strange. [ds]

VII

The next few weeks feel almost like a dream. Not in the disney- dream come true sense, but more the fact that everything feels entirely bizarre.

Stella often arrives home after work to find Drew having coffee with her mother, the pair have bonded so immensely that sometimes Stella herself feels like an outsider in their conversations.

She sees Drew nearly everyday; mostly they just have sex and then talk about sex until the point they both want to have sex again, but sometimes he surprises her by announcing that they're going for a meal, or to the cinema. He always pays, and won't hear anything further about the matter.

He also brings her flowers most times he sees her, and her windowsill is now strewn with vases of half dead sunflowers, tulips and calla-lilies.

No one except for her mother refers to Drew as her boyfriend, and Stella and Drew haven't had the time to discuss such a thing, or so they claim.

And yet September looms over them like a dark cloud, closer each day. This is also something that they haven't had the time to discuss.

"You are the second most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Drew whispers into Stella's ear as she collapses onto his chest, a little out of breath.

"Way to make a girl feel special."

"Well I can't be dishonest can I? Especially after the performance you just gave." He's also breathing heavily, the after effects of a particularly passionate session. "Dusty will always be my number one lady."

Stella's met Dusty, Drew's ageing golden retriever who's been in his life for fourteen years. "I guess I'm doomed to always be the other woman."

"Oh but you play the part so graciously." He winks and she smacks his shoulder.

"Okay I'm gonna shower, and then I really need to get going." Stella reluctantly pushes herself up from her comfortable spot on his chest.

"Nope." His arm snakes back around her waist and pulls her back down to him. "Not unless you give me a kiss."

"I think I could manage that." She leans in and briefly touches her lips to his. He kisses her back with newfound intensity, slowly moving his hand up her inner thigh, a classic Drew trick to persuade Stella to postpone her engagements a little longer.

"Nope!" She snatches his fingers away, "I am not fooling for that one again- seriously you don't want to invoke the wrath of Ruby by making me late."

"Yes Ma'am." Drew salutes her, letting her get on with her shower. When she's out of sight he drops his head onto the pillow feeling a little sick. For the last week all he's been able to think about is the approaching deadline; they only have nine days left together until he leaves for college.

Crazy as it sounds, Drew had considered postponing his studies for another year and taking some time off but his mother wouldn't hear of it. "I love Stella but you can't put your life on hold for a girl- not when you're eighteen."

So he'd resignedly accepted that life would move forwards as planned. It wasn't inconceivable to travel between the two places; the journey was only a few hours by car, but neither of them would have the time to be making weekly trips, and he didn't think he'd be able to bear going any longer than that without seeing her.

He's pulled from his thoughts by Stella swanning back into the room in a white silk robe, a sight that's brought him to his knees more than once.

She sits down at her desk, and he watches tenderly as she applies some makeup, a task that takes nearly twenty minutes and when she turns to face him again she's wearing a scarlet lipstick that makes her look gorgeous.

"You look amazing." He says with a smile, crossing the room to join her and placing a gentle kiss to her shoulder. "Where are you going again?"

"Just for some drinks at the one bar in town that won't ask for ID." She replies, "Hence all the makeup."

"It suits you, I like the lips- they make you look so powerful." He grins when the comment brings a blush to her cheeks, the desired effect.

She discards the robe, and for a moment stands there naked in front of him. He wants to grab her hips and make love to her again, but she's already made it clear she doesn't have time.

So he settles for kissing her shoulder again, wishing he could kiss her properly but having no wish to ruin her makeup. Then he flops back onto the bed, wrapping himself back up in the sheets to watch her as she gets dressed.

"Have a nice evening." He says as she grabs her purse, looking as though she's about to head out.

"You gonna be here later?"

"If you want me to be."



"How are things at home?"

"Same old, Hattie's getting nightmarishly worked up about finals- already, everyone else is going on as normal- I think the panic will set in properly after christmas." She sounds a bit distant, but maybe that's always going to be the case over the phone.

"I'll be back for christmas- of course." He says, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"That's really great. Will be good to see you." Again she doesn't sound as if her head's really with it but he doesn't press the issue. Their phone calls had dwindled over the past month, not for any particular reason just an effect of them both being caught up in their own lives.

Drew often found himself waiting for her to call, and then reasoning that equally he could be the one to reach out. She always answered, sometimes only with a brief explanation that she was with friends or family, and would call back later. She sometimes remembered.

He loved her. He's sure of this now. He wishes he'd said something before he left for college, but could never find the right time. Now he spent the end of their calls concentrating hard on not letting it slip out. It would feel so natural to be saying 'Love you, bye!' after each conversation, but he can't- not yet.

As their chat draws to a close, Drew decides he's going to tell her when he's home for christmas. He doesn't care if the distance will make things hard- he loves her and he wants them to be together, properly.

"Anyway, I promised my Mom I'd make some cupcakes with her- she's decided she's reached the age where she needs to learn how to bake, between you and me it's been a nightmare- I'm surprised the oven hasn't caught on fire!"

"I'd best let you get going then."

"I'll speak to you soon." Stella replies, "Bye for now." She puts down the phone feeling a bit sick. Her eyes skate over to her desk for the millionth time that day, more specifically the stick that's lying there, and the two blue lines on that stick.

Then she suddenly feels actually sick, the wave of nausea hitting her from out of nowhere, and she rushes to the bathroom to throw up.