Chapter Three
Jealousy Thy Name is...
It was hot for May, I had my window open as my curtains blew in and out with the breeze. I lay on top of the covers on my bed wearing only my boxers, I lay there in the dark thinking of Verona and her big blue eyes. I had just buried my best friend four days before and all I could think about was his little sister and how she made me feel. As we stood by the plane watching Denny's coffin get carried out by his men, she held my hand tightly and all I wanted was to take hold of her and kiss her to death. Denny's body was only a few feet away and Verona was driving me crazy, I should have been grieving but it was all about her! She lay her head on my shoulder and cried, I still wanted to have her all to myself and not in a brotherly way at all. I wanted her so badly, despite her little announcement at the beach. The funeral was difficult, I was allowed to sit with the family but I deliberately sat away from Verona, it wasn't appropriate for me to be anywhere near her at that time. Ben was still not talking to me, he barely said two words to me during the wake. My reminiscing of the past few days was interrupted by the sound of a car braking across the street. It was 7am on a Saturday morning, who would be arriving at the Marsh's at this time? I pulled myself off the bed and looked out of my window. A young man with dark brown hair got out of a red Jaguar, he stood up straight, all six feet of him at least, then he ran his hands through his hair looking up at the Marsh house. Verona came running out of the house towards him and leapt into his arms squealing all the way. "Nicky!" she exclaimed, smothering his neck and face with kisses. This was the fiance! I hated him already!
I sat on the couch in the Marsh's living room looking across at this Nick Graham, the man who was better than me in Verona's eyes! I guess you could say he was handsome, piercing light bluey grey eyes, dimples that women went weak at the knees over. But there was an air of arrogance about him too, like he knew he was good looking, if he was chocolate he would eat himself! "So Ryan!" he nodded towards me and smiled, "What is it that you do again?" a smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm a mechanic!" I replied quietly and looked down at the carpet.
"Oh cool!" he nodded and chuckled a little, "I'm actually doing my Phd right now!" What a tw*t! "Yeah, I'm studying the effect of fumes from transport on the environment and whether we are actually succeeding in reversing it!" What a mega tw*t!
"Oh really, must be very interesting and rewarding eh?" was all I could reply as Verona came in with a tray carrying cups of tea and biscuits.
"So are my boys getting along?" she chirped and lay the tray down on the table in front of us.
"Yeah, Ryan's a great guy like you said!" What a complete smarmy tw*t! I hated this guy, and not just because he was marrying my Verona, no he was a creep I could tell! We chatted for a little longer until I made an excuse about Ben needing his dinner and I left.
Ben was playing on his computer and didn't even turn around when I came in. He hated me it seemed, well I couldn't wait for him to meet "Nicky"! If he was jealous of me then Nick was going to get it much worse, I was looking forward to that! I took the chinese take-away menu out of the drawer in the hall and put it in front of Ben. "Pick whatever you want, I won a tenner on a scratch card this morning." I lied, I just wanted Ben to have a treat, not my crappy cooking again.
"What's this in aid of?" he eyed me up and down, no fooling this kid!
"Okay, I want us to be friends again. Verona's fiance is here and..."
"Oh right!" he laughed bitterly, "So you want an ally in the fight to get rid of him?"
"No..."
"Look Ry I'm tired of all this Verona bullsh*t okay? You love her, she doesn't love you! You want to marry her and she wants to marry someone else! GET OVER IT!!!" he screamed, threw the menu at me and stormed out of the house. I guessed we weren't going to be friends any time soon!
Nick and Verona put on numerous PDAs during his stay at the Marsh house. Summer had finally arrived and love's young dream were lapping up the sunshine and warm weather on the front lawn. Half naked and loved up, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. I went back to work early, now that Nick was here there was no need for me to be around. I got into my car and wound down every window, today was not a good day for fixing cars in a hot garage, Verona called over to me but I pretended I didn't hear. I sat with the engine running and the air conditioning at full pelt when she appeared at the passenger side and jumped in. "Ry, I was shouting you did you not hear???" she grumped and slammed the door shut roughly. She turned to the side so that her eyes burned into my skin as I looked straight ahead, sweat beads forming on my face. It was so hot, and so was she! Her tiny shorts left little to the imagination as her perfectly tanned and toned legs made my heart pound wildly, she always had great legs! I finally managed to answer her.
"No sorry, I...man it's hot huh?" I laughed half heartedly, still unable to look her in the eye.
"Ry, I miss you! You've not been over since you met Nicky and..."
"I've been busy with Ben sweetie!" I revved my engine, trying to hint to her that she had to go, but she ignored it and carried on talking.
"Ry? What's the matter? Is it Denny?" She put a hot hand on my knee and awakened a part of me that she had taken advantage of before. Despite her engagement, I still wanted her, I still loved her more than anything! And if she moved her hand any closer she would know exactly how much! "Is it painful for you being in the house?" she rubbed her hand up and down my thigh and my entire body felt like it was on fire, my heart continued to vibrate in my head and I wanted so badly to grab hold of her, to touch her, kiss her...feel her underneath me, our bodies pressed together like they once were! I wanted to be so close to her, to taste her lips and feel her skin next to mine. Did she know what she was doing to me? Was this all a game? "Ry?" she moved her hand up to my forearm and shook me.
"Verona I'm late for work, I'll see you later okay?" I gently lifted her hand off of my arm and put it on her knee. She did not move, I was tempted to drive off with her in the car. Take her to the garage and make her walk home in the blistering heat. But I would rather be late than do that to her! She sighed sadly and opened the door slowly.
"I'm losing you Ry, you promised you'd always be there for me but..." she looked at me again and this time she caught my eye, "...I can't reach you! You're so far away and...I can't reach you!" her eyes were filling up with tears as she gently closed the car door and walked slowly down the drive. Once she was safely across the street and in the arms of her a-hole fiance, I reversed out and headed to work with a heavy heart.
Despite all doors and windows being open, a multitude of fans blowing all over, the garage was like an oven. Everyone was perspiring, including Natalie! She was wearing the shortest skirt with 5 inch heels, I could have sworn she was wearing just a bra for a top, but I could have been wrong. Until Pete, our boss, called to her "Nat you left your blouse in the office! Cover yourself up, jeez!" she just laughed and made her way towards me. Due to the heat there was a pile of cars outside needing repaired. She sat on top of the bonnet of the car I was fixing and got oil all down her thigh.
"Woops!" she giggled and licked her index finger provocatively then rubbed her thigh with it.
"What do you want Natalie?" I growled impatiently as her eyes widened in mock surprise at my aggressiveness.
"You, in the office right now with that temper yowza!"
"I'm swamped here Natalie, go and annoy someone else will you?"
"Ryan, I don't WANT to annoy anyone else! When are you going to just give in and scratch my itch???" she purred and pouted at me.
"Barking up the wrong tree there blondie, not interested okay?" as I focused on the car, she grabbed my hand and put it on her leg.
"If you don't want to get serious, I understand! It can just be sex, I don't mind!" I lifted my hand away and threw the wrench I was holding with the other one down on the ground, it made a clanging sound that reverberated around the garage floor. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched us.
"How many times do I have to say this? I.AM.NOT.INTERESTED!!!" I shouted and left her standing with a shocked look on her face. Pete grabbed hold of me as I tried to make my escape.
"Ryan where are you going? We've got eight cars here needing fixed!" I pulled away from him and pointed to Natalie.
"Get THAT outta my face, and I'll come back!" I could hear Pete shouting as I got in my car and drove home. I could be fired for all I knew, or cared!
Safe in the sanctuary of my home, I threw myself down on the couch...oily overalls be damned! I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Ben's voice, he should have been at school but who was I to lecture him on truancy? "Ry? What are you doing here?" he looked a little nervous, a little flushed, a little guilty. Caught in midcoitus it appeared, I knew the signs! His shirt had been thrown on, his jeans were unzipped and unevenly pulled over his backside as his boxers poked out in tufts, his feet were bare and his face and hair were damp with perspiration.
"I'm playing hooky!" I smiled with my eyes closed, leaning back on the couch with my legs and arms crossed casually.
"Well I..."
"You were sh*gging some girl in your room! I hope you wore a condom!" I opened one eye at him, still smiling as his face went chalk white.
"Ry..."
"Don't worry kiddo, just be responsible okay? You don't want to end up with an STI or a baby do you?" he nodded and headed back upstairs. I was curious to meet this girl, I was even more curious to know if this was his first time. But it was none of my business, he was eighteen now and old enough to do what he wanted! I suppose I was just relieved that he wasn't completely hung up on Verona Marsh like his big brother! After a while he came down with the girl in question. She had brown hair and startling green eyes, a slight frame and no taller than five feet. She blushed when Ben introduced us, but I shook her hand and offered her some tea and biscuits, it seemed to put her at ease. Her name was Jade and she was in Ben's class at school, they weren't an item, just "exploring each other" as Ben put it. She was sweet, I approved, I hoped it would be the start of a beautiful coupling...but Ben wasn't like me, he wasn't sentimental or a romantic! He didn't have my morals, he was led by his genitals. He probably didn't even love Verona, just wanted to sleep with her because she was female and pleasing to the eye. That was what made me different to all the guys in my circle of friends, even Denny, they all had copies of Playboy under their pillows and were constantly trying to get off with any girl that showed an interest. I was waiting for Verona, I was waiting for true love! More fool me! Jade left and Ben and I were alone, I wasn't going to lecture him, I wasn't going to give him the third degree. He looked at me, waiting for something that never came. I patted him on the back and smiled. "Fancy a curry tonight?" he nodded, and I got to work in the kitchen.
I hadn't spoken to Verona since that day in my car, three days before. It didn't bother me, he was always there anyway so I wasn't missing out on much. Natalie was forced to apologise to me for harassing me at work, Pete took into account my circumstances, the loss of my best friend and my responsibility to my brother. I still had a job and Ben was talking to me again, only because I let him and Jade carry out their "explorations" in his bedroom. He was getting laid and I wasn't, I was okay with it. The only one I wanted that close to me was Verona, and that wasn't happening any time soon. I had my music on loud downstairs as Ben and Jade made their own music upstairs when the doorbell rang, it was Verona. "Hey Ry!" she smiled sweetly and hugged me before I could stop her.
"Verona what..." she let me go and grabbed a handful of my shirt pulling me outside.
"Take me for a drive!" she demanded and leaned on the bonnet of my car in the driveway. I looked over at her house, it was deathly quiet.
"Where's Nick?" she frowned and tutted at me.
"I just want to spend some time alone with you, we never talk anymore Ry!" I felt the anger boil up inside of me.
"Talk? Verona I haven't seen you in years! In fact, if Denny hadn't died I'd probably never have seen you again!!!" my voice was raised, it made my head hurt, but I was so mad at her! She looked at me with surprise, she wasn't expecting that.
"How can you be so cruel?" she replied, almost in a whisper as her eyes filled up like they did that day in my hot car.
"I think it's best if we don't see each other any more!" I blurted it out before I knew I was saying it, her tears rolled down her rosy cheeks and her lip trembled.
"What have I done? You promised me! I've already lost Denny, don't you leave me too Ry I couldn't bear it!!!" she wept, and my heart softened. I reached out to her but stopped in my tracks. She was manipulating me! She was using my love for her and taking me for a fool!
"Goodbye Verona, I wish you all the best and a happy marriage to your soul mate!" I turned heel and went back inside my house, leaving her in the drive crying softly to herself. I pressed myself against my front door as my body trembled, I'd just turned Verona down...in a manner of speaking. I was frozen on the spot, I could feel her presence, still standing by my car. I wanted to run out and embrace her, kiss her and tell her she was my one and only. To get rid of that idiot and marry me instead! But I was realistic, she didn't love me, she'd used me all of her life and I took it! Well no more! As I heard her footsteps finally leave my property I relaxed my body and slid down the door onto the carpet. I was being strong, the weak thing to do would be to cling onto any little morsel she threw at me! So I let her leave thinking I didn't love her, when nothing could be further from the truth!
To Be Continued...
"What's this in aid of?" he eyed me up and down, no fooling this kid!
"Okay, I want us to be friends again. Verona's fiance is here and..."
"Oh right!" he laughed bitterly, "So you want an ally in the fight to get rid of him?"
"No..."
"Look Ry I'm tired of all this Verona bullsh*t okay? You love her, she doesn't love you! You want to marry her and she wants to marry someone else! GET OVER IT!!!" he screamed, threw the menu at me and stormed out of the house. I guessed we weren't going to be friends any time soon!
Nick and Verona put on numerous PDAs during his stay at the Marsh house. Summer had finally arrived and love's young dream were lapping up the sunshine and warm weather on the front lawn. Half naked and loved up, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. I went back to work early, now that Nick was here there was no need for me to be around. I got into my car and wound down every window, today was not a good day for fixing cars in a hot garage, Verona called over to me but I pretended I didn't hear. I sat with the engine running and the air conditioning at full pelt when she appeared at the passenger side and jumped in. "Ry, I was shouting you did you not hear???" she grumped and slammed the door shut roughly. She turned to the side so that her eyes burned into my skin as I looked straight ahead, sweat beads forming on my face. It was so hot, and so was she! Her tiny shorts left little to the imagination as her perfectly tanned and toned legs made my heart pound wildly, she always had great legs! I finally managed to answer her.
"No sorry, I...man it's hot huh?" I laughed half heartedly, still unable to look her in the eye.
"Ry, I miss you! You've not been over since you met Nicky and..."
"I've been busy with Ben sweetie!" I revved my engine, trying to hint to her that she had to go, but she ignored it and carried on talking.
"Ry? What's the matter? Is it Denny?" She put a hot hand on my knee and awakened a part of me that she had taken advantage of before. Despite her engagement, I still wanted her, I still loved her more than anything! And if she moved her hand any closer she would know exactly how much! "Is it painful for you being in the house?" she rubbed her hand up and down my thigh and my entire body felt like it was on fire, my heart continued to vibrate in my head and I wanted so badly to grab hold of her, to touch her, kiss her...feel her underneath me, our bodies pressed together like they once were! I wanted to be so close to her, to taste her lips and feel her skin next to mine. Did she know what she was doing to me? Was this all a game? "Ry?" she moved her hand up to my forearm and shook me.
"Verona I'm late for work, I'll see you later okay?" I gently lifted her hand off of my arm and put it on her knee. She did not move, I was tempted to drive off with her in the car. Take her to the garage and make her walk home in the blistering heat. But I would rather be late than do that to her! She sighed sadly and opened the door slowly.
"I'm losing you Ry, you promised you'd always be there for me but..." she looked at me again and this time she caught my eye, "...I can't reach you! You're so far away and...I can't reach you!" her eyes were filling up with tears as she gently closed the car door and walked slowly down the drive. Once she was safely across the street and in the arms of her a-hole fiance, I reversed out and headed to work with a heavy heart.
Despite all doors and windows being open, a multitude of fans blowing all over, the garage was like an oven. Everyone was perspiring, including Natalie! She was wearing the shortest skirt with 5 inch heels, I could have sworn she was wearing just a bra for a top, but I could have been wrong. Until Pete, our boss, called to her "Nat you left your blouse in the office! Cover yourself up, jeez!" she just laughed and made her way towards me. Due to the heat there was a pile of cars outside needing repaired. She sat on top of the bonnet of the car I was fixing and got oil all down her thigh.
"Woops!" she giggled and licked her index finger provocatively then rubbed her thigh with it.
"What do you want Natalie?" I growled impatiently as her eyes widened in mock surprise at my aggressiveness.
"You, in the office right now with that temper yowza!"
"I'm swamped here Natalie, go and annoy someone else will you?"
"Ryan, I don't WANT to annoy anyone else! When are you going to just give in and scratch my itch???" she purred and pouted at me.
"Barking up the wrong tree there blondie, not interested okay?" as I focused on the car, she grabbed my hand and put it on her leg.
"If you don't want to get serious, I understand! It can just be sex, I don't mind!" I lifted my hand away and threw the wrench I was holding with the other one down on the ground, it made a clanging sound that reverberated around the garage floor. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched us.
"How many times do I have to say this? I.AM.NOT.INTERESTED!!!" I shouted and left her standing with a shocked look on her face. Pete grabbed hold of me as I tried to make my escape.
"Ryan where are you going? We've got eight cars here needing fixed!" I pulled away from him and pointed to Natalie.
"Get THAT outta my face, and I'll come back!" I could hear Pete shouting as I got in my car and drove home. I could be fired for all I knew, or cared!
Safe in the sanctuary of my home, I threw myself down on the couch...oily overalls be damned! I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Ben's voice, he should have been at school but who was I to lecture him on truancy? "Ry? What are you doing here?" he looked a little nervous, a little flushed, a little guilty. Caught in midcoitus it appeared, I knew the signs! His shirt had been thrown on, his jeans were unzipped and unevenly pulled over his backside as his boxers poked out in tufts, his feet were bare and his face and hair were damp with perspiration.
"I'm playing hooky!" I smiled with my eyes closed, leaning back on the couch with my legs and arms crossed casually.
"Well I..."
"You were sh*gging some girl in your room! I hope you wore a condom!" I opened one eye at him, still smiling as his face went chalk white.
"Ry..."
"Don't worry kiddo, just be responsible okay? You don't want to end up with an STI or a baby do you?" he nodded and headed back upstairs. I was curious to meet this girl, I was even more curious to know if this was his first time. But it was none of my business, he was eighteen now and old enough to do what he wanted! I suppose I was just relieved that he wasn't completely hung up on Verona Marsh like his big brother! After a while he came down with the girl in question. She had brown hair and startling green eyes, a slight frame and no taller than five feet. She blushed when Ben introduced us, but I shook her hand and offered her some tea and biscuits, it seemed to put her at ease. Her name was Jade and she was in Ben's class at school, they weren't an item, just "exploring each other" as Ben put it. She was sweet, I approved, I hoped it would be the start of a beautiful coupling...but Ben wasn't like me, he wasn't sentimental or a romantic! He didn't have my morals, he was led by his genitals. He probably didn't even love Verona, just wanted to sleep with her because she was female and pleasing to the eye. That was what made me different to all the guys in my circle of friends, even Denny, they all had copies of Playboy under their pillows and were constantly trying to get off with any girl that showed an interest. I was waiting for Verona, I was waiting for true love! More fool me! Jade left and Ben and I were alone, I wasn't going to lecture him, I wasn't going to give him the third degree. He looked at me, waiting for something that never came. I patted him on the back and smiled. "Fancy a curry tonight?" he nodded, and I got to work in the kitchen.
I hadn't spoken to Verona since that day in my car, three days before. It didn't bother me, he was always there anyway so I wasn't missing out on much. Natalie was forced to apologise to me for harassing me at work, Pete took into account my circumstances, the loss of my best friend and my responsibility to my brother. I still had a job and Ben was talking to me again, only because I let him and Jade carry out their "explorations" in his bedroom. He was getting laid and I wasn't, I was okay with it. The only one I wanted that close to me was Verona, and that wasn't happening any time soon. I had my music on loud downstairs as Ben and Jade made their own music upstairs when the doorbell rang, it was Verona. "Hey Ry!" she smiled sweetly and hugged me before I could stop her.
"Verona what..." she let me go and grabbed a handful of my shirt pulling me outside.
"Take me for a drive!" she demanded and leaned on the bonnet of my car in the driveway. I looked over at her house, it was deathly quiet.
"Where's Nick?" she frowned and tutted at me.
"I just want to spend some time alone with you, we never talk anymore Ry!" I felt the anger boil up inside of me.
"Talk? Verona I haven't seen you in years! In fact, if Denny hadn't died I'd probably never have seen you again!!!" my voice was raised, it made my head hurt, but I was so mad at her! She looked at me with surprise, she wasn't expecting that.
"How can you be so cruel?" she replied, almost in a whisper as her eyes filled up like they did that day in my hot car.
"I think it's best if we don't see each other any more!" I blurted it out before I knew I was saying it, her tears rolled down her rosy cheeks and her lip trembled.
"What have I done? You promised me! I've already lost Denny, don't you leave me too Ry I couldn't bear it!!!" she wept, and my heart softened. I reached out to her but stopped in my tracks. She was manipulating me! She was using my love for her and taking me for a fool!
"Goodbye Verona, I wish you all the best and a happy marriage to your soul mate!" I turned heel and went back inside my house, leaving her in the drive crying softly to herself. I pressed myself against my front door as my body trembled, I'd just turned Verona down...in a manner of speaking. I was frozen on the spot, I could feel her presence, still standing by my car. I wanted to run out and embrace her, kiss her and tell her she was my one and only. To get rid of that idiot and marry me instead! But I was realistic, she didn't love me, she'd used me all of her life and I took it! Well no more! As I heard her footsteps finally leave my property I relaxed my body and slid down the door onto the carpet. I was being strong, the weak thing to do would be to cling onto any little morsel she threw at me! So I let her leave thinking I didn't love her, when nothing could be further from the truth!
To Be Continued...
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