Streets of London Ch. 01

As Josh walked down the street, to his regular busking spot, he smiled at the few shopkeepers who acknowledged his existence. Having struggled to get a decent meal inside him for several days, he just hoped that, as it was Friday, the kind old dear who usually dropped a fiver in his guitar case would be appearing again today.

He removed his guitar from his back and sat down on his "spot", leaving his guitar case open for any donations. He sprinkled the few coins he had in his pocket in the case and started playing; it was still early and passers-by were few and far between but he liked to start early, warm his fingers up and greet the early morning commuters.

After about forty minutes of playing, his face brightened when he saw his regular benefactor using the cash machine at the bank across the street. He started playing "Beautiful Day", a song he knew she enjoyed, as he waited anxiously to see if she would detour to his side of the street. When she started to cross, he smiled and averted his eyes, not wanting her to know that he had been watching her the whole time. As she deposited her regular fiver into the guitar case, he smiled and thanked her.

The morning went slowly; other than the five pound note he had only received a few coins and a button into his guitar case. Lunch-time was approaching for most people and though his stomach was rumbling, he knew he had to delay lunch as more people were on the street and this was a time he needed to be about, in the hope that more people might take pity on him.

As he played his usual repertoire of songs, he allowed his mind to wander back to the circumstances that had led to him ending up homeless. He had had a good childhood, happy and contented - his dad a banker, who had ensured that the family always had everything they needed. He had fallen in love in his mid-teens - Lucy - he could picture her now and if he tried hard enough, he could still remember the smell of her hair. They had made all sorts of plans for their life together before they went their separate ways to Uni - promising to stay faithful and to visit each other as often as they could.

It had been during Freshers Week that his life had fallen apart; he had been summoned to the Student Wellbeing Officer's office on the Thursday. As he hurried to the office in the admin block, he worried about what he had done. After knocking on the door and being told to enter, he looked into the face of the lady behind the desk, who was looking back at him with a sorrowful face. To her left stood Mr Chambers, the head of his course in ecology and environmental issues. The lady, Ms Grantham he later found out, explained to him that both his parents had died in a road accident.

The next few weeks were a blur, everything happened so fast. He had returned home, to find that his uncle, who loathed him, had made the funeral arrangements and then that the family home was being repossessed by the bank as his father had a secret gambling addiction and had borrowed heavily with the house as security. He was allowed to remove his personal possessions but anything of value belonging to his parents was sold to help pay off his dad's debts. Having no means of transport and nowhere for storage, he took a duffel bag and stuffed as many of his clothes in as he could, slinging his guitar across his back before saying his final goodbye to the house he had grown up in. He visited the undertakers to say goodbye to his parents, slipping his mum's wedding and engagement rings off of her fingers before kissing her goodbye; he felt he could barely look at his father who had landed him in this mess.

Unable to concentrate on anything and without any financial support, he decided against returning to Uni. He started to sleep on the common ground until he heard about a group of teenagers going around attacking and robbing down and outs. He found some people who were living rough and started talking to them; he soon discovered that a group of them looked out for each other and slept under the railway arches. Fairly soon he was an accepted member of the group, with his own set sleeping area; playing his guitar to entertain his new band of friends.

While his phone was still active, he received a few attempted calls from Lucy; he almost answered the first ones, opting against, as he couldn't think what to say, how to react to her, no doubt, sympathetic words. Eventually the problem disappeared as his phone died and he could not afford to get it charged up or to continue paying his contract.

He re-focused his mind on his current situation, checking his guitar case and happy to see that a few more coins had been added to his little kitty. The lunch-time rush was almost over and he was toying with the idea of seeing if the bakers had any of yesterday's sandwiches left over to either give away or at least sell cheaply, when his attention was captured by a stunning pair of legs headed in his direction. Sex was something that had almost disappeared off his radar - sure, one of the women in his "group" had made it plain to him that she would let him fuck her and there was an old guy who had offered to blow him but he had refused their advances. The legs approaching were eye-capturing, he followed them up her body, to the mid-thigh skirt, the shapely hips and the nice-looking breasts contained inside the figure-hugging blouse. When his eyes reached her face, his mouth fell open; it was Lucy - all dressed up in business clothes and looking every part the successful business woman.

He quickly lowered his face in the hope that she wouldn't notice him, playing the closing bars of "Streets of London" as he heard her heels click clack past. Glancing up when he was sure she had passed him, he was admiring the view from the rear when she reached into her pocket and turned around to drop some coins into his case. Her eyes met his and she gasped in shock.

"Josh? Josh, is that you? What the fuck are you doing?"

"Just go Lucy - pretend you didn't see me - you have a different life to mine now"

"No - I can't see you like this Josh - after all we meant to each other! Hell, I spent months trying to contact you, to find you - you never returned my calls!"

He looked at her rather sheepishly, "Yeah, sorry about that - I just couldn't speak to anyone - I was low and didn't want to put my troubles on you - and then my phone died and I - well, I found myself a new road to follow."

"I can't leave you like this Josh - look, I'm on my lunch break - come and have some lunch with me - get a decent meal inside you and we can talk."

"I don't know Lucy - I mean some food would be good but I don't want to burden you - you have your own life now - good job by the look of it - I'm just another down and out."

"Nonsense - now pack your stuff up and come with me," she demanded, tapping her foot like an angry schoolteacher.

Realising she wouldn't take no for an answer, he picked up his mornings takings and stuffed them in his pocket, packing away his guitar and getting to his feet.

"You know a place that will allow me in looking like this?" he asked.

"Sure," she smiled, "my sister and her husband run a small café at the end of the road - they won't say no to me."

She led Josh to her sister's place, "The Salsa Café", he noted as they went in the door. Behind the counter, Sally - Lucy's sister, greeted her with a loud "Hi sis", before her eyes focused on the figure of Josh. "Umm - couldn't you just buy him something to take away?" she suggested, as she noticed that Lucy was leading Josh to a table.

Telling Josh to take a seat, Lucy hurried to the counter and had a quiet conversation with her older sister, whose eyes, Josh couldn't help but notice, kept glancing in his direction. Eventually the conversation ended and Lucy returned with two cups of tea.

"I've ordered you the full English," she advised him, "I remember how much you used to enjoy a fry-up."

"Is your sister okay about this?" he asked nervously, "I don't want to cause any trouble between you."

"She's fine Josh," said Lucy, as she reached across the table and took his hand in hers, "When she heard it was you, she was shocked - obviously - but my whole family were concerned about you, her included."

Only half listening to what Lucy was saying, his gaze was focused on her hand - or more precisely on the third finger of her left hand - on which sat an expensive looking, what he assumed to be, engagement ring.

Catching his gaze, Lucy pulled her hand away, "Oh - yeah - umm, I was going to tell you over lunch. I've met someone, well - I guess that much is obvious - his name is Tom and, well, as you can see - we're engaged." She picked up her cup and sipped her tea nervously, waiting for his response.

He looked into her eyes, "I guess it was always going to happen - a gorgeous girl like you was probably surrounded by would-be suitors as soon as I was off the scene - congratulations, I hope he makes you very happy."

As he got up to leave, Lucy begged him to stay; telling him she wanted to help him get back on his feet and start afresh - but most of the words were directed at his back as he was heading for the door. Tears welled up in her eyes and she grabbed a hanky from her bag and dabbed at them.

For the next few weeks, during her lunch break, Lucy patrolled the spot she had seen Josh at; changing her lunch from 12 o'clock to 1 o'clock as she realised that he must be avoiding her. Eventually, she took a day's leave, arriving early at a café just across the road from where Josh had been playing that day, sitting at a table by the window, sipping a cappuccino and watching the early morning commuters on their way to the station. About twenty minutes after she had sat down, he arrived, setting his guitar case on the ground and starting to play. She sat there watching him for a while, listening to him play; her mind filling up with the memories of their good times together.

Wiping a tear from her eye, she got up and crossed the road, reaching him before he could spot her and react.

"You've been avoiding me Josh - all I want to do is help you! So, I got engaged - what did you expect? Me to remain single my whole life because you just upped and disappeared?"

He looked at her sheepishly, "I'm sorry Lucy - it was just such a shock."

"I can appreciate that Josh but you have to realise that after a while, when no-one could find you - not even the police - well, I was distressed and Tom was so kind and caring and..........well, one thing led to another and, yeah, we became lovers and decided to get married. There is still a place in my heart for you Josh but.............well, it's just so complicated - I love Tom now."

"So, where do we go from here? You going to buy me the odd meal? It might be better if we just didn't see any more of each other Lucy."

"No Josh - I'm not leaving you to live like this! I've spoken with Tom and he is happy for you to use our spare bedroom until you are back on your feet. Come on - pack up your things, we're going back to the house."

Josh looked at her, unsure how to react. He wanted to spend more time with her, his heartstrings were pulling hard but she was in a new relationship - hell, she was engaged to be married! He eventually agreed to take her up on her offer and packed his guitar away in its case.

When they arrived at Lucy and Tom's place, she showed him to the spare room, advising him that the shower was across the hallway and that he needed to jump into it pronto, while she prepared some food for them both. After putting his guitar case in a corner of the room, Josh made his way to the bathroom and stripped off while waiting for the shower to warm up. He was soon lathering his body in sweet smelling shower gel, before washing his hair and beard. When he was finished, he put his clothes back on and made his way downstairs to the kitchen where Lucy was just serving up pork souvlaki for them both.

She looked at him and said "You should smell better but you don't - it must be those damn clothes! After we eat, we'll go out and buy you some new outfits - and we should get you a haircut and a shave!"

As they ate, they exchanged small talk; Lucy enquiring about his life on the streets and Josh trying to answer without giving too much detail about the horrors he had encountered - avoiding the subject of the three mates he had lost to alcoholism.

After loading the dishwasher, Lucy pulled him out of the house and led him to a nearby, reasonably priced clothing store where she bought him several new outfits, including a new suit for job interviews, a pair of shoes and a pair of trainers. She then took him to the local barbers, where she had to pay up-front for a haircut and a shave; sitting in the waiting seats as she watched her former boyfriend being transformed into a decent-looking man who could attend job interviews.

Once they left the barbers, she led him back to the house. Pulling out her laptop, she set up a new profile for him and told him to check out the situations vacant, while she went to make him a cup of tea.

"Now, what about a phone, Josh? Do you still have your old mobile?" she asked, as she returned with the steaming hot brew.

He looked at her a bit sheepishly, "No - I sold it when I ran out of data - only got a couple of quid for it - but I guess it paid for my lunch for that day."

"I'll get you a cheap one tomorrow - you need a phone to provide a mobile number to prospective employers."

Having made sure he had all he needed, Lucy went upstairs and showered; her mind recalling her former time with Josh, before his world fell apart.

As she dried off and got dressed, she heard the front door open and the sound of Tom coming home. Feeling the need to act as a buffer between her current and former lovers, she rushed downstairs to introduce the guys, hoping that they would get along.

Reaching the bottom step just as Tom was opening the door to the kitchen/diner, she called out to him, "Tom, hold up a minute." She rushed over to him and kissed him before advising him that Josh had taken her up on her offer to help and that he was currently searching for jobs. Opening the door, she called out to Josh, who was busy trolling through job agency web-sites, to introduce him to Tom. Turning around in his chair, Josh took in the muscular frame of his former girlfriend's fiancé as he slowly got to his feet to meet the new love of her life. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries before Tom went upstairs to change out of his suit.

"You should pack up for the night and start afresh in the morning," suggested Lucy, "Any luck so far?"

"Yeah, I applied for a few posts but I'd appreciate it, if you have a moment, if you'd look over my cv," he responded, "it seems a bit weak on the "missing" years - you know, five years unexplained - it looks like I've been inside or something."

"Sure, I'll do it first thing tomorrow - I'll go in a bit late to work - it won't matter, I'm owed a few hours. Now, go into the living room and watch some tv while I prepare dinner."

"Would it be okay if I took a shower first? It's such a luxury being able to keep clean after all those years."

"Sure - just make sure Tom's not in there," she smiled at him as she watched him leave, before starting to peel the potatoes.

As he passed Tom on the stairs, there was an uncomfortable acknowledgement of each other but at least Josh knew he had the bathroom to himself. He locked the door after him, before stripping off and starting the water running. As he waited for the water to reach the required temperature he glanced around the bathroom; out of the corner of his eye he spotted Lucy's discarded panties. He tried to ignore them but the pull was too much; he picked them up and inhaled deeply, the scent of her filled his nostrils and his hand dropped to his cock, starting to stroke it as his mind flooded with memories of tasting her, licking and sucking on her pussy before he would ultimately make love to her. Before he knew what he was doing, he had her panties wrapped around his cock and his orgasm came almost immediately, spraying his load into the silky blue material.

Panicking, he took the lid off of the laundry basket and buried the panties under a pile of clothes. He stepped into the shower and washed himself clean, thinking about what he had done but also remembering how sweet the panties had smelt before he had soiled them. He turned the shower off and towelled himself dry, taking his time drying his cock as he thought again about Lucy and their previous times together. How they had discovered sex together, been each other's first lovers, the awkwardness of neither knowing exactly what to do, their fun in discovering new positions, new things - like the first time they had performed oral on each other. Soon he felt another orgasm approaching but this time he held his cock over the toilet and ejaculated into the bowl, before wiping his cock with toilet paper and flushing the evidence away.

Once dressed in some of the new casual clothes Lucy had bought him, he went downstairs to find Tom and Lucy cuddled up on the couch in the living room. He sat in an armchair, facing the tv but he couldn't help but watch the pair of them out of his peripheral vision as they snuggled together watching the quiz show on the screen. He was mightily relieved when a timer went off in the kitchen and Lucy announced that dinner would be served in five minutes; she left the pair of them and went to serve up, while the boys continued to watch the programme in silence.

At dinner, Lucy updated Tom on what her and Josh had done that day and advised him that she wouldn't be going to the office first thing with him as she was going to cast her eye over Josh's CV. It was only at this point that Josh realised that Lucy and Tom worked for the same firm of solicitors and that his father was one of the senior partners; she had really landed on her feet!

"So, when do you think you'll be getting your own place, Josh?" asked Tom, as Lucy poured the coffee.

"Tom!" admonished Lucy, "How do you expect him to answer that when he has no money and no job! He'll be staying with us till he can stand on his own two feet, however long that takes!"

"Just that..." started Tom.

"Just nothing Tom," said Lucy, cutting him off, "You of all people should understand his situation! As a human rights lawyer you must have seen plenty of cases like Josh - where is that compassionate side of you I fell in love with."

"Look, if it's gonna cause problems, I'll contact my uncle and see if he'll put me up," interjected Josh.

"You'll do no such thing!" exclaimed Lucy, "You go there, you'll be treated worse than Harry Potter by the Dursley's - don't forget I've met your uncle."

"Okay, okay - sorry Josh - no harm intended - you can stay as long as Lucy thinks fit," stated Tom, "Now, forget the coffee Lucy - I want a beer, the football is on in ten minutes."

"Oh, sorry - I'd forgotten there was a match on tonight. Why don't you watch it with Josh while I sort a wash-load out - I'll join you in about ten minutes," said Lucy.

"Do you want a beer?" asked Tom, almost begrudgingly.

"No - I'll pass thanks," responded Josh, sensing the lack of warmth in the offer.

After Tom had poured himself a beer, he and Josh went to the living room to watch the match. Making her way to the bathroom, Lucy picked up her bra from earlier and searched for her panties, eventually giving up. She started to empty items of clothing from the laundry basket, stopping dead in her tracks as she saw the panties she had been searching for. She picked them up and immediately noticed that they were damp; as she held them to her nose, she detected the unmistakable smell of semen. Fuming, she added the panties to her wash-load, returning downstairs to put the load in the washing machine. Counting to ten while pouring herself a glass of wine, she eventually made her way to the living room, having resolved not to say anything in front of Tom.