In My Life

Chapter 20:

The dark green double-decker bus halted to a stop on Little Heath Road as the driver yanked the lever back, opening the two double glass door. John nodded in the direction of the exit, indicating to her that this was their stop.

As the bus started to drive away, Olivia glanced around at her surroundings and gave John a perplexed look, "We're not going to Paul's?"

He chuckled, shaking his head as he reached for a cigarette in his jacket pocket, "You're a smart one, ya are."

She pursed her lips at him, stealing the already lit cigarette from between his fingers, "Just 'cause I haven't been home in a few months doesn't make me an idiot, ya know."

He pulled another cigarette out and lit it as they proceeded to walk down Little Heath Road, "Come 'ead, don't want ya turning into a bloody icicle out here."

Olivia kept up with him at his steady pace and could see the breath escape his lips each time he exhaled, "Ah, is this the new one's place then?"

John returned a smile, slipping both hands into the pockets of his jeans, "His Mum lets us have bevvies during rehearsal," his eyes quickly glanced over at her and her tightly crossed arms, realising she hadn't taken her coat or any jacket and knew she just had to be freezing her ass off, "Oh for god sakes, Liv..."

"What?" Her eyes watched him pull his guitar strap off his shoulder, setting it against a gate of the house they now stood by.

John instantly pulled off his black leather jacket, taking off one sleeve at a time, "Here," he said, as he set the jacket carefully onto her shoulders, giving them a small pat, "You need this more than I do."

This gesture surprised her, and at that moment, she realised that John still cared for her, "You didn't need to do that," she paused, watching him throw his guitar strap back around his shoulders, "Thank you."

A little grin escaped his lips once his eyes glanced over at the smile on her face, "It's good to see you haven't turned into one of them... yet."

"One of them? Which means?" She slightly chuckled, unsure of the seriousness of what he had just said.

He shrugged, maintaining a steady eye forward as they turned left onto Upton Green, "You hear them stories of these models and gettin' a chip on their shoulders when they get all famous and all, ya know," he quickly exhaled his cigarette then glanced over his shoulder to her, exchanging a friendly wink.

"Come off it now, I'm not anywhere close," she playfully shoved her shoulder into his, "It's you I have to worry about."

"I wouldn't change for anybody or anythin', ya know," he dropped his cigarette onto the pavement.

Right before she was about to say something else, he suddenly came to a standstill in front of a small red-brick terraced house. The light coming from the bay window on the first floor made the home appear a lot broader outside.

They stepped past the red-bricked lined hedges in front of the home and walked up the pavement, stopping in front of the white windowed door. Her eyes glanced up at the number '25' on the frame above the entrance then faced forward, admiring the design of the pink carnation flower on the semi stained glass on the door.

John exchanged a heavy knock on the glass three times, noticing that someone had already opened the door from inside, making their way into the porch covered entrance.

Once the door opened, a familiar tall and dark-haired boy poked his head through, "Hm, is your time behind an hour?" He sarcastically tapped the watch on his wrist then brought it to his ear, "Better late than never, suppose."