AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We finish the picnic and the bottle of champagne by the time the play finishes, and after we’ve clapped all the actors, we throw away our rubbish then begin to make our way back up through the village with the empty bowls packed into the cool box, which I sling over my shoulder.
It’s growing dark now, and the streetlamps have all come on, casting yellow pools of light on the pavement. Moths flutter around them, and the several pubs we pass spill more buttery light, while music spirals up into the night sky.
“I really enjoyed that,” I say to break the silence as we near the house, as she’s been quiet since we left the park. “Thank you for suggesting it.”
“You’re welcome. It was a lovely evening.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah. A bit… wistful, I suppose. It’s been such fun, and I wish…” Her voice trails off, and she stops walking.
I look at her, see her staring ahead, eyes wide, and follow her gaze. A man is sitting on her doorstep, his back against her front door. He looks in our direction, spots us, and gets to his feet. I can immediately tell from the way he struggles to keep his balance that he’s drunk.
“Jason?” I ask her, and she nods.
“What do you want to do?”
Twin spots of red have appeared on her cheeks. “That fucking arsehole. He won’t leave me alone.” She marches forward.
I jog to catch up with her, and we both walk up to the guy leaning against the wall.
He’s shorter than me, maybe around five ten, five eleven, with short brown hair, fairly good looking, although his eyes are slightly too close together.
“Heidi,” he says.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she demands.
He ignores her question and looks at me. “Who’s this?”
“None of your fucking business,” she says. “I told you, if you didn’t keep away from me, I’d call the police.” She pulls out her phone and turns it on.
Jason lunges for it, and it’s the perfect opportunity I need to put an arm against his throat and thrust him back against the wall. He tries to push me away, but I’m big enough to keep him there, and after a moment he stops struggling and glares at me.
“I wonder what your school will think of a young woman reporting you to the police for harassment,” I say.
Fear lights his eyes at that. He looks at her and says, “Don’t do it.”
She turns the phone to show him that she’s dialed 9-9. “One more digit,” she states. I don’t know if he can see it, but she’s shaking. “I’ll do it, Jason, if you don’t leave me alone.”
He looks back at me. “Are you two dating?”
“Yeah,” I snap, furious that he’s upset her. I bang him against the wall, and he knocks his head and groans. “She’s mine now. So stay the fuck away from her, or you’ll have me to answer to.”
He holds up his hands. I step back, wanting with every cell in my body to hit him in the face. He gives her one last look. Then he turns and heads back down the road to the village.
Heidi fumbles at her door with her keys, but her hands are shaking too much, so in the end I take them from her, insert the key, and open the door. We go inside, and I close the door behind us and slide the deadbolt across.
She goes out into the kitchen and places the cool box on the table, then goes over to the window and stares out at the garden. I walk slowly up behind her and pause a few inches away.
“Are you okay?” I ask softly.
She shakes her head.
“Heidi…”
She turns, and I see briefly that her cheeks are wet before she buries her face in my T-shirt.
“Aw… come here…” I put my arms around her. Hers are folded defensively against her chest, and she feels like a baby bird, fragile and tiny.
