Track 8
‘SCHOOL’S OUT’ (ALICE COOPER)
‘How did it go, honey?’ Eve’s voice over the airwaves was music to Adam’s ears.
‘Well, it was gruelling to say the least,’ he replied, huffing the air out of his lungs and collapsing back on the sofa. He shuffled his jacket down his arms while tucking his phone under his ear.
‘Did you get any vibes at all? How did your presentation go? Did your lesson go okay? And did the kids seem to like you?’ Eve’s questions came out in a rush, making Adam smile.
He chuckled. ‘Erm… hang on… let me get this right… not really… quite well… great and yes.’
‘Adam!’ She sounded frustrated.
‘Sorry,’ he replied with a chuckle. ‘The presentation went great thanks to you making me be uber prepared. The practice lesson was brilliant! We had a discussion about acrostic poems. I got them all to make an acrostic poem using their names. Some of them were amazing. I was so impressed. The kids were great fun. Awww, I really want this job, Evie.’
She sighed. ‘You’ll get it, honey. I just know you will.’
‘I wish I had your optimism. Anyway, when are you coming over? I miss you and I haven’t made love to you in almost a week.’ His voice turned to a husky low whisper.
She moaned in his ear, sending shivers down his spine. ‘Hmm, I was thinking the same thing. I would’ve come over tonight but I thought you might be too tired.’
He sat upright. ‘Too tired for you? Never. Come over now if you like.’
‘I’ve just got some things to sort out for work and then I’ll come over, okay?’
‘Hmm, can’t wait. Hurry up, okay?’
After leaving university, Eve had moved with her friends into a house on the outskirts of Edinburgh, on the road to Jedburgh.
Her postgrad internship with a small local newspaper didn’t pay much, but considering she had three other housemates her rent was fairly low.
She was stuck doing the births, deaths and marriages – AKA hatches, matches, and dispatches – at first but didn’t really mind.
Adam had attended several interviews but had been hitherto unsuccessful.
High-school English teacher vacancies were few and far between and the competition for each one fierce.
More applicants than available posts; that was the issue.
This latest one had felt different. The high school was a fairly rural prospect, but the kids had been great. Very respectful, unless they were lulling him into a false sense of security – a highly plausible possibility.
Adam shared a house with a guy named Max that he too had met at uni. He had been working, along with Max, in a large bookstore in the centre of Edinburgh to tide him over, and his work colleagues were rooting for him.
Lily? Well, Lily had inherited a tidy sum from a Spanish aunt and had gone travelling.
She had spent less and less time around them lately and had a string of loser boyfriends who she joked she was just using for sex.
Travelling had been something she had always dreamed of.
And so, when the opportunity arose, she grabbed it with both hands.
Her gift of the gab meant she quickly made contacts and was soon busy working as a freelance journalist as she travelled, which kept her in the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed.
Every so often either Adam or Eve would receive a postcard or a letter containing a photo of her in the arms of some Italian/Portuguese/Spanish man – delete as applicable. She looked as if she was having fun and Adam hoped she was.
As if waiting in the wings, the phone rang as soon as he had hung up from his call to Eve.
It was Lily.
‘G’day, Adders! So are you soon going to be teaching the children of some poor unsuspecting Scottish parents or what?’
He held the phone away from his ear as Lily’s voice boomed down the receiver into his ill-prepared cochlear. ‘Hey, Lil. No news yet. I think it went well though.’
‘Fantastic! So what are you up to? Is Eve there?’
‘No, not yet. She’s coming over soon, though. Where are you?’
She snorted down the line. ‘Durrr! Australia! Didn’t you get that from my greeting?’
He nodded as if she could see him. ‘Ah, yes, sorry. Fried brain. Having a good time down under?’
‘It’s awesome, Adders! And I have met the most goooorgeous guy! His name’s Bodhi Knight and he’s really hot. He’s a bloody underwear model!’ she squealed.
‘Hmm, great. He doesn’t sound like a stereotypical surfer dude at all.’ He winced at his own sarcasm. ‘So, what happened to Alberto?’ He remembered the last photo he had received.
‘Oh, he went back home. Didn’t follow the rest of us to Aus. We said we’d keep in touch but…’
Another notch marked on Lily’s imaginary bedpost.
Hesitantly, he offered, ‘Lily, be careful, okay?’
She giggled. ‘What? Me? I’m always careful.
I’m just having so much fun!’ Her voice was bright, but Adam couldn’t help the concern rising within him.
‘Hang on, Ad— What? Now? Okay, I’ll just be a minute.
’ She spoke to someone in the room with her.
‘Look, Adders, I have to go. I’ll call in a few days to see if you’ve heard anything. Bye!’
Before Adam could respond, the line went dead.
A sense of unease niggled at his gut. He knew she was out there to experience life and to have fun, but she was taking it to the extreme.
It seemed there was not only a different job at each stop-off point on her travels but a different man too.
He just wanted to know she was okay, but he got the feeling that even if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t tell him.
He climbed from the sofa and went to the kitchen to get a bottle of wine. Max was there, rubbing at his damp blond hair with a towel.
‘Oh, hiya, bud. How was the interview?’
Adam nodded. ‘Yeah, it went well, I think.’
Max smiled. ‘Excellent, excellent. Fingers crossed, eh? Is Eve coming round tonight to celebrate?’
Adam felt his face warming. ‘Aye, she is. Are you heading out?’ he asked, noting Max was wearing his favourite green shirt.
Max grinned. ‘Sure am. Off to meet Tia from work and staying at her place tonight so don’t wait up.’ He finished his sentence with a wink.
Adam chuckled. ‘As if I would’ve waited up anyway, you nob.’
Max laughed. ‘I love you, too, bud. Have a good one.’ He slotted his towel over the radiator, ran his fingers through his hair and grabbed his jacket.
Adam watched Max leave, excited to know that once Eve arrived they would have the place to themselves and he fist bumped the air. Sex anywhere tonight then.
There was a knock at the door, and he dashed to answer it. And there she was. He inhaled sharply. She never failed to leave him breathless. She wore a long red coat and underneath that was a black and grey satin dress, which clung to her curves in the most delicious way.
He felt his blood rush southwards just at the mere sight of her standing there. He scooped her up in his arms, kicking the door closed behind him.
‘God, I’ve missed you,’ he whispered as he nuzzled her neck.
‘Adam, I saw you yesterday.’
‘Yes, but that was only a brief meeting. I haven’t seen you-seen you in almost a week.’ He kissed her deeply, sneaking his tongue into her mouth.
She pulled away briefly and said, ‘You mean you haven’t seen me naked in almost a week.’
He nibbled on her bottom lip. ‘Hmm, that too.’
She groaned. ‘Now you come to mention it, I have missed this,’ she breathed as his lips moved to her neck. She slid her hands up his arms and into his hair as his lips brushed hers once again.
Pulling back, she gazed into his eyes. ‘I’ll take my coat off and then we can continue this.’
After taking advantage of the fact that the house was otherwise empty, Adam lay back on the sofa with a naked Eve in his arms. She rested her head on his bare chest but as she stroked lazy circles on his skin his mind wandered again to Lily.
He clenched and unclenched his jaw, annoyed at himself for allowing her escapades to distract him from the perfect woman in his arms.
Eve reached up and kissed his nose. ‘I brought wine. I thought we could order a take-away and maybe have a nice long soak together.’
He smiled. Her suggestion sounded like his idea of sheer bliss and he nodded. She knew just what he wanted, just what he liked, and he wanted to keep things like this.
Forever.