The Finest Line

by Catherine Taylor

  Mairead nodded and hurried away. Call out if you need anything? Like what, Mairead thought crossly, my back scrubbed, bigger tits, blonde hair? She managed to set a new record for showering, dressing and tying her wet hair back in less than five minutes, and allowing the lightest application of make-up.

  Her visitors were talking quietly when she returned and was greeted by Vanessa’s smiling face. They had exchanged seats and James was back on the couch.

  He stood up. “Mairead, I really should introduce you formally to Vanessa.”

  She would have preferred that he didn’t because the mere thought of hearing the words ‘my girlfriend’ threatened to bring her undone.

  He was looking at her when he continued. “She is my closest ally and dearest friend, and can be extremely irritating when she takes it upon herself to point out what she sees as flaws in my character. She is also a very deviant lesbian whom I would not leave alone with my female friends for two minutes.”

  Mairead’s mouth fell open as she looked from James to the woman grinning in the armchair.

  Vanessa scoffed as she got up. “Utter nonsense. My attention and availability to women stems from a deeply compassionate nature.” She smiled at Mairead. “I am very pleased to have finally met you Mairead, and I want to hear more about you but first James has something he would like to say.”

  He didn’t look happy. “Would you sit down with me please Mairead?”

  She complied reluctantly. The danger of being on a couch with James was certainly not lost on her.

  He spoke quietly. “Vanessa has pointed out quite persistently that my treatment of you last night was extremely harsh. After several hours’ reflection, I tend to agree with her.”

  Vanessa interpreted, “He means that he realises he was a complete moron.”

  “Shut up Vanessa,” James growled.

  Mairead had to stifle a grin at their interaction.

  James continued. “Once again I’ve allowed my words to wound you and I am truly sorry. I am going to endeavour not to make it a habit, if you will give me a chance to make it up to you.”

  Tears were stinging her eyes as any answer failed her. All she could do was nod.

  “If you are free tomorrow, I would like us to spend the day together in a social capacity.

  “Of for god’s sake James,” Vanessa groaned. “Take the stick out your arse and ask her for a date.”

  James glared at her but a wisp of a grin belied his anger. “I’ll take a stick to your arse in a minute.”

  Vanessa laughed. “I’d like to see you try.”

  James shook his head and turned back to Mairead who was giggling at them.

  “Mairead,” He tried again. “Would you please do me the honour of going out with me tomorrow?”

  All she could do was nod.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “A lesbian!” Kylie launched from the couch spilling red wine onto the carpet. Mairead giggled at the shock in her face as she retrieved a cloth to sponge up the mess. “Don’t worry about the carpet Mairead, and for the hundredth time, the flat looks fucking amazing. Just tell me what happened.”

  “When I’ve cleaned the carpet,” Mairead dabbed at the spills whilst Kylie paced around her. She took her time making sure the stain was removed before returning to the couch.

  Kylie dropped down next to her. “I’m going to hurt you if you don’t tell me everything this very minute.”

  Mairead grinned. “Well finding out Vanessa was into a little carpet cleaning her self was enough of a shock...”

  “That’s munching sweetheart but go on.”

  “The next shock was when James apologised to me.” Mairead fell silent for a moment before she could continue. “He told me that he was truly sorry and hoped... that I would forgive him.”

  Kylie took her hand and brushed a tear away.

  “He wants to take me out tomorrow to make up for it.” Mairead employed her most innocent face and voice. “I said I would have to check with you first in case you had made plans.”

  “Well, I just don’t know.” Kylie sat back thoughtfully. “You did do a reasonable job of cleaning the flat, but there is this patch of garden outside that really needs some attention.”

  Mairead leapt and straddled Kylie’s lap clutching her shoulders and looking straight into her face. “Oh my god Kylie, if you don’t let me go, I’m going to die and you are going to be responsible for killing your best friend.”

  “Hell your lifestyle is going to kill you long before I do Girlfriend.” Kylie grinned and embraced her. “Go on your special date and I hope you get to fuck him senseless.”

  Mairead giggled. “Me too, I’m over this virginity shit.” Her innocent face returned. “He gave me his private cell phone number. Could I please use your phone?”

  “You get to talk to him for five minutes and not a second longer.” Kylie reached across and took her phone from the coffee table. “The rest of this night is going to be about me and movies and red wine. Understood?”

  “Understood,” Mairead snatched the phone and was off to make her call.

  Her hands were trembling as she punched in the number. There was the dial tone and then came his simple ‘Yes?”

  “It’s me.” Mairead said quietly. “I’m free for tomorrow.”

  “Is this your new phone Mairead?”

  “It’s Kylies. I don’t have a phone.”

  There was a moment’s silence before James spoke again. “You should always have a phone on you. Your father has been trying to reach you.”

  Before he could scold her further, she quickly asked, “Are we still going out tomorrow?”

  “I will pick you up at nine,” His tone was slightly softer. “Please be ready.”

  “I will be.” Mairead waited for him to say something more but after a few seconds silence she quietly bid him goodnight.

  “Goodnight Mairead.”

  It certainly wasn’t the pre-date chatter she had hoped for, but then again James was not the usual type of date. It was too hard to gauge where she stood with him still and she was thankful she had Kylie to divert her attention. It was going to be a long night.

  Kylie’s enthusiasm for Mairead’s happiness was evident the next morning as she fussed over her, taking charge over what to wear, straightening her hair and making her sit down for breakfast.

  “Get your mind off your twat and onto your stomach or you will not be going the distance.”

  Mairead feigned indignation. “My mind is on no such thing and my stomach is just one big knot.” She had laid awake half of the night reflecting. “What if he doesn’t even want to fuck me? This might just be a purely innocent day out.”

  “With you, nothing is purely innocent and if he doesn’t want to fuck you, then he’s gay and I might have a crack at him myself.”

  Mairead looked down at her jeans. “Maybe I should wear my dress. He looked like he was going to blow in his pants the last time I wore it.” Mairead giggled with the memory. “Oh my god, I’m not on contraception. I won’t be able to do anything.”

  Kylie retrieved a small overnight bag from the floor and placed it on the table. “They’ve got this new invention, called condoms and I’ve put ten into this bag, along with two changes of underwear, your favourite dress, your brush, make-up and toothbrush.”

  “Oh Kylie thank you,” Mairead hugged Kylie and frowned, “But won’t that look a bit obvious?”

  Kylie scoffed. “God knows the man needs some kind of clue. You keep pitching but he keeps missing.”

  They waited outside sitting on the front fence and right on nine o’clock a bronze Audi pulled up. Mairead was perturbed to see Vanessa sitting in the front passenger seat, but her mood lifted as James got out.

  He was dressed casually but somehow managed to make a white hooded top over faded jeans look fantastic. His dark sunglasses were back along with a day’s facial growth. This new look was as appealing as the tailored one.

  “Damn,” Kylie whispered as he
approached.

  James shifted his glasses to his hair and grinned. “You’re looking really wonderful Kylie, if you don’t mind accepting the opinion of a total arsehole.”

  “Total was definitely not the adjective I used.” Kylie laughed and gave James a hug. “Good to see you James.”

  James smiled at Mairead who was trying miserably to be calm. “Are you ready to go?”

  She managed to nod and got nervous again as Kylie handed James the bag who showed no reaction. “I thought I should bring a change... I didn’t know where we were going... and I thought...

  “First off we’re going to the airport to drop Vanessa off.” James saved her. “She’s off to Queenstown for a few days.”

  “Talk about obvious,” Kylie said under her breath and received an elbow in her ribs from Mairead.

  James opened the back door whilst Mairead hugged Kylie goodbye and got in behind Vanessa. When he had shut the door, Kylie called to James.

  “How did you know where I lived?”

  The sunglasses were back in place. “We went back into the club. Your friend Miranda was a wealth of information.”

  “I bet she was,” Kylie sighed and watched the car pull away. She knew only too well that Miranda had trouble keeping quiet. “Well Mairead, if you wanted him to know how you feel about him, he certainly does now.”

  Vanessa dominated the conversation to the airport. “I’m going to go sky-diving and get thrown off a bridge with a rope tied around my feet.”

  “Bungy,” Mairead told her. “I did the one from the cable car. It was incredible.”

  “Not exactly what I had planned but spontaneity is the spice of life and I’m quite looking forward to it.”

  Mairead felt terrible. “I’ve interrupted your holiday haven’t I?”

  Vanessa turned around and smiled happily. “Sweetheart, you have been the highlight of my holiday, and if the impossible ever happens and some big idiot of a man doesn’t sweep you off your feet...”

  The car suddenly lurched and then righted. Vanessa looked at James. “Is there a problem?”

  “Just a lunatic on the road,” James shot a glare at her. “Maybe we should remain quiet now so I can concentrate in this traffic.”

  “As you wish,” Vanessa casually pulled the visor down with its little mirror and used it to give Mairead a grin and a wink. Mairead suppressed a giggle.

  It was strangely sad saying goodbye to her. In less than two days she had gone from despised enemy to a formidable ally. Mairead left her window up to give them privacy outside the car but watched through the tinted windows.

  To strangers, they might have looked like a gorgeous couple with his arms around her waist and her arms locked about his neck but the kiss was short and sweet and then she was gone.

  James opened doors and Mairead got in front, feeling very timid and nervous. She had ridden in a car with him a thousand times before and yet this felt so very different.

  She glanced at him as he navigated back into traffic. “So where are we off to?”

  “Back to the city to buy you a phone,” James told her quietly. “Mairead, where is your cell phone?”

  She smirked, “At the bottom of a swimming pool on the Gold Coast.”

  He gave her a critical glance. “You should have a cell phone on you at all times. I’ve already received several calls from your father wondering if I had seen you here.”

  Mairead slumped and pouted. Less than five minutes alone with James and she was already being told off.

  “Daddy had no right to ring you.”

  “Your father is constantly worried about you Mairead and not without good reason.” James reached across to his own phone on the console and tossed it into her lap. “Call him.”

  She reluctantly made the call, wondering where the nice apologetic James had disappeared to. Well at least she wasn’t feeling nervous anymore. She knew this James all too well.

  The journey back to the city was occupied with convincing her father that she was behaving herself, much to her embarrassment with James sitting right next to her. Eventually he asked to speak to James. Miranda handed him the phone.

  “We bumped into each other in the city, Sir,”

  “No Sir, I am having a wonderful holiday and she is not bothering me at all.”

  When he hung up, Mairead glanced at him nervously, “Thank you for lying for me.”

  James parked the car and turned off the engine. “I’m not aware that I lied.”

  The salesman in the phone shop was explaining several devices. Mairead was wandering about, fiddling with the phones on display, when she noticed the android. A chill went through her as she recognized the same device that Josh had owned and which was still sitting in a suitcase back at Kylies’.

  “I want this one.” When she was ignored she called louder. “James, I want this one.”

  James and the salesman joined her at the display and the salesman nodded. “It’s a good device, 4.7 inch screen, exceptional power source and powerful camera and video recording. Lacks the quad core processing but for everyday use...”

  Mairead sighed. “Can we just buy it?”

  The salesman looked at James who sighed and nodded.

  Back in the car, Mairead discarded her package onto the back seat and then shifted to look at James. “Thank you for my phone but I could have paid for it myself.”

  “Your welcome,” James turned the car to head out of the city.

  “So where are we going next?” Mairead had already prepared herself for a trip to the art gallery or the museum. It wouldn’t matter as long as she was with him.

  “I’m taking you to the Zoo.”

  “The Zoo,” Mairead wasn’t sure what to make of it. “You do know I’m nearly twenty-one years old.”

  James looked at her. “You don’t like animals?”

  “I love animals but...”

  “I like animals too. I thought it would be a fun day but we can go somewhere else if you want.”

  Mairead felt terrible. He genuinely wanted to go to the Zoo. “Actually, I haven’t been to the Zoo in years. I bet it’s all different now. I’d really like to go.” Her answer earned a smile that delighted her.

  All doubts were laid to rest as James proved to be an authority on the animal kingdom. At each enclosure he was able to impart interesting facts about the animals that weren’t available on the signage. Who would have known there were so many differences between an African and Indian elephant?

  “I hope you are not allergic to cats,” James stated as they walked along.

  “No why?” Mairead looked up to see him grinning.

  “I booked you something I thought you might enjoy.”

  They arrived at the cheetah enclosure where James approached a young girl wearing the red shirt of the Zoo staff who introduced herself as Lisa.

  She smiled warmly. “Come with me.”

  Mairead’s heart began to thump as they followed her to a gate where she began to give some instructions on what was about to happen.

  Mairead’s mouth fell open. “We’re going in there... with the cheetahs?”

  James frowned. “If you don’t want to go...”

  The child in her was jumping up and down. “I want very much to go.”

  Her reaction seemed to please him. Lisa continued her instructions and then led them through the gate.

  For the next half hour, Mairead and James sat on the grass stroking the powerful and very

  beautiful body of a male cheetah. Lisa held a thick leash attached to a collar, but the cheetah moved about freely. He stood up to look around before once again lying down and stretching out before them. Mairead ran her hand along the spotted fur, feeling the powerful muscles of the graceful body.

  A guttural drone began and she looked at James with tears in her eyes. “He’s purring.” James looked equally impressed.

  When they finally left the enclosure, she was feeling overwhelmed. “I’ve never done anything so amazing in all my lif
e.”

  James smiled. “I could think of a few things.”

  Mairead shook her head, “Nothing like that. Thank you James.”

  He casually took hold of her hand, “Primates and then lunch.”

  The baboons and mandrills could be heard long before they found the enclosure, with their eerie raucous hollers. The enclosure had thick glass walls that enabled a perfect view of a large troop within.