STAND 14

Once in the car I stare at him “stop looking at me like that, you’re making me all uncomfortable. I’m a good-old fashioned boy. I’m blushing can’t you see?”
I ruffle his hair
“I said stop it, you know how long it takes me to get my hair look like I didn’t fix them?”
I rest my head on his shoulder; we’re almost at the airport. “What you did before…in front of your family…”
“Oh, the hug thing?” and winks “That was a fine touch I thought could impress the audience, don’t you agree? I bet I impressed you”
“Pull over” I command
“What?” he thinks I’m kidding
“I said pull over, now”
He looks at me puzzled but he does it. I bend over and I kiss him, a slow and sensual kiss. My hands run across his face. I manage to straddle him. He breaks our kiss and smile at me amused “good morning to you too” he whispers.
I manage to fit my leg between his seat and the door. “I knew those boring yoga classes were going to pay off eventually” I say smoothing few locks from his eyes.
“As much as I’m enjoying this, we’re gonna miss our plane”
“I know” I whisper in his mouth not stopping planting soft wet kisses on his lips “I’ll be done in a second”
“Speak for yourself”. And we both giggle.
“Jason, what you did, no man has ever done it for me before. I love you too”
He stares at me and he kisses me this time, our lips barely touch, but our tongues play with each other. I catch my breath. “We better get going. I’m gonna have a week to show you how much I like you”
“You loved me no later than a minute ago” he teases me
“I’m moody, that’s what makes me so special, but you can always try to make me change my mind”
He kisses me back and hands me his mobile. I look at him puzzled.
“Call Maddi, we’ve just missed our flight”
“I just wish your mother could see us now” I laugh
He rolls his eyes “…and we’re ready to board! Thank you very much!” places his hands on my waist and pushes me back into my seat. I laugh hysterically at his reaction.
“What are you laughing at? Of all people in the world you had to mention my mother. Now! Do you have any idea how depressing is that?”
“I’m sorry….” I say snorting
“I can tell…”
I nibble his ear but he pushes me away “don’t even think about it. You’re done messing with my feelings! We have a plane to catch”
“Yes daddy” I whisper tracing imaginary lines on his neck with my nails “I’m sorry I’ve been naughty, do you wanna punish me now?”
“Get the damn phone and call Maddi, we’ll get there in 3 hours but I don’t want to see them at the airport. Tell her we’re busy.”
I sit back and smile at myself “…mother…” I whisper
He starts tickling me with his left hand “it’s going to be a long trip”.


I look at him while his handing our IDs to the man at the check-in counter at the airport. He’s so perfect, how could I think about cheating on him less than 24 hours ago? I step closer to him and take his arm. Jason smiles back “if you keep rubbing against me like that I’m gonna start thinking there’s something you need to be forgiven for. What did you do? You know you can tell me, don’t you? As long as you didn’t eat the last piece of my mother’s cheesecake you’re not in trouble, I promise”
*I wish babe*
We’re about to board and my mobile rings “Lara! How are you? Don’t you ever sleep?”
“Jet lag! So it is true, you’re not coming either” *we’re both in pretendingland, it’s gonna be interesting*
“We’re going to Munich, can’t wait to be out of here”
“I’ve never been a big fun of cold cities, I like the ocean better” *a little chit-chat to make her at ease*
“Isn’t it great it’s a free world?” *so not buying La*
“We had so many things planned and now it’s going to be just me and Gary…” *come on honey, rise to the bait*
*breath in, breath out* “Aren’t Camilla and Howard coming?”
She smiles to herself “No, not anymore. He called me yesterday. Something happened, he was really upset, he’s going away with his sister, he needs time on his own”
“Sam is very nice” *DO-H, boy Lara is good*
“So you’ve met her?” *busted*
*curtains down, the pantomime is over* “Your mate is a moron La”
“He’s not”
“Take my word for it”
“I know him”
“No, you know the way he behaves when he’s with you. He adores you. You have no idea the way he treats other women”
“I’m telling you”
“I don’t want to hear about him. This conversation is going nowhere. I need to board the plane. Jason doesn’t know I saw him yesterday. I trust you on that”
“We need to talk when I get back”
“I’d love to see you but the moron is not going to be on our agenda” *repeat after me: you want to be hungry, you have the right to be hungry*
“Why don’t you call him?”
“To hear him say I’m just a spoiled brat? No thanks, I’ve had enough. Besides, I'm not talking to him”
“I just wish I could bang your heads together. It’s just a big misunderstanding”
I take a deep breath “I like you a lot, but this is a no way road. Jason’s waiting for me. Gotta go, talk to you soon”


We get to Munich and exit the airport to be welcomed by a cold breeze and a drizzle. I snuggle against Jason who’s pushing the cart with our bags “are you sure we’re not still in Manchester? Maybe your mother paid the airline to bring us back”
He kisses my head “I’m gonna make you pay of 5 quid fine every time you mention her, and I’m gonna buy her a huge present with your money”
“Sometimes I just feel the urge to ditch you in the middle of the road”
“And you don’t do it because I’m incredible sexy”
“And filthy rich and famous…” I freeze in the middle of the street. “Jay LOOK! Oh my God, that’s disgusting!” and I point right in front of us.
He laughs and yells “you’re right! Hey the two of you! There are children around! Stuff like that will cost their parents a fortune. Do you have any idea how much a good shrink charges nowadays? … behave!”
Mark and Maddi are standing in front of the car snogging like two teenagers. We walk to them “I mean it! Maddi!
They look at us, their faces all flushed “you should be ashamed!” I tease her.
“Welcome to Germany!” Mark says trying to hug me and kiss me.
“Don’t you even think getting your filthy mouth any closer to me” and I push him away. Maddi looks at me like she’s scanning my brain to see what’s going on inside it.
Jason opens the trunk and notices it’s already half full with their bags “What’s going on?”
“Change of plan!” Maddi yells.
We look at her puzzled.
“Munich is an amazing city, but if I spend another day in the same country as my parents I’m going to drive my car into a canyon hoping to die. So I, erm we” and smiles at Mark “decided to book ourselves into a place we, as in you and me, my Italian friend, luuuvvvvvvvv”
“A hint?” I ask
“Three words for you, Austria, ski and alcohol”
“St. Anton!” I scream and jump
Jason looks at us while Mark shakes his head.
“You are a genius! Oh Jay! You should have seen us! We rocked the place last year…”
“I don’t want to know”
“But…”
“I don’t want to know HONEY”
“Well the hotel is amazing, and just wait till we get there, the snow, fireplaces, the hot tub… especially the hot tub”
“DON’T-WANT-TO-KNOW! “ and cups my face kissing me to shout me up.
I catch my breath “but before we go, we need to drive back into town”.
“No need to, Austria is that direction” Mark says pointing south like a stewardess pointing at the emergency exits of a plane.
I roll my eyes and place my hand on his shoulder “lesson number one Markie, never ever contradict the driver”
“Maddi said I could drive…”
“Yeah right, next time maybe. I do the driving, she reads the map. The two of you, seat in the back”
“Titti, I have long legs, there’s not enough room” Jay objects
“I feel for you, I really do honey. Now, don’t be a wimp and fasten your seat belt. We’re in Munich and we need to pay our respect to Al. You haven’t been there without me Maddi, have you?”
“I would never do such thing. You know me. Always together! The three of us”
“Who’s Al?” Mark asks “and this ‘three of us’ thing, what do you mean?”
She laughs “Al is the hottest man in the world. And we always go to see him. No matter what we do or what our mental state is.” Maddi replies
“Do you reckon we should tell them when we came here for the October Fest, got dead drunk and showed up at…”
“We better not, some things are better left unsaid”
“Maybe. Everybody on board.”
“So who’s Al, how long have the two of you known him?” Mark is becoming increasingly nervous.
We look at each other “what do you reckon Titti, could it be 6 years?”
“Yeah, more or less”
“Who is he?”
“Are you jealous Markie?”
“I mean..” he says “how hot are we talking here? Is he hotter than me?”
“It doesn’t take much” and I laugh while Maddi elbows me in the ribs and says “leave him alone!”
“And how old is he?”
“Let me think, he was born 1471, so he’s about what? More than 500 years old…?”
He gently smacks her head “500?”
“It’s Albrecht Durer, little Mancunian Othello. If you feel threatened by a dead painter you’re in serious trouble”
“I said leave him alone Titti” Maddi repeats
Jason keeps very silent looking at us.
I pull over in front of the main entrance to the Alte Pinakothek and unfasten my seat belt. “Here we are. It will take us few minutes. We go inside, drool in front of his self-portrait and we’ll be right back”
“You are so not right. He cannot be that hot. I’m coming too” Mark says, but Jason pats his leg mouthing “no mate”.
I look back at him and blow him a kiss.
Maddi and I start crossing the garden in front of the museum “so what’s going on? What did you do?”
“I told you, had a nice friendly chat with his mother and I had to get out of there. Coffee?”
“No thanks. Of course, this is the official version. No I want to have the classified information”
I tighten my scarf around my neck “You won’t believe it”
“That much I know”
“I almost cheated on Jason”
“WHAT?”
“Shush”
“Shush my ass, what did you do? And HOW did you manage to find yourself another man? You know no-one in Manchester and you were there for less than 3 days... who are you, super-adulteress? Did you use your super powers to scan the male population? Don’t tell me is one of his brothers”
“You crazy? One orange is more than enough thanks!”
“So who is he? How did you find him?”
“You don’t want to know”
“Try me”
“…he found me…”
She stares at me and I see her eyes widen “Diddilydougie!”