Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad
part 223.

We decided the dishes could wait until the morning, morning that is, as in, after sleep. It was nearly one when we got to bed. I felt rather too full and of course, after eating also felt rather too warm to want to cuddle very much. I did because Simon wanted one but as soon as he was asleep I rolled away to cool off.

I lay watching the clock, two came and as did three, so it must have been sometime after that when I did fall asleep. I dreamt about the cars crashing on the motorway and woke up trembling and sobbing, I was also cold. Simon put his arm around me and pulled me to his warm body, where I calmed down and slept again.

It was nearly nine when I did wake up, and then only because Simon sat on the bed with a cuppa for me. I really wanted to go back to sleep, but thought better of it.

"Come on sleeping beauty, wake up and drink this tea which your humble slave has made for you."

"Any more trouble out of you slave and I'll take you down the auctions," I mumbled at him, although I knew they didn't hold them in Bristol any more.

He slapped my bottom, "Come on Cathy, remember we have to go out, so get up and make yourself delicious."

"I always knew your family were cannibals."

"Damn, you've twigged what we're up to."

"Having a friend for dinner? Yes." I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "God I feel tired, can't you two go and say I wasn't well?"

"No, so get your lovely arse off that bed and into the shower."

"I don't remember Henry saying we had to be clean to go to dinner." I was trying a wind up.

"Fine, you can sit on your own, or better still with the lovely Monica."

"No way!" I gulped down my tea and pushing him out of the way walked to the shower cubicle. He lay back laughing.

When I emerged from the shower with a towel draped around my chest and another around my hair, he'd gone: I was willing to bet it wasn't to do the washing up either.

I looked through my wardrobe, I chose the black dress with the large paisley pattern, plus the new black boots I'd bought. As the dress came to well below knee length, I could get away with wearing socks rather than tights. I hated tights and avoided wearing them when I could, although I did accept at times they were necessary or useful, and they did keep the nether quarters a bit warmer under skirts.

I was doing my makeup when Simon turned up again, "New boots?" he asked.

"Yes, got them for half price."

"Nice." He stood and watched me as I did my eyes, amazingly my hand didn't start to shake nor did I get mascara up my nose or anything silly like that. I did the very dark green lines around my eyes, added some brown shadow with green and gold sparkles in it, them darkened my lashes with mascara.

"Want some?" I goaded holding out the mascara wand.

"If I do I'll get my own, it's not good to share eye makeup," he said watching my jaw gape.

"Where did you learn that piece of wisdom?"

"I saw it in Cosmo while at the dentist, oh ages ago. Stuck in my mind for some reason."

"Very true nonethless, so we'll have to get you your own."

"Thanks very much, but I'll pass on that. Save the money for socks instead."

"What is it with you and socks?" I asked, pausing to paint my lips.

"Nothing, just a boy can never have too many of them."

"You have loads of them, takes me ages to pair them up when I do the washing."

"How sweet of you."

"Yes it is come to think of it." I glanced at my nails, tidied up one or two uneven ones and shook the bottle of nail polish. The colour was a pearlised pink, not very noticeable but made my hands look a bit more elegant.

"Don't forget I have to check the dormice," I said blowing on my fingers to hasten the drying process.

"Okay," he stripped off and went to the shower. Ten minutes later he was back, damp but not dripping. He finished towelling himself as I popped on a bracelet and sprayed myself with some perfume.

"No Opium today?" he asked his mouth drawn down at the corners.

"It's a bit heavy for daytime sweetheart."

"What's that then?" He sniffed a couple of times then came closer and sniffed me, "It's quite nice."

"Coco."

"Oh okay," his curiosity sated he went and finished dressing.

We went downstair together and Tom was just emptying the dishwasher, "Don't tell me you're finally ready?" he said looking at me.

"Yes, why? Don't I look alright?"

"You look fabulous, but why does it take so long?"

"I don't think an hour is that long."

"Hmm, I've been waiting here over an hour and a half."

"No one told me, sorry and all that." I apologised although it wasn't by any means sincere.

"Should we take anything, wine etcetera?" asked Tom changing the subject.

"To a hotel, nah, he's got loads of it already. Just coming is enough."

"Come on," I said picking up my handbag, "I've got dormeece to check."

Tom's reply wasn't very polite, so I'll pass on it. I had agreed to do it until new year and he should have been aware of it. I'd have to cycle tomorrow unless I got a lift or a cab. I really missed my little blue car. It was also the funeral tomorrow, so someone would have to take me or I'd get a cab. Could hardly cycle to that.

The lunch with Henry and Monica was very good. It was actually roast beef with all the trimmings and I ate my share. The driver hadn't been too happy about coming early to take us via the university, that was until he came in to the labs and fell under Spike's spell. She sat on his hand and ate a hazel nut. He was transfixed by it, the look on his face was like a child who'd just been given a new toy.

"An' these things live in the wild?"

"Yes, they hibernate all winter and are very shy almost arboreal creatures."

"Ar - what - all?" he queried.

"Arboreal, tree living. It isn't quite true because they live more in hedgerows than trees, but they can scramble about in the branches like miniature squirrels."

"She's lovely, what's she called?"

"Spike, from the couple of hairs that stick up on her head."

I took her and popped her back in her cage, then showed him out breeding programme. He was impressed.

"You breed 'em to stick back in 'edgerows?"

"Yep, we feed them for a few months to give them a chance, after that it's up to nature."

"Geez, I didn't even know that they existed."

"You do now."

"Yeah, I do."

"Spike has another fan?" said Tom as we got back in the car and I nodded.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"The silly look on his face."

"Oh," I smiled and added, "How do you know that was why he had the silly smile?"

"Because he's gay," said Simon and went back to watching his DVD.