Victoria & Alex Pt. 07

They made quick work of the couple of ball joints they had to replace and moved on to the brake pads. As sod's law dictates, the wheels that needed the one weren't the same that needed the other and they worked on, soon losing track of time.

Just as they replaced the last wheel and lowered it on the jack, Alex's mother returned. Alex hadn't realised how stressed he'd got about Vicky revisiting her mother until he saw Vicky beaming a wide smile and give a little wave from the passenger seat.

As soon as Sophie pulled the handbrake on, Vicky leapt from the car, giving Alex a chance to ogle her physique, wearing her silvery black puffer ski jacket and tight jeans, clutching her handbag.

"Alex, Sophie was wonderful."

She ran over to him, just stopping short, not wanting to soil her nice clean clothes on his dirty overalls and yet desired to tear them from him.

"You should have been there. She's a real diplomat, putting any stateswoman to shame. The way she calmly talked mum around."

"Do you think it'll make your mum change her ways?"

Alex peeled the overalls off his shoulders and pulled his arms out as Vicky continued her news.

"Oh yes. She kicked Steve into touch last night, sending him packing. She's using him as a scapegoat, blaming him for being the nagging her against her instinct for supporting me. Hey, if it gets my mum back to where we need her to be, then I'm happy."

Alex knotted the sleeves of his overalls around his waist, grinning, enjoying Vicky's improved temperament from earlier that morning. As soon as his torso was free, Vicky stepped forward and leaned into him, holding him with both arms, avoiding anything below her waist, rubbing his grubby clothes.

The pair kissed, allowing Alex to taste her lipstick, coffee, and his tongue to find the warmth inside her mouth. After a brief few pecks on her lips, Alex pulled his lips back from the kiss to enjoy Vicky's beaming smile.

"Whaat?"

"It's lovely to see you so happy."

"Have you finished yet?"

"Yeah, we've just got to squeeze all these tools back into the garage, then we'll be in."

Alex nodded at the tools littered around the floor, then to the open main garage door and to the packed space beyond.

"Well, if you didn't have so much junk rammed in there, you could have worked on the cars inside in the warm. What on earth is under all these covers?"

Alex now shot her a look that told her she'd crossed some unknown line and was about to receive some teasing.

"Did you hear that, dad? We need to clear all that junk out of the garage."

Alex laughed and gave Vicky a playful shove on her shoulder.

"You're lucky I love you, you gorgeous thing you."

"Whaat?"

Vicky wasn't too sure what faux pas she'd committed.

Brian gave Vicky an incredulous look.

"What junk?"

Vicky glance back into the garage's interior, waved her arm at the obvious clutter as if the two men couldn't see it.

"All this stuff. If you cleared all this hoarded stuff from underneath those plastic covers, you'd be able to get to your tools and even fit your cars inside to work on them in the warm."

Brian snorted an incredulous laugh, shook his head and walked away, leaving Alex with the instruction,

"Show her Alex. I'm not getting involved. It's bad enough with your mother."

Brian headed into the kitchen to help Sophie.

Alex, squeezed past Vicky, then in the narrow gap between several of the misshapen covers and deposited the tools in his hands into various trays of a multi-tray tool box on a large bench that was cluttered with little trays, lights, tools and oil cans.

Alex returned, stopping at the front, and pulled at the lighter cover to his right. As the cover pulled back, rather than the old battered furniture Vicky expected to see, was a shining, spoked rear wheel, topped by a chrome mudguard and seat. Like a magician, he flicked the sheet back to reveal a polished red motorcycle.

"This is my 1974 Norton commando."

He then flicked back the dust sheet to his left, this time exposing another front wheel, chrome mudguard and headlight, topped with wide, high handlebars. He peeled the sheet off, revealing another shining motorcycle but with a smaller, narrower black and silver petrol tank.

"This is dad's 1971 Triumph T120, with a few extras."

He pointed to the other dust sheets, one by one, checking them off. "That's dad's 1992 Triumph trident, his 1996 Triumph Trophy and those two are our Honda trail bikes. In the shed behind is my Suzuki 500 with the lawnmower... Possibly over thirty thousand quid's worth of junk."

Vicky saw Alex's pride on his face and accepted her folly, went and wrapped her arms around Alex.

"D'oh, I didn't know. I like the red one, though!"

Vicky pecked a kiss on Alex's lips, released her hug, and looked at the gleaming red machine. She walked closer to it and gave an appreciative whistle.

"Somehow, even if you hadn't told me, I'd have known it was yours."

"How?"

"It's your favourite colour."

Vicky gave a knowing smile back at Alex, surprising him, as she'd remembered from all those years back some minor conversation over trivia, reminding him she'd held a torch for him whilst still Mike .

Which would have unsettled him then, but now it was a memory to cherish.

Vicky edged side on to the motorbike, admiring it.

"Look at it, that red is gorgeous. Not quite a blood red or pillar box, but a strong deep one."

"It's got a silver pearlescent undercoat, so in the sunlight you see the metallic speckles."

"Oh, wow!"

"Tomorrow is supposed to be a sunny day with a frosty start, so if we go for a ride, you'll see."

"Will we both fit on that seat?"

Vicky turned back to see Alex's incredulous look and a shake of his head.

"Do you mind?" She asked.

She raised her jacket up and went to mount the motorbike's dual seat, but paused, waiting for his approval.

Alex ogled Vicky's jeans tight around her little bum and imagined her top half in her tight red jumper beneath her jacket. His mind leapt ahead to later that night and what he'd like to do with her once alone in the bedroom. He saw Vicky's eye furrow as he kept her waiting.

"Yeah, it's on its centre stand so safe to sit on."

Vicky turned and cocked her leg over the bike. At first, she tested her weight on it before relaxing and raising her feet off the floor onto the rubber footrests, looking to Alex for approval.

"Perfect, but your feet are on my footrests."

Vicky giggled and looked down to see about a foot further back from her ankle boots, were two empty footrests. She gave a smug look at Alex as she shuffled forward and grabbed the handlebars, leaning forward as if she were riding it at speed.

"Maybe I'll take you for a ride."

"Ha ha, okay, but only if you start it first."

"Oh, that'll be easy, but you'll have to give me the keys first."

She pointed at the empty ignition slot on the top yoke by the handlebar.

"It's not like a car. Remember, it's from 1974, which means its kick start and the gear change is on the wrong side."

Vicky released the handlebars, sat up, shrugged her shoulders, and looked back at Alex.

"Haha, you may as well be talking double Dutch."

She stepped off the machine, grinning at him.

They were about to hug when his mother call out.

"Alex, haven't you forgotten someone?"

Alex turned to see his mum half out the kitchen door, pointing back inside the house and looking furious. At first he didn't understand, running through what on earth she may have found. Then he realised.

"Shit."

He commented under his breath and waved a hand to acknowledge his mistake, as she shook her head in disbelief. Alex turned back to a nonplussed Vicky.

"Vicks, er, you've a visitor. He arrived after you'd gone."

Vicky ran through the same initial questioning thoughts, terrified her mother may have followed her back, but then the pronoun registered.

"Rich?"

Alex nodded.

"He's in the front room watching TV. He agreed to wait until you came home or I finished with the cars. Look Vicks, he's been through a lot and you need to listen to him."

Vicky was already walking past Alex, keen to see her brother, hoping to find him to his old self. Alex grabbed her arm to catch her attention.

"Vicks, I think he's hurting too, as he admitted to suffering from depression and he wants to make peace."

"Okay, I'll listen."

Vicky smiled, and her eyes betrayed great hope, especially after the day so far, as she pulled away from him.

"Let me talk to him alone."

"Yeah, it'll take time to tidy all this up, then I'll be in."

Vicky was already heading to the house to dodge inside. Alex heard her voice, and then his mother's, as the door clicked shut behind her. He continued to tidy up all his tools, but it took longer than he'd expected.

By the time he pulled the main garage door down, the sun was dropping fast with the temperature. He'd already pulled his overalls off and left them hung up in the garage. A warm blast from the kitchen welcomed him inside as he found his mum and dad, sat at the table with mugs of tea, looking hopeful.

"Hi love, you could have warned me he was still here. Your dad thought he'd gone home. When Vicky came in looking for him, we thought we'd best leave them alone. Want a cup?"

Alex's mum asked.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I'd love one, thanks. Er, heard anything from either of them?"

Alex's dad looked up.

"No, but now and then you can hear a little laughter, so maybe things are going well."

"Well, that is promising."

As Sophie put the kettle on, Alex went to the sink and washed his hands.

"Vicky said it all went well today, mum."

"Yes, she's far happier. Amanda was quite unreasonable at first, but after blaming her ex-boyfriend for everything. She looked contrite. So it's a good start. I just hope it lasts."

"Me too."

As Alex dried his hands in a towel hanging on a rail on the side of the sink's cabinet, the lounge door opened up and Rich appeared, followed by a cheerful Vicky, grinning over his shoulder.

"Sorry, I need to get going. If I'm to cycle back, get ready and meet you all for dinner." He told to everyone.

"It's dark now. Stay and have a cup of tea. Alex can run you home in his car and you'll still have time to change."

Sophie volunteered.

"Yeah, we'd be able to fit your push bike in the back."

As Rich faltered, thinking the offer open, Vicky behind Rich maintained her grin, unable to hide her joy the way her day was turning out. Everyone in the kitchen held their breath, waiting for a response, and then Rich broke the tension.

"No, it's okay. I'd best get going. I'll see you all later. Thanks Mrs Fisher."

His eyes showed a little sadness, which Alex was going to capitalise on and encourage him to stay, but over Rich's shoulder Vicky shook her head, warning him not to push it.

"Hey that's okay, do you have lights? You sure you'll be okay?"

Rich grinned at Alex as he dug in his jacket pocket, pulling out two tiny bicycle lights to wave them. He made his way to the door past Alex and tried to leave, saying nothing further.

"Rich, take care. We'll see you later, okay?"

Rich looked back at Vicky, smiling, "Yeah, yeah, later. Thanks Vicky, bye Mr Fisher."

He turned and went through the kitchen door. Alex followed him outside and around to his bike.

"You sure you're okay, mate?"

Rich fiddled with his bicycle lights, trying to wrap the elastic straps around the handlebars and rear frame member. Once his lights were on and flashing, he pulled his bike around, turning to Alex.

"Thanks mate. I'm glad I came."

"Me too. I missed you, mate, and so has Vicky."

"Yeah. I miss Mike, but it seems Vicky is a close second."

He stifled a giggle, pleased with his little joke.

"But that's my issue, and it's up to me to get used to it."

He coughed and looked Alex in the eye, blushing in the twilight.

"Er, strangely, I'm glad you're together. Don't ask me why, but I feel she's safe with you... Well, not just that, but to me, it feels right?"

Alex patted him on the shoulder as he squeezed past.

"Thanks mate, I appreciate that. You staying to talk with her would have more than made her day. She misses you mate, as do I."

Rich walked on down the drive and onto the road, trying not to drag the farewell out too long.

"Hey, take care. It'll be uphill most of the way home."

Rich paused, and then laughingly turned back to Alex. His demeanour turned the clock back six years.

"Ha ha, I wish I'd remembered that before I turned down your offer."

He scooted his bike forwards with one foot on a pedal, cocked his other leg over and cycled off into the dark, waving his arm in the air.

Watching Rich wobble his way down the road Alex pondered on a nagging doubt he had about himself, for a few weeks now. Despite Rich being Vicky's brother, with the same physique and equipment between his legs, he had no desire to hug and kiss him or to unzip his fly and suck him dry, as he did with Vicky.

Alex returned to the warmth of the kitchen feeling even more confident about his sexuality than before and found Vicky sat alone at the table, with two mugs of tea grinning. As he shut the door and kicked his shoes off, she flew at him with a passionate embrace.

Taken aback, Alex leaned back into the cupboards behind him, enjoying her tongue lapping around inside his mouth. Her arms draped around him, Alex slapped his hands onto her bum to press her onto his growing bulge. After a lingering, sloppy kiss, Vicky pulled back, grinning and rubbing her nose against his.

"Mmm, after the day I've had, the only way to top it off would be if you tore my jeans down, bent me over the table and had your wicked way with me."

The pair giggled. With Alex half wishing he could, but with his luck, his mother would return.

"Maybe later, lovely."

Alex whispered, laughing back at the lust in her eyes as she ground her body into his bulge trapped inside his jeans.

"Mmm, promise? Or maybe we could take a shower and you can spreading my legs, to take me, leaning with my hands pressed against the tiles, accepting you, with the water cascading over us, like that first weekend."

Vicky's eyes dripped with lust as her cheeks rouged and her lips looked more inviting than ever. The pair kissed multiple times as they held onto each other, chuckling and teasing each other. Their kissing eased, knowing that if they didn't restrain their desires, they'd only get frustrated. Better they save it for later.

Vicky pulled back from Alex.

"Our teas will get cold."

She released him and went to sit back at the table. Alex joined her, sitting opposite her, grabbing a few of his favourite biscuits to dunk in his tea.

"It's great having mum back on an even keel but I still can't get over Rich, after yesterday too."

"He's not holding it against you?"

Alex chuckled as he squashed his nose to one side with a finger, and pulled his head back out of Vicky's arm's reach, to be sure she couldn't re-enact her punch on Rich.

"No, not that... Well, yes, that and the fact he came here to tell us everything."

"It's quite sad. He had his heart set on university and not only dropped out but to be bullied, just when you think people should be adult enough to grow up."

"Yeah, but Phil Mitching was a king dick, but not in the sense Sarah would like. I hated him. He would never say anything whilst you were around me, too much of a coward."

"He was the same on the rugby pitch, which was why he packed it in..."

Alex paused, remembering something else.

"Oh, I forgot. Next weekend, Rich invited me to go to the Harlequins versus Exeter game with him and your dad."

"Oh, what? You were coming to mine?"

"I am. The Quins are playing at home, so I'll come to yours Friday, then Saturday afternoon cross town to meet up with them for the three o'clock kick off. I can bring Rich back with me on Saturday night."

"That's fab, today is just getting better and better."

Vicky reached across the table to hold Alex's hand and her grin seemed to get even wider, whilst her eyes still shone with lust for him. His mum shattered the idea of dragging her upstairs to his bedroom when she appeared from the lounge.

"Sorry to break things up, but I'll need a hand to sort out Tanya's old room for you two tonight."

"It's okay, mum, my room is fine."

Sophie tutted, and Vicky glared at Alex.

"I can't believe you said that with a straight face, after losing so much sleep with me tossing and turning all night."

He wanted to remind her it was her that woke him up for sex, but Alex bit his lip. He gave Vicky a naughty grin, raising his eyebrows in disbelief, as she now caught his drift.

"Sophie, can I throw this mug at him?"

Sophie stood with hands on hips, giving him a scathing, disapproving look.

"Alex Fisher, just to let you know you're not too big for your mum to clip your ear."

Alex looked back, giving a naughty laugh but not sounding as confident as before.

"Aww mum..."

Vicky rose, having finished her tea.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a hand, Sophie."

"Thank you Vicky. It's a shame Alex isn't the gentleman I thought he was."

Alex's mum stung him with her words and a look that slapped him harder than her hand could.

"That's harsh mum."

"Vicky's our guest. You should look after her."

Vicky looked at Alex, her eyebrows raised in surprise with a wry smile across her face, pleased at Sophie's protective stance over her.

"Honest Sophie, he does. He's always a gentleman."

"And yet, he's a strange way of showing it. Come on."

Sophie led the way upstairs, with Vicky, then Alex following her. As they climbed the stairs, Alex enjoyed the view of Vicky's backside, half hidden by her pulling her jumper down. As soon as her hands pulled away, Alex's hand smoothed across her tight buttocks and squeezed her cheek. Vicky's hand whisked back and slapped him away.

"Whilst you do that, I'll jump up into the attic and search out ski gear."

Now up on the landing, stepping through Tanya's bedroom door, Sophie turned around.

"Wow, that can't be long now. You looking forward to your ski holiday, Vicky?"

"Oh, I am, thanks. I've not had a proper holiday in ages and I need one."

"It's with your boss, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I like and get on with Jennifer, despite being my boss. Alex got on with her husband, Graham. It's their own chalet."

"It bodes well. Does this mean you're on the way up the ladder?"

"Ah, I don't think so. Although, we had a lovely evening at their place, once. They often have staff for dinner in London. But now you mention it, I think it's rare for them to invite staff to their chalet."

During the conversation, Alex had pulled open the attic hatch in the hall ceiling with the pull pole and pulled down the collapsed ladders, extending it down to the hallway's floor, so he could climb up. The cold attic air rushed down to meet him as he climbed, listening to the two women in his life chatting like lifelong friends.

Once at the top of the ladder, he turned on the attic light and sat on the ply flooring. He saw the sports bag he needed to one side and crawled on all fours to reach the boot bag in the tight space. It didn't take long to dig around to find the items he and his mum had discussed.

Back at the hatch he sat, legs dangling, listening to his mother and lover chatting, as they made the bed, putting linen over the duvet and pillows. Alex climbed down the ladder, full of himself, as the weekend couldn't get any better, with them getting on together like a house on fire. He ferried the chosen items down from the attic in time for the two women to finish.

Sophie exited the bedroom, followed by Vicky.

"There are a few coats and dresses of Tanya's in the wardrobe. I'll get some bin bags and you can store them up there until Tanya next comes and she can take them. They've been here long enough."