. He smiled and moved over to turn on the stereo, pausing to check the tape deck to see what she had been listening to.
He hit the play button without checking the volume and jumped in shock as his ears were assaulted with the blaring loud wail of Steve Millers guitar as ‘The Joker’ played.
“Some people call me a space cowboy! Some call me the gangster of love!”
Larry chuckled to himself once the initial jolt of surprise had passed, and he reached out and turned the volume down to a more moderate level. He began to sift through the LP’s on the shelf closest to him; he saw such artists as Kiss, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, The Cars, Van Morrison, Sex Pistols, The Clash. The next section was surprising to him, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis. He wasn’t particularly familiar with Jazz, hadn’t ever really given it a lot of thought even.
His father had tried to get him interested in Jazz, of course. He thought it was the only way a musician would ever earn a living. Larry knew what he felt, though, and that punk was the only type of music which let him really express the feelings fighting for control inside of him.
“I’m not going to find anything by the Bee Gees in here, am I?” he called out to her in a teasing voice. He heard her laughter through the thin wall that separated them.
“No, but I do have Abba. Dancing Queen is actually a good song.” She replied brightly, and Larry considered disagreeing but decided to keep his mouth shut. She could like worse things than that. He glanced back over his shoulder as he heard the door swing open and felt all the blood shunt to the center of his body as he saw her step out into the room. She smiled at him and looked away shyly, and he realized he was staring at her, unblinking, his mouth open.
“You, um… look good.” He stammered, sliding the records back into place on the shelf absently. She smiled back at him, rolling her eyes.
“No, really. Really good.” He said, stepping toward her, his eyes half lidded, washing over her greedily. He stopped less than two feet from her, and he wanted to reach out and touch her, maybe pull her close and try to kiss her even. For a long moment, he wrestled with himself inwardly, but ultimately he just shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. He thought he heard her sigh, but when he turned back to look at her, she was moving toward the door.
She grabbed a black leather motorcycle jacket which had been draped over the back of on of the dining chairs and slid it on over her v-neck sweater. It didn’t seem to matter to her that her legs were still exposed beneath her miniskirt. She slipped on a pair of boots and ran her hand through her feathered hair, pulling it out from under the jacket, and she turned to smile at him. He was staring again, he realized.
“You ready?” She asked, and he suspected there was more to her question than whether or not he was prepared to leave, to go see the movie. He shook the thought from his head, dismissing it as wishful thinking. She was older, American, and too beautiful by far to be coming on to him. Wasn’t she?
*************************************************************
“So, where are you from?” Larry asked as they ambled through the streets of Dublin on their way to the movies. He wondered if she knew her way around well enough that she would notice they were going out of their way in order to pass Bono’s house. He hoped not; but even as part of him thought he was being shallow for wanting to be seen with her, another part of him desperately wanted to see the look on Bono’s face if he saw them like this. On a date.
“Bay City, Michigan.” She told him, holding up her hand and pointing to the spot where her thumb met the rest of her hand. She laughed at the confusion on his face at this gesture. “Not many people in the world have a built in map of their home state, do they?” She joked. “Michigan is the state that’s shaped like a mitten on the map.” She added, and Larry nodded.
“Oh yeah, right. I know. It just took me a minute to realize what you were doing.” He explained. Janet smiled sweetly at him and let the subject drop.
“So, have you traveled a lot then?” He asked, desperate not to let the conversation die.
“Yeah.” She told him. “My dad’s a pilot, so he’s always gone for work. But we do get to fly for a lot cheaper than most people. So my mom and Brother and I would travel a lot. Sometimes dad would come, too.” She informed him.
“Where’ve you been?”
“Oh… Let’s see. New York, London, New Orleans, LA, Denver, Rio. Um… I know there’s more. Stockholm, Paris, Rome.” She said, her eyes aimed upward as if searching the sky for reminders.
“Wow. You’ve been everywhere.” He muttered.
“Not quite.” She laughed. “But my mom has always been sort of antsy. She was always unsettled, wanted to be on the go.” She explained. “And she liked to learn and to teach us things. She was always trying to learn some new language or something.”
“Was? Is… is your mother ok?” Larry asked, his own heart still aching from the recent loss of his mother. He felt that too familiar sorrow threatening to build in his chest and tried to push it aside.
“Um, no. I mean, she’s still alive, she didn’t die or anything.” Janet informed him. “She had a nervous breakdown, though. So she’s in a state hospital. I don’t know which would have been worse, really.” She said, her words softening and drifting away.
“Death is worse.” Larry told her sharply.
“I don’t know… you haven’t seen these hospitals.” She said, trying to make light of it and move on, but she could see the tension in his face and knew she had somehow offended him. “Larry? What’s…?”
“My mothers dead, Janet. Trust me, I’d give anything to have her alive, even in the worst of situations. Because if she were alive, there would be some hope. Hope that I would see her again. That one day, maybe she’d be well enough that I’d have her back. Or at least so that I could tell her… everything I didn’t get to say.” He told her hotly. Instead of sorrow, there was anger in his voice. Janet drew away from him meekly, unsure how to respond. He clearly didn’t want her comfort or pity. She felt as if he were blaming her, almost, for the fact that her mother was still alive and his was gone.
“I’m sorry.” He finally said, running his hand through his hair and sighing as they walked in awkward silence.
“It’s fine. I didn’t know about your mom. I’m sorry.” She replied quietly.
“I didn’t mean to yell…” he started, but he was frustrated with himself and frustrated with the words which simply would not come out right.
“Hey, it’s ok. I know it’s hard, to lose someone.” She said, stopping and taking his hand in her own, lacing her fingers in between his. “Let’s talk about something else. Something happy.” She suggested, nudging him on the shoulder as she began to walk again, leading him away because she still held his hand. He smiled softly and nodded in agreement. They didn’t need to talk about the things which made them sad, not then. They were together, and that made him happy.
***************************************************************
Janet was relieved when they stepped into the darkened theater, just as the movie began to play. She’d been afraid they were going to be too late, especially when Larry had taken them on a four block detour for no apparent reason. She saw a whole block of open seats in the fourth row and started toward them, but felt a tug on her arm as Larry refused to budge. She turned to see him nodding at a the next to last row, which was completely empty.
“I don’t like to sit so close.” He whispered to her as they settled into the seats. “It hurts my neck.” She smiled suspiciously at him but didn’t say anything. He released her hand as they settled into their seats, against the wall, as far back as they could. Janet suspected that if there had not been three shadowy figures in the middle of the back row that they would be seated there themselves.
About the time the dance contest was underway, Janet was convinced she had misread his intentions. Surely, he would’ve made a move sooner, if that had been his intention, she told herself. She relaxed as they watched as Danny Zuko betrayed Sandra Dee by finishing the dance contest with his trampy ex girlfriend.
It wasn’t that having him try and cuddle with her a bit would be a bad thing. It was the strength of the attraction which she was feeling toward him which had her scared. If she was so nervous and her thoughts so quickly turned to the possibilities of getting physical with this boy when all they had done was hold hands, what would happen to her judgement if he kissed her? She was still off center by the fact that he was so much younger than her, and although she tried to force it out of her thoughts, it always came back to nag at her later.
She forced herself to concentrate on the movie, and not on the way he sat, his legs spread wide in front of him, his knee rubbing against her own knee. She chuckled as the lead character tried to make a move on his girl at the drive-in, only to have the door slammed on him as she stormed off. She certainly wouldn’t consider herself old fashioned, or prudish, like the character in the show. But here she was, worrying over the exact situation. She turned her face slightly to glance at Larry and saw that he was looking at her.
Her heart jumped up into her throat in anticipation as she realized they were only a few inches apart, but she did not turn away. Larry’s eyes locked with hers as he leaned closer slowly. He moved so slowly, for a moment Janet wondered if he was moving at all or if she had developed vertigo and things which were not moving seemed to be because she was so dizzy.
Finally, he tilted his head slightly as he drew close enough that their noses would bump if neither of them adjusted to avoid that. His breath was hot against her lips as he paused for a heartbeat longer, his eyes drifting closed. Janet closed her own eyes and leaned forward, closing the space between their mouths at last. Immediately, her body was overtaken in waves of electricity.
She raised her hand to run her fingers through his hair and realized she was trembling. His lips were so very soft, so generous, she’d never felt anything so wonderful as far as she could recall, to compare it to. He sighed against her mouth, as if relieved that she did not push him away. As if she could have if she wanted too, she thought. He kissed her gently, once, twice, a third time. Small butterfly kisses; nibbling kisses with his lips slightly parted. Finally, his mouth slid over hers firmly, making deeper contact.
His tongue timidly ran along the outside of her lower lip and she moaned against his kiss, her lips parting gently to let him in. He shifted in his seat, turning his body more toward her, one hand stroking her back, the other moving up along her cheek and into the mass of her soft hair. His tongue dipped into her mouth shyly, her tongue moving against his in a seductive dance.
She knew she had to break this kiss off, otherwise she was sure the movie goers in the back row were going to get a show they had neither paid for nor asked to see. The level of desire he stirred in her was overwhelming, unsettling even. Suddenly she felt Larry’s body jerk in surprise and his mouth left hers quickly, unexpectedly. Her eyes snapped open to see his head swing to look back toward the back row with a scowl which would make most people cower. The outburst of hysterical laughter was, of course, not the result he had hoped for when he had glared at them.
“Aw, bollix!” She heard Larry groan as he turned around quickly to face the screen, sinking down in his seat as if hoping they would forget he was there. Janet frowned and squinted to try and see the group of laughing boys in the dark theater. She was quite certain she had never seen two of them before, but she immediately recognized the young man in the middle. He smiled crookedly at her and waved at her playfully. She closed her eyes once and then looked again to make sure her mind was getting the right signal. Unfortunately she was seeing the same young man.
She waved back at Bono, for lack of anything better to do and she, too, turned around in her seat and slouched down in embarrassment. The snickers from the group continued, and before long, popcorn began raining down on Larry’s head. Larry spun in his seat and scowled at them again, this time making a rude gesture with one hand which only made the group howl with laughter. Finally, an usher scurried back to scold them and threaten them with removal from the theater if they didn’t quiet down.
After the show, as the lights brightened and people began to shuffle out, Larry turned to her.
“I’m sorry, about them. They’re absolute idiots.” He told her and Janet smiled and nodded. They were just young men having a laugh at the expense of a friend. Part of her was grateful to them for the interruption.
“Hey. I thought you couldn’t practice tonight because you had to be at your sisters for some family thing.” Bono said, jumping over the back of the row of seats to settle into the chair next to Larry. He grinned at him without the slightest hint of apology, even though Larry gave him a look cold enough to freeze water.
“I did, then I came back and now I’m here.” Larry murmured through clenched teeth. He didn’t seem to appreciate the insinuation that he was a liar. “Which is why I didn’t suggest we practice tonight, instead of this afternoon.”
“Hi again, by the way.” Bono was saying even before Larry had finished speaking. He was leaning forward now and addressing Janet. “What did you think of the band?” He asked, oblivious to the evil looks Larry was sending his way.
“I think you guys are very talented. You have something special, and I think others will see that too.” She informed him honestly, and he beamed at her proudly.
“Oh, hey, I forgot. These are my friends, Gavin and Guggi.” He told her, turning and gesturing at the other young men who were standing behind them. Janet decided not to ask questions about the name Guggi. She had a feeling the answer would be far longer than necessary. “This is Janet, from the record store over on Raglan.” The young men greeted her with nods and polite smiles as Bono turned back to face her. “I would’ve thought they paid better, though, than for you to have to take odd jobs.”
“What?” She asked, frowning at him in bewilderment.
“Well, Larry’s fathers paying you, isn’t he? For babysitting?” Bono asked, cracking up at his own joke before he could even finish the sentence. Larry’s hand shot out so quickly, Janet’s eye barely caught the motion, but Bono had anticipated it and quickly moved to block the punch.
“Piss off!” Larry growled, standing and pushing past Bono, who was still laughing. Janet was close behind Larry, trying not to smile despite the fact that she found some humor in Bono’s teasing.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Bono said, still laughing, as he jogged up next to them in the lobby. “Really.” Larry stopped and glared at him but eventually nodded in acceptance of his apology. “I’ll see you tomorrow at rehearsal.” Bono added as he and his friends moved off down the street in the opposite direction. Larry mumbled in agreement and waved begrudgingly at them.
He timidly reached out and took Janet’s hand as they started down the sidewalk toward her apartment, silence falling over them like a shroud. They were four blocks from the theater before she started humming under her breath, one of the melodies which had been performed at the end of the movie. It was firmly stuck in her head now. She glanced up at Larry out of the corner of one eye and saw a smile starting to turn up the corner of his mouth.
“So did you like the movie?” she asked, and he nodded.
“It was ok. I really like stuff set in the fifties.” He informed her. “There was just something so cool about the guys in those shows.”
“I know what you mean. It’s hard to picture them as being in the same generation as our parents.” She agreed, and he nodded. “I guess the fantasy is always better than the reality.” She concluded with a sigh as they crossed the final street and slowed to a stroll as they approached her building.
“Not everything.” He said, squeezing her hand gently. She stopped outside the front door and looked up into his eyes. “You’re better in real life than in fantasy.”
“I’m not sure whether I should be offended to hear you fantasize about me, or that they aren’t very good fantasies.” She joked, watching his cheeks redden shyly. “I know what you meant.” She told him, bumping his hip with her own playfully. “Thank you.” She told him, her voice softening as she stood slightly closer to him, her face tilted upward.
He grasped her hips with his surprisingly strong hands, leaning down to kiss her gently on the mouth. The heat radiating from his body into hers was like a furnace, but still she shivered as their lips met. Once more, she found herself completely wrapped up in him, washed away in his kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against his chest, and they swayed, their center of balance changing from two points to one.
He kissed her eagerly this time; hungrily. When he slid his kisses away from her mouth, down to suck and nibble at the sensitive spot on her neck, just below her earlobe, Janet gasped for breath. She found herself clinging to him for balance, completely dependant on him to keep her from falling due to the weakness in her knees. Still, she didn’t want him to stop. No matter how much she should.
He directed her backwards until her back leaned up against the wall beside the front door, and then slid one hand away from the center of her back. She felt the heat leave the small of her back and leave a trail up along her side as he grew bolder, his hand pausing for just a moment before he slid it over her breast and began kneading it gently. She closed her eyes and tried to gain enough control over her lust clouded mind to make the decision to either stop him and say goodnight, or to invite him upstairs.
She tilted her head to the side and rose to stand on tip-toe, closing her mouth hungrily over the arch of his neck. She ran her tongue along the smooth skin there before closing her lips and sucking gently at it. She felt his body tense under her touch, knew he was reacting to her the way she was to him, and she was flooded with even more desire.
She slid her hands up underneath his jacket and shirt, her fingernails scratching against bare skin, her palms sliding smoothly along a fine sheen of perspiration which had developed there. Suddenly she felt him tremble and grow perfectly still. He muttered something to himself, holding her tight and keeping her still as well.
“We have to stop.” She finally said, knowing it was true and that he was to proud to be the one to say it. Teenage boys aren’t generally known for their self control, especially when it came to sex. His cheek brushed hers as he nodded in agreement. They held each other for a long moment, waiting for their heartbeats to return to normal and their heavy breathing to subside.
Finally, she leaned back and he did the same, so that they could look into each others eyes. She reached up and cupped his face in both hands.
“What am I going to do with you, babyface?” She asked him, bumping his nose with her own playfully. A mischievous grin quickly spread across his face, his blue eyes twinkling dangerously.
“I could make some suggestions.” He whispered softly, his Irish accent thick. She laughed out loud, resting her forehead against his and watching that grin, those dancing eyes. Maybe, she thought to herself, it wasn’t such a bad thing that he smiled so infrequently. If he walked around looking like that all the time, he’d have a horde of girls following him around giggling and competing for his attention.
“I bet you could.” She joked, kissing him gently before stepping back, out of his arms. “Are you going to be all right walking home?” she asked, and he made a dramatic face at her, slapping his hand to his chest.
“You don’t think I can walk myself home?” he asked, and she shook her head at him, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. “I’ll be fine.” He told her more seriously as he backed away from her building.
“You’re working tomorrow?” he asked and she nodded. “I’ll see you there.” He called to her as he turned to cross the street and disappear into the foggy Dublin night.
Babyface pt 2
Larry hurried through the chilly evening air, shoulders hunched, arms tight to his body to keep warm. His cheeks were cold and pink by the time he reached the store, and he had to pause a moment and smooth his shaggy hair down before he dared to enter the store. He stepped inside, the air warm and sweet with the scent of her perfume as it hit his face. Larry smiled as he felt himself enveloped in her presence. She was intoxicating.
“Oh, hey kid. Janet left an hour ago. I guess she changed her mind.” Brian said when he looked up from the stack of eight-tracks he was sorting and recognized him. Larry’s heart felt as if it had been thrown in the deep freeze; hard and cold and painful in his chest. He blinked at the slightly older man in shock, gnashing his teeth together, his jaw thrust out in defensive anger. He drew in a deep breath to steady himself and decided it would be best not to say anything at all. He turned on his heel and marched back out of the store hurriedly.
That Bitch! How cruel could she be? It would’ve been one thing to simply tell him no, she wasn’t interested, but to lead him on just to ditch him? He felt his eyes begin to burn and blinked back the unwanted moisture that started to develop there. This was not worth crying over. He’d done too much crying in recent months, he certainly wouldn’t shed a tear over this. She wasn’t worth it. His teeth were clenched so tightly his jaw began to ache but he couldn’t make himself relax.
So what if she’d been one of the few things he’d had to look forward to lately? So what if she was the first thing he thought of in the morning, and the last thing he thought about at night? Clearly, he’d been wrong about her. She was not the person he’d thought she was. He hunched his shoulders closer to his neck and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked briskly away from the store, trying to outrun the feeling he’d just been the butt of a cruel joke.
“Larry? Larry, wait!” He heard a woman’s voice calling from behind him, and he stopped in mid-step. He froze for a moment, his mind racing nearly as quickly as his heart. What did she want now? Half of him hoped she was coming to apologize, the other half suspecting she was about to hurt him even further. He kept his head down, studying the shabby boots on his feet and the cuffs of his threadbare jeans, not wanting to let her see the hurt in his eyes.
He heard her footfalls slow as she caught up to him, heard her panting breath when she stopped beside him. She leaned over, her hands on her knees, her long blonde hair falling in her face as she took great gasps of air. When she could finally breathe enough to speak again, she straightened her posture and looked at him, trying to catch his eyes with her own.
“Hey, what did Brian say to you?” She asked, her chest still heaving as she drew in deep breaths. “He is such an ass hole!” She added when Larry didn’t respond right away. He glanced up at her, his silvery blue eyes peeking out at her from beneath long lashes, his hair hanging in the way as well.
“He just said you were gone already.” He told her with a shrug, trying to act as if he didn’t really care either way.
“Bastard! God, I swear if I thought I could get a better job…” she cursed, letting her words drift off unfinished and sighing heavily. “I’m sorry.” She said finally, bending slightly and dipping her head to one side to look into Larry’s eyes. She smiled sweetly at him and added. “You still want to go to the show?”
“Yeah. Uh, I mean, if you do.” Larry replied, feeling the blood creep back into his cheeks despite the cold air. A warmth returned to his body, like stepping out of a basement and into the bright sunshine. He knew already from the weeks he’d been stopping into the store to see her that that warmth was a direct result of her smile.
“Yeah. I have to run home first, though. Do you mind?” She asked and Larry shook his head, his heart quivering at the thought of going to her place. He’d certainly imagined being invited back to her place more than once in the previous weeks. He swallowed hard over the lump of anticipation that welled up in his throat and tried to think of something to say. The words simply would not come to his mind, and what thoughts did spring up were not suitable to speak.
“So do you live close?” She asked as they fell into step with each other and hurried away from the busy business district and into a somewhat dodgy residential neighborhood.
“Not too far.” He told her. “Do you know where Artane street is?” He asked and she nodded. “It’s actually just off of there.”
“That’s not far at all.” She commented, leading the way into a two story apartment building with peeling paint on the walls and a broken window on the front door. “Little nicer neighborhood, too.” She said with a smile as she noticed the way he looked around, taking in every little thing about the place.
“What? No, I mean this is fine…” he said, uncomfortable with lying but not wanting to be rude, either. She laughed out loud at this, her green eyes dancing, the sound of her laughter reminding him of waves lapping at his toes on the beach. It almost literally tickled. He smiled involuntarily, casting his gaze downwards again shyly. Janet led him up the narrow stairs to a landing with one door on either side. She turned to the left and slid her key into the lock.
“It’s not much, but it keeps me relatively warm and dry.” She told him, flipping up the light switch on the wall as she entered. The florescent ceiling light cast a waxy yellow light down onto the small, one room apartment and all of her sparse belongings. There was a sofa in the middle of the room, which pulled out into a bed. Against the far wall there was a small television set with a set of rabbit ear antennas decorated with balls of tin foil in an attempt to get better reception.
Next to the television on either side were bookcases. One bookcase was over full with books of every shape and size, on an eclectic variety of subjects. On the other bookshelf sat a stereo system and the top two shelf were lined with record, the bottom shelf with stacks of eight track tapes. Behind the sofa was a folding card table and a four mismatched dining chairs, and against the opposite wall there was a refrigerator, a stove and a small cupboard with a rusty sink.
To many people it would have simply been a dump. A rat trap. A hell-hole. Whatever euphemism one might use to describe shabby living conditions. Despite all of the problems, however, Larry saw something more. He saw freedom. This may not be a mansion, but it was hers. She had her own space, her sanctuary, to which only she had the right to decide who came and went. He smiled at her and shook his head.
“It’s fine. It’s not bad at all.” He told her, and she could tell by the strength in his voice that he meant it. She smiled happily at his approval and moved quickly across the room, dropping her keys on the table as she passed it. On the east wall there was an old wardrobe, and next to it the only door in the place other than the one through which they had entered. She opened the wardrobe and rifle through her clothes in search of something fresh to change into.
“Are you hungry?” She asked, draping a shirt over her shoulder as she spoke. “There’s not much in there, but you’re welcome to anything in the fridge or cupboards.” She told him generously. Larry grinned to himself. This was much more the Janet he had imagined her to be.
“I’m all right, thanks. Are you hungry?” He offered. “I could fix you something.”
“No, thanks. I had a late lunch.” She informed him as she closed the wardrobe and opened the door to the small bathroom next to it. “I won’t be long. Look through the records or something. Turn on the Tv.” She ordered him when she saw that he was still standing in the same spot near the door. He smiled and moved over to turn on the stereo, pausing to check the tape deck to see what she had been listening to.
He hit the play button without checking the volume and jumped in shock as his ears were assaulted with the blaring loud wail of Steve Millers guitar as ‘The Joker’ played.
“Some people call me a space cowboy! Some call me the gangster of love!”
Larry chuckled to himself once the initial jolt of surprise had passed, and he reached out and turned the volume down to a more moderate level. He began to sift through the LP’s on the shelf closest to him; he saw such artists as Kiss, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, The Cars, Van Morrison, Sex Pistols, The Clash. The next section was surprising to him, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis. He wasn’t particularly familiar with Jazz, hadn’t ever really given it a lot of thought even.
His father had tried to get him interested in Jazz, of course. He thought it was the only way a musician would ever earn a living. Larry knew what he felt, though, and that punk was the only type of music which let him really express the feelings fighting for control inside of him.
“I’m not going to find anything by the Bee Gees in here, am I?” he called out to her in a teasing voice. He heard her laughter through the thin wall that separated them.
“No, but I do have Abba. Dancing Queen is actually a good song.” She replied brightly, and Larry considered disagreeing but decided to keep his mouth shut. She could like worse things than that. He glanced back over his shoulder as he heard the door swing open and felt all the blood shunt to the center of his body as he saw her step out into the room. She smiled at him and looked away shyly, and he realized he was staring at her, unblinking, his mouth open.
“You, um… look good.” He stammered, sliding the records back into place on the shelf absently. She smiled back at him, rolling her eyes.
“No, really. Really good.” He said, stepping toward her, his eyes half lidded, washing over her greedily. He stopped less than two feet from her, and he wanted to reach out and touch her, maybe pull her close and try to kiss her even. For a long moment, he wrestled with himself inwardly, but ultimately he just shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. He thought he heard her sigh, but when he turned back to look at her, she was moving toward the door.
She grabbed a black leather motorcycle jacket which had been draped over the back of on of the dining chairs and slid it on over her v-neck sweater. It didn’t seem to matter to her that her legs were still exposed beneath her miniskirt. She slipped on a pair of boots and ran her hand through her feathered hair, pulling it out from under the jacket, and she turned to smile at him. He was staring again, he realized.
“You ready?” She asked, and he suspected there was more to her question than whether or not he was prepared to leave, to go see the movie. He shook the thought from his head, dismissing it as wishful thinking. She was older, American, and too beautiful by far to be coming on to him. Wasn’t she?
*************************************************************
“So, where are you from?” Larry asked as they ambled through the streets of Dublin on their way to the movies. He wondered if she knew her way around well enough that she would notice they were going out of their way in order to pass Bono’s house. He hoped not; but even as part of him thought he was being shallow for wanting to be seen with her, another part of him desperately wanted to see the look on Bono’s face if he saw them like this. On a date.
“Bay City, Michigan.” She told him, holding up her hand and pointing to the spot where her thumb met the rest of her hand. She laughed at the confusion on his face at this gesture. “Not many people in the world have a built in map of their home state, do they?” She joked. “Michigan is the state that’s shaped like a mitten on the map.” She added, and Larry nodded.
“Oh yeah, right. I know. It just took me a minute to realize what you were doing.” He explained. Janet smiled sweetly at him and let the subject drop.
“So, have you traveled a lot then?” He asked, desperate not to let the conversation die.
“Yeah.” She told him. “My dad’s a pilot, so he’s always gone for work. But we do get to fly for a lot cheaper than most people. So my mom and Brother and I would travel a lot. Sometimes dad would come, too.” She informed him.
“Where’ve you been?”
“Oh… Let’s see. New York, London, New Orleans, LA, Denver, Rio. Um… I know there’s more. Stockholm, Paris, Rome.” She said, her eyes aimed upward as if searching the sky for reminders.
“Wow. You’ve been everywhere.” He muttered.
“Not quite.” She laughed. “But my mom has always been sort of antsy. She was always unsettled, wanted to be on the go.” She explained. “And she liked to learn and to teach us things. She was always trying to learn some new language or something.”
“Was? Is… is your mother ok?” Larry asked, his own heart still aching from the recent loss of his mother. He felt that too familiar sorrow threatening to build in his chest and tried to push it aside.
“Um, no. I mean, she’s still alive, she didn’t die or anything.” Janet informed him. “She had a nervous breakdown, though. So she’s in a state hospital. I don’t know which would have been worse, really.” She said, her words softening and drifting away.
“Death is worse.” Larry told her sharply.
“I don’t know… you haven’t seen these hospitals.” She said, trying to make light of it and move on, but she could see the tension in his face and knew she had somehow offended him. “Larry? What’s…?”
“My mothers dead, Janet. Trust me, I’d give anything to have her alive, even in the worst of situations. Because if she were alive, there would be some hope. Hope that I would see her again. That one day, maybe she’d be well enough that I’d have her back. Or at least so that I could tell her… everything I didn’t get to say.” He told her hotly. Instead of sorrow, there was anger in his voice. Janet drew away from him meekly, unsure how to respond. He clearly didn’t want her comfort or pity. She felt as if he were blaming her, almost, for the fact that her mother was still alive and his was gone.
“I’m sorry.” He finally said, running his hand through his hair and sighing as they walked in awkward silence.
“It’s fine. I didn’t know about your mom. I’m sorry.” She replied quietly.
“I didn’t mean to yell…” he started, but he was frustrated with himself and frustrated with the words which simply would not come out right.
“Hey, it’s ok. I know it’s hard, to lose someone.” She said, stopping and taking his hand in her own, lacing her fingers in between his. “Let’s talk about something else. Something happy.” She suggested, nudging him on the shoulder as she began to walk again, leading him away because she still held his hand. He smiled softly and nodded in agreement. They didn’t need to talk about the things which made them sad, not then. They were together, and that made him happy.
***************************************************************
Janet was relieved when they stepped into the darkened theater, just as the movie began to play. She’d been afraid they were going to be too late, especially when Larry had taken them on a four block detour for no apparent reason. She saw a whole block of open seats in the fourth row and started toward them, but felt a tug on her arm as Larry refused to budge. She turned to see him nodding at a the next to last row, which was completely empty.
“I don’t like to sit so close.” He whispered to her as they settled into the seats. “It hurts my neck.” She smiled suspiciously at him but didn’t say anything. He released her hand as they settled into their seats, against the wall, as far back as they could. Janet suspected that if there had not been three shadowy figures in the middle of the back row that they would be seated there themselves.
About the time the dance contest was underway, Janet was convinced she had misread his intentions. Surely, he would’ve made a move sooner, if that had been his intention, she told herself. She relaxed as they watched as Danny Zuko betrayed Sandra Dee by finishing the dance contest with his trampy ex girlfriend.
It wasn’t that having him try and cuddle with her a bit would be a bad thing. It was the strength of the attraction which she was feeling toward him which had her scared. If she was so nervous and her thoughts so quickly turned to the possibilities of getting physical with this boy when all they had done was hold hands, what would happen to her judgement if he kissed her? She was still off center by the fact that he was so much younger than her, and although she tried to force it out of her thoughts, it always came back to nag at her later.
She forced herself to concentrate on the movie, and not on the way he sat, his legs spread wide in front of him, his knee rubbing against her own knee. She chuckled as the lead character tried to make a move on his girl at the drive-in, only to have the door slammed on him as she stormed off. She certainly wouldn’t consider herself old fashioned, or prudish, like the character in the show. But here she was, worrying over the exact situation. She turned her face slightly to glance at Larry and saw that he was looking at her.
Her heart jumped up into her throat in anticipation as she realized they were only a few inches apart, but she did not turn away. Larry’s eyes locked with hers as he leaned closer slowly. He moved so slowly, for a moment Janet wondered if he was moving at all or if she had developed vertigo and things which were not moving seemed to be because she was so dizzy.
Finally, he tilted his head slightly as he drew close enough that their noses would bump if neither of them adjusted to avoid that. His breath was hot against her lips as he paused for a heartbeat longer, his eyes drifting closed. Janet closed her own eyes and leaned forward, closing the space between their mouths at last. Immediately, her body was overtaken in waves of electricity.
She raised her hand to run her fingers through his hair and realized she was trembling. His lips were so very soft, so generous, she’d never felt anything so wonderful as far as she could recall, to compare it to. He sighed against her mouth, as if relieved that she did not push him away. As if she could have if she wanted too, she thought. He kissed her gently, once, twice, a third time. Small butterfly kisses; nibbling kisses with his lips slightly parted. Finally, his mouth slid over hers firmly, making deeper contact.
His tongue timidly ran along the outside of her lower lip and she moaned against his kiss, her lips parting gently to let him in. He shifted in his seat, turning his body more toward her, one hand stroking her back, the other moving up along her cheek and into the mass of her soft hair. His tongue dipped into her mouth shyly, her tongue moving against his in a seductive dance.
She knew she had to break this kiss off, otherwise she was sure the movie goers in the back row were going to get a show they had neither paid for nor asked to see. The level of desire he stirred in her was overwhelming, unsettling even. Suddenly she felt Larry’s body jerk in surprise and his mouth left hers quickly, unexpectedly. Her eyes snapped open to see his head swing to look back toward the back row with a scowl which would make most people cower. The outburst of hysterical laughter was, of course, not the result he had hoped for when he had glared at them.
“Aw, bollix!” She heard Larry groan as he turned around quickly to face the screen, sinking down in his seat as if hoping they would forget he was there. Janet frowned and squinted to try and see the group of laughing boys in the dark theater. She was quite certain she had never seen two of them before, but she immediately recognized the young man in the middle. He smiled crookedly at her and waved at her playfully. She closed her eyes once and then looked again to make sure her mind was getting the right signal. Unfortunately she was seeing the same young man.
She waved back at Bono, for lack of anything better to do and she, too, turned around in her seat and slouched down in embarrassment. The snickers from the group continued, and before long, popcorn began raining down on Larry’s head. Larry spun in his seat and scowled at them again, this time making a rude gesture with one hand which only made the group howl with laughter. Finally, an usher scurried back to scold them and threaten them with removal from the theater if they didn’t quiet down.
After the show, as the lights brightened and people began to shuffle out, Larry turned to her.
“I’m sorry, about them. They’re absolute idiots.” He told her and Janet smiled and nodded. They were just young men having a laugh at the expense of a friend. Part of her was grateful to them for the interruption.
“Hey. I thought you couldn’t practice tonight because you had to be at your sisters for some family thing.” Bono said, jumping over the back of the row of seats to settle into the chair next to Larry. He grinned at him without the slightest hint of apology, even though Larry gave him a look cold enough to freeze water.
“I did, then I came back and now I’m here.” Larry murmured through clenched teeth. He didn’t seem to appreciate the insinuation that he was a liar. “Which is why I didn’t suggest we practice tonight, instead of this afternoon.”
“Hi again, by the way.” Bono was saying even before Larry had finished speaking. He was leaning forward now and addressing Janet. “What did you think of the band?” He asked, oblivious to the evil looks Larry was sending his way.
“I think you guys are very talented. You have something special, and I think others will see that too.” She informed him honestly, and he beamed at her proudly.
“Oh, hey, I forgot. These are my friends, Gavin and Guggi.” He told her, turning and gesturing at the other young men who were standing behind them. Janet decided not to ask questions about the name Guggi. She had a feeling the answer would be far longer than necessary. “This is Janet, from the record store over on Raglan.” The young men greeted her with nods and polite smiles as Bono turned back to face her. “I would’ve thought they paid better, though, than for you to have to take odd jobs.”
“What?” She asked, frowning at him in bewilderment.
“Well, Larry’s fathers paying you, isn’t he? For babysitting?” Bono asked, cracking up at his own joke before he could even finish the sentence. Larry’s hand shot out so quickly, Janet’s eye barely caught the motion, but Bono had anticipated it and quickly moved to block the punch.
“Piss off!” Larry growled, standing and pushing past Bono, who was still laughing. Janet was close behind Larry, trying not to smile despite the fact that she found some humor in Bono’s teasing.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Bono said, still laughing, as he jogged up next to them in the lobby. “Really.” Larry stopped and glared at him but eventually nodded in acceptance of his apology. “I’ll see you tomorrow at rehearsal.” Bono added as he and his friends moved off down the street in the opposite direction. Larry mumbled in agreement and waved begrudgingly at them.
He timidly reached out and took Janet’s hand as they started down the sidewalk toward her apartment, silence falling over them like a shroud. They were four blocks from the theater before she started humming under her breath, one of the melodies which had been performed at the end of the movie. It was firmly stuck in her head now. She glanced up at Larry out of the corner of one eye and saw a smile starting to turn up the corner of his mouth.
“So did you like the movie?” she asked, and he nodded.
“It was ok. I really like stuff set in the fifties.” He informed her. “There was just something so cool about the guys in those shows.”
“I know what you mean. It’s hard to picture them as being in the same generation as our parents.” She agreed, and he nodded. “I guess the fantasy is always better than the reality.” She concluded with a sigh as they crossed the final street and slowed to a stroll as they approached her building.
“Not everything.” He said, squeezing her hand gently. She stopped outside the front door and looked up into his eyes. “You’re better in real life than in fantasy.”
“I’m not sure whether I should be offended to hear you fantasize about me, or that they aren’t very good fantasies.” She joked, watching his cheeks redden shyly. “I know what you meant.” She told him, bumping his hip with her own playfully. “Thank you.” She told him, her voice softening as she stood slightly closer to him, her face tilted upward.
He grasped her hips with his surprisingly strong hands, leaning down to kiss her gently on the mouth. The heat radiating from his body into hers was like a furnace, but still she shivered as their lips met. Once more, she found herself completely wrapped up in him, washed away in his kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against his chest, and they swayed, their center of balance changing from two points to one.
He kissed her eagerly this time; hungrily. When he slid his kisses away from her mouth, down to suck and nibble at the sensitive spot on her neck, just below her earlobe, Janet gasped for breath. She found herself clinging to him for balance, completely dependant on him to keep her from falling due to the weakness in her knees. Still, she didn’t want him to stop. No matter how much she should.
He directed her backwards until her back leaned up against the wall beside the front door, and then slid one hand away from the center of her back. She felt the heat leave the small of her back and leave a trail up along her side as he grew bolder, his hand pausing for just a moment before he slid it over her breast and began kneading it gently. She closed her eyes and tried to gain enough control over her lust clouded mind to make the decision to either stop him and say goodnight, or to invite him upstairs.
She tilted her head to the side and rose to stand on tip-toe, closing her mouth hungrily over the arch of his neck. She ran her tongue along the smooth skin there before closing her lips and sucking gently at it. She felt his body tense under her touch, knew he was reacting to her the way she was to him, and she was flooded with even more desire.
She slid her hands up underneath his jacket and shirt, her fingernails scratching against bare skin, her palms sliding smoothly along a fine sheen of perspiration which had developed there. Suddenly she felt him tremble and grow perfectly still. He muttered something to himself, holding her tight and keeping her still as well.
“We have to stop.” She finally said, knowing it was true and that he was to proud to be the one to say it. Teenage boys aren’t generally known for their self control, especially when it came to sex. His cheek brushed hers as he nodded in agreement. They held each other for a long moment, waiting for their heartbeats to return to normal and their heavy breathing to subside.
Finally, she leaned back and he did the same, so that they could look into each others eyes. She reached up and cupped his face in both hands.
“What am I going to do with you, babyface?” She asked him, bumping his nose with her own playfully. A mischievous grin quickly spread across his face, his blue eyes twinkling dangerously.
“I could make some suggestions.” He whispered softly, his Irish accent thick. She laughed out loud, resting her forehead against his and watching that grin, those dancing eyes. Maybe, she thought to herself, it wasn’t such a bad thing that he smiled so infrequently. If he walked around looking like that all the time, he’d have a horde of girls following him around giggling and competing for his attention.
“I bet you could.” She joked, kissing him gently before stepping back, out of his arms. “Are you going to be all right walking home?” she asked, and he made a dramatic face at her, slapping his hand to his chest.
“You don’t think I can walk myself home?” he asked, and she shook her head at him, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. “I’ll be fine.” He told her more seriously as he backed away from her building.
“You’re working tomorrow?” he asked and she nodded. “I’ll see you there.” He called to her as he turned to cross the street and disappear into the foggy Dublin night.
I'm a puddle
Great update! 
SG, I'm just jealous you beat me to this in this story before I could think of writing it into my current one! 
