Trying Not To Love You

Part Ninety Nine

Chapter Ninety Nine

Martha was still sat on the same stool ninety minutes later when Sonny burst back into the pub. He’d had a tumultuous time at Michael’s, but he had finally heard him out. He hated Jade even more, and had chastised the older man for falling for her trickery, for getting sucked into her lies. But then his father had taken him aside and reminded him that Sonny himself had fallen for it too, so he was no one to judge. Sonny had accepted that, taken the blow to the chin, but the talk with Michael made him realise that he was nowhere near over all that had happened to him. His whole future had disappeared in the blink of an eye, and he was terrified of that happening again.

                “I want to be your father,” when Michael said that Sonny had looked up in shock. “Not just Michael, someone you meet occasionally for a beer. I want to be your Dad, someone you talk, to confide in, share things with. We’ve both been lonely for far too long. I need you in my life...I want to be a part of your life.”

That made Sonny fill up, and he hated appearing weak in front of the older man, but as he looked up, he saw that there were tears in his eyes too. “I want that too.”

Michael smiled, “it won’t be easy, but I want to work with it.”

They talked for a long time, about everything and nothing, until Sonny realised the time. He felt emotionally exhausted.

                “Bloody hell, you’ve ruined me. I’m supposed to go back and take Martha out for dinner...now I just want to go to bed.” He knew he’d blushed at the thoughts that conjured, her promise of all his fantasies coming at once. Fortunately Michael was there to bring him back down to Earth.

                “She’s a good girl...the best. And she’s been through a lot.”

He nodded, “I know. She’s too good for me, I get that.”

Michael shook his head, “no, not too good for you...you deserve each other, but she...you, hell you both deserve some happiness. Can you just relax, take your foot off the gas, enjoy having each other? Enjoy being together? This is a special time, the creative part of a relationship. What happens in the next few weeks, months...it’ll dictate how things go between the two of you. Relax, take time...and talk. Promise?”

He smiled at his father, “now that I’ve sorted this out, then yes. I think I can.”

And so he had a smile, an exhausted smile nevertheless, on his face as he entered the pub.

Martha looked up at him, with her own happy smile; she could tell by his face that he’d done as she asked. She watched as he marched up to her, then pulled her into an embrace, his lips burrowing into her hair, connecting with her scalp with a tingle.

Inhaling the smell of him she sighed, he was rattled, emotional. That had to be a good sign. She didn’t need to know if they’d sorted out everything, all she had wanted was for them to talk. If it had all gone pear shaped, then Martha knew Sonny would be wired, angry, biting chunks out of the walls, as it is he was tired almost, subdued, and that could only mean that they’d talked. Properly.  All she wanted now was to get out of there, away from preying eyes, for the two of them to be together, alone.

Turning her lips to find his ear she murmured, “food? Or is straight to the cerise pink flamingos?”

He groaned, “I love that bra...but I have to say it’s better off you than on...food, we need food first. Are these two ok to lock up?” Pam an older barmaid who’d worked in the pub for years was grinning at them when he looked up, “will you close up?”