The Mess Love makes

Chapter Nine: Fate or Mistake?

Chapter nine


“… And when Mum brought me home from school there was Laura sitting with our poor puppy, Marie, covering her in tomato ketchup, because ‘all hot dogs need ketchup and mustard’.”

The table exploded with laughter as Alex finished his story of the origin of his unique nickname for Laura. It was her and Leo’s first dinner party in their new home, and their long glass dining table was heaving with beautifully cooked food. The party itself was select, the guest list being only Alex, Hayley, René, Steve and Michelle.

         “Well,” rejoined Laura, her eyes sparkling as she raised her Champaign flute in a mock toast. “Here’s to the boy who was ill for two days because he ate all the buttercups he could find in the back garden.”
Amongst the giggles, René turned to Alex and said with astonishment, “What ever for?”
         “Look,” Alex argued, trying hard to control his laughing, “I heard that butter and vegetables are good for you. Buttercups are a kind of veg really – they grow out of the ground don’t they? And buttercups… butter…”

Chelle clapped her hands in delight as more laugher ensued. Steve got heavily to his feet, swaying a bit from the copious amount of good alcohol he had consumed, and lifted his glass.
         “I propose a toast,” he roared, slurring a lot, and very pink in the face, “to Leo and Laura… and their rather schexy new pad.”
         “Hear hear,” René called as more drunken giggles were drowned out by the rather clumsy clinking of glasses.

Hayley wasted no time in downing her glass of Champaign. It was hard to watch the love of her life and his new wife entertain in their own domain, working like a couple, entertaining like a couple, being a couple… but the alcohol was definitely making her more mellow. So mellow that she was actually having a very enjoyable time. Which is why she laughed her head off with the rest as René suddenly slumped forward onto the table as she passed out.

         “Uh oh,” hiccupped Leo as he stumbled over to his guest and put an arm around her waist, trying to lift her out of her seat and over balanced. Alex held his sides as he tried not to cry with laughter as he witnessed his friends on the floor, one unconscious in a drunken stupor and the other trying to work out which end of the chair was which.

Eventually, with too many hands and a lot of falling over, the two men managed to manoeuvre René’s slumped body onto the couch, where she let off a loud snore, followed by an impressive fart.

         “Oh God,” Hayley said, running for the door. “That was one of her stinkers. I’m getting out of here!”

Although everyone was still giggling in a tipsy sort of way, the party began to break up. Goodbye kisses were exchanged, and Hayley and Alex stumbled out of the front door, hanging onto each other for dear life.

         “I can’t drive,” Hayley said, as she ended up on her rump in the middle of the driveway. “That’s for certain.”
         “Well I can’t say I’m in a much better state,” slurred Alex as he sat down next to her, closing his eyes against the surroundings which seemed to be swimming around him. “Besides, my car’s at your house.”
         “So it is,” Hayley agreed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Alex had driven over to René and Hayley’s and left his car at theirs so that only one of the three of them would have to drive back to the house. Unfortunately, they’d forgotten to decide who would be the designated driver.
         “I guess we’ll have to walk somewhere.” Alex said, forcefully trying to focus.
         “Yes,” Hayley agreed again, as she clumsily got to her feet and tried to drag him off the ground by his collar. “Or we can get a taxi.”
         “Oooh,” said Alex brightly as they reached the end of the driveway. “A taxi. A cab. What a brilliant idea.”
         “I know.” Hayley forced her legs to walk in a straight line. ‘One leg in front of the other…’
         “Or!” Alex stopped again, causing Hayley to stumble, as they were still entwined, using each other as support. “We can go to mine. I am just round that corner,” he said triumphantly as he pointed to the far end of the road, turning to his companion just as she walked into a tree.


*  *  *  *  *


         Fumbling at the keyhole, Alex giggled as Hayley cursed loudly. “Hurry up, Alex. It’s getting cold out here.”
         “Shhh!” he said, opening the door so that they stumbled inside. “Don’t want to wake up the neighbours…”

And that was when he felt himself roughly pushed against the door as it closed behind them, and kissed.

Alex knew he was drunk, but he also knew he wasn’t drunk enough to imagine Hayley’s soft hands pushing his jacket from his shoulders, her teeth grazing his bottom lip as she sucked it into her mouth. Startled, Alex had yet to respond. He was confused. She was drunk – did it count as taking advantage when she had jumped on him? The fresh air and the long walk had sobered them both up a fair amount, although there was still too much alcohol left in their systems to be able to say that any decisions made right now would be rational ones.

         “What’s the matter?” Hayley breathed as she leant away from him. In the dark, he could just make out her silhouette against the glow of the light coming through the frosted glass in the front door from the garden lights outside. Her hair was a slight mess, strands escaping from the elegant bun she had teased it into, and her lipstick had almost disappeared. But what caught his attention most was her eyes. Her eyeliner had smudged, giving her a sexy, smoky look which was just more enhanced by the way her pupils were dilated and her lips parted. As he looked at her, the tip of her tongue darted out of her mouth to lick her lips. That was all it took.

Gathering her into his arms, Alex groaned as he lowered his lips to hers. She pressed herself against him, running her hands over his shoulders and the nape of his neck to tangle in his hair.  His fingers ran over her back until they reached bare skin at the top of her dress, and stroked the smooth softness of the skin that was taut over the muscles in her back as he gently licked his way between her lips. He reached up to removed the pins in her hair, dropping them on the floor and pulling at the band around the bun so that her hair fell in a mass of crazed curls into his hands. Their kiss was urgent as Hayley insistently resumed pulling off his jacket, moving to run her lips down his neck as her fingers worked the buttons of his shirt.

Alex closed his eyes as she ran her tongue over his collar bone, suddenly reaching to pick her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he supported her with one hand, the other reaching to caress the length of her thigh that became exposed, his teeth grazing her earlobe. As they began the perilous climb to the top of the stairs, Hayley clung tighter to his body as he steadied his still tipsy legs with both hands on the banisters.

He laid her softly on his bed, leaning over her to kiss her with more and more passion, feeling the teasing way she had kicked off her shoes and, curling one leg around him, was running one pointed foot up and down the length of his inner thigh.  When he came up for air, Hayley gazed at him with a mixture of lust and caring as she gently brushed the hair that fell onto his forehead out of his eyes. As he pushed her dress up her body, Alex began to kiss and caress the skin that he discovered, slowly, tantalisingly, daring to tease her by taking his time in exposing her to his sight. She sighed in pleasure, reaching to run her fingers over the hard muscles of his back, slipping down to work at his belt as he gripped her more forcefully, his touch becoming more decisive.

Finally, they were skin to skin as blazes of fire shot through Alex’s senses. He held her to him, his hands running over her body as he gently pressed his lips to her neck. She arched against him as they moved to satisfy each other, exploring and caressing… until the sun began to rise and they collapsed in each other’s arms, a sated slumber resting over them as Alex curled his arms around her waist and she pressed her head against his neck.


*  *  *  *  *


         Hayley slipped off her sunglasses as she reversed her car into her driveway. Exhausted, she leaned her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes. Work had been a trying affair – who knew why all the cases that ended up on her desk where the ones which she had no hope in hell of winning. A sharp rap on her window shook her from her reverie with a start.

         “Hey Al,” she smiled as she wound down her window. “Come to pick up your car?”
         “Spot on, Miss Attorney.” Alex stood back as Hayley swung open her door and stepped out of the car. “I missed you this morning. How did you manage to get up so early?”
         “I had work. Unlike some.”
         “Hey,” Alex feigned hurt as he followed her into the kitchen. “I have work. But Freddy…”
         “…owed you some time this week for covering for him last week. I know.”

Alex peered at Hayley as she filled the kettle. “You ok? You seem a bit… cranky.”

Hayley opened her mouth to release a cutting reply, but sighed and put down the kettle. “I’m fine. I’m just… tired. And hung over.”
         “Can’t be as bad as René!”
A giggle escaped Hayley. “She hasn’t managed to find her way home yet. Leo said she’s still curled up on his sofa, dark glasses on and coffee mugs everywhere. Still, I went to work and she didn’t. I think that excuses me for being exhausted.”
         “I’m not surprised you’re tired,” Alex said, a smirk settling over his face. “After last night, that is.”

         “Mmm,” Hayley answered as she set the kettle to boil and reached for two mugs. “Alex, about last night… it was amazing…”
         “Yeah it was wasn’t it,” Alex agreed, trying to appear nonchalant. He could see where she was going and he didn’t like it.
         “It really, really was,” she reiterated, a smile on her face that showed she was telling the truth. “And I don’t regret a single moment of it.”
         “You don’t?” Alex was a startled, and his heart gave a leap of hope.
         “No, I don’t. But I don’t think it would be wise to repeat it, either.”
Alex felt that hope sink and die. “Oh? Why not?”
         “Because, silly,” Hayley said resting a hand on top of his, “I’d never want to wreck our friendship with just meaningless, drunken sex. You mean so much more to me than that. And it’d be a shame to spoil things, don’t you think?”
         “Oh, absolutely,” Alex agreed quickly. ‘You coward, just tell her how you feel.’ “It’s just I…”
         “What?” Hayley asked, looking concerned.
‘Go on, tell her!’ Alex thought to himself frantically. “It’s just I’m surprised, because you took the words straight out of my mouth.” ‘You fool. Foolish coward.’
         “Oh, that’s good,” Hayley said looking relieved as she turned to reach for the coffee. “Shows we’re on the same wavelength. Drinking coffee the usual way?”
         “Yeah. The usual way,” Alex agreed, watching as his dream of the perfect romance drifted out of the window with the steam from the kettle.