Skylight

Chapter 1

A Skylight! Seriously? For fucks sake.

What's the point in them? They have plagued my entire life and yes I know it's a stupid thing to hate but I do.

Err… oh hang on a second; maybe I should explain why I hate them.

Well you see, I'm in yet another distasteful room, surrounded by emptiness, the walls are a dirty off white colour and the only furniture is the bed I'm lying on. A solitary bulb hangs from the ceiling and then of course the fucking skylight.

The thing is probably about 18 inches wide and 25 inches long. Such a small size but it's there, right above me, once again taunting me, it may only be small but I can see so much, some people probably think it's a good thing, a ray of light through the previously described pit of a room but for me it's my hell.

Usually when I close my eyes at night or whenever I can even see it then, a square or rather rectangular white abyss lingers behind my closed lids, it doesn't matter how tightly I close my eyes it just stays there until I eventually fall asleep.

Some of you may be thinking, what can you actually see through a skylight, it's just a window to the sky, right? Well yes you are right but here's what you could probably see;

Clouds floating by with not a care in the world,

Colours of the sky changing, depending on the weather which can be quite beautiful, especially at sunset or sunrise,

Birds flying by, free, I mean what more can I say about that, we all wish we could fly, don't we?

Rain drops creating pretty pictures as they land and form pools or trails and everybody's favourite rain drop races, although this one is too flat for that,

And last but not least sunlight, brightness, beauty, if you're lucky,

Yes basically that's all I can think of right now and yes they are all good things right? Well, this is what I see;

I see a teasing shape that is an exit to outside but you can't get through it,

Clouds floating by? Yes clouds, a form of nature laughing at me, sometimes taking on shapes of horrible things that frighten me,

Colours of the sky? Yes usually black in my experience,

Birds flying by? Yes showing me the freedom they have and how I have never even been close to freedom in my 23 years of this life, they are once again objects of nature laughing at me,

Rain, well there's dozens of things I could say negative about rain, it's cold, wet, once again teasing when on the rare occasions I just want to be out in it, ignoring the cold and damp but enjoying it washing away the filth that surrounds me,

See, that's what I see when I look at a fucking skylight, right now all I can see is black, mostly because it's night time but to me it's just an empty hole that serves no purpose, what the fuck is it about skylights?

Hmm right ok my apologies, I guess maybe I should explain myself, I mean no offence but there's nothing else I can do, so I might as well bore you.

The bed I'm lying on is cold and hard, I have a cuff around my left ankle and a separate one on my left wrist, yes that's right I'm chained to a wall, I can make it to a toilet and a sink but that's it, the door to this room is metal, with a barred window and tomorrow is the last day of my short life.

You see I am basically a prisoner on death row but it's not the government or the law that has sentenced me to death it's my ex-husband. Hmm allow me to start from the beginning.

My name is Jade Marne and yes Marne is my maiden name, I stopped using the pricks name 2 years ago, the prick by the way, my ex-husband, his name is Tommy Garcia, or should I say was, yep he's dead, dead as a door nail, thank fuck but I know he'll be waiting for me in hell to make sure I suffer some more, you see it's my fault he's dead, no I didn't kill him, 'I wish I had', I think it was my forever returning best friend David or Davy as I like to call him. It's funny really, we went from seeing each other every day throughout school and beyond to barely seeing each other once a year but whenever we did see each other we just slipped right back in to whatever conversation we we're discussing the last time we saw each other, bizarre really but true. The only precious things I gained from my marriage was my daughter, my beautiful Eliza-Jane, she's 2 years old, she's my entire world but I can't be with her, she's safe, I had to protect her from her own father and my other precious gift is the tiny bump I am carrying right now but unfortunately when I die tomorrow so will he or she.

Ok make yourself comfortable, make a cup of coffee or something and put your feet up whilst I take you in to the crazy world of Jade Marne, maybe then you will understand why I'm here in this hole looking at the fucking skylight.

I'll begin on 4th January 2000;

It was my 10th birthday, one that I'd been looking forward to for a long time, not because I was having a party or anything like that but because I was in double figures and I thought that maybe my parents would treat me a little less like a baby.

Hmm my parents, there's a love story for you, childhood sweethearts since the age of 12, they were never in the same school or neighbours or anything like that and they never knew the other existed until fate brought them together.

Yes fate, that's what I said, I am probably not the kind of girl who you would think would ever believe in stuff like that but I'm glad to say I do, it's true, it's real and it happened to my parents.

My mother had been hit by a car, luckily she only suffered a broken leg and some bruises but still a scary thought none the less. My father was a patient in the same ward at the children's hospital, ironically he too had been hit by a car and broken his arm and because my mother was confined to her bed my father had walked to her bed every day they were in there and chatted to her, trying to cheer her up, when they we're released from hospital they had stayed in touch and their little love story was born.

Their first child, my brother Alec, was conceived out of wedlock but they never allowed anybody to tell them it was wrong, they had two children before they got married, didn't even tell anybody they just went and did it in our local registry office.

My father Eric Marne became an orphan at the age of 6, he was raised in children's homes, one of the lucky ones some might say, although he was never adopted or even fostered to a family he still had a better life than most of the other kids he grew up with, including his younger brother Drew, yes my father was so independent, so street wise, it must be where I get it from.

And my darling mother, nurturing, to a fault most of the time but her family are her world, my biggest regret when I die tomorrow is never getting the chance to tell her I'm sorry. Yes my mother, Heather Grace, only child, raised in the posh side of the city, wealth, popularity, beauty, she had it all but she gave it all up for my father against her parents' wishes.

Oh I do apologise, I'm floating off track a little, god I love my parents, I just hope they know that, so anyway where was I, oh yes my 10th birthday.

The weather was cold but beautiful, I was sat in my bedroom that I shared with my two sisters, Jenny and Dana, I also have another brother called Phil, Jenny and Phil are twins, their personalities completely different but their looks identical. It's probably a miracle I exist to be honest, four other children and the most recent ones twins, my parents must have been mad to have me. All of my siblings are older than me, I'm the baby but I'll tell you more about them later,

I was sat on my bed; I'm dressed in my trademark pale blue jeans and my favourite green hoody. I'm pulling on my trainers when I hear a cracking noise against my window, a noise I'm very familiar with, it was Davy, my best friend announcing his arrival. I doubt my parents ever knew about his unique way of calling for me, my father would probably have a few choice words for him if he did.

Scurrying down the stairs I swung open our porch door then the front door and I am greeted with Davy's smiling face, adorable, I didn't fancy him or anything, Eww boys, gross, no, no nothing like that I just adored him in a friend type way, you know what I mean, anyway;

We had planned to do lots of fun things to celebrate my birthday but just me and Davy, nobody else was invited. I had grabbed my coat from the bannister and headed out the door;

"Jade, where do you think you are going?"

I had frozen to the spot then groaned before I turned to face my father, such a handsome man,

"Dad I told you, I have plans with Davy today, it's my birthday"

"I know it's your birthday young lady, I created you, with a little help from your mother of course"

Davy's disgusted expression mirrors mine, only to be greeted with my fathers' laughter,

"Dad!!!"

"Sorry Jade but listen you haven't even had breakfast yet or opened your presents"

"Presents!! Oh my god, I totally forgot, can Davy come in with me?"

"Sure, come on"

My father held his hand out to me but I ducked under it and headed back inside, I'm 10 years old now, I don't need his hand, right?!

My living room was full, my 2 brothers and my 2 sisters sat smiling holding out cards and gifts to me, my beautiful but ditzy mother, rushing around straightening things up, not that it needed it. Davy had followed me in but stayed tucked behind me, the only time I ever see fear in his eyes is when he's surrounded by my family but as always my mother had ruffled his soft but messy dark hair and kissed his cheek, my mothers' kisses are the only ones he doesn't wipe off, I don't know why.

My living room is filled with balloons, all over the floor, multi-coloured but pink dominating, only because I'm a girl not because it's my favourite colour, pink is far to girly for me my favourite colour is green, probably because my name is green, I don't know but anyway;.

I spent the best part of an hour being smothered with love from my family, thanking them for my gifts but I am well aware of Davy's impatience, he's not used to this kind of scene. He lived with his Aunty Joan, both parents had died and he had no brothers or sisters all he really had was me and his pet hamster Bruno.

I had tried to escape the happy little unit several times in the past hour but my family's love was locking me in their embrace, their smiling faces and cheers as I blew out my 10 candles on top of my home baked cake, I felt sorry for Davy but I couldn't let my family down.

Another hour passes by, Davy has ripped a sheet of my discarded wrapping paper in to confetti trying to contain his impatience and boredom, my mother had giggled and handed him a plastic bag to place his rubbish in.

"Alright baby girl, I can see that you and your handsome friend have places to be, off you go, make sure you are home by 6pm and please don't do anything stupid"

She aimed her glance in Davy's direction at the end of that sentence, his face still pink from his embarrassment of being called handsome brightens to a perfect ruby red before he jumps down off the arm of the couch and rushed out the door with me in hot pursuit.

We don't stop until we reach our haven, our field surrounded by woodlands, our playground,

"God Jay, doesn't all that 'lovey dovey' family shit make you feel sick?"

I nod my head but I don't mean it, I adore my family but I know Davy finds it difficult to relate. He smiles at me and tugs at my pony tail,

"Race ya"

I chase after him, I have no hope of catching him let alone beating him but I'm exhilarated by the challenge.

We cross the threshold of the trees and slow down to a stroll, we know every inch of this woodland and I mean every inch. We know where the comfiest places are to sit, depending on the weather; we know the best hiding places when we feel like spying on the older kids who also hang out in our woods, we know where the blackberry bushes are, we pick them at the tip of their season and my mum makes a delicious jam to accompany my dads' scones and tarts. Our woods is the best place in the universe, yes that's right I said it, OUR woods, anybody else who comes in here are just visiting as far as we are concerned, we have a handful of friends who we hang out here with but we don't even tell them all of our secret places.

So am I boring you yet? No? Ok then, I shall carry on,

So we walk deeper in to the woods and check all around us, I think Davy has had more than enough socializing for one day so we are relieved that they appear empty. I follow him until we reach OUR tree, it's huge, well it seems huge, we were only 10 after all, well he's almost 10 his birthday is exactly a month after mine.

We climb to the very top and perch on our usual branches, below us we can see the pond, the newt pond, we had caught many tadpoles and frogs in there but we always put them back. To my right, (Davy's left) is the motorway; distorted by a feeble wire fence that is supposed to stop people from climbing over and walking (or falling) down the steep bank to the roads edge, and to my left, (Davy's right) is the rest of the woods, we can just make out the vast field that sits proudly opposite our houses.

So many memories engulf me when I'm here, lazy sunny days stretched out on old blankets from my parents airing cupboard, games of Rounder's with the entire street, bonfire night parties, wrapped in layers and baking potatoes or melting marshmallows as we watch the fireworks all around us, Halloween dares that only a handful of us would be brave enough to try but only because as I said earlier, we knew this place from top to bottom, even in the dark and of course snowball fights…

"Jade, you ok?"

Davy's words pulled me from my daydreaming and I turned to face him, he was holding out a parcel wrapped in newspaper, I looked at him confused, Davy never usually bother with presents,

"What's that?" I asked him

"It's your birthday isn't it, open it"

I could feel my cheeks burn but excitement took over, I took it from him and smiled,

As I pulled layer after layer off the parcel Davy is giggling, I started to get annoyed because as far as I could see there's nothing in it, it's a trick, a rather mean one to pull on your best friend but as I was about to snap at him he took it from me and pulled the last layer off and handed me a tiny bracelet, it was homemade which touched my heart, it was a braid of brown and black cotton and in the centre was a solitary jade green bead,

"Wow Davy, did you make this for me? That's so sweet" I'd asked him

"Nah, I asked Abbie next door to make it but it was my idea, I picked the colours and everything and I paid her for it"

He pulled up the sleeve of his own hoody, green like mine but much darker and revealed an identical bracelet on his left wrist,

I smiled, speechless, yes it would have meant more if he had made it himself but the simple fact that he thought of it, he's got a matching one and he used my favourite colours still touches me, I leant across to him and kissed his cheek which of course he immediately wiped off but he then smiled and tied it to my wrist for me.

Hmm such a sweet story that isn't it, I promise I'm not always this sloppy although I do dream of romance, I have only ever really experienced it once, I wish I could again but I guess now it's too late.

The bracelet? Yes I still have it, it's hidden somewhere safe and only Davy will be able to find it, I hope he goes and looks for it when he learns of my death tomorrow.

Did you like that little story? Would you like some more? Ok well I'm going to free flow so try to keep up.

Let's fast forward a few years because my childhood was pretty repetitive but awesome all the same. You know when people talk about their happy place? Well that's mine, I'm back up in that tree with Davy watching the world pass us by, god I miss him, I visit it regularly, in my mind of course, I guess it's the only thing that keeps me sane in this hellish life I live, or rather lived, I hope I can find my happy place tomorrow when I face the firing squad.

By the age of 13 we had drifted apart, only slightly mind but it was still too big a gap for me, we had gone to different senior schools, made new friends but every Wednesday night without fail we still met in OUR woods, new additions came and went but by the end of the evening it was always once again me and Davy till 10pm when we had to be home, he always walked me home first, gentleman would not be a word that anybody but me would use to describe Davy.

By the summer of 2004 I was in love, well at least I thought I was and no it wasn't with Davy, so our Wednesday nights had become a thing of the past.

My love was called Henry, quite a shock to be honest, he was one of the popular guys in my school, despite my average looks he had chosen me over the foolish screeching pretty girls that tried to follow him around all day, or maybe it was me who was the fool but anyway;

It was the spring of 2004 when he had asked me to be his girl, I swear I almost fell over backwards with shock, literally but he had gripped my arm gently to steady me and I was hooked, my hero, my love, my world. Everything else in the world took a back seat in my life; I was driving forward, fast, with Henry strong and dominant right beside me. He was sweet and gentle with me but people feared him, I liked that, most of the time, sometimes he could go over the top with his power, silly things like a sideways glance at me, a huff at him for choosing me over other girls had him raging like a bull and the fists would fly. I had lost count of the amount of black eyes or split lips he ended up with but he always emerged victorious. As I said earlier it was now summer 2004 and we had been together for a few months, that's when he met Davy. We had been sunbathing on the field surrounded by our mutual friends when Davy had casually strolled over, I hadn't seen him since the Easter holidays so I had leapt up and greeted him, as always with a kiss on the cheek and a crushing hug, yes he still wiped it off, if Henry wasn't angry at our greeting he was angry now;

"Aye knobhead, who the fuck are ya and why did you wipe your face then, she's not a fucking leper ya know"

Davy's face remained placid and as I was about to try to put Henry right I was pushed aside and a fight broke out, my heart didn't know what direction to take, I was mortified, my friends had ran to me to ensure I was ok after I had landed with a thud on the floor but all I could see was my two favourite people rolling around the floor hurting each other, I cried on my friend Taylor's shoulder but I couldn't take my eyes from Henry and Davy punching fuck out of each other. The fight seemed to go on for ever but eventually all went quiet and one of them stood up, it was Davy, he had brushed off his clothing then stumbled towards me as Henry got to his feet, I quickly placed myself between them, refusing to allow them to continue to fight,

"What the fuck are you both playing at?" I had growled at them, they were stood either side of me at arms-length gasping for breath, the fight had been pretty even, both had cuts and bruises and had their eyes on each other passing silent glares as though I was invisible,

"Jay, who the fuck is this dude and what's his fucking problem?"

"Who the fuck am I, who the fuck are you ya mean?" Henry bit back

"Both of you shut up" I had screeched,

Gasping for breath exhausted somehow, strange because I hadn't done anything but stand myself back up after being pushed to the ground, I had no idea who had pushed me but it didn't matter,

"If either of you had given me a chance I'd have introduced you"

They continued to glare through me so I continued,

"Davy, this is Henry, he is my boyfriend"

Davy had laughed mockingly and I could feel Henry's chest tense and push against my outstretched hand but I stood my ground,

"And Henry this is Davy, he's my best friend and has been for a very long time"

"Best friend! Are you taking the piss?"

"No I am not, I hugged and kissed him because I have missed him and he wiped away my kiss just like he has always done, not because he doesn't like me or anything, both of you need to calm down"

"Best friend?" Henry had repeated, "your best friend is a dude, I don't fucking think so Jade, you have to make a choice, it's me or him"

I had frozen to the spot, faced with an impossible decision, how was I supposed to choose? Both of their dark eyes had gone from each other and on to me, placing me under more pressure,

My mouth froze, jaw dropped for several minutes until Davy stepped away from my outstretched arm,

"I'll make it easier for you Jay" he had stepped towards me, kissed my cheek, (for the first time ever) and walked away from me and out of my life"

I stood, staring at the gap in the bushes which Davy had just stepped through and stared at the now empty hole, a tear had rolled down my cheek and Henry cheered victorious. He wrapped me in his arms holding me closely and bouncing up and down on the spot, with our friends laughing and cheering around us, I just felt numb, it was as though a part of my body had been sliced off and disintegrated in to a cloud of dust. I knew Davy would have done it to safe me the pain of making the choice but doesn't he realise his action had been just as painful if not more so?

I stayed by Henry's side and allowed him to sit us back on the grass and continue the sunbathing. Chatter and laughter floated around me but all I could see were my favourite places in every part of our field, our woods, it seemed so empty without him.

I lasted as long as I could, I didn't want to anger Henry. As night fell and our friends slowly began dispersing I stepped from Henry's arms, made an excuse of tiredness and allowed him to walk me home. He kissed me goodbye as though nothing had happened and headed off to make his own way home. I ran up my stairs and fell face first on to my bed as the sobs poured from me. I texted Davy several times but they went un-answered.

Wow it is true, your life does flash before you as you approach death, ok it's not quite what they mean, in my case it's sort of flowing rather than flashing but it's pretty much the same thing.

Chapter 2

The following day I had dragged myself down stairs for some breakfast, I couldn't face much so I just grabbed a banana and went back to my room, My sister Jenny, neurotic but excellent with advice was sat on her bed, she had the bottom bunk, Dana the top but she's not here, she stayed at her boyfriend's house most nights, she's 20 years old and hammering for a degree in art at university, Jenny on the other hand was a home bird, she adored our father, well I mean we all did but she and him seem to have a special bond, they played games of cards or board games several times a week, she also baked a lot with our mother, I doubt she'll ever leave home.

Inevitably she knew something had upset me and before I knew it she had dragged the entire story out of me with minimal effort,

"Listen little sis, I'm really sorry and I know you are not going to like what I say but Henry is an arse, how dare he expect you to choose between him and your best friend, regardless of the fact that he's male"

"I know but I just froze to the spot, I couldn't choose, should I have chosen, I mean who would I choose?"

Jenny stayed silent and raised her eyebrow, probably wondering why I didn't know the answer but I did, I knew the answer I was just afraid,

"Ok Jen, who, who would you have chosen if you had to choose between your best friend and your boyfriend?"

"Best friend every time Jade, no question about it, Davy has been your best friend since you were babies, Henry's new, he's a dog and doesn't deserve you anyway but the bottom line is he's new, you should never have allowed Davy to walk away"

"What could I do? I couldn't exactly stop him and if he's so great then why did he leave?" I snapped. Yes I asked that question, a stupid question that I already knew the answer to, Jenny confirmed it,

"You know why Jade and I think you know that if Davy had of waited for your answer a little longer you would have made the right decision and it would have been Henry who had walked away. You need to go and find him and apologise, if Henry can't handle your friendship with Davy then tell him to leave, if he truly cares about you then he'll stay"

She was right, I knew she was right, god I hate it when she's right, so what did I do you ask well I'll tell you,

I hunted for him, for days, then weeks, then months, I couldn't find him anywhere, his aunty avoided me in the streets, his door never got opened when I knocked, my calls and texts continued to go unanswered and I never saw him anywhere.

Henry was unaware of my search, I selfishly continued to keep him in my life until I could find Davy, wrong I know but I was scared, I didn't want to lose them both. Before I knew it I had been with Henry for a year and I was preparing for my last year of school.

Besides my anguish over my lost friendship I focused on my relationship, it wasn't right, just like Jenny had said, he cheated on me regularly, I know he did I just didn't have the proof so I never challenged him, looking back on hindsight I wish I had said something, done something but the truth was I was hurting. Until a few years ago I assumed I was hurting because of Henry's betrayals but the truth was I was missing Davy his absence had left me with nothing but a void, almost like a bereavement; no correction, exactly like a bereavement.

On one particular summer evening in 2007 I was at an annual fair on the outskirts of the city, the weather was beautiful, games and fair rides surrounding me, I was a carefree 17 year old, out to have a good time with my girls, Henry had other plans, I was past caring to be honest. We headed to our favourite place like we did every year. The city's radio station had a performance stage on one large area of the park, there were people everywhere, scattered right across the grass in front of the stage, some sat or lying on blankets, others stood up skirting the stage preferring to watch the performances close up. As usual they are local dance troops or bands trying to make it big, to be fair some of them were really good and one or two did make it big, for a while at least but this year I was out for more than watching newcomers grace the stage, I had decided my relationship with Henry was over. Yes I had loved him, once, I'd given him my virginity but now every time I see him he oozes betrayal, the only thing I need now is to build up the courage to leave him. I had spent 3 long years with him but it was all a lie, well after the first few months.

Davy you ask? Well Davy had been gone from my life for almost as long. I hadn't seen or heard from him since he left on that horrible night.

So today was the day I was going to enjoy myself. I had spent all day on the fair rides but now it's evening it's time to sample some music, play some games and basically have tonnes of fun and if that meant meet some new guys then so be it. Oh don't get me wrong I had no intention of betraying Henry, despite his crimes I refuse to stoop to his level, I was a faithful girlfriend and that wasn't about to change but previously I had shied away from even striking up conversations with boys for fear of Henry losing his temper but tonight, who cares.

Me and my girls watched a few shows then took a stroll around the venue, it was still scorching hot, we we're all caked in sun cream and keeping well hydrated though so we we're good but I decided to fish around the stalls to see if I could find some hats or something to shield my head from the heat, a trait my mother always enforced upon us. I searched, the only things I could find where visors, they just didn't cut it so I kept looking, eventually I had taken my bolero cardigan from around my waist and rested it on my head, feeling the sun scorching my scalp was getting a little too much;

"Hey Jade, there's a marquee over there, they've got some shows on or something, we can get some shade there for a bit then once we've cooled off we'll go and find a tree to sit under by the radio stage, the fireworks are usually really good so we'll pick a spot with a good view of them"

"Good idea Taylor, come on then"

My girls followed me to the marquee and we breathed a sigh of relief as we entered the coolness of the cover, there were a group of Morris dancers performing, so cute, they must have only been about 8 years old, they were really good too, it turns out it was a competition for the local community centre and it got really interesting. Once it had ended we decided to make are way over to the firework display to try and get a good spot, the sun not much of a problem anymore since it had started its descent.

I had turned and rushed through the exit of the marquee and ran smack bang in to a group of guys, my friends had screeched with shock at first then crumbled in to laughter as my face went a perfect shade of purple and one of the guys picked me up off the floor,

"Jeez girl, I guess you're in a hurry"

I had lifted my embarrassed face from my feet and was greeted by 5-6 guys all dressed in blue and grey army camouflage, I could hear the giggles of the girls behind me, I must have looked a right state;

"I'm err really sorry"

"Don't worry about it girl, it's not every day I run in to a beauty like you, or rather have a beauty like you run in to me"

I had smiled at his lame line then scurried around them followed by my girls,

"Hey whoa, hold on girls, where are you all going? Maybe we can escort you"

"We are fine thanks" I muttered until Kelsey interrupted and sauntered up to him,

"Men in uniform can escort me anywhere"

I had rolled my eyes and looked to Taylor for support but she was already locked in a gaze with another of the soldier boys,

I sighed and turned to walk in the direction of the radio stage, I could hear them all walking behind me but I had lost all interest, I was ready to go home now but I knew I wouldn't be able to drag them away from the soldier boys or the fireworks, not yet anyway.

A few minutes later, we found an excellent spot, totally unexpected considering we were probably one of the last groups to arrive. The area was filled with people everywhere, all anticipating the firework display that is always spectacular, I plonked my embarrassed arse up against the tree and lifted my eyes to the sky just as the first crack flashed before me sending bright beautiful lights cascading back towards the ground, I'm surrounded by oo's and ahh's so I decide to join them, fully appreciating the wonderful display, trying to ignore the fact that my two friends have locked lips with their chosen soldier boys;

"Do you mind if I join you?"

I rolled my eyes, really not in the mood to be hit on,

"Sorry I have a boyfriend" I respond without moving my gaze from the show,

"I know you do Jay"

My heart leapt to my throat, threatening to choke me as I turn and I'm greeted with the familiar darkness of Davy's eyes,

Without thinking, I'm up on my feet and I fling myself in to his arms, tears pouring down my face, his familiar laughter, if somewhat deeper than I remember, caresses my ear as his arms encase me,

Oh my god, I'm in shock, Davy has me in his arms, his embrace completely new to me but it feels comfortable, it feels right. I finally pull myself from his arms and look at him, he's dressed as a soldier, his uniform the same as the other guys,

"Davy oh my god, it is so good to see you"

"You too Jade, how have you been?"

"Ok, But I…" realisation hits me, "Wait a sec, have you been here with them all along?"

"No I have just arrived but yes they are my platoon"

"Your platoon, but…what is it? Is it like TA or something?"

"No Jay, I'm in the army now, I joined when I left school"

"But…you're only 17"

"Yes I know", he grins at me

"Do you have to leave again?"

"Not until morning"

He wipes a tear from my lashes that is threatening to drip down my face then takes my hands in his, he sits down and gently tugs me with him,

"Jade, I'm sorry I left that day, I regret it every single second of every day but I guess I was afraid of the rejection and I didn't want you to make that choice"

"It's my fault Davy, I should have told Henry to fuck off then and there, I was just shocked that he would even ask me to choose"

"Well its history now, I hope he treats you right"

"No actually he doesn't"

I can see the muscle pulsate in Davy's jaw, I know he's angry,

"Then why are you still with him? You deserve better"

I grow defensive as guilt flows through my veins,

"What makes you think I'm still with him?"

"You just told me you have a boyfriend and that he doesn't treat you right"

I look at his eyes but his eyes are looking elsewhere, I follow his gaze, he's looking at my bracelet, the bracelet I still wear, the bracelet he gave me for my 10th birthday, wow my 10th birthday, I think that was the last time we spent a whole day together, is that right? I snap back to the conversation,

"Well how do you know it's not a different boyfriend?"

"Because I know you" he lifts his eyes to mine, have they always been that irresistible?

…

"Well am I wrong?"

I sigh solemnly and shake my head,

"So back to my original question, why are you still with him?"

"I won't be tomorrow"

"Tomorrow! Why not now?"

"He's not here"

"Yes he is Jay, I've seen him, the only reason I haven't approached him is because I'm not allowed to fight"

I side step his comment that Henry is here somewhere and look up at him confused but silent for a while, he's so tall, when did he become so tall, even sat next to me as he is now on the ground with the almost forgotten fireworks still cracking around us I can see he is tall. I remember when I was bigger than him and I used to wind him up by putting on my sisters high heels, until he caught on and pinched a pair himself, god that was a funny afternoon,

"Jade"

I lift my eyes to him,

"I don't want you to but why can't you fight? You're a soldier, god that's weird, I mean yer you're a soldier isn't fighting what you are trained to do"

"Not at the local fun fair Jay, especially when I'm on duty, I can fight at war, nowhere else"

"War! But…"

"Jay relax, I'm not at war right now"

"Davy, I have missed you so much, why didn't you call me?"

"Because I missed you too, I had to stay strong though, I knew your prick of a boyfriend wouldn't allow us to stay friends and I knew if I saw you or heard from you that I wouldn't be able to stay away from you"

He bit back his conversation at the end of his sentence and shimmied slightly away from me,

"Look Jay, your life is your life and I know it's none of my business what you do but when I saw you I had to apologise to you, I have done that now so I will leave you alone"

"No!! Davy, please don't go again" fresh tears threaten to spill from my eyes,

"Do you have to go anywhere, I mean, where are you staying tonight?"

"My platoon is staying here, on a campsite, just a nice fun night before he head back to the barracks tomorrow"

"Well where are your barracks?"

"Down south"

"But, will I ever see you again?"

"I'm sure our paths will cross again one day Jay"

I grab his hand as he's about to stand, he stops and turns to me, his eyes gazing deep in to mine, his nose almost touching mine, I want to kiss him, why do I want to kiss him? He's my best friend, I have never looked at him like this before, I don't understand. He holds my gaze and raises an eyebrow, obviously enquiring why I'm not letting him leave

"Can I ask you for a favour or two?"

"Of course you can"

"Stay here, don't move, wait for me to come back and I will come back"

"What? Forever or just for now" he grins at me,

"Forever if it's an option"

"It's not"

"Well just for now then"

"Ok but I have to be on the campsite at 11pm"

"What? You have a bed time?"

"No we just have to be there at 11, I can stay up all night if I like, why where are you going?"

"I promise you Davy, I will return right here but if you have to go back to the campsite then I will find you"

He pulls me even closer to him then tugs at my pony tail forcing me to turn to my left then he whispers in my ear,

"You see that hill over there?"

"Yes"

"Behind that is our campsite, our flag is blue, it's on the west side, on the left to you"

I smile and slap his arm, wow check those muscles, what happened to my little friend Davy, he has grown in to such a firm strong man,

He smiles at my feeble slap then removes his eyes from mine,

"I will wait right here Jay until I have to return to camp, I promise"

I scramble to my feet, tell him and my girls I'll be right back then without another word I'm gone.

I'm searching for Henry, the bastard is here somewhere, Davy said so, I need to cut him loose, leave him free to bang his little sluts if he wishes because I don't care anymore, I have found my Davy and I have one night to see him before he disappears again. My heart is pounding as I run and run through the crowds hunting for him, frustrated by the fact that the time is ticking by and I don't even know if he's still here, yes I could text him but that's the cowards way and if my expectations are correct I may just catch him red handed.

I begin to lose faith, my friends have text me and asked me where I am and telling me they need to head home, I tell them to go, I reassure them that I'll be safe with Davy tonight and that I'll call them in the morning. I sigh and turn in the direction of the firework display, people are leaving, the show is over and I still can't find Henry. I glance at my watch, its 11:05, annoyed at myself as well as Henry I begin to make my way over to the hill then I see him. He's sat on the ground, a girl sat beside him and a boy sat opposite him, Henry is throwing little stones in to the pond, laughing and joking with his two friends and giving me the perfect weapon to end our relationship.

"Henry!"

It's quite comical how quickly he leaps to his feet,

"Jade, wow, hi girl, I didn't know you were coming here tonight"

"Clearly"

"Hey wait a sec, this is Tina, she's John's girl, nothing to do with me, you're my girl"

"Not anymore"

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's over Henry"

"But…why?"

"I'm sick of being your comfy little welcome mat for when you have finished with your whores, you couldn't even be bothered inviting me along to your little get together with John and little miss tiny tits there"

"The girl gets to her feet, anger on her face but I don't care. I'm ready for her if she wants to fight, 3 years of being used is more than enough for anybody and I needed to release some tension, unfortunately John grips her around the waist and restrains her,

"Jade, you can't be serious, you can't leave me, you'll be all alone, nobody else will have you, not when they know you're my girlfriend, they know better"

"Ex-girlfriend Henry, have a nice life"

I turn and begin walking away, ignoring his arrogance. I don't get very far before Henry grips my arm and spins me to face him, he presses his lips forcefully against mine, anger surges through my veins and I slap him hard with my free hand, he recoils shocked,

"Jade, what the fuck was that for?"

"That was for kissing me without my permission, now stay the hell out of my life"

I turned and ran from him, he didn't follow me, I ran all the way to the hill, making my way back to Davy.

As I get to its peak I stop and assess my surroundings, there are tents everywhere, all different shapes and sizes, open fires roaring in stone pits scattered around and soldiers sat around them or walking around, laughing and joking with one another, there are a few girls but nobody I recognise.

"Hey, you came back"

I turn to the sound of the voice, Davy is at the bottom of the hill smiling up at me

I rushed as quickly as I could down the steep hill, he laughed as he watched my every move then caught me at the bottom, just as well really because I believe I would have fell face first on to the ground,

He steadied me then removed his hands from my hips and placed them behind his back, a very military stance that made me chuckle,

"What?" he grinned

"Nothing…so this is where you're staying tonight then?"

"Yes that's right, follow me", he turned on his heels and walked towards the blue flag he pointed out to me earlier,

He greeted many soldiers as he passed them with a nod of his head, most nodded back then watched me trailing behind him,

After about 30 more yards, he stopped and turned to face me, I stopped with a stumble and crashed in to him, my hands flat on his firm chest then crumbled laughing, he didn't even shift with the force. I quickly withdrew my hands from his chest and slid them in to the pockets of my cotton shorts, he grinned amused,

"Have you always been this clumsy?"

I shrugged my shoulders, he smiled and pointed to his right hand side, I followed his finger,

"This is my hotel room for the night, would you like to see it?"

"Err…"

Davy smiled and shook his head,

"Ok, maybe later, come with me",

He relaxes his soldier persona and grips my hand then pulls me along with him in a slight jog until we reach a large lake just behind the campsite, there's a fire roaring, a few blankets laid on the ground and about 8 other people, most of them soldiers.

"Hi guys I'm back, allow me to introduce you to my best friend", he tugs me from behind him and nudges me forward as all of the people who were sat around the fire get to their feet

"This is Jade, I call her Jay, she has been my best friend for almost 17 years and make no mistake I'll kill anybody who lays an unwelcome hand on her"

I stare at his friends, colleagues, platoon whatever he calls them, worried that Davy's words may have pissed them off but they all smile and approach me one by one, introducing themselves and shaking my hand,

"Nice to finally meet you" said one of them, his name hasn't registered, maybe I'm still in shock from earlier,

"Err…finally?"

"Yer, you are all he ever talks about"

I grin and turn to face Davy, he smiles shrugs then walks me over to one of the blankets then hands me a drink once I have sat down,

Conversation flows easily, as though they we're in the middle of it when Davy left to greet me,

Each soldier has a girl by their side, a couple of the girls soldiers themselves, only one pair of the group are cuddled up, everybody else is just relaxing. The conversation shifts a little and I feel a nudge against me, I turn to him,

"Come on then, where did you go?"

"I went to find Henry"

Davy's face drops and he lowers his eyes from mine before he speaks,

"Why?"

"Because I needed to end it"

"Couldn't it have waited till tomorrow like you said?" he asked me as he lifted his eyes back to mine

I shook my head,

"Did you find him?"

"Yes I did and I told him, it's over"

Davy's mouth creases in to a smile then he straightens it again,

"How did he take it?"

"He kissed me"

His jaw pulsates again as a frown crosses his brow, a pained expression I have never seen before,

"So I slapped him"

"You what?"

"I slapped him"

"Jeez Jay, I would never have pictured you as the aggressive type" he grins

"I'm not but he shouldn't have kissed me after we broke up without my permission"

"I agree, are you ok? I mean you were with him for quite a long time"

"I'm perfectly fine; I should have ended it long ago"

Silence flows between us for a while but a faint smile is set on Davy's lips,

"So what time do you want to head home, its' pretty late, it's gone midnight"

"I don't know, I don't want to go home"

"So you're not tired?"

I shake my head but I'm not fooling him,

"Jay, you can stay here if you want, I can find you a space with one of the girls or something"

"Can't I stay with you?"

"Err it's a little difficult to top and tail in a tent Jay"

"Then we won't"

"I share it with another soldier, although we have our own rooms so to speak, it could get a little cramped"

"So"

Davy grins and places himself closer to my ear then whispers,

"We would be awfully close Jay"

"If you don't want me to stay with you just say so, I'll bunk with one of the girls if I must, you don't have to make excuses"

"I didn't say I didn't want you to and they are not excuses they are facts but if you don't care then neither do I"

"Ok then" I responded defiantly,

"Ok then" he chuckled then smiled a brilliant smile as he picked up his drink and finished it,

"Let's go Jay"

I took his hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet. Without releasing my hand he led me over to the tents, the area had emptied quite a bit but there we're still a few sat outside their tents enjoying the warm evening,

Yes it was a warm evening but my cotton shorts and vest top where not doing anything to keep away the cool breeze that swirled around the campsite.

We stopped so I turned to face him, he smiled at me then opened the large zipper on the front of the tent he showed me earlier,

"After you and to the right"

My face must have flushed red or something because his wide grin spread across his face,

"Err, is there a bathroom anywhere?"

He laughed and pointed to a small building on the other side of the camp, about 40 meters away,

I smiled back at him,

"Will you come with me?"

He laughed then rolled his eyes,

"Ok hang on a sec"

He ducked in to the tent then emerged with a black leather bag and two towels, he then gripped my hand again and led me over to the small building,

"You are stamping all over the rules of friendship here, you do realise that don't you"

"What! No, I don't need you to come in with me or anything, you can wait outside

"Whatever you say Jay" he grins as he opens the door for me, the light is dim but it's enough and thankfully it's empty, he smiles and hands me the bag,

"This is mine, use whatever you want, even my toothbrush if you like, I'm not squeamish, I'll be right outside"

I smile as he closes the door. I open his bag, it's filled with toiletries, everything from toothpaste to deodorant, including condoms, I gasp as I pull them out, I don't know why I'm so surprised, maybe it's because he's still that small boy who climbed trees with me, made mud pies with me, grew up with me but that boy is no longer a boy, he's a man, I quickly shoved them back inside and fished out his toothpaste, I didn't want to use his toothbrush, it seemed wrong somehow so I just used my finger.

A few minutes later I emerged, fresh from a head to toe wash, he smiles at my wet hair, yes I had washed my hair, well I had felt all hot and bothered from the heat of the sun, why wouldn't I wash my hair?

"You're crazy Jay, you do know my tent isn't central heated don't you" he grins at me then takes his bag from me,

"I won't be long"

"But…I don't want to stand here on my own"

"Jay, I'll be on the other side of the door, you have no reason to be afraid, you're surrounded by soldiers"

"I know but…"

Davy laughed and gripped my hand pulling me inside with him. I stand by the door so he releases my hand and heads to the sinks, he smiles at my reflection in the mirror then pulls off his t-shirt,

Wow, my eyes dance across his toned torso as he washes himself with the warm soapy water, completely unaware of me gazing at him, he brushes his teeth then unfastens his trousers then stops, he lifts his eyes to my reflection,

"Jade, I couldn't care less but unless you want to catch an eyeful then it may be best if you turn your back to me"

I quickly turn away from him and crumble in to laughter, he laughs along with me. I can hear his clothing dropping to the floor, my heart skips a beat, I close my eyes and try to think of other things. A short while later he taps my shoulder causing me to jump,

"Sorry, sorry"

I release my held breath and clutch my chest willing my heart to calm down,

"Why are you so jumpy Jay, there is only you and I in here and I'd never hurt you"

"I know I'm sorry, it's just been one of those days"

"Right and instead of going home to a warm cosy house with a warm cosy bed you choose to stay in a tent, in the cold with me!"

"Would you like me to go?"

"No, not a chance, it's far too late now anyway, you're staying right here"

He leans in to me slightly then reaches around me and opens the door, I breathe in his scent for the first time ever,

What is wrong with me? Have I fallen for my best friend?

Yes that's right people, are you still there? Wow somebody likes stories but yes that's right, I had fallen for him.

In all honesty not only do bastard skylights plague my life but so do bad guys, as you will soon learn. So anyway all seems to be going well Right? Wrong! A chapter or so more and my world is turned upside down,

So where was I? Oh yes I'm about to spend the night in a tent for the first time in my life, I never even did that in my parents back garden, what was I thinking?

"After you Jay, don't forget, go to the right or Diggs may get the shock of his life"

I ducked under his arm and made my way to the right, there's another zipper so I open it then crawl in, it's pretty spacious for a tent, an air mattress dominates the area, on one side of it is a pile of blankets and a sleeping bag and on the other is Davy's bag, a rucksack that my parents had bought him for his first day at senior school, I smile at how well he's looked after it then I hear the zip behind me. Davy is on his knees zipping the entrance closed, he pulls his t-shirt back off, folds it and places it in his bag, I sit on the floor and cross my legs as I watch him push some blankets up against the gap at the bottom of the doorway then he turns to face me, his face slightly highlighted by the battery powered lantern that hangs to the left, he turns a switch and the light dims substantially to a warm glow,

"So which side do you want? You girls are funny with shit like that"

"It's your bed Davy, you choose"

He smiles and begins to make the bed, I feel useless but when I attempt to help he removes my hand,

"No offence Jay but I need the blankets in a specific way, especially tonight"

"Why's that?"

"Because there will be two of us in the bed not just me"

"I can sleep on the floor, it's no problem"

He stops fixing the blanket and turns to me, his eyes glow in the soft light, he moves closer to me and gazes in to my eyes,

"Do you really want to sleep on the floor?"

I melt in to the darkness of his eyes, I can't respond,

"Ok would you like me to sleep on the floor?"

"No!" the word has exited my mouth before I can stop it,

He smiles and turns back to making the bed, once it is made he sits on the edge and pulls out a t-shirt from his bag, it's a bright white, long sleeved one, he moves over to me and places it over my head, then gestures for me to put my arms through, I comply but I look at him confused, what about him, what is he going to wear?

"Jay, you have washed your hair, I don't own a hairdryer I'm afraid so please leave this on, it'll keep you warm"

"But what about you?"

"I am ok, I haven't got wet hair"

"Shit, wet hair, what about your pillows? I am definitely sleeping on the floor now"

"No you're not Jade, I don't care about the pillows, I won't be sleeping here tomorrow night"

My heart sinks but I try not to let Davy see but his frown tells me he has seen my expression. I smile at him and begin to drag my fingers through my hair, he smiles at me and hands me his comb causing me to chuckle,

"You have a comb? You barely have any hair now, your buzz cut suits you by the way"

"Thank you and I guess my comb is now yours"

I laugh as I begin to pull it through my shoulder length brown hair, Davy watches amused as I braid it then tie the end with my bracelet,

"Ahh, my gift has other uses then"

"Yes it does" I chuckle,

He smiles then turns the light off plunging us in to darkness, it's so dark that I have no idea where he is,

"Jade, hold out your hand"

I comply, I feel his hand hold mine and he gently tugs me, within seconds I'm laid in his bed and he covers me with blankets. Warmth encases me as I can feel his body laid next to mine, my heart flutters, after a few minutes, he kisses my cheek then I feel his head lay on the pillow behind me,

"Goodnight Jay, sweet dreams"

"Goodnight Davy, you too"

A sense of peace and comfort washes over me as I hear his breathing gradually get deeper but nice and steady and before long I have drifted off myself.

During the night, I have no idea what time, a noise had jolted me awake, my heart pounded with fear as I strained my ears to see if I could hear anything, I sat bolt upright for a moment, I can't hear anything else so I steady my breathing then lay back down. I feel Davy move behind me so I remain very still not wanting to wake him but I then feel him move closer to me and snake his arm around my waist, he leans up and kisses my cheek then cuddles in to my back,

"Is he still asleep, is he dreaming" I asked myself,

"It's ok Jay, nobody will hurt you and you're perfectly safe, go back to sleep

"He's awake and he's spooning me, oh my god" I scream to myself internally,

As though on cue he loosens his arms,

"I'm sorry Jay"

But as I feel him pulling back his arm I catch his left hand with my right, he entwines his fingers with mine then raises himself up again so he can see my face, I can't see his, it's too dark,

"Are you ok Jay?"

"I think so"

"Do you want me to hold your hand till you fall back to sleep?"

Without responding I turn my entire body to face him, I can see him a little better now, he's looking down at me at first then he lowers himself and places his hand under the pillow then rests his head on it facing me, His other hand is still holding mine,

"Jay, what is it, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to look at you"

"Why?"

"Because tomorrow you'll be gone again"

He lowers his eyes to my lips then lifts them again, sinking in to mine,

"I have no choice Jade, I have to go back tomorrow, I'm contracted for four years"

I nod my head letting him know that I understand, a stray tear rolls down my cheek,

"Please don't cry Jade, I found you once before, I'll find you again, I promise"

He pulls his hand from mine and places it on my cheek, gently stroking my cheek bone with his thumb, catching any tears that fall,

"I'm really sorry I left Jay"

"I know you are, I'm really sorry that I let you"

He laughs and lowers his eyes to my lips again, I know he wants to kiss me as much as I want to kiss him, I move closer to him our noses touching and without delay he places his lips on mine, still cradling my face with his hand, I move my body closer to him and rest against his chest as he moves his lips softly with mine, fireworks explode all around us, metaphorically. His hand moves from my face and wraps around my waist pulling me tight to him. Several blissful minutes pass by before Davy abruptly pulls his lips from mine,

"Jay I'm so sorry, that's so selfish of me, I should never have done that, not when I have to leave you again tomorrow" he shuffles away from me, breathless and awkward, I reach for him and find his hand, he grips mine then looks back at me,

"It's ok Davy, did you see or feel any resistance?"

"No but…"

"No you didn't, I'm glad you have kissed me, I wanted you to and I know you have to go tomorrow but that doesn't mean it was wrong, please don't shy away from me"

"But Jay, we can't be together, it's not fair on either of us, I'll be away for a long time"

"I know"

He took a deep breath then curled himself back up against me, gripping my waist and pulling me tight to him,

"When I return Jay, I promise you I will come and find you, if you are with somebody else, I'll understand but if you are not then expect more of the same"

I smiled and placed my lips back against his, determined to soak up as much of him as I could before I lose him again.

We lay together, cuddled up close but just talking, laughing quietly about are childhood so we don't wake Diggs up. A moment of silence flows between us then he smiles, sits up then swings his legs out of the covers and perches on the edge of the bed, it's still dark outside but he's wide awake, I am too but I hate the fact that morning is approaching rapidly.

I sit up, curious, what is he doing, he's rummaging through his bag.

"Have you lost something"

"No Jay, bear with me"

I smile as I watch the muscles in his back moving as he pulls things from his bag and pushes other things back in. A few minutes later he turns to me and hands me a pair of sweat pants,

"I know they won't fit you very well but put them on"

"But…"

"Please Jade, do it for me, I want to take you somewhere and the sun isn't up yet so it'll be cold so those shorts are not going to help"

I smile and pull on the sweat pants, he then pulls on a navy blue top like his white one that I'm still wearing,

He puts his shoes on, so I put mine on,

"Ok Jay, are you ready?"

"Err, yer I guess so, where are we going?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes I do, with my life, as always"

"Good then don't ask questions just come with me"

He moves the blankets from the doorway then unzips it,

"After you"

I stand as best as I can and roll over the top of his sweat pants to make them fit me a little better then I crawl out of the tent, Davy emerges shortly after me and places his army jacket he was wearing yesterday over my shoulders. He's right it is quite chilly so I gratefully push my arms in to the sleeves and he fastens it for me,

"What about you, aren't you cold?"

"Don't worry about me Jay, come on"

He grips my hand and tugs me along with him, quietly but quickly. We are heading in the direction of the hill, I grin as the images of my best friend the playful little boy bounce around in my head. We reach the hill and he helps me up the steep side then grips me in to his arms as we reach the top, I wrap my arms around his waist as he has done to me then we sink in to a kiss again, soft and sweet.

After a few minutes he releases my lips and gazes in to my eyes, then he pulls me to the ground and wraps his arms around my waist, he looks beyond the campsite so I follow his gaze, the sun is about to rise, the sky is beginning to glow beautiful colours and now I understand why we are here, he had wanted to enjoy the sunrise with me, I rest my head on his shoulder and he pulls me closer, kissing my forehead then turning back to the horizon. We watch it until it is full daylight and we see his platoon beginning to climb from their tents and packing their things away, ready for their return to the barracks. He turns to me and kisses my lips.

"Jay, I have to leave today as you know and I need you to promise me something"

"What? Anything"

"I need you to promise me that you will continue to live your life as though we never met up again yesterday, today was to be the beginning of your new life, of your freedom once you got rid of the prick and I want you to continue, do good things, meet new people, find a new boyfriend"

"But Davy, I don't want another boyfriend, I want…"

Before I can finish he places his lips against mine, silencing me,

"Please Jade, 4 years is a long time, I don't want you to put your life on hold just to wait for me, I know how you are feeling, trust me but please don't make me regret kissing you last night, don't make me regret holding you in my arms, I told you last night that we can't be together, it's not fair on us but I will treasure the memories of the past 10 hours for the rest of my life".

I can't help but laugh,

"10 hours? We were probably asleep for four of them"

"I don't care you were with me, in my arms, it's a night I will never forget"

"Can we at least write, text?"

"It's probably not a good idea for it to be constant especially if I'm fighting somewhere, you would be an enormous distraction from my duties, I'll allow us to text, I want us to text but don't text me unless I text you first, it will mean I can give you my attention without distraction, deal?"

I sigh and lower my eyes to my hands, they are being held by his, he releases one and lifts my chin so I will look at him,

"Deal?"

I nod my head solemnly,

He removed his hand from my face and pulled something from his back pocket, it's a small leather booklet, it looks like an old wallet but it has the replica of my bracelet, tying it shut, I lift my eyes to his again and he smiles,

"What is this?"

"I want you to have it, protect it for me until we meet again",

He pulls the bracelet from it and places it on his own wrist then he pulls mine from my hair and puts it on my wrist before releasing my now fluffy and curled hair from its braid,

"No matter what happens Jade, you have always been, you are now and will forever be the most important person in my life and I'll always find you, whether it is to reclaim you as mine or to resume my role as your best friend, I will find you, I can promise you that"

"But what if something happens, what if you have to fight and…"

He places his finger against my lips,

"Then I will find you in the next life but right now you have a life to live and I have a job to do"

He takes the booklet from my hand and slips it in to the pocket of his jacket that I'm still wearing then pulls me tight to his body, he kisses me, exploring my mouth with his tongue, holding me tightly, I know he doesn't want to leave me as much as I don't want him to go.

He pulls away from me then pecks me once more on the lips,

"I love you Jay"

Before I can respond he's released me and ran back down the hill and off towards his camp flag, I'm shocked by his words and I need to tell him the same but he's out of my sight within seconds, as I'm about to run after him a loud siren goes off and the soldiers all emerge in groups and their sergeants demand their attention, I freeze to the spot, tears rolling down my cheeks as I watch at least 100 soldiers standing in formation and take their military stance. I turn my back to the scene after scanning their faces and trying to find Davy but failing and I make my way to the town centre, my vision distorted by my tears and take myself home.

Chapter 2

Yes that's right, I fell for my best friend and he vanished once again from my life. What did I do you ask? How did I keep my promise to Davy?

Well I spent the next 5 months pining for him, not to a psychotic degree, more to the sulking at home most of the time and comparing everybody I come across to him whether it was on a friend level or otherwise, nobody matched up to Davy. The leather booklet he gave me is a diary, it logs so many things in it, most of it I can relate to, most of the events he mentions in it are things I was a part of but what really intrigued me were the personal notes. He had listed times he had wanted to kiss me but was too frightened that I would reject him, his opinions on our friends, mostly good, his opinions about my boyfriends, he had rated them between 1 and 10, and not one of the three boyfriends I'd had since maybe the age of 6 had a score above 4, this made me laugh. He was too frightened to tell me of his feelings but he was deciding who else would be good enough to be my boyfriend.

That little booklet is my treasure, locked up safely in a place only Davy would ever be able to find. Right now my secret location has the booklet, bank details for my daughters' money, photographs and my bracelet in it. I really do hope he goes to look for it when I'm gone from this god forsaking planet.

Where was I? Oh yes;

During those 5 horrible months I pushed myself in to my job, I had gained employment against all odds, you see because of my turmoil over Davy leaving and my false relationship with Henry, school didn't get the attention it deserved, I left with only 2 good grades, a B in French and a C in English, I didn't even go to my other exams, so at the age of 17 to gain employment was basically my one shot at life so I hammered it, I worked my arse off, ok it was only an office assistant job, apprentice level, but it was a job none the less.

I still lived with my parents but it was just me, my two brothers and sisters had left home and Jenny was pregnant, fuck knows how that happened, she never went anywhere but hey the kids father had stuck around and they had moved in to a flat together. Dana had now moved in with her boyfriend and my two brothers had found work abroad, lucky fuckers, I didn't even have a passport.

Anyway so like I said it was just me and my parents and despite my 17 years and my independence I was still home almost every night by midnight, I had nothing else to do. Taylor and Kelsey were always asking me to go out but I just couldn't be bothered meeting new people, afraid of getting attached and being left alone again.

Christmas came and went, almost unnoticed as far as I was concern, closely followed by new year. My parents went to a neighbour's house to celebrate, I was supposed to go too, I hovered outside feigning that it was too warm inside and I waited till the stroke of midnight, as soon as I had hugged and kissed my parents I left and headed for the local bridge, it was set over the busy motorway, the one I can see from our tree in the woods. I climbed the rail and sat on the short ledge. No I wasn't going to top myself, I would never do that to my friends and family but it was another of mine and Davy's favourite spots, the ledge is high but all that's beneath me is the steep edge of the hill, I'm not sat above the motorway, although I suppose it could still mean death if I fell but I have sat here many times over the years.

Although 2008 arrived framed by thousands of fireworks across the city skyline, a beautiful sight from where I'm sitting, I just felt numb. My mobile phone had been going off for ages, happy new year texts coming from all angles but the only one I wanted just wasn't arriving. I had not heard anything from Davy since we parted on that small hill near his campsite. I checked my phone daily, even contemplated texting him but he had asked me not to, he had told me he would lose focus on his job and I didn't want to get him in trouble or maybe even place him in danger given his chosen career.

His chosen career now that was a shock, the amount of time we spent together he never once mention and interest in the army, not once, he wanted to be a vet, adored animals of all shapes and sizes and wanted to help them, he'd of had a house full of animals if his Aunty would allow it but the most he managed to get was his hamster, Bruno, Bruno is buried in my back garden, my father gave Davy permission as our garden was huge compared to his, we held a little funeral and everything.

It was approaching 2am before I convinced myself to head home, it was very cold and I was now tired, emotions had exhausted me, I had spent the time on the bridge responding to my texts from friends and relatives and reliving my childhood with Davy, I am really not doing myself any favours, for all I know Davy could have been deployed to war or he could have a girlfriend, somebody that he's making new memories with.

By the time I fall asleep I have told myself that my life was going to get back on track, in 3 days I will be 18, it's time for my life to begin. It won't stop me missing him but it is definitely time for me to live my life. After all it is what Davy wanted me to do.

I woke the following morning, still tired but with a new focus, I jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed and headed to Taylor's house. She was still in bed and it wasn't until her father laughed at me, shuck his head and tapped his watch that I looked at my phone, it was 7:30am I laughed and lifted my eyes back to Taylor's father,

"Jade you have no chance of getting Taylor out of bed this early on a normal day, never mind the morning after a new year's party, is everything ok?"

"Yes Mr Harris, I'm really sorry, err ask her to text me when she gets up please"

"I will do Jade, are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes I promise, I'm fine, I'm just eager to start my 18th birthday plans"

"Ah yes, of course, well just you remember young lady that my Taylor isn't 18 until may, please don't corrupt my daughter, not yet"

Mr Harris smiled at me then waved before closing the door,

Great, not only had I got up way before it was necessary I now have to return home to my boring house and wait, it's new year's day, not many places are open and I am for the first time in ages bouncing with energy, I don't want to lose this feeling, not now.

What did I do you ask? Well I walked, I walked and walked, the day was bright and sunny, freezing cold but a nice day all the same.

I'm wrapped up in my pale green skinny jeans, my lemon yellow jumper and Davy's army coat, I still have it, he never took it back when he left and I basically live in it. When it needs washing I wash it, dry it and put it straight back on. Yes it's a little obsessive but it's all I have left of him. Well that, his booklet and my bracelet.

I walked over the bridge I had been sat on the night before, I passed the local rich estate and before I knew it I was in one of my favourite parks. I found it quite funny how empty everywhere was, I doubt more than 10 cars had passed me on the main road during my 30 minute walk, I must have been the only idiot walking so early on a new year's day. I made my way over to the swings, deciding to just hang out for a while before I make my walk back, silently wishing for Taylor to wake up, I needed my friend, I needed guidance to get my life kick started again and I needed her party planning skills to help me with my birthday. In just 3 days as I say, 4th January, I will be 18, it has to be a big deal, an announcement to the world that I'm not giving up.

"You're out a little early, especially today, oo let me guess you haven't been home yet?"

I turned to the voice, I am greeted by a bright white smile, delicious tanned skin and black hair, it has to be black, I mean Henry and Davy had dark hair but this guy right her was even darker, I snapped back from assessing him internally as I noticed his grin widen and he raised an eyebrow,

Answer him for god sake Jade,

"Oh hi err yer"

He laughed at me, of course he laughed at me, my stumbled response was embarrassing, I can feel my cheeks burn as he sits on the swing next to me, he has a large dog with him, I think it's an Alsatian, it's attached to a lead and sits itself obediently beside its owner, well I think he's its owner.

"So which is it? Are you an early riser or have you been partying all night?"

"I've been to a house party, I'm just relaxing before I head home"

Wow the lie had flowed so easily I even believed it myself

"Right, a party animal then hey?"

"Well I wouldn't say that but it was new year's eve after all"

"Of course, oh sorry, my name is Tommy and this is by dog Asha"

He held his hand out to me, I took it, shook it briefly then pulled my hand back,

"I'm Jade"

"Hi Jade, nice to meet you"

"You too. So do you live around here?"

"Yer, I live on Oakwell drive with my family"

"So why are you out so early?"

"I'm just taking Asha for a walk before I take myself to bed, it's been a rough night for me too but I can't let her down can I"

"No I guess not, she's beautiful, how old is she?"

"She's 3 now"

"Wow"

"Yer, so…you're beautiful too, how old are you?"

My cheeks burn again but it just makes him smile,

"Err thanks, I'm actually days away from my 18th birthday"

"18 aye, so do you have big party plans?"

"Still ironing out the details"

"Right, well I hope you make it a good one, your only 18 once"

"How old are you?"

"19"

My phone tinkles in my pocket, just as I'm starting to get interested in this conversation. I pull my phone from my pocket, mouth a sorry to Tommy and answer the call,

"Hi Jade, where are you?"

"Hi Tay, I'm actually over the bridge on Link road park"

"What are you doing over there?"

"Just relaxing, I guess you're up then?"

"Yer I'm just heading for a shower, do you want me to meet you there or are you making your way back?"

I glance to my Side, Tommy is stroking Asha's fur but his tired eyes are evident and he releases a yawn,

"I'll make my way back shortly, I'll knock at yours when I get there, wait for me"

"Alright Jade, see you soon"

I hang up the phone and Tommy turns to me,

"So I'm going to head home now, I'm err shattered as I'm sure you are"

"I'm ok for a few minutes, I'm liking the company" he grins at me

"Thanks, you're very sweet" I giggled,

Yes that's right I giggled, for the first time in ages I'm happy and enjoying myself, we had exchanged very little conversation but I could have sat and talked to him all day.

"So you have to leave then?"

"Yer I need to head back home now, my friend is waiting for me"

"So you're not going to sleep then?"

"I will but I just need to sort my birthday with her first, I'm running out of time"

"Right…" he grins, letting me know that he knows I'm not being entirely truthful

He smiles his smile then holds his hand out, facing upwards, I'm confused,

"What?"

"Can I borrow your phone for a second?"

I look at him, he laughs and pulls his own out of his pocket and shows it to me, it's far better than mine so I know he doesn't want to steal it,

"Just for a sec, I promise"

I hand him my phone, he smiles then types something on it before handing it back to me, then getting to his feet, Asha immediately gets back on to hers and starts bouncing around excitedly as she knows her walk is about to resume,

"Give me a call sometime Jade, it was nice talking to you, it would be a shame if it was a one off"

He flashes me that grin again then turns and exits the park.

Wow, the new year is looking better already, I glance down at my phone, he has added his number to my contacts,

Tommy Garcia, x

I smile at the kiss he's added to his name and place it back in my pocket before making my way to Taylor's house.

The grin on her face is evident, she's even more excited than I am for my birthday and the fact that I have just met a gorgeous lad,

"So what was he like, I bet he had brown eyes didn't he? Come on did he? Did he have brown eyes, you have a weakness for brown eyes, wow, what about a nice smile? A big wide smile? Come on tell me"

I giggle as she blurts out her questions whilst writing a list of ideas for my birthday and sipping at a smoothie at her kitchen table, multitasking with ease. This is why I wanted her help, she's so good at organising things and she always does it the way she knows you would like it. I fill her in on all the details I can, she's surprised when I tell her that Tommy actually has blue eyes, I understand her surprise because with his tanned skin and black hair, you would expect brown eyes or at least hazel, but it was true, his eyes where a bright blue.

"Ok anymore options?"

I shook my head so she laid out the list before us so I could scan over it and choose,

She had written everything from a beach party to a trip away for a weekend,

I laughed as I read through the list, some of her ideas where just crazy but most of them where really good. I ruled out the beach, it's too far to travel and let's face it, it's winter.

Fancy dress pub crawls? yer she and a few of my other friends are underage but there could be a way around it, especially with make-up but it just didn't appeal to me,

house parties? any number of my friends or family would allow it but it's so cliché,

camping? Hmm, maybe

trip away for the weekend? Too much cost and not enough notice,

"Ok camping sounds good but where?"

"We could just camp on the field, our parents would be a little calmer because we are right outside our home, it's big enough for loads of tents, we could have a bonfire, a few disposable barbecues, beer, it sounds perfect to me Jade but it's your birthday so it's your choice"

"Yer that sounds great, we could tell stories, even ghost stories, invite all our friends from our street, I'm quite excited but who else can we ask?"

"Well why don't you get on your phone and text your friends from school, college, work whatever and I'll get on mine and round up the neighbours, wow I'm so excited"

"Me too, we'll just tell everybody who wants to camp out to bring their own tents or buddy up. Wait, what if some don't want to camp"

"Who cares, they can still come and eat and drink with us then they can go home when they're ready, it'll be loads of fun and won't cost much, especially if you tell them all to bring a bottle too and some food, it'll be awesome"

"Excellent, let's get on it"

I send my messages to everybody I can think of but especially the ones I think would be up for it. I hover over Tommy's name, then bypass it, I doubt he'd come and I don't really know him well at all.

Could we really pull it off in such short notice? Wow, I hope Alec still has his camping gear.

Chapter 3

It's the morning before my birthday and I am super excited, there is still so much to do. It almost didn't happen; Mr Trundle one of our neighbours and a good friend of my father's had to pull a few strings with the local councillor but thankfully are camp night was allowed to proceed.

Around lunchtime we had almost everything ready so we headed to the local supermarket to get some food and disposable barbecues.

Taylor had armfuls of snacks, giggling and bouncing around, probably more excited than me but I was looking forward to spending quality time with friends,

"Hey Jade, fancy meeting you here"

"oh hi Tommy"

There he is, right in front of me, his lovely grin shining on his face…

"I thought I would have heard from you by now" he grins at me,

"Oh yer sorry, I've been quite busy arranging my birthday, oh err sorry this is my friend Taylor, Tay this is Tommy"

Tommy smiled at Taylor and politely shook her hand,

"Nice to meet you, so did you girls get your birthday sorted then?"

"Yer"

"Do I get an invite?"

I flash a glance at Taylor but she's already nodding her head,

"We are camping out but it's tonight and you will need your own tent"

"Camping? In the middle of winter?"

"Yer, it adds to the fun I reckon" grins Taylor,

"Well yer I guess so, I'm up for that, If it's ok by you of course Jade?"

Damn it, he's put me on the spot,

"Sure it's ok by me" I respond, trying not to show my anxiety

"Can I bring my friend Stu?"

"Yer sure. Err it's on the field opposite Lea Lane, do you know it?"

"I'll find it, so what time?"

"7pm, bring a bottle as well as your tent"

"Will do and hey thanks, I'm looking forward to it. See you both at 7" he flashes me that grin and makes my heart flutter before he says goodbye and heads to the exit.

By 6:30 I'm a gibbering wreck, Taylor is finding it highly amusing,

"I mean what do I do, I like this guy, how am I going to impress him when I'm wrapped in layers with very little make-up, come on Tay stop laughing and help me"

Taylor slapped my upper arm,

"Ow, what was that for?"

"it doesn't matter what you're dressed in you always look good and if he can't see that then he isn't worth it, don't you dare change yourself because of a guy, you're camping in winter for fucks sake what would he expect you to wear mini skirt and heels?"

"Wow ok sorry, didn't mean to cause an outburst" I giggle at her "But yes you're right, he can take me as I am or not at all"

"That's right now come on we should be over there by now, Kelsey's already there and people are arriving"

"Shit, right ok, you go and start helping others set their tents up, I'll be over in like 5 minutes, I promise"

"Alright, just hurry up"

Taylor left me sat in my bedroom dressed in only jeans and a bra, I stare at the vast pile of clothes before me and find a few layers, my camp stuff is already over there, I just have to make sure I have enough layers on and a few extra to take with me just in-case. I finally pull on a long sleeved t-shirt then my grey hoody over the top; I put a few more long sleeve tops in my bag and head quickly over to Lea Lane field.

"Finally the birthday girl is here, let's get this party started"

I laughed as I scanned the field before me, at first glance I can count 7 tents, there's a bonfire blazing in the centre, it is circled by a wall of bricks, at least 3 high to contain the blaze, (councillor Ship's orders) there is already 3 barbecues burning and the delicious scent of burgers and fried onions fills the air.

"Wow, this looks awesome, thank you all for coming, I'm so excited"

Whilst I'm being pulled in to cuddles and being handed gifts I'm searching…

That's right I'm searching, I'm searching for Tommy but he is nowhere to be seen, story of my life really, I knew it was too good to be true. I mean realistically I shouldn't have expected him to show, we had talked for what like, 10 minutes.

I gazed around at all my friends, people I have known for at least 10 years, most are neighbours who became friends others are friends from senior school, that's about it really; my few colleagues from work are too girly and glamorous to spend time on a field so they had politely declined.

"You want a cheeseburger birthday girl" called Lee from across the field, I laughed and gave him thumbs up. Ok so Tommy's not here but everybody else is here and these are obviously the friends that matter, they're all here, ready to celebrate with me, well almost all…

"Oh Davy, if only you were here too" I sighed to myself.

Today is the 3rd of January, we had agreed to sit around the camp fire at midnight, then it will be officially my birthday, I agreed to save all of my gifts and cards till then and open them all together.

My burger was delicious, so were my second and third, the music isn't loud but it's enough, we had played numerous games, even twister, I'm pleasantly full and pleasantly tipsy by 10pm.

We all sat around the fire and began telling stories, playing truth or dare, basically having a ball then the ghost stories started. The field is now pitch black, only the glow from the fire and a few of the tents have lanterns in them or outside them, it's been an awesome evening and it's not over yet, a few of my friends are in couples and starting to snuggle together as the stories flow between us, all of us taking turns to tell tales, some of them quite eerie and very believable others obviously untrue and only mentioned to serve the purpose of causing us to jump.

As planned, my friends watched me as I opened my gifts at midnight, wonderful gifts, some small and precious, others handmade and adored, Kelsey had bought me some chocolates and a gorgeous framed picture of me, her and Taylor. Taylor had bought me fluffy bed-socks and a gorgeous bracelet, it's silver with a butterfly shaped pendant.

"Wow, these gifts are gorgeous, thank you, all of you"

I giggled as they broke in to a chorus of happy birthday, I got knocked flat to the floor from my seated position by the full force of cuddles from Kelsey and Taylor and we crumble in to laughter as we end up a pile on the floor.

"Wow, did I miss the best part? I didn't realise the party included women's wrestling"

The girls sat upright then helped me to sit back up,

There he was, stood before me, Tommy Garcia,

"Little late aren't you" snapped Taylor,

"Sorry, I didn't realise I was on a time table, I had some things to take care of"

He took his eyes from Taylor and laid them on me

"Have I upset you?"

I'm sat on the ground, silent, still surprised that he's actually here

"Have I?" he asks me again

Kelsey nudges me with her elbow, my dumbstruck state must have been more obvious than I thought,

"Err no"

"Good, I'm here now, that's all that matters" he responds with a side glance at Taylor,

She is not amused at all, she huffs and takes herself over to the other side of the fire and sits beside Lee,

Let me just cut off from my story a moment. When you picture myself and Davy as we were growing up, Taylor and Lee are very similar, although neither of them have admitted it they care for each other deeply, I had always wished for them to get together but it has just never happened, not yet anyway but back to the story,

As she sits beside him he drapes an arm over her shoulders protectively, both of them have an obvious distaste for my new friend.

Tommy sits beside me in the vacant spot left by Taylor and places a light kiss on my left cheek,

"Happy birthday Jade"

"Thank you"

He gives me that smile then turns to my friends all sat around the fire

"So where were you all? I'm sorry I interrupted, please continue wherever you left off"

"We had just finished singing happy birthday to Jade, we're about to continue with our ghost stories" pipes up Kelsey obviously aware of Taylor's animosity and wanting to calm everybody back to enjoying the party, yep that's Kelsey, she's just as fiery as Taylor but she's a peace keeper.

"Excellent, carry on, I have a few tales of my own"

Kelsey glances at Rachel reminding her that it's her turn, she clears her throat and begins.

"So" whispers Tommy beside me "Can I give you your gift now?"

"My gift?"

"Yer, well it is your birthday after all"

"Yes but you barely know me"

"So, I'm getting to know you"

"Err sure, ok then, thank you"

He beams that smile again then leans in a little closer and whispers in my ear,

"Close your eyes"

I glanced at him wide eyed,

"Trust me"

"I don't know you well enough yet, trust has to be earned"

He laughs and shakes his head,

"What exactly are you worried about, I am surrounded by your friends do you really think I would do anything bad to you?"

I stay silent,

"Please close your eyes, I'm sure your friend here will watch me very closely"

Kelsey nods her head and grips my hand,

I sigh and grip her hand tightly then close my eyes,

I hear him giggle and say thank you to Kelsey then I feel his hands brush aside my hair and a tickling sensation as he places what feels like a necklace around my neck then he fastens it, he puts my hair back in place then clutches my free hand,

"Ok now you can open them"

I release my hand from Kelsey and reach my hand up to touch the necklace,

"It's too dark, I can't see it"

Tommy laughs and pulls his phone out to illuminate it then Kelsey holds a compact mirror in front of me,

It is a silver necklace with a letter J pendant, at the curl of the J is a small Jade gem,

"Wow" gasps Kelsey,

I nod my agreement, too shocked to speak,

"Well do you like it? I noticed the other day when I met you that you didn't have one on so I bought you this one.

…

well…do you?"

"I don't know what to say"

"A simple yes or no will suffice"

Giggling I still can't think of any words so I just flung my arms around his neck, once again the force knocked us to the floor and I embarrassingly fell on top of him but thankfully he just cuddled me tighter and kept me there,

He gazed up at me, a wide smile on his face as my friends laughed hysterically around us,

"I'll err take that as a yes then"

I nodded my head then attempted to scramble back up,

"Wait"

Before I can speak he pulls my lips to his, I pulled away from him after mere seconds, aware of my friends watching us, he grinned and sat up taking me with him,

"Ok I was hoping for a little bit more than that but I'll take what I can get"

I glanced around me, purple faced but thankfully my friends just gave me comforting smiles then carried on with the tales.

"Why did you do that?" I whispered to Tommy when everybody's attention was elsewhere,

"I did it because I like you, why else?"

Silence flows between us,

I was in shock, not because I didn't like it but because I felt electricity between us but I was scared, I had only felt those feelings with Davy after we kissed on his camp, maybe I have feelings for Tommy other than just lust?

The story telling has almost gone full circle, there is only Kelsey left to tell hers, and then Tommy if he wishes. I feel him lean in to me and turn my face to him,

"Jade, I am sorry I kissed you, I should have asked you first" he whispers to me,

"So may I…hold your hand"

I laughed as he grins at me, he knows I thought he was going to ask if he could kiss me again.

"Yes Tommy, you may hold my hand" I responded with a smile,

He entwines his fingers with mine and sits himself closer, resting our joined hands on my thigh,

Kelsey finishes her tale and all eyes fall on Tommy, It takes him a while to notice,

"Oh right, I guess it's my turn"

My friends nod so he glances at me and squeezes my hand,

"I hope you don't scare easy, ghost stories our a skill of mine, mainly because my stories are true"

Grumbles and laughter flow around the fire, he stokes my thumb with his as he tells his story.

We are all mesmerised, it's as though he has lived the story he is telling.

'The story involved a small child witnessing the murder of his parents and being placed in a care home only for his day to day life to continue with his parents as ghosts in his tiny bedroom'.

"Wow" says Lee as Taylor is sat with her jaw dropping beside him,

"Yer that was an awesome story" adds Aimee

Tommy smiles and places his free hand over our held hands and looks at me,

"What did you think?"

"I think you're right, you do have ghost story telling skills"

"Thank you"

My friends begin to say their goodnights and head to their tents. Before long there is only Tommy, me, Kelsey, Taylor, Lee, Jake and Aimee,

Tommy is still clutching my hand, I glance at my phone, it's 3:15am,

I glance around us then turn back to Tommy,

"Didn't you say you were bringing a friend, err Ste?"

"Stu and yes I did but he couldn't make it"

"Where's your tent?"

"I don't have one, just let me know when you are ready to go to bed and I'll leave"

"Aw you should have said before the majority went to bed, we could have found you somebody to share with"

"I don't know anybody but you so I'd rather not"

"You barely know me either"

"True but I know you more than anybody else, don't worry, I'll go home when you're ready to sleep"

"Well I'm not really tired"

My drooping eyes must have been more obvious than I thought because he grinned and stroked my eyelids, they stayed closed longer than I wanted before I flicked them back open,

"Not tired huh, sure. You know that's twice you have lied to me, how about you try the truth for a change"

"Twice…what are you talking about?" his amused expression makes me giggle,

"Yes Jade twice! You told me when we first met that you had been to an all-night new year's party, which you hadn't and you are now telling me you're not tired when clearly you are. So…what is the truth?"

I crumbled in to laughter and my head involuntarily rests against his shoulder, he released my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist pulling me closer,

"Well?"

"Well I am sorry and it won't happen again"

…

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What's the truth?"

"How much of it?"

"All of it"

Before I knew it, I had blurted out basically my life story, my failed relationship with Henry and my joys and sorrows over Davy. He listened to every word I said, agreed, sympathised and corrected me when I blamed myself for it all. Once I had finished rambling and had embarrassingly sobbed about Davy I was more exhausted than when I started.

"Listen very carefully Jade, you are something special, there are very few men in this world that will cherish you for who you are and as far as I'm concerned they are all fools"

"Thanks Tommy, that's really sweet"

"It's also very true"

I smile as he strokes my damp cheeks and places a light kiss on my forehead,

"I'm going to go, you are shattered and you need some sleep, it's almost 4:30am"

I freeze, I don't want him to leave, I clutch both his hands before he can stand up, as soon as he turns to me I place my lips against his. I feel the initial resistance, probably the same he felt from me earlier but then he pulls me tight to him and places his hand in my hair, holding me to him and causing my entire body to reach for him. Our kiss seems to last forever, I don't care I am already lost in him, I don't want to be anywhere else, I stand, still holding his hands and take him in to my tent, I have no intention of letting him leave.