Talk Tonight

Cheers

"I’m nearly twenty-three years old! I don’t need a bloody babysitter!”

My parents were going off to stay in London for one night, and surprise surprise, they didn’t trust me to be home alone. Well, not after the last time…but that was a big mistake.

About a month ago, Mum and Dad decided to book a night away for themselves in some swanky-ass hotel. I had invited three friends around for a movie night, and considering that there would only be the four of us, I decided to keep it a secret from the folks. Little did I know that they would be inviting their boyfriends, and they would be inviting their friends and…well you get the gist. The whole thing got totally out of control. Someone brought around a sound system and some beer kegs, and volla! We had ourselves a little party of fifty people! Unfortunately, it was short lived because one of the neighbours rang my Dad and complained about loud music coming from our house at three in the morning, and I’ve been grounded ever since.

“This isn’t about how old you are, Lily” Mum says. “This is about trust, and unfortunately, your father and I feel that you cannot be trusted to be home alone at the moment”

I scowl at her.

“So, who have you managed to trick into baby-sitting a twenty-two-year-old, then?” I ask with a big smirk on my face.

“Noel”

“NOEL! NO WAY! HE’S SO ANNOYING!”

Just then, the doorbell rings and Dad walks around me to answer it. He looks through the peephole and says “He’s here”.

Mum grabs her suitcase and joins Dad by his side. The door opens to reveal Noel holding a pizza box and a Tesco carrier bag. He looks older than I remember, a few more facial lines. But I haven’t seen him in a few years, so of course he is going to have aged a little. I am so pissed off, and I want him to see this, so I stare him out.

“Tiger-Lily” he mutters with a chuckle. “You haven’t changed a bit”. They all start to laugh at my miserable face, and a turn and walk into the front room. How dare they think that they can embarrass me like that.

Mum and Dad follow in behind me. “It’s only for one night. If you hadn’t of done some of the things that you did in the past, then maybe we could’ve left you by yourself tonight, but just not at the moment, OK? We love you lots and we will see you tomorrow”.

Dad moves in to hug me, but I step back. I can’t even look at them right now. They walk out the front door and I follow, watching from behind. Noel is still stood in the hallway, looking down with that stupid gawk on his face. Rage fills me again as I turn and head toward the kitchen.

“When did I last see you? God you must’ve been eighteen or nineteen?”

Was that a dig? I turn to face him.

“Listen” I half yell. “Your only here to mind the house so I don’t trash it. You’re not here to mind me because I’m not a kid, OK?”

“Then why are you acting like one?”

“I’m not y…” I stop myself before I say something that I might regret. I force a big dramatic smile and turn and turn to walk away when I hear him mutter something.

“Tiger-Lily, always the tiger…”

“Don’t call me that!” I yell.

He slowly walks towards me.

“Let’s make a deal, then” he begins, stopping right in front of me so that we are face to face. “I promise to only call you Lily if and when you stop behaving like a little Tiger. Deal?”

I was shocked, speechless. He was standing so close that I could smell his breath as the heat of it hit my face hard.

Not wanting to say ‘Deal’ and be fully compliant with him, I decide on a simple “OK”.

I bow my head down as I struggle to keep eye contact with him. His gaze is strong and very intimidating, and his eyes are so blue. Once he is satisfied that I have agreed, he walks past me for the kitchen. “Great. Now that that’s sorted, dya want some pizza?”

I snap out of my little haze and realise that he thinks that he has won.

Not a chance in hell that I am going to ever let that happen.

I begin to make my way up the stairs. “I don’t want any of your stupid pizza” I yell, regaining my confidence.

“Don’t be like that, Tiger!” he yells. I pause on the seventh step, inhaling deeply.

Is this what the rest of the night is going to consist of?

I walk back into the kitchen and see that he is holding me out a slice of pizza to take. Dropping my shoulders, I gently take it out of his hand in defeat.

“Cheers” he says, holding the pizza in the air.

“To what?” I ask, raising my slice up.

“A bloody good night…”