keep me cold

One pint

the pub is small and homely. the small framed paintings of far off fields, set against the deep maroon walls gives off the atmosphere of a 'classic British pub'. it reminds me of the pubs i would sit for hours in back home, just sinking into the cozy surroundings. a cold glass is pressed into my hand that rests on the dark wood table. looking up i see a comforting motherly smile on Becca's pale face. 

"i know you said you don't drink." she says, slowly sliding into the seat opposite me. "but, you really look like you need it." i smile and start to push the glass away but the weight of it feels so at home in my sweaty palm. i look into the dark golden liquid, the thin layer of foam built to the very brim of the glass on the verge of spilling out. hypnotically the bubbles congeal at the edges of the glass. i watch them form, before flying to the top of the glass to join the white foam. my eyes are drawn back to where Becca sits expectantly. her smile is wide and the look of caring is embedded into her light eyes. i return her smile and lift the glass to my desperately dry lips. 

...

"... yeah they're adorable, but also a pain in the arse." i admire the photo between my fingers. a young boy (who i learned is called Aiden) and an even younger girl (Rosanne) stand together in front of a semi-detached house with a small front garden. its clearly Halloween, decorations are scattered across the lawn and three pumpkins are on the front doorstep. Aiden is dressed from head to two in black apart from the dark blue cape tied around his neck. his face is unnaturally white and a dribble of blood leads from the corner of his lips. a vampire. classic. Rosanne's costume is a little harder to distinguish. her light blonde hair is streaked with bright green and pink and it hangs past her shoulders. she wears a red top with blue sleeves, baseball tee style, and a pink tutu. "she wanted to be a spider man bratz doll." Becca inputs, clearly seeing the confusion on my face. she chuckles softly and i join her. they do look like lovely children but the wide grins stretched over their rosy cheeks tells me they aren't always so easy to care for.  

"they look so sweet." i say, handing the small photo back to Becca, where she slips it back into her wallet. she smiles and nods, taking another sip of her almost finished pint. i copy her actions and find myself looking into the bottom of the glass. my heart sinks as i put the now empty glass down and swallow the last of the beer. 

"so did you grow up here?" Becca's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. 

"no, i grew up in Glasgow." the image of Sauchiehall street at 2 am fills my mind and nostalgia warms my heart.

"oh! so not too far away." i nod and smile. "do you often go back to visit your family?" the smile instantly falls. Becca sees this and her eyes widen. "oh- i- uh- i didn't mean to- if your- I'm s-" 

"no, no, no." i cut off her endless stuttering. "its fine i just..." i look down into my hands linked on the table. the warmth of nostalgia is swiftly replaced by a cold grip around my chest. "my mum died when i was young and my dad..." my voice is barely audible and i can tell Becca is clinging onto every last syllable. "well, we don't talk." i expect tears to start to well up at the memories but its been so long since I've thought about them, they feel more like a movie i once watched than the events of my life. a soft hand slides atop mine and squeezes lightly. my eyes raise to meet the warm blue ones. 

"I'm so sorry." she whispers and a sad smile clings to her thin lips. i smile back at her, thankful for her comfort. there's a couple of seconds of comfortable silence as she holds my hands and slowly rubs her thumb over my palm. the action reminds me of the way my mum used to sit at the edge of my bed and run her fingers up and down my arm till i fell asleep. i take a shaky deep breath and start to pull away from her touch. "Daniel." her fingers tighten around mine. i look back at her, the caring look in her eyes is now mixed with one of deep worry, a look I've seen so many times among mothers. "you can always come to me if you need anything. you're so young and you've already been through so much." 

"I'm not that young." i mumble. 

"you're nineteen, you're basically still a child!" i shrug and start to pull away again. "but really." her voice is softer and more urgent. "if you ever need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you." i smile. the gesture is small but so significant. 

"that's very sweet of you... thank you." she finally pulls away, leaning back in her chair. 

"I'm just thinking about what i would like someone to do if Aiden were in a big new city by himself. i think i would want someone to look out for him." even though she's in her mid thirties, in this moment she looks like a wise old lady, talking to her grandson about times gone by. i nod, the smile still plastered on my lips. she picks up her glass and takes a final gulp before setting down the empty glass. 

"how about another drink?" i suggest but she starts shaking her head before i am even able to finish my sentence. 

"i really must get home, the kids should be asleep by now but i just wanna make sure." i nod understandingly. she stands and pulls her jacket from off the back of the chair. "thank you for such lovely chats." she says before leaning in and whispering "i don't think i could handle talking to one of them." she says tilting her head in the direction of where Pete and Micheal-call-me-mike sit at a nearby table. i chuckle slightly, nodding in agreement. i stand and she pulls me into a tight hug. "remember, if you need anything." she whispers into my ear before pulling away and looking into my eyes. i smile again, trying to show how thankful i am through those two familiar words.

"thank you."

{authors note}

a nice wholesome chapter. my friend thought this chapter was gonna be all about getting drunk and fucking but no. fuck you Faith i made it as wholesome as i could :)

hope you enjoyed that, more stuff will be happening soon, i just wanted to establish Becca's very motherly role in Daniel's life. 

thoughts so far on the story line or any of the characters?