I'd had a restless sleep before my phone woke me at 6.30am. My heart skipped when I noted the text was from Terri, replying to my message the previous evening. It was the first time she'd communicated with me in a week.
"You know about Francis and what he did?" she text.
I confirmed I did know this, adding that I needed to see her.
"I want to see u too Aus. I'm ready to come back. I'll come back down today and txt u when I get there," she wrote, indicating she would travel back from London.
I lay back in the bed, happy that I would shortly see Terri again, but troubled by what Ness had told me the previous evening.
"What to do about that prick Francis?" I said out loud.
I dwelt on this for a while and then decided one step at a time.
"Meet with Terri first and see what she wants me to do," I thought.
As my thoughts drifted back to Terri, I recalled our liaison on the Common a week previous. I'd touched her in the most intimate places. She'd overcome her hesitancy about our location and orgasmed on my fingers, right there in the field. It was a very erotic experience and I began to get hard recalling the moment
Then my thoughts moved to what she had told me about her sex life with Francis.
"Now that was plain weird," I thought, recalling her detailing how he pulled down her jeans merely to masturbate himself on her ass. No other touching.
"He's a freak show," I said to myself, but then began to imagine myself behind Terri, rubbing my cock on her pert bottom. I got very hard.
I drifted back to sleep, one hand wrapped around my cock.
When I woke again I was still erect and Ness was in my head. I quickly swung my feet out of bed, feeling guilty. Thoughts of being with her the previous night filled my mind. What an experience that had been. With Terri now returning I sat there shaking my head, wondering how I could have been so stupid as to go with that little manipulator again. Behind her boyfriend's back, in front of mates who clearly knew what was occurring. I contrasted the aggressive, sexual Ness with the quiet, innocent Terri.
"Terri's the one I want. I won't go there again," I swore to myself, pushing thoughts of Ness aside.
I got up, had a drink and went out for my daily run. As I ran I concocted all sort of ways in which I intended to deal with Francis. Once home I made brunch. My landlords, Mike and Felicity, were still away up north, caring for her mother who had suffered a stroke. In all the kerfuffle of the past day I had forgotten about how pissed off I was with Felicity, after discovering I was just another boarder she had taken as a lover.
"Was all that just bullshit?" I thought, recalling her saying that she had feelings for me. My gut told me it wasn't, she'd seemed genuine.
I dwelt on it for a while. Felicity was normally so matter of fact. She didn't show much emotion, yet she'd cried following a couple of our love making sessions. Even a dumb Aussie boy like me could feel some sort of deeper connection occurring.
"So what the hell is this about her rooting every boarder who comes through the place?" I mused. "Does she fall in love with all of them?"
It began to get me down so, like Ness, I pushed all thought of Felicity to the side and settled down to wait for Terri. The day dragged, but the Tour De France came on the TV and this distracted me. Then mid-afternoon Terri text to say her train was near the village. I replied that I was here on my own and that she should come directly round. She'd never been to Mike and Felicity's house and I thought she might decline, but she didn't, saying she'd get the bus. A half hour later there was a knock at the door.
When I opened it she had her head bowed, dressed in her old uniform of jeans and a baggy T-shirt.
"Hi Terri, you all right?"
"Yeah; it's great to see you Aus," she said raising her head.
I sucked in a breath as I saw the size of the, now yellow, bruise around her eye and down the side of her face. I reached out and took her under the chin, moving her head to the side so I could see the injury clearly.
"That bastard," I swore.
"Oh Aus," she said throwing herself forward to hug me tightly. "You don't know how good it is to be with you again."
We stood their embracing for fully a minute while she sobbed; her head pushing into my chest. Eventually I led her into the house and we sat down on the sofa. Like a true gentleman I went and got her a glass of water. While there I made a pact with myself that there would be no attempt at sex today.
"This girl just needs a bit of reassurance right now, not your old Aussie dick trying to get lucky," I thought.
So that is what I provided her with. She told me how she'd dressed in the manner she had in order to show Francis what he was missing. I felt a pang of guilt, fully aware that this had been my suggestion to her. As was obvious to all present in the cricket clubrooms when Terri had entered, Francis had not taken her attire well. Terri went on to say that after they left, a huge argument ensued. She said she'd never answered him back before, because Mandy had advised her not too.
Poor Terri found out why Mandy had offered this advice. Francis had completely lost it. He slapped her hard across the face and then punched her twice in the stomach. He'd left her lying on the footpath outside her home, calling her a slut as he left. She'd not heard from him since.
We talked through the afternoon, during which time it began to rain heavily. I soon got a text saying the Wednesday evening cricket had been cancelled. I was relieved for two reasons. One I could stay home with Terri and two, I didn't have to see Ness.
When evening came Terri said she had to get home to her mothers.
"Is she expecting you home?"
"No, she thinks I'm still up at Daddy's. Everyone thinks I'm still up in London with him. I haven't even told Mandy. They'll all be surprised."
"You don't have to go home," I blurted out, my mouth moving ahead of my brain.
Terri looked at me with a questioning expression.
"Mike and Felicity are staying up north with her sick mother," I said, referring to the mother's stroke.
I continued to get the quizzical look. She was weighing up the situation, like a cautious fawn.
"Where would I sleep?" she eventually said cautiously.
There it was. The old sex thing. Poor Terri thought all I wanted to do was jump into her pants. To be fair had she given me any indication that I could proceed down that road, I would have gone there without a second thought. But she hadn't. Not the entire time since arriving. Even an Aussie boy from the bush could work out when it was time for a roll in the hay and when it was best to play the gallant hero.
"You'd sleep in Felicity and Mike's bed and I'd sleep in my bed."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah; not a problem; unless your Mum and Dad talk to each other."
"They haven't spoken for five years."
"Good; then he thinks you're down here and Mum, family and your friends think you're in London. Let's just leave it that way. Now what would you like for dinner?"
A relieved smile filled her face. Terri clearly liked the idea that she was going to stay at my place, especially now we'd set the ground rules.
"Thanks Aus."
