To Love a Way of Life (14 page)

A sentence for a poem broke into her mind,
callused caress on tense knotted...
An image of Aaron, his strong arms massaging the tightness from her shoulders flashed across her thoughts. She smiled, imagining rough hands against her soft skin, she must have looked far away because James burst into a laugh and called to Aaron, “Meghan really enjoyed us two going at it!”

“Now there’s an idea,” Aaron said, winking at Meghan.

“Do you have those massage chairs when you wash people’s hair?” Meghan asked.

“No, but I’m doing a massage course so I can give a quick shoulder rub when I’m styling. People spend hours in those chairs”

“It’s a pity massages are so expensive.”

“I need a volunteer for my exams. I don’t know you’re if free Thursday morning, in a week and a bit, but if you want I could use a victim.”

Meghan’s anxiety raised at the thought of doing something so public but she quietened her mind. Her doctors said she needed to be more active, even if it was volunteering, and she was sure a massage would actually relax her.

“I’m free that morning,” she said. “I don’t need to get naked do I?”

Aaron hesitated, “You’d need to take your top off, well unclasp your bra and lay the straps by your side. My examiner is a woman, but if you don’t feel comfortable around the two of—”

“I’ll be ok, I think,” she said. She knew she would, the thought of someone forcing the knots out of her back had filled Meghan with happy feelings. And anyway, they were only boobs.

“If you have to back out it’s ok. There’s plenty of people in college who can fill in. You can be my first client when I’m qualified.” He winked again. Meghan always thought people who winked were pervy old men but Aaron was disgustingly charming.

––––––––

W
alking home that night Meghan really appreciated what he had said. He needed a volunteer but he didn’t want to force her into committing. She knew getting into tense situations was not good for her health. She figured she’d be ok with Aaron, they had spent the evening chatting, he was really good fun. Even if they were forced to entertain themselves. The other two were deep in conversation over website plans, but it was easy to talk to Aaron.

When Meghan arrived home she took her medication. The doctors said the pills should help her rest but she never found that to be the case. She’d often lie in bed for ninety minutes before giving up on sleep, at least for another hour or two and then she’d try again. Her GP said if she didn’t fall asleep after forty-five minutes she should get up and read, she’d only stress herself out failing to nod off.  No computer screens though. She thought him mad, if she got up after forty-five minutes she’d never fall asleep. She blessed the rare nights when was off within thirty minutes, which was usually because she had been awake the entire night before; thirty hour days were common for Meghan.

***

I
t was 2pm the next day when Meghan woke. The few hours after she got up were always tough, which is probably why she liked to stay in bed. She’d read about diurnal mood swings, where people’s mood was hell in the morning but lifted after being awake a few hours. She’d have to talk to her doctors about that, because she was always uneasy after waking up. They wouldn’t do anything though, they probably couldn’t do anything. She knew what she suffered was an acceptable level of discomfort in their opinion, even it wasn’t in her eyes.

Meghan remembered she agreed to be Aaron’s victim for his exam. She felt a slight panic rise at that but she thought logically. She knew it was a good thing to do for him, she knew she’d enjoy it, and it would be something different. She certainly couldn’t afford a massage herself. After putting her thoughts in the right context she realised she was worried about getting up so early. She hated getting up in the mornings, her sleep cycle was too wild, there was no guarantees with it. She knew she needed to work hard at managing her sleep cycle in the days before his exam. She didn’t want to let him down.

She was tidying the apartment when her phone beeped with a text from Hayley.

“I’ve offered your services as an archery coach,” she said.

“No! You know I’m not good being put on the spot.”

“Too late, I already told him you agreed. He’s giving you a massage next Thursday in return.”

Meghan’s chest fluttered. She thought maybe he asked for her to coach him. Maybe he wanted to see more of her. She didn’t want to ask Hayley if he asked for her or if she suggested Meghan would do it. She went over her texts again, “I’ve offered your services...” Maybe it was just Hayley trying to set them up. Meghan surprised herself knowing she was perfectly fine if that was Hayley’s plan.

 

***

 

Torment’s End is the second standalone short in the Grant's Bar Nights series.

 

 

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