Sidewinder

Chapter 8

You had no idea how to reply. You were in utter shock and filled with joy.
"Of course Van!" You say jumping into his arms.
"Yay!" He yelled, smiling like an idiot. You both stood there, arms around tangled, breathing in each others scent.
"How long have you wanted to ask me for?" You ask, breaking the silence.
"Ever since I laid eyes on you Mary Todd." He smiled.
"You cheesy bugger," You laugh.
"What's going on out 'ere?" Says a sleepy Larry, wiping his eyes. Liv follows behind him, wearing one of Larry's shirts. As soon as she saw you
two with yours arms around each other she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Are you two an item now?" She gasped. Larry put on a super shocked face, mocking Liv.
"Yes!" You and Van giggle.
"Oh my gosh! Yay!" She squealed and threw herself around you both.
"Nice one mate," Says Larry, patting Van on the back. You throw your cigarette on the ground and step on it.
"Ya wanna go for a walk?" You ask, looking at Van.
"Yeah sure love." He responds. You say goodbye to Larry and Liv and head off down the street.
"Where are we going?" Asks Van, curious.
"Well first off, I needa get out of these clothes." You say pulling a disgusted face. He grabs your hand and your fingers lace together with his. You reach your house and you stop dead in your tracks. On the front porch bundled up in a thick woollen coat is your dad.
"Oh shit." You whisper.
"Do ya want me to leave you two alone?" Van quietly asks.
"No, it's okay, whatever it is it won't take long, just wait here yeah?". Van nods, letting go of your hand. You walk up the stone path and up the porch steps.
"Mary, pack your things, you're coming back home." Says your dad, rising from a wooden bench.
"What?" You exclaim.
"You. Inside. Now. Pack your things." He growls.
"Why all of a sudden do you want me back home?" You grumble.
"Your Mum is sick Mary, we need you at home!"
"So you through all my things out on the porch and tell me not to come back and now you're here to bring me back home?"
"I was only looking out for you by doing that Mary." He snaps.
"Well it's obvious that's a lie!" You shout.
"You know I've only ever put out for you!"
"Well it's obvious you don't try! You never did Dad!" You scream, fighting back tears.
"Mary Lola Todd! You get your ass upstairs, pack your things and stop being a little bitch!" Says your Dad, veins pulsating in his forehead. He reaches for you and pushes you towards the door and shouts "Now!"
Van runs up the path and stands between you and your father.
"Don't you dare touch her!" He says assertively.
"And who the hell are you mate?" Your dad says, taking a step closer to him.
"I'm her boyfriend and if you come any closer I'll sock ya one mate." Van takes a step forward, towering over him. "Now I suggest you leave before I have to call anyone."
"Fine then." Your dad turns around, you breath out a sigh of relief, but what happened next will be forever imprinted in your memory. Your dad turns to leave but instead takes a swing at Van's face, making contact before he hurries down the drive.
"You fucking cunt!" Yells Van, running after him. You sprint and wrap your arms around Van to stop him.
"He's not worth it." You whisper. He stops, breathing heavily. Van turns around and snakes his arms around you.
"Let's go inside eh?" You suggest.
You lead Van inside and sit him on the leather sofa, you take a seat next to him to assess the damage.
"You've got a black eye, but that's it." You say, staring into his postcard ocean eyes. "I'll get you some ice." You stand up and kiss him on the forehead. You grab a tea towel and fill it with ice cubes. "Here you go." You smile, handing it to him.
"Thanks love." He smiles, accepting the homemade ice pack. "Was he always this much of an ass hole?" He asks. You look down and nod, terrible childhood memories that you'd blocked out came rushing back.
"He used to hit us Van," You say still looking down. "He claimed he was only looking out for us." Your eyes begin to well up and then the tears begin to flow.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay, it's okay." He whispers into your ear, pulling you into him. You cry into him, you don't know how long for but it seemed like forever. At last you settle down, still huddled into Van, still needing his support.
"You know when you're gone I struggle at night,
Dreams of you fuckin' me all the time..." He begins to sing.
"And I know you're tied up,
I know your phones fucked,
I'm craving your call like a soldiers wife..." He keeps singing, eventually sending you off to sleep.
You wake hours later to find yourself wrapped up in your bed, Van sitting on a chair in the corner, quietly strumming your guitar.
"Oh good, you're awake," He smiles, gets up and comes and sits on the bed next to you. The late afternoon sun streams through the windows causing Van to glow in a sort of angelic way. You sit up and wrap around him, breathing in his scent.
"Thank you," You whisper into him. "For stopping him."
"It was my job." He smiles. The skin around his left eye, purple and slightly swollen.
"I loved that song you sang to me before."
"Thank you." He looks down and smiles, his cheeks turn a shade of crimson. "It's called 'Hourglass'"
And it was at that point in time that you knew you'd fallen for him. A scruffy, lanky dork from Northern Wales. A scruffy, lanky dork from Northern Wales that had stolen your heart. You both lean in and kiss for the very first time, his lips pressed against yours. He tasted of tea and cigarettes, a taste that you could get used to...
---------------------------------------------
Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days, I had a mini medical emergency and couldn't write but I'm fine now and will keep updating xx
Thank you all for reading X (Also sorry for the swearing, I tried to add a bit of drama😂)