aTRACKion

Chapter Fifteen

"I'll see you on Friday, then?" Standing outside of my place, I am in Doug's warm and defined arms.

Holding me tighter, he exhales loudly. "You will." Resting his chin on my head, he then cuddles me harder. "I wish you didn't have to work tomorrow, you could have flown out with me?"

I have already agreed to do a twelve hour shift tomorrow, and not one to ever let work down, I just mould myself even more into his goodbye embrace. "It's just a day." I quietly tell him, enjoying more of our sweet doorstep cuddle. "I can't let work down, because they'll stop offering me the bank hours if I start becoming all unreliable on them." Is my sensible yet regrettable explanation of why I can't fly out with him tomorrow.

Now stroking my hair, Doug understandingly agrees. "I know what you're saying." Kissing me lightly on my lips, he closes his eyes like he's now savouring our goodbye kiss. Then taking a gentle hold of my face with his hands, he draws slightly back from my mouth. "I'm glad you said yes, by the way." His thumbs stroke my cheeks, while he naturally smiles at me. "See you on Friday." Bringing his mouth firmly back against mine, he now kisses me in a truly attentive way. His silky lips are expressing how much they will miss me, how they can't wait to softly be back on mine again sometime soon. "I'd better go, or I never will."

With a sexy grin, I look him right in the eye. "I really like the sound of the last option."

He almost winces. "Don't tempt me?"

"But I am!" I tease.

He laughs, then kisses me again one last time before separating our lips. "I really am going now." He says, forcing himself to walk away from me. "See you Friday."

"You certainly will!" I loudly say behind him.

As he gets into his Jeep, he waves with one of his big and gorgeous smiles. So, I wave back with a smile that I hope looks just as gorgeous to him. As he drives off, I put the key into my door and kind of float back into my flat. And it is while I float, that I see Nancy lying on my sofa and watching the telly.

"Sorry, hun...had another row with my mum tonight." Nance looks thoroughly fed up. Her hair is all messy on the side that she's been watching the telly on and she's already taken all of her make-up off.

"What about now?" It's not unusual for Nancy to stay here after a humongous row with her mum.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, she stretches her nightie right over them. "Money...again!" She huffs, sounding frustrated and upset.

Removing my shoe boots beside her on the sofa, I offer my friend some compassionate support. "Oh hun, I'm so sorry to hear that." Unlike my parents, Nancy's are not on board with what she does for a living. They want her to find a proper job, and to not be a singer with an undependable wage. Even though she works part time for a recruitment agency to support herself with, it's still not enough for her parents. It also doesn't help that her younger sister is successfully working in a bank. All the time, her parents are harassing Nancy to find a full-time job, to stop living with her head in the clouds about singing. Although Nance always tries to wear a brave face, I know it often hurts how her family like to treat her. "I wish there was more I could do?" My sympathetic eyes look over at her, wishing I could wave a magic wand and vanquish all of her problems.

She smiles, solemn yet so grateful. "Just letting me be here is more than enough, hun." Her chin now sits on her bent up knees. "And your lovely mumma made me some hot chocolate with little marshmallows on top."

That is just what my thoughtful mum would do. Nancy is adored by my family, and in our own small ways, we all try to make life that little bit better for her. "I'm glad she's been spoiling you while I was gone."