Girl on the Bench [Completed]

Taking it slow

Dominic

It was a long day without Rosa, made even worse with Lee being the most irritating friend to walk the earth. He alternated between encouraging me with my exercises and flinging himself onto Rosa's sofa, moaning over how much he missed Lola.

I really hope I hadn't been like that with Rosa, although I had a sneaking suspicion that I was worse. 

"How long did she say she was going to be over there, Dom?" Lee muttered, a cushion obscuring his face.

"Couple of weeks, maybe a month," I replied, focussed on doing my squats and supported lunges.

"A month?" Lee screeched as if he hadn't known this, he had. "A month without her smile, her eyes, her humour, her lips, her.."

"Whoa there, Lee," I interrupted before he started listing more of my sister's body parts.

Lee sat up, the cushion falling to the floor, "Sorry man, I forget you two are related sometimes."

I grunted as I carefully sat down onto a chair and took a swig of water.

Lee's eyes twinkled, "So...how's it going with Rosa?"

I shrugged and looked out the window. She told me how much she loved this garden, how her Mum would used to spend hours at her old home in the garden making sure that everything looked perfect. She had brought some cut flowers in before she left and had kissed me goodbye, smelling like sun and nectar.

Lee perched on the edge of the sofa and stared at me, "Dude. I'm going to stay right here until you tell me."

I pulled on my black hoodie over my white vest top and zipped it up in silence. 

I glanced at Lee, who stared back at me wide-eyed.

"It's going ok, I guess. We're taking it slow."

I felt unsettled, talking to Lee about Rosa. I'd never really had a friend that I could talk to about this sort of thing. My life had been doing what Paul asked me to do and trying hard to save Lola. I didn't have time for friends. Or relationships. Panic formed in my stomach.

"That's good, taking it slow, "Lee nodded.

"Yeah, we were in bed and..."

"YOU WERE IN BED TOGETHER?" He bellowed, so loud that I jumped.

"Well yeah, I was in pain and she lay next to me and we fell asleep together," I said.

"Mate, that's not slow. I thought you had your own rooms?"

"Look, I don't know, Lee. Ok? Rosa wants to take it slow. We haven't really done anything that normal couples would do and I want to make her happy. I love her, man."

Lee clasped his hands together and stared at me with tears in his eyes, "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard."

I flipped him the middle finger and he grinned at me. 

"Look, Dom. You're not a normal couple and given what you've told me about you both, as limited as it was, it was never going to be normal."

I bit my lip as I straightened, grabbed my stick and walked into the kitchen to grab us a couple of drinks, Lee trailing behind me. 

"Cinema, Dinner, Romantic walk on the beach, Candlelit picnic, staring at the stars while you lay on a blanket..." Lee ticked them off one by one and then burst into laughter at my expression of horror.

"You're right, that's not you. So, why don't you do something that is you?" Lee took the tin of juice from me and opened it. He threw himself onto one of the kitchen stools and eyed me suspiciously.

"What aren't you saying,Dom?"

I perched on the stool opposite him, "Do you think she wants to take it slow because of my leg?"

Lee looked at me for a second then reached out and smacked me across the head.

"Fuck! What was that for?" I shouted, holding my ear.

"Lola told me that whenever you were being a fucking idiot, I had to hit you. You were being a fucking idiot, so I hit you," Lee shrugged non-plussed. 

I thought back to talking with Rosa and how she didn't seem bothered at all about my leg. Maybe I was. Fuck it, I definitely was. 

My mind drifted as I thought back to all the times we had been together and suddenly, a bolt of inspiration hit me. 

"Lee, can you grab my phone?"

Lee leapt up, "Have you thought of something? Are you going to woo Rosa? Is she going to love it? Can I be your best man? Can I be your kid's godfather?"

"Shut up, Lee. I just figured out the perfect thing for Rosa. At least, I fucking hope so."