Never Forget Him

by Tracy Lorraine

“Oh, come one. You need someone to pop that cherry. I think it’s got his name written all over it. Plus, not every woman can say she had her cherry popped by an incredibly sexy soldier; I bet he’s well good with his hands.”

  “Enough,” I snap. I really don’t need her shouting the details of my love life—or lack thereof—out to all the strangers I’m stood at the bar with.

  “A night with him will chill you right out.” At that moment, Dean appears from nowhere and runs his hands down Frankie’s sides. She spins in his arms and they both disappear into the crowd together. I shake my head and turn back to the bar to order another glass of water.

  Chapter Two

  I continue standing at the bar, watching everyone for quite a long time. I don’t see the girls or any of Bax’s friends—not that I’d recognise most of them—but this is fairly standard procedure. Eventually, I’ll get myself in a taxi and head home, leaving them to party the night away.

  I’m just getting myself ready to go when I feel something. I look over my shoulder and find Bax right behind me.

  “Oh hey,” I shout over the music. His eyes are intense as he stares into mine. Feeling awkward I smile at him and I’m just about to excuse myself when he speaks.

  “Your friends just left,” he says, leaning into my ear. His warm breath caresses my neck and makes me shiver, even though it’s swelteringly hot in here.

  “Oh, I’ll just get a taxi.” I turn to leave but stop when I feel his hand wrap around my wrist. I look back to see his eyes once again boring into mine. I’m not sure whether I should feel intimated by his intensity, but I don’t, not one bit.

  “No,” he states before stepping up to my side, placing his arm around my waist and pushing me towards the exit. I feel his thumb gently stroking my skin and it ignites butterflies in my stomach, but not the type I’d expect to feel whilst being touched by some random guy in a club. I’m not scared, and I don’t want to cause him physical harm; I actually kind of like it.

  He directs us to the coat check in and hands over a ticket.

  “You don’t have one?” he asks when I don’t make a move.

  I shake my head and we wait in silence for the girl to return.

  When she hands his jacket over, he drapes it over his arm, and with his hand in the small of my back, he gently moves me towards the exit. His touch burns and sends tingles racing around my body.

  I don’t feel the cold like I did waiting to get in. I try to push aside the thought that it’s because he’s touching me, but I’m not very successful.

  “Here,” he says, placing his leather jacket over my shoulders.

  “No, it’s fine, you have it,” I try to argue, but now he’s removed his hand, I’m freezing.

  “You need it more than me, Skittles.”

  Skittles? I don’t get the chance to ask, because his fingers thread through mine and he encourages me to start walking away from the club.

  We walk in silence, past the closed shops and dodging other drunk partygoers who are trying to make their way home.

  “Where are we going?” I ask eventually, not concerned in the slightest that I’m currently walking though the city in the middle of the night with a man I’ve just met.

  “Nowhere. Everywhere,” he answers cryptically, before falling silent again.

  I can’t really argue with him, because although what he’s just said makes no sense, I kind of understand it and it feels pretty perfect. I continue to hold onto his hand and walk alongside him silently through the city.

  I’ve never really spent much time out here at this time of night, but for a place that’s usually chaotic, it’s strangely calming with the orange glow from the street lights ahead and the twinkling stars above.

  Nothing’s said between us for the longest time, and it’s weird, because it’s the most content I think I’ve felt in a long time.

  Bax eventually breaks the silence. “There’s a takeout curry house. Do you fancy anything?”

  I’m not really hungry, but the thought of eating something warm gets the better of me.

  “Sure.” He changes direction and pulls me across the road.

  We both order a chicken curry and chips along with two cans of Coke before heading back out into the night.

  “Come on,” he says, and I follow along, our hands once again intertwined.

  We come to a stop when we get to the harbour side. He walks down a couple of the steps that descend to the water before tugging on my hand to encourage me to sit with him.

  “Here,” he says, handing my food over once he’s unwrapped it.

  “Thank you. Are you sure you’re not cold?”

  “I’m fine, Skittles.”

  “Why are you calling me that?”

  “Because it suits you.”

  “Why?” I ask, but he just shrugs his shoulder. After a couple of seconds of silence, I decide he’s not going to elaborate. “You know my name’s Erin, right?”

  “Of course. Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.” I’m a little surprised by his question because he’s hardly said anything to me since I met him.

  “Why did you come with me? I’m a stranger you just met in a club. You don’t even know my name.”

  “It’s Bax,” I say, trying to prove I do know something about him. “And…I don’t know. It just felt right.”

  “Hmmm,” he hums before throwing a chip covered in curry sauce into his mouth. “You should be careful who you decide to spend time with in the middle of the night, Skittles. They could be dangerous.”

  “Are you?”

  “Very.”

  For some reason, his warning doesn’t scare me off in the slightest. He might be the quiet, brooding type, but I’m not sure he falls into the dangerous category.

  Once we’ve finished eating, we continue looking out to the dark water before us. There’s no noise out here, and we’re the only sign of life. I have no idea what time it is, but to be honest, I really don’t care.

  “I used to come down here in the middle of the night when I was a kid. I’d sneak out of my house and spend hours looking out over the water,” he says quietly. I’m not sure whether he wants me to respond or not, so I decide to stay silent and listen. “It was the only peace and quiet I could get unless I was under a car in the garage. I used to sit here for hours.”

  Bax falls silent. I guess his memories are taking him far away, so I allow him to do his thing as my thoughts drift once again to Mum and her gift shop.

  “Erin?” he asks abruptly, and I turn to look at him.

  “Yeah.”

  “I haven’t wished you happy birthday,” he says, staring deep into my eyes.

  Before I know what’s happening, I feel his cold palm against my cheek and he leans in towards me. My eyes instinctively close seconds before I feel his warm, soft lips against mine. He holds still for the longest time with our lips pressed together, but he doesn’t push any further. When he eventually pulls back, I can’t help feeling a little disappointed.

  “I’m sorry. I should get you home,” he says, quickly taking his hand away and leaving me cold without his touch.

  “No,” falls from my mouth, shocking the hell out of me.

  His head snaps to the side to look at me. He doesn’t need to ask; I can see the question all over his face.

  “Can we stay here a little longer?”

  “Yeah, if you want.”

  “So, are you on leave or something?” I ask after a few more seconds of comfortable silence have passed between us.

  “Yeah, two weeks,” he says, but he doesn’t sound very excited about it.

  “Would you rather be at work?”

  “Quite honestly, yes.”

  “Why are you here then? Surely you could have gone somewhere other than Bristol?”

  “It’s my home, I guess. I didn’t really think about it. Everyone goes home to their families when they’re on leave. Plus, my mate lives down south, and wanted a night out here before travelling on,
so here I am.”

  “Don’t you have family?” I blurt out, and then instantly regret such an intrusive question.

  “My mum’s here.”

  “Well, she must be excited about seeing you.”

  “I doubt it. I think I might just grab my car and take off.”

  “And go where?”

  “Everywhere. Nowhere,” he says, just like he did earlier.

  “Sounds amazing,” I admit, revisiting my thoughts from a few hours ago.

  Bax’s movement as he turns to look at me catches my eye, so I do the same. As he stares at me, I can see a small smile tugging at his lips, and just like every time he’s looked at me this evening, his eyes twinkle in excitement.

  “What?” I ask sceptically.

  “Come with me.”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Come with me,” he repeats.

  “Where?”

  “Everywhere, nowhere, wherever we want to go.”

  “Are you crazy? I don’t even know you.”

  “You knew me well enough to walk off alone with me in the middle of Bristol, so I can’t be that scary. You’re a student, right? So you’re free the next two weeks. We could just disappear.”

  My heart’s pounding in my chest the more he speaks. I shouldn’t be getting so excited about the prospect of running away with this stranger, but suddenly, it’s all I can think about.

  “What if I have work?” I ask, trying to play it cool.

  “Do you?”

  “Nothing I couldn’t do on the move,” I answer honestly. Yes, I’ve got an assignment to write, and I’ve always got more jewellery to design or make, but there’s no reason I have to be here to do that.

  “So is that a yes?”

  “This is insane,” I admit with a laugh, but he doesn’t say anything. He just continues staring at me intensely, waiting for an answer. I quickly run through every reason in my head why I shouldn’t be doing this. Weirdly, any concerns about him being a mass murderer don’t even feature on my list. “YES!” I blurt out.

  “Yes?”

  “YES,” I scream into the night.

  Suddenly I’m on my feet, my body pressed against his hard muscles as his lips find mine again. They feel the same as last time, only they don’t stay still. I feel them part before his tongue gently sweeps across my lower lip. My mouth opens without any instruction from my brain, and in seconds, our tongues are tangling together. He steps forward and my bum hits the wall behind me, stopping my movement, but it doesn’t stop Bax because he presses further into me. His hands run from my face, over my shoulders, and skim the sides of my breasts before they come to a stop on my waist.

  By the time he pulls back, I can feel his hardness pressing into my stomach. The thought of causing that kind of reaction has butterflies exploding in my belly.

  Our foreheads rest together while he catches his breath. His eyes don’t stray from mine. “Your eyes are purple,” he whispers.

  “Violet.”

  “Stunning.”

  I can’t help looking away as embarrassment washes through me. No one compliments me like that, and I don’t know how to take it.

  “Hey,” he says, gently forcing my head back with his fingers on my cheek. “You’re going to have to learn to accept compliments if we’re spending the next two weeks together, because I have a feeling I’m going to be paying you a lot.”

  I feel heat rush up my neck to my cheeks.

  “Fuck, you look so sexy when you blush.”

  I desperately want to pull my eyes away from his, but his stare is too intense.

  “Are you sure about this?” he asks as he steps back away from me.

  “I think so.”

  “No, Skittles, I need to know you’re doing this because you want to. Do you want to get away from this place?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this with me? You’ve no idea who I am or what I’m capable of.”

  “Yes,” I answer, a little more forcefully than before. It might sound crazy, but I know he’s not capable of hurting me—not physically, anyway. I may have only just met him, but I already feel as if I’ve known him my entire life.

  “Okay then, let’s go.”

  “Right now?” I ask in a panic.

  “Well, no, not right now. I was thinking we should get some sleep first. You can get some stuff together in the morning, I can get my car, and then we can go.”

  “Everywhere and nowhere,” I state.

  “Exactly. Come on then, Skittles, let’s go find us a bed for a few hours.”

  I take his out stretched hand and together, we head off into the night.

  It’s not long until we’re stood in the reception of a 24/7 hotel getting that look off the middle-aged receptionist. She thinks we’re just checking in for a late night hook up. The thought makes me panic and it only gets worse when Bax hands his credit card over to pay for the room.

  I look away from the desk and allow him to take my hand to pull me in the direction of our room once he’s finished.

  “Bax, I—” I manage to say when he puts the card in the little machine to unlock the door.

  “I got a twin room,” he says, obviously seeing where my thoughts were going.

  “O…okay,” I stutter, following him in.

  When I look up, true to his word, there are two single beds. I look around the room and try not to let my thoughts show on my face. I don’t want to seem ungrateful.

  “No wonder it was so fucking cheap,” Bax says from behind me.

  I let out a sigh of relief that he sees it too. The place looks like it last saw a decorator in the eighties. The walls and ceiling are definitely yellower than they’re meant to be, and the few bits of furniture in here look like they’re about to fall apart.

  “I guess it’ll be okay for a few hours,” I say, slipping my shoes off and wiggling my toes as I sit on the corner of one of the beds. It creaks loudly, making us both laugh.

  “I’ve stayed in some bad places, but this is up there,” Bax says as he empties his pockets on the bedside table.

  I watch as he undoes a couple of his shirt buttons before he reaches back and begins pulling it over his head. I’m fairly sure it all happens at normal speed, but I could swear time slows down as he reveals the most incredible body to me. His skin is a stunning golden colour, like he’s recently been in the sun, and it flawlessly covers perfectly sculpted pecs and abs.

  I know I’m staring, but I can’t help it. It’s like my eyes are glued to him.

  “Fuck, Skittles,” Bax complains when he catches me ogling him.

  “Shit, I’m so sorry,” I say in a panic as I spin on the bed so I’m facing away from him. My face heats and I drop it into my hands in an attempt to hide my embarrassment. I shut my eyes, but it’s like the image of him shirtless is burned onto the inside of my eyelids.

  I noticeably flinch when his hands land on my shoulders. “It’s okay, look as much as you want; just know that I can’t be held responsible for my actions when you do.”

  I try to swallow but my mouth is suddenly drier than a fucking desert, so I end up nodding instead.

  “Hey, stop hiding from me,” he says, pulling my hands away from my face and turning my head so I have to look at him. He runs his fingertips over my cheeks and his eyes look over every inch of my face. His mouth opens like he wants to say something, but he must change his mind because instead, he drops his hand and steps away from me.

  “Here,” he says, holding out his shirt. He must sense my reluctance because he drops it into my lap before saying, “Well you don’t want to sleep in that, do you?” as he gestures at my outfit.

  “No, not really,” I mutter as I gather up the fabric and head towards the bathroom. I look over my shoulder before entering to see Bax with his back to me, undoing his jeans. He’s just about to drop them when he must feel my stare, because he glances over at me. My breath catches at the look on his face. His eyes are smouldering.
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br />   “Keep it up and you won’t be getting any sleep,” he warns.

  His words spur me into action and I quickly step into the bathroom and lock myself in.

  I rest back against the door and try to get my head together. How the hell did this night end with me in a shitty hotel room with a solider? I wonder briefly what happened to Frankie, Lisa and Tara. The only reason Frankie and Lisa ever disappear on a night out is because they’ve pulled, so I can only imagine they’re both currently warming a soldier’s bed. I’m happy for Frankie in a weird way; she’s getting to live out her fantasy, I just hope she doesn’t end up getting hurt. She likes to make out she’s all about easy sex and whatever, but I know her, and I know deep down she wants more than that, even if she won’t admit it.

  I eventually make use of the bathroom before stripping off my clothes and pulling Bax’s shirt over my head. It’s huge and almost comes down to my knees, but I’m grateful because it does a good job of covering me up. I do my best with the complimentary soap and water to remove what’s left of tonight’s make up, and comb my hair through with my fingers before plaiting it over my shoulder. I pull my thick-rimmed glasses from the bottom of my clutch and slide them on after disposing of my contact lenses.

  I’m just reaching for the doorknob when I get a sudden bolt of nerves as I think about who’s on the other side of the door. How do I trust him so much when I’ve only just met him? There’s no way I should be this comfortable about spending a night in a hotel room with a man I hardly know. I shake the thought away because there’s something telling me this is exactly what I should be doing, that for some reason I was meant to meet Bax tonight. I roll my shoulders and let out a breath before pulling the door open and stepping out.

  He was obviously waiting for me, because he starts talking before I round the corner.

  “So where did you want to…holy—” he stops mid-sentence when I appear. His chin drops and his eyes race around me like they don’t know where to look first. I want to be all confident like Frankie would be in this exact situation, but unfortunately, that’s not who I am, so instead of standing here proudly, I fold my arms over my chest and look down at the ground.

  “Oh no you don’t,” he says. I expect to find him out of bed when I look up, so I’m surprised to I see him still sat there with the covers over his waist. “Never be embarrassed by looking that incredible.”