Jump Start

11. Eleven

Eleve n

Thomas

W hat’s your address? Should I bring the onions? Harper’s sarcastic text message made me smile. I steadied myself against the kitchen bench and wrote back, Just bring your usual sassy self and sent through the address. Having her in such close proximity was going to be interesting, to say the least. I knew she would be trying me on for size, and I guess I was doing the same thing. We had been in each other’s lives for only a few months, but things were getting less aggressive between us and more calm, friendly even. Our date had gone well, but I wanted to make sure what I felt was real when she kissed me the other night. I didn’t really have time for a relationship, but I knew I could make time for the right person.

I decided on a barbecue for lunch because it gave me an excuse to use my outdoor kitchen, which was currently gathering dust. As I trolled the supermarket, I put sausages in my basket. There you go, Harper, I thought. I could imagine her face when she saw that I was actually doing a sausage sizzle. Of course, it would be a little more sophisticated than that—salad, corn on the cob, grilled chicken, that sort of thing.

I stocked my outdoor fridge with low-calorie beer, as I had no idea what she liked to drink during the day. Technically, I wasn’t supposed to drink at all at this stage in the season, but what Chris didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

My house was as presentable as it would ever be, so I thought I would spend some time working on my baby, my 1975 GTO Monaro—the only thing I’d ever loved in this world. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but one of my favourite things to do was tinker around and fix things on her while I was home, which sometimes was only a few days at a time.

This house that I had built for myself and my GTO were my two biggest accomplishments, things I was proud to say I earnt. My upbringing was privileged, there was no denying it, but I refused to let that dictate how I would progress in my chosen career. Sometimes, I would use only one of my last names when I applied for jobs or entered karting races, ‘Thomas Henry’ or ‘Thomas Jackson’. I guess that was one of the good things about having a hyphenated last name. My family were one of the top racehorse stud breeders in the country, so of course people knew who I was and who my family were. I wanted to make a name for myself outside of that, and preferably entirely on my own.

I had planned on getting changed before Harper arrived but, as usual, I got lost in my GTO and by the time I heard tyres on the front driveway, I was already wearing the dingiest shorts and T-shirt with holes in it that I owned.

She would hang me for this.

** *

Harper

After a fairly quiet Saturday, I was keen for Sunday to arrive so I could make my way out to Thomas’s house, if for nothing other than a sticky beak. I fired up maps on my phone and turned the music up as I made my way out of the city and out towards the north-western side. The closer I got to Thomas’s house, the more picturesque the scenery was—green fields, horse studs, and beautifully presented homes lined each side of the roads. I pulled up outside two black gates and double-checked the address he gave me. All of a sudden, the gates opened and before I could stop myself, I was driving through them.

As I drove through, I rationalised to myself that this couldn’t be his house, that he was looking after it for someone, and I thought, why would he not have a nice house? He was successful. My inner monologue was rudely interrupted when I had to slam on the brakes for a small family of ducks crossing the driveway.

“Shit!” I said out loud to myself. Moments later, there was a knock on my window. I jumped and opened the door.

“You almost took out the family of ducks I’ve been nurturing for ages,” Thomas’s dry voice teased me as I got out of the car.

“In my defence, they came out of nowhere.”

“Ah, yes, every reckless driver’s excuse. Find the place, okay?”

“I’m here, so, yes?” I answered his stupid question with an even dumber one. Putting his arm around my shoulders, he shut my car door and kissed me on the cheek. I could feel the nerves building in my body, still a little unsure of how we were supposed to interact with each other.

“This is such a nice house!” I spoke a little softer as I took in my surroundings. As we approached the newly built modern home, Thomas opened the door and let me step inside first.

“Well, some might say that I have achieved relative success so far, you know sponsorships and stuff, it all adds up.”

As I admired the entryway and adjacent room, there was already a lot to take in. The large cabinet full of trophies and small model cars, the racing sim set up in a spare room directly off the entry, and a long hallway, which I could only assume led to the lounge room or kitchen. I slowly walked down to find the large open plan living and kitchen area with an outdoor pool and deck.

“There is so much house for one person,” I whispered, not really meaning to say it out loud. He laughed but didn’t respond.

“So, what’s the plan today?” I asked looking over at Thomas who was leaning against his kitchen bench, long legs crossed at the ankles again. I didn’t realise before, but he was wearing shorts and an old T-shirt with holes in it.

“Thank you for dressing up for the occasion.”

He looked down at his legs. “Ah well, you’ll live.”

Were we even capable of having a conversation that didn’t involve banter or sarcasm? I wasn’t sure.

I decided I would try and move things along. “How long have you been here?” I questioned as I perched myself on the edge of his lounge suite.

“About eight months. The build was finished about a year ago, but I was living in my parents’ guest house and didn’t feel the need to move. I’m not home a lot. ”

Looking around the living area, I felt unsure about how to proceed, not like me to be out of words very often.

“Well, let’s get lunch started, hey? You go sit out at that table on the deck and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Doing as he said, I took a seat on the wooden chair and placed my handbag on the table. Looking out across the parcel of land beyond his property, I noticed there were horses in the distance, grazing on fresh green grass, and other homes similar to Thomas’s. The sound of loud clinking in the kitchen distracted me and I turned to see what the commotion was, only to find Thomas trying to get out of the door without a free hand. I stood up to help him.

“Thanks, Harps,” he said, his gratitude genuine. I didn’t usually let people call me any form of nickname unless they were my family, but for some reason, I didn’t mind Thomas doing so. This could be the first of many things.

Sitting back down on my perch, I watched him fire up the barbecue and get the contents ready to put on once it was hot enough. He walked over to a small bar fridge on the deck, leant down and grabbed two beers, then handed one to me.

“Cheers, or something,” Thomas said as we clashed our bottles together.

“Or something, yep!”

Our conversation kept dying every few minutes, and I wasn’t sure if it was because I was nervous, or he was.

“Let me put some music on,” he announced right before he threw food onto the grill.

“Better not be that shit taste in music of yours,” I yelled over the sizzling.

“My music taste is superior,” he replied. “Get on board, girl. ”

I think I want to , I thought.

Sure enough, his music started blasting out of a speaker that was sitting inside his lounge room. Thomas started to dance around with tongs in his hands. I wasn’t quite sure what I was witnessing but I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re an idiot,” I laughed, and I took another sip of beer. I smiled as he walked over to me and planted the softest kiss on my lips before returning to the grill. That stopped me laughing in my tracks. He was trying to show me his softer side, and all I needed to do was enjoy it.

“Are you secretly a dork?” I asked as the dancing slowed down. His face relaxed into a smile, as he continued to tend to the barbecue.

“I wouldn’t say secretly.”

Suddenly, a sausage caught fire causing him to freak out momentarily.

“Shit!” I instinctively stood back and watched him as he turned the heat down and salvaged the sausage, mostly.

“Must have been some old oil. You know, I have no idea when I used this last,” he said casually as he motioned towards the grill with his tongs.

I laughed and perched on a chair beside the barbecue, the beer swinging between my thumb and index finger.

“So, what’s next for Harper Allenwright?” Thomas asked as the excitement of the burnt sausage simmered down.

I took a moment before answering.

“Hmm, well I guess I’ll go back to writing pieces about politicians and investment trends.” Thomas rolled his eyes.

“I know, must sound boring to someone who literally flies around a racetrack in a rocket.” He leant in a little closer to me .

“Well, the F1 guys are in a rocket, GT is a few ticks slower.”

I nodded in agreement, even though I didn’t understand the difference. Yet . The conversation fell short for a few moments.

“Are there many people your age at the Daily ?” Thomas asked. I felt grateful that he was making an effort to keep the conversation going.

“It’s a mixed bag. I have one friend, Meredith, who writes the lifestyle pieces. She’s nice, but I wouldn’t say we’re particularly close.” I took a quick sip of beer as I noticed it was starting to get warm. I couldn’t remember the last time I drank beer.

“Yeah, I guess I’m lucky Echidna feels like my second family, sometimes my first, really.”

I nodded; I understood the feeling of loneliness.

“I know. You truly are lucky. With my dad in the Army, we moved around so often, I guess I just found it easier to learn how to be by myself and how to enjoy it. Every time I would get close to someone or have a small group of friends, we would move. It got to a point where I didn’t even try anymore.” I felt my face fall, thinking of all the friends I purposely lost touch with to save myself the pain of saying goodbye.

Thomas reached his hand out and placed it over mine, a small smile on his lips.

“That can’t have been easy, I’m sorry.” His sincerity was so genuine that I instinctively stood up and wrapped my arms around him. He didn’t resist, but he did rest his chin on my head.

I didn’t want this little moment to end between us. We were making a connection, getting to know each other on a new level.

“Well, I better finish up or we might be having toast for lunch,” he spoke, his voice vibrating against my cheek. My face was still pressed against his chest.

I reluctantly pulled myself away from him, and he smiled at me warmly.

Damn.

***

Lunch was delicious and I was definitely impressed by his barbecuing skills. We sat at his outdoor table together, not particularly talking a lot but finding new ways to touch each other more. He would hold my hand as I ate or brush the hair from my face. It felt nice. I had to keep reminding myself that moments like this with Thomas needed to be cherished, saved in a little part of my mind that could savour them for later when I was alone.

“How about the rest of the house tour?” Thomas asked as we finished up our lunch.

I nodded and followed behind him, noticing a spring in his step as he spoke. Leading me towards a shed, he opened the sliding door to reveal a very bright orange car.

“Wow!” was all I could manage. It was a great-looking car for someone who knew nothing about them. He stroked the bonnet suggestively and I rolled my eyes.

“You’re a freakshow,” I said, making him smile again. It was fast becoming my new favourite thing to do.

“This is my baby, my 1975 GTO Monaro, the first thing I ever bought myself when I started making a bit of money. It’s fully restored by me and my brother and I take it out only once every now and then. She’s just too special.”

“It looks really cool. You guys did a great job,” I said trying to sound enthusiastic. He clearly loved this car and who was I to act anything other than excited for him?

After the grand tour, we ended up back at the deck and pool area. There had been some heavy flirting but also our usual back and forth. I had an idea, but it was a gamble and if not executed properly could cause mass humiliation, on my side of course.

Thomas and I were sitting beside each other with our legs in the pool, my dress hiked up to avoid getting wet. Noticing his eyes linger on my thighs, I decided to take my chance. I stood up, using his shoulder as a support, and walked around to the entry steps to the pool. He watched silently as I lifted my dress above my head, threw it in the direction of a chair and missed. Very seductive, Harper.

I wasn’t wearing a bra due to the small amount of padding in my dress. I felt my face flush with nerves but was determined. I bent to take my underwear off and ever so gracefully, or so I thought, walked into the pool, and went under the water. The temperature was cool, but a welcome comfort after being out in the sun for most of the afternoon. I came up for air, rested my crossed arms on the edge of the pool, and smiled at Thomas, who was sitting on the edge of his seat, mouth agape.

“Well, I did not see that coming, Allenwright,” he spoke slowly but still hadn’t moved. I winked at him and jumped back underwater. Swimming naked was oddly freeing and a first for me.

Moments later, as I came up for air, I spotted Thomas at the steps, pulling at the hem of his shorts, T-shirt off. His chest was broad, with light brown hairs scattered across. His body glistened in the sun with sweat and droplets of water. I dipped down so only my nose was above the water and luxuriously watched him take his shorts off and glide into the water. After seeing him completely naked, I could understand why he always acted so full of himself. Wading my way through the water towards him, we connected, and I wrapped my legs around his torso. Deciding to plant a kiss on his unsuspecting lips, I steadied myself as his arms wrapped tighter around me. I felt him hard against my stomach, and I ached for him to enter me. Each kiss was more ravenous than the last. We were getting to know each other, and not just with witty flirting.

Thomas guided us to the steps and pulled me up with him. I held his hand and followed willingly.

He placed me on his kitchen island bench, and as I sat with my legs swinging from front to back, I noticed the delicious smile forming on Thomas’s face.

“Perfect height,” he whispered to himself. I went to ask what he was talking about, then I figured it out, as he placed his hand on me, softly at first, and kissed my neck.

I closed my eyes and leant back slightly, feeling his hand caress and apply slight pressure.

“Uhhh.” I let out an involuntary moan, which only encouraged him more.

I took a breath in as I reached a familiar feeling. Grabbing him with my legs, I shifted to the edge of the bench and leant down to kiss him. His arms were muscular but quite lean. They felt hard to the touch. I smiled against his cheek as he continued to kiss my neck.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you ever since I saw you. You feel exquisite in my hands.” His voice trailed off as I managed to align him with my entrance, testing and teasing with the height difference between us.

“Fuck it,” he said and swiftly carried me over to his couch, laying me down. I waited for him to get himself ready, feeling my own arousal drip down my thighs along with the wetness from the pool. Spreading my legs open, he kissed my neck and entered me with one swift motion. The feel of him was full, strong, and delicious. I met his pace immediately and I heard him mumble something under his breath. Perhaps the animosity we had for each other was building to this moment, or maybe it was never there to begin with. I was so hungry for him, the entire afternoon had been a form of foreplay, and it was now or never in my mind. We spent what felt like hours revelling in each other’s scent, the feel of our bodies together, my hands above my head, Thomas holding them tightly. Eventually, we fell apart together, in this strange new world where we didn’t hate each other anymore.

We never did.

***

A few hours later, after a shower and an accidental nap, I walked back out to my car with Thomas beside me.

“You don’t have to go, you know,” Thomas said as he opened my car door for me.

“It’s Sunday. I’ve got to get ready for the week,” I replied.

“Fuck Sunday,” he said while pulling me in for a hug and resting his chin on my shoulder.

“You’ve changed your tune,” I remarked as I pulled away to get into the car. “Call me later,” I spoke loudly over the engine of my car starting up.

He nodded, smiled at me, and stood back to watch me until I was out of sight.