DARCY
Walking into the house, it’s noisy. People talking and laughing. It’s homely, I wish my house was like this. NO DARCY… no feeling sad, I berate myself.
Adam still has my hand encased in his, it’s protective, he makes me feel safe. We walk further into the house until we reach the lounge door. Adam walks in first as I tuck myself in behind him.
“YO!” Says Adam as we walk into the living room. I have no choice but to come out of his shadow as Taylor sees me.
“Darcy!” Taylor squeals as she jumps up and greets me. She wraps her arms around me and hugs me tightly to her chest. She’s about three inches taller than me but then, everyone is taller than me.
She drags me to the couch and sits me down beside her. “Stacy?” She looks up bored from checking out her fingernails. “Have you met Darcy yet?”
I give a little wave and say hi, but gives me a forced kind of smile. She then introduces me to Aidan, who’s a little friendlier than her.
“What are you two up to today?” Taylor speaks from the side of me. I turn to face her and shrug.
“I don’t know. We had a few problems at home last night and I was a little upset so Adam offered to pick me up this morning. I haven’t a clue what we’re doing though.” I don’t know why I seem to able to tell Taylor, everything? It just seems so natural to me.
“We should so go shopping. Have a girlie day - whatcha say?”
“Erm... I’m not sure. I don’t have much money, maybe another time.”
“No way, nothing cheers you up more than a little retail therapy... other than sex of course!” she says looking thoughtful but in a quieter voice as I burst out laughing.
All the men look up as I blush. “I’ll text Ash now and make sure she’s not at work.”
Before I can refuse again, Taylor is tapping away at her screen and looking pleased with herself, while I, on the other hand, I’m feeling a bit nauseous knowing I really don’t have the spare cash to spend.
“Adam. Darcy is coming with me for some retail therapy…” her phone sounds as she tells him, “Oh and with Ash too. Stacy?” She looks towards her as she lifts her head, “Would you like to come with us?”
Stacy looks to Aidan then looks back to us. “I can’t today but next time. We have to get going soon.”
“Okay, next time.” Taylor smiles at her and Stacy very slightly lifts the corners of her lips and smiles back. In fact, she hasn’t smiled much at all in the half an hour I’ve been here.
“Hey, Aid. Why don’t you let her go with the girls and we can go for a pint or something?”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
“It’s not my decision, she can go if she wants.” Aidan answers gruffly.
“I was just saying. We don’t see you much so it’d be good and I could whip your arse at pool, like I used to.” Aidan narrows his eyes at Adam as he laughs, “I was just joking. Lighten up, will you? Jesus, I remember the days when you were fun!”
Taylor leans across and quietly speaks in my ear. “Ash says she’s ready now if you are. We can leave these to slug it out.”
Looking at her wide eyed, “Will they fight?” I ask worried.
“God no! Chris won’t let them, but I say we go now, Adam and Aidan don’t really see eye to eye.” Agreeing, I stand from the sofa, grab my bag and walk towards Adam and say bye with a kiss. He walks to the front door with me and takes his wallet from his pocket.
“Adam, I don’t want your money, I’ll be fine.” He slips a card out of its holder.
“Take that just in case you see something you like.” He holds the credit card between his fingers out to me.
“No!”
“Take it.” I know I’m not going to win this one, so I take the card, kiss his lips and back away. “See you soon.” I get into Taylor’s car and wave from the window, then blow him a kiss. My phone pings with a message from my bag. Taking it out I see a message from Adam with his pin number on, I close it off and drop it back in my bag.
* * * * * * * * *
We pick up Ash from her house. Ash is Taylor’s pregnant best friend, this is the first time I’ve met her though. She’s around the same height as me and really pretty with dark hair. She gets in the back of the car and stretches out.
“Hey Ash. This is Darcy, Adam’s girlfriend.”
“Oh hey. Nice to meet you.” Ash says.
“Hi, how far are you gone?”
“Not far enough.” She laughs as we begin heading towards the Trafford Centre, the main shopping centre in town and is huge, I very rarely go shopping anyway but never here as it’s always so busy. Taylor and Ash are singing along to the radio while I sit here with my thoughts.
I lean my head against the window. I probably shouldn’t have left this morning, in fact I probably shouldn’t have said what I said last night to my Dad. It did need to be said but what if I’ve made things worse…
“Hey, why aren’t you singing?”
I look across at Taylor and grin sadly. The girls just want a good time and I’m sat here feeling guilty. “I don’t sing, unless I’m in the shower of course.”
“Are you okay? If you want to share Ash and I are good listeners - I promise.”
“Yeah, I’ve had to listen her whining for years!” Ash says with a smile spread across her face.
“Bitch! You love me,” says Taylor as she looks into the rear-view mirror then blows a kiss to Ash. Smiling, I love how these girls get along. They have such a strong friendship.
“How did you two meet?” Looking at each other, Taylor and Ash smirk as Taylor dives into the story of how they became friends.
They’ve kept me that entertained with their stories that my guilt has slipped to the back of my mind and I haven’t even noticed the forty-five-minute journey. Before we know it, we are pulling on to the car park looking for a car space.
Taylor drags us into shop after shop, boy that girl can shop. I stare into the window of the next shop, lingerie, sexy lingerie. That can only be one place - Ann Summers. I walk in, I’m looking at the underwear, picking it up and admiring the garments, I secretly wish I had the nerve to wear something like this. Adam and I haven’t even had sex yet, but god I want to.
I pick up a black lacy all in one number, with suspender straps hanging from the bottom. It has thin shoestring straps at the front leading into thicker at the back for the adjustments for the bra, I smooth my palm down the middle of the bodice, the satin feels soft and sensual under my hand.
“You should so buy that, it’s fucking gorgeous!” Taylor says in my ear. It really is though. “Look Darce, matching knickers to,” she says holding them up and waving them in the air.
“Taylor, do you have to wave them about.” I feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I say it. “What - it’s just underwear, I could be waving one of these around.”
I steal a look to see what she’s got now and to my embarrassment, she’s waving around a dildo! A big one – it’s at least eight inches.
“Fucking hell Taylor stop it.” I cover my face with my hands to hide my blush, then walk away from her laughing.
“Have you seen the fucking size of this? It’s fucking HUGE!” She walks over to where Ash and I are, waving around another one. She puts down the dildo and goes to another stand with sexier underwear.
“I don’t see the point of crotchless knickers, do you girls? I mean if you’re gonna wear those...” she holds them up and stretches them, “You may as well just go commando - or is it just me?”
Ash and I are doubled up holding our bellies from laughing so much. “Hmm, I may take Chris a present home. You should buy those you looked at.”
Picking the all in one backup from the stand, I look at the price ticket. £49.50 - shit! I look at the price of the thong. £15.00! Oh my god. I don’t think I’ll be buying those. I walk back to the girls as they take their purchases to the counter.
“I’m gonna wait outside.”
Ash nods and Taylor doesn’t respond. Finding a bench, I sit down and take the weight off my feet from walking around for hours and put the very few purchases that I have made on the floor.
The most I spent was in Primark - that’s more my price range. I’m looking through my phone as the girls walk back towards me with three bags. Taylor thrusts the Ann Summers bag at me.
“I think that’s the right size just check. Give Adam a surprise.” she says as she smiles wide.
“Taylor...!” I look inside the bag and just as I expected - there’s the all in one body and the thong I was looking at. “I can’t let you buy this.”
“You didn’t let me. I did. A little present from me to you. Adam can thank me later,” Taylor replies with a smug grin on her face. I fling my arms around her neck and thank her, even though I know she won’t take no for an answer.
“Girls it’s time for dinner, little one is hungry,” Ash rubs over her pregnant tummy and smirks.
“Yes, and whatever my niece wants, she gets.”
“Are you having a girl?”
“We don’t know yet. Taylor’s convinced it’ll be a girl though. I have my twenty-week scan in two weeks, I want to know but Ryan doesn’t.”
“It will be!” Taylor shouts. We grab our bags and head towards the pub for lunch. This has been the best day and just what I needed.