Tybalt and Juliet Ch. 09

Author's Notes:

All characters are at least 18 years old, except where stated otherwise.

It's now mid-August. Jake, Amy and their schoolmates will be starting at university in September or October.

Thanks for reading and please do leave feedback.

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Jake's POV

I enjoyed being back at work; the Campsite provided a good distraction. I forced myself to be as active as possible, although I still couldn't carry anything with my left arm. I'd been conscious that for the first few weeks of my recovery, I'd eaten very little and had lost a fair bit of weight. I wasn't skeletal by any means, but my chest was certainly less well defined, and I'd lost any trace of a six pack.

Amy was still finding things tough. I was aware that she was attending counselling sessions a couple of times a week, but I never felt confident to ask about them. She wasn't miserable by any means, but her mischievous sense of excitement was gone and her eyes no longer sparkled as they had. We did laugh and joke, but the atmosphere between us seemed stilted and even at times, forced.

I feared that Amy felt trapped in our relationship, staying with me out of a misplaced sense of loyalty or guilt, when splitting up might have helped in banishing the bad memories. I felt I was making progress, but my girlfriend was still a long way from being herself.

It was the second week of August when the bombshell dropped. Ritchie had celebrated the removal of the cast from his wrist, by attacking a student in a club in the neighbouring town. He'd broken her nose and she'd been badly bruised, but she'd screamed the place down and had managed to fend him off until help arrived. He'd been arrested again, this time without the possibility of bail.

Ritchie's was a life that had spiralled out of control, doomed by his own hubris.

Amy and I had, with the exception of our families, our work colleagues and maybe half a dozen very close friends, blocked all contacts on social media. But news of that magnitude was always going to find its way through.

Although the circumstances were harrowing, news of Ritchie's second arrest brought, to my shame, a feeling of modest relief. He would now be behind bars until his trial and, if convicted of the two attacks, would be unable to come face to face with either Amy or me for at least three years, quite possibly longer. I hoped she felt the same way too.

Working at the Stables was Amy's escape. When we were together, it was virtually the only thing she talked about. Jackie, her boss, had been understanding and accommodating beyond the call of duty, and it was clear that the two of them got along very well. Amy was taking on more responsibility as the summer season boomed, giving riding lessons and leading hacks out cross-country. I'd been concerned that she'd find the daily commute from home a drag, but she'd arrive early and stay late. At times it seemed to be the only thing in her life that could make her happy.

Our work schedules meant that we saw less and less of each other as the holiday season became busier. Our shift patterns allowed us to eat lunch together two or three times a week and enjoy half a day at the weekends, but we were always keeping an eye on the clock and, if we were alone, it was never in a place where we could be intimate.

As August progressed, the spectre of exam results day loomed ever larger. Amy and I avoided talking about it, but I was certainly growing more nervous and I was sure that it was adding to the pressure on her too. Our places at university were dependent on getting the right grades. I'd been raised a good Christian boy at the village church, but in my late teens my faith had all but disappeared. Nevertheless, I prayed every night through August that Amy would get the results she wanted. Our relationship was hanging by a thread and I dreaded the prospect of another blow to her confidence.

-

Exam results day dawned, a bright Thursday morning. I'd arranged to meet James, Danny and the rest of the gang at school. Amy had been a little non-committal about joining us and, to be honest, I was bracing myself for her to break up with me within a week. I texted her first thing to ask about her plans, but no reply came.

I still wasn't allowed to drive, so Lauren took us to school. The plan was to collect our envelopes, hopefully celebrate and pose for a few photos and then go off to a nearby café for a full English breakfast. Across the country, many thousands of students our age would be doing the same thing.

We met Danny at the school gates and we climbed the steps up to the main entrance.

"Fuck man, I'm nervous," he said. "I haven't been this nervous since GCSEs."

Lauren held his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry," she said. "It'll be fine."

Inside I was a torrent of emotions. I hadn't really slept the previous night, but it wasn't the results that had kept me awake.

Danny had forced me into a pact - the person who received their envelope first, would wait for the other to get theirs, so that we could open them together. As 'Hardwick' came after 'Curran' in the alphabet, I'd expected him to have to wait for me, but in fact I was the one left clutching my fate in my hands as he stood in the queue.

'Schrödinger's cat all over again,' I mused.

"Ready?" shouted two voices behind me.

I spun round.

"1... 2... 3..." Danny, Lauren and I ripped open our envelopes.

I unfolded the thin sheet of paper inside, my fingers shaking a little.

'Biology - A*,' it read, 'Chemistry - A*, Mathematics - A, Physics - A*.'

I gasped. I read it again to make sure it was true. A wave of relief swept through me: I'd done it. I was going to Cambridge!

A shriek of delight sounded next to me. Lauren had thrown her arms around Danny and was jumping up and down in excitement.

"Wow," she said. "Three Bs!"

"And two As and a B for me," Danny replied.

"Congratulations," I said, throwing my arm round them both, "that's excellent news!"

It was. Danny had been predicted three Bs and Lauren far worse. The two of them had done it, despite my cynicism they'd done it!

"Hey, what about you?" Danny asked breathlessly.

"Three A*s and an A," I replied, still feeling a little light-headed. "I'm going to Cambridge, I can hardly believe it!"

We milled around for a quarter of an hour or so, congratulating the other students, posing for pictures. A photographer from the local paper was there ready to capture the celebrations and, needless to say, he made a beeline for me; I knew what story would be on the front page the following week. I gave him an anodyne quote, thanking all my teachers, my parents and everyone who'd supported me and said I was really excited about my university course.

But my mind wasn't really in the moment; I was looking nervously around for Amy, but she hadn't shown or answered my texts. The crowd of jubilant students was beginning to thin out. I tried to call her, but her phone was switched off. The envelope bearing her name remained unopened on the desk in front of the exams coordinator.

-

About a dozen of us headed off for brunch at one of the local cafés, all with the grades that we wanted. Nervousness had given way to joy and relief, and our talk was of the future and the exciting possibilities that it would bring.

Looking round the table, I was aware that this would be one of the last times, if not the last time, that we'd all be together in the same place. In a matter of weeks, we'd be scattered across the country from Newcastle to Exeter. Friends I'd seen every day at school for the past seven or more years, would shortly be living hundreds of miles apart.

There were two elephants in the room. The first was the attack and I'd indicated to Lauren and Danny that I didn't want to be reminded of it, on that day of all days. The second was, of course, Amy. No one mentioned her either, but I felt somewhat self-conscious, surrounded on both sides by couples.

We joked around and dug into our fried breakfasts; there was the usual fare of sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, hash browns and baked beans, a combination that I'd normally have wolfed down, but I made heavy going of things. On a day when I should have been celebrating ecstatically, Amy's no show had given me a knot in the stomach. I ate quietly letting the conversation, banter and joking flow over me.

My meal eaten, I got up and went out to the bathroom. I splashed some water on my face and glared at myself in the mirror.

'Get a grip, man,' I thought to myself. 'She's gone, there's nothing you can do about it. Stop moping and celebrate with the others.'

The door opened and Danny walked in.

"You OK?" he asked, putting an arm across my shoulder.

"Yeah, just need some fresh air," I said, pressing a ten-pound note into his hand. "I'm going to go for a bit of a walk. Can you pay my bill for me? I'll call you if you're not here when I get back."

Danny nodded and I slipped quietly out of the side door to the café. It was a baking hot day, but somehow I felt cold. I shivered. I'd vaguely planned to walk round the shopping centre a couple of times, but instead I found myself turning in the opposite direction, back towards the school.

I peered through the tennis court netting. Even in the sunshine, the main building had a gloomy air about it, but now it had taken on a more sinister silhouette. I no longer belonged there. I couldn't honestly say that I'd ever enjoyed my time at school, Ritchie and Billy had made sure of that, but any respect I might have had for the place was now gone. The school that should have been a place of safety, had hidden dark secrets behind its walls for too long.

There were still a few teachers' cars in the car park, but the students had all dispersed. I looked at my watch; it was eleven thirty. Anyone who hadn't collected their results by now would receive them through the post the next day.

I was about to turn to head back to the café, when I saw her. A small figure with dark black hair, darting across the car park and in through the main doors. Amy, unmistakably Amy!

I hesitated. Should I follow her, try to catch up with her? Why was she here now? Why hadn't she come earlier? Why hadn't she replied to my texts?

Nervous yet intrigued, I walked along the pavement towards the school gates, telling myself that I had every right to walk down a public road, especially one in my home town. I sat on the wall outside, waiting, my heart thumping in my chest. Then my phone started to ring.

'Probably Danny or James telling me they're leaving the café,' I thought.

I turned the phone over in my hand and looked at the screen.

'Amy' it read.

"Hello," I said.

"Jake, Jake, it's me, I did it!" she cried breathlessly. "I did it, I got two A*s and two As! I got my grades for London!"

I turned to face the school entrance; one of the main doors was opening.

"Wow, that's fantastic," I said. "Congratulations!"

Amy appeared through the door, phone against her ear, walking down the steps.

"I'm so happy Jake! Where are you? Can I come and meet you?"

"I'm right here!" I said, now standing between the school gates. I waved to her.

She looked up and saw me. She took the phone from her ear and ran towards me, into my open arms. We hugged each other tightly, then we kissed. A genuine, loving, uninhibited kiss, maybe the first time we'd kissed like that in over a month.

"Congratulations," I said. "That's really excellent news!"

"But that's not all," she said breathlessly. "Look, the letter!" She thrust a sheet of paper with the exam board's logo into my hand. "I got one of the top three marks in the country for History. There's a ceremony in London in December and I'm going to be given a prize!"

"Wow!" I said. "That's amazing, that's really brilliant! Well done, I'm so pleased for you! That's fantastic news."

She paused.

"What about you?" she asked, a flicker of concern sweeping across her face.

"Three A*s and an A," I said. "I'm going to Cambridge!"

"Oh Jake!" she said. "I'm so pleased, so proud!" We hugged and kissed each other again.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much. I couldn't have done this without you!"

I looked at her baffled and confused. "But I didn't do anything. This is your achievement, and yours alone. Nothing to do with me!"

"Jake, you made me believe in myself! You picked me up when I was at such a low ebb. You're amazing and I love you so much."

I hugged her tightly.

"I need to phone my mum," she said. She stood a little away from me, while she told her mother the good news.

My phone buzzed and I pulled it out to see a message from Danny. They were going to the pub. 'A beautiful day like today, and they want to sit inside drinking!' I thought.

I turned my attention back to Amy.

"Yes, he did really well too," she was saying. "Three A*s and an A, he's definitely going to Cambridge... Yes, he's here now... I'll tell him... OK, yes I'll ask him."

Amy said goodbye to her mother and turned to face me. "Would you like to come to my house tonight for a barbecue to celebrate?" she asked. "My mum has a bottle of champagne she wants to open!"

"Yes," I said, "that would be great! I'll need to tell my Mum that I won't be home for supper. I'm not supposed to have alcohol though, not until I get the final scan next week."

Amy texted a short reply to her mother and then turned to face me. "What do you want to do for the rest of the day?" she asked.

"Well," I said, "everyone else has gone to the pub, but I'd like to spend some time with you, just the two of us, if that's OK?"

"I'd really like that too," she said, giving me a beaming smile.

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

"Are you OK to ride?" she asked.

"I think so," I said. I pointed at my left arm. "I'll need a bit of help to get in the saddle, but I should be OK once I'm actually on a horse."

"I'll phone Jackie and ask if we can go for a hack this afternoon!" she said. "There's somewhere I've wanted to take you for a long time!"

"OK," I said. "Let's get going."

-

I knew exactly where Amy was taking me, but I bit my tongue and played along as we rode up the steep bridle path. Lauren and I had been up there many times as children, although not for a few years. We'd crossed the small river that marked the northern boundary of our farm and were working our way up the far side of the valley, to the hills beyond. Beneath the horses' hooves, the ground was becoming lighter as we moved from clay to chalk and the tree cover thinned above our heads as we neared the top.

We dismounted and tied the horses to a couple of fence posts. Then we walked a few paces uphill to the great oak tree that marked the exact summit. I sat down, with my back against the trunk; Amy sat between my legs, leaning against me.

I kissed the back of her head gently.

"I've wanted to bring you up here for a long time," she said. "Ever since I first came here. I always imagined being here with you. You holding me in your arms like this, being together on our own."

I looked out at the panorama below us; it really was an amazing view. When you're used to seeing something so often, particularly a place you've known since childhood, you kinda take it for granted, but when you're there for the first time with someone different, you somehow have a different perspective on it. It's almost as if you're experiencing it anew, through their eyes as well.

The first eighteen years of my life lay before me - the farm and its fields, the river and the millpond, the village with the church and the railway to the town beyond. A world of happy memories laid out in miniature across the landscape. This was the place where my parents had raised me, my family had nurtured me and where I'd grown with the love and support of all around me. Now a new life awaited in Cambridge - new friends, new experiences, new challenges. My adult life was dawning, my childhood at an end - the boy was becoming a man.

Amy noticed the tears beginning to well up in my eyes.

"Jake," she said alarmed, "what's up, are you OK? I've never seen you cry before!"

I nodded. "I'm just very happy, really happy to be with you."

We kissed. Then she laid her head on my shoulder. "I love you so much Jake, I really do," she said.

"I love you too," I replied.

I held her. I loved her.

-

Amy's POV

Jake's tears didn't exactly shock me - shock was the wrong word. There'd been so many shocking events and revelations that summer, that I suppose I'd become unshockable. But I was moved by them, deeply moved.

I'd cried so many times over the preceding six weeks, but Jake never had. As I'd sob into his chest, he'd surround me with his arms, a rock to shelter me against the storm. He drew his strength from the support of his family and friends, his belief in himself and his determination not to let Ritchie's actions beat him.

I'd always worried that I wasn't good enough for Jake. He'd been accepted by Cambridge at the same time that I'd been rejected - that been a hammer blow to my self-esteem. As our relationship had developed and my love for him deepened, I feared him finding someone better at university. Then, as my confidence had collapsed after the attack, I'd worried that he was only staying with me out of a sense of duty, obligated to support me as I came to terms with the events of that night.

But Jake cried that day because he was happy. Happy, because he was in love - in love with me.

Finally, with my place at university secured and with Ritchie behind bars on remand, the clouds that had darkened my thoughts for so long had lifted. I could see the way ahead with Jake by my side. I loved him too.

I leant back against him and my lips found his. I slid my tongue into his mouth and we kissed passionately. His arms tightened around my waist and my heart began to beat faster. I slipped my hands over his and led them under the hem of my top, gasping as he brushed lightly across my breasts. I felt him stiffening against me, as my own arousal flickered into life.

It had been so long, it had been too long.

-

I led Jake up the stairs to his bedroom. To be honest I was a little nervous. The last time we'd been intimate with one another had been almost two months previously, down at my uncle's cottage in Dorset. That was when I'd had the cheek to tell Jake that our relationship was unbalanced and that I wanted to be able to support him more. I was so ashamed of those words - I'd relied on him so much since then - and given nothing in return.

We stood at the foot of the bed, embracing, fully clothed. He was nervous too, I could tell - that slightly awkward way of standing - I'd spotted it first during the play and again at James' party. It was almost as if we were starting again, he didn't know what I wanted, what my boundaries were. Now it was my turn to take the lead.

I reached up to hold his cheeks, pulling his head down. We kissed tenderly, our tongues searching deep into each other's mouths. I felt him cradling the back of my head and I ran my hands over his chest and down his slides to his bottom. I squeezed gently, mewing in pleasure into his mouth. His buttocks were so firm, so muscular and his thighs so sturdy. I had a vision of him thrusting powerfully into me as I surrendered to his passion. I shivered in anticipation.

We broke apart as I gripped the globes of his buttocks more firmly.

"Ah Jake," I gasped. "You've got such an amazing bottom. It's so pert and so firm and ohhh," I shook again in delight.

"Amy?" he asked tentatively. "Would you mind if I took my top off? You don't have to take yours off if you don't want to. Is that OK?"

I looked up at him, a broad smile breaking out over my face. I nodded.

He smiled, then gripped the sides of his polo shirt and pulled swiftly upwards. I fell against his chest, frantically covering his cool skin with kisses, running my fingertips over the swell of his pecs. He gasped as I took one of his nipples gently between my teeth and pulled lightly. His eyes closed as he savoured the sensation.