SECOND CHANCES 

By Stacey

Chapter 2:

Colin looked at his watch again for what must have been the tenth time in the last five minutes. Nine-fifty-eight. She should be here any minute now, he thought to himself as he took another drag of his ciggie as he leaned against the back wall in the alleyway behind the bar.

He’d left the bar a bit early so he could go home for a quick tidy-up, change of clothes and such and arrived back here minutes earlier to wait for Kate to get off work. Kate. He couldn’t get his mind off her since he first noticed her earlier that day. His heart raced as he checked his watch yet again. Shit, what was he doing, letting a sheila get to him like that? Get it fucking together, Mate.

Colin flicked his ciggie onto the ground and reached into his pocket to get another just as the back door to the bar swung open – startling him. He jumped, then let out a deep breath as he looked up into Kate’s deep blue eyes.

“A bit jumpy, aren’t ya?” she teased, allowing the door to slam close behind her. He grinned and let out a nervous chuckle. “Don’t worry,” she purred, “I won’t bite ya. Well, unless that’s what you want, that is.”

“Reckon you already did that once, luv,” Colin replied teasingly, then added, “Bit my head off, that is. Don’t expect I’d really like having a repeat of that.”

Kate grinned at him, raising one eyebrow, “Oh, I don’t know. Seems to me you must have enjoyed it. You asked me out and all, did you not?”

Colin chuckled again, “Yeah, well, reckon I’m just a glutton for punishment.” He tilted his head to the side, admiring how the moonlight silhouetted her beautiful face and shapely form. Like an angel, he thought.

“So, Colin, did you make any kind of plans for the two of us tonight, or is our date just going to held here in the back alleyway?” Kate asked jokingly.

Colin blushed a bit. “Oh, I don’t know,” he chuckled, “pretty nice back here, as far as alleyways go, don’t ya think? No? Okay, well then, I reckon we should probably get a move on before the bars all close up.”

Kate giggled. “Oh, so let me get this straight...you pick me up...in a bar...to take me out...to another bar?”

“Yeah, well...when you put it that way,” Colin laughed. “You got a better idea?”

Kate lifted an eyebrow, looked him up and down, then grinned. “Actually, I do,” she said, taking him by the hand. “My place is just around the corner. Got a shit-load of beer, a hell of a sound-system, and neighbors that don’t complain. What do ya say?”

“I’d say that sounds like we’re going to your place,” he replied, grinning ear-to-ear. “Lead on.”

Five minutes later, they were walking up the flight of stairs that led to Kate’s modest little flat.

Colin followed behind her, watching her backside as she walked up the stairs and smiling to himself. Midway up the first flight, Kate stopped and turned to him, grinning, “Enjoying the scenery then, are you?”

“Umm... actually, uh... yeah,” he chuckled, blushing a bit.

Kate turned back and smiled. “Good,” she told him, then continued to walk the rest of the way up and stopped in front of her flat.

She unlocked the door and motioned for Colin to go inside. He paused a moment as he stood in the doorway, looked around, then walked in and shut the door behind him. The flat was small, a bit run-down, but still tastefully yet sparsely decorated.

“Nice place,” he told her, scanning for a place to sit. It was apparent by the clutter throughout the place that she hadn’t been expecting any company this evening.

“Thanks. Oh, please, have a seat anywhere,” she told him, tossing a couple of magazines and items of clothing off the couch.

Colin sat down on the couch as Kate walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “VB alright then?” she asked, pulling out two bottles and holding them up.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” he replied, watching as she quickly flipped off the bottle caps with an opener and walked back towards him.

“Here ya go, then,” Kate said, handing him the bottle. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” he replied, clinking his bottle against hers, then taking a swig of it.

Kate stepped over to her sound-system and slipped in a CD. Soft music began to fill the air around them and she looked up and asked, “This alright with you, then?”

“It’ll do,” Colin replied, grinning, as he watched Kate saunter over to the couch to the rhythm of the music and sit down beside him.

He wasn’t sure where this was leading, but had a pretty good idea. Well, at least he hoped, anyway. They sat quietly, sipping their beers - an awkward silence - or what seemed to Colin like an eternity. Finally, Kate made the first move. Setting her beer down on a small coffee table next to her, she leaned in and kissed him full on the lips.

“Umm... wow!” Colin said, chuckling a bit, once they had come up for air. “Alright then.”

Kate smiled at him, “Sorry, I’m just not one to sit around and wait for things to fall in my lap. I tend to take charge... I see what I want and I go for it, ya know?”

“Oh, yeah?” he replied, grinning. “And what is it you... want, then?”

“You,” she stated. “I want... you. Now. Right here,” she tilted her head, grinned and added, “If it’s alright with you, that is.”

“No complaints here, luv,” Colin chuckled, and quickly took off his jacket – throwing it to the side, the rest of his clothes were soon to follow.

TO BE CONTINUED...

BACK TO PART 1

BACK TO LIBRISCROWE