Olympic Dreaming Ch 05

Chapter 5

I returned home from my holiday to France in mid-August, so I had a few weeks at home before it was time to start packing for university in early September. Dafydd, Craig and I managed to get rooms in the same student hall block. We would all have individual bedrooms with ensuites, a shared kitchen, and a living area with a TV. It was a mixed block, so the other three rooms would have girls living there. Dafydd was now going steady with Claire, and she was attending Liverpool University. As she would be so close, they planned to see each other most weekends; I expected Claire would also have many sleepovers. Dafydd was more excited about that prospect than he was about going to university; finding time and privacy for intimacy was frustrating for them both.

On the appointed day we could move in, my mum and dad drove me to Manchester. Dafydd came along with his family, and we went in convoy, stopping en route for lunch. Both cars looked like we were moving house, but we didn't know what we needed. We both went with the, if in doubt, take it philosophy. The student block was relatively new, and it was one of the ones we'd both looked around whilst doing the university tour the previous year. It took several trips to transfer all our belongings, and Dafydd ended up with more than he could fit into his room. After some re-organisation and rationalisation by his mum, they moved some stuff back to the car to take back home. We both said our goodbyes to our folks and then settled in.

Craig joined us shortly afterwards, as did the three girls. Dafydd and I helped them carry their belongings as we were both at loose ends. Once all the parents had left, the six roomies decided to get pizza in, eat together, and get to know each other. There were a few anxious-looking faces amongst the girls, being on their own for the first time away from home, but as the evening drew on, we were laughing and joking around. We played a few card games, Uno being the favourite, and then discussed what everyone's plans were for fresher's week.

Freshers' week consisted of many social events organised by the student's union and the chance to sign up for some of the many clubs and societies they had. I signed up for an indoor climbing club. They had access to an excellent site, and although I'd never done any climbing, it looked fun. The six of us did the pub crawls and quizzes together and went clubbing for a few nights. I sought out the local taekwondo and judo dojos, introduced myself, and joined the university gym. I also saw a jujitsu club nearby but decided to wait and see how much free time I had before committing. There was a large park near our block, so I could jog most mornings without running along many roads. A sign advertised park runs there every Saturday morning, so that might be worth investigating.

University proper started the following week, and the workload was utterly different to 'A' levels. We had about fifteen hours of 'contact' time a week, and the rest consisted of lab work, assignments or reading. It meant we could plan our week to suit ourselves to some extent if we completed the non-lecture work. One of the nearby student blocks was undergoing maintenance following a water leak over the summer break. Four students on my course had to change accommodation at the last minute, and one was housed in a hotel for the first two nights; I didn't envy any of those affected. Over September, we all started getting into our different routines.

I was still doing judo and taekwondo twice a week, and I also taught at the university clubs when I could, having reached the required level in both disciplines to assist. I enjoyed indoor climbing and eventually was getting respectable at it. I had a good build for climbing, being tall (I was now six feet four) and good, well-defined muscles all over. I would never win any prizes in a bodybuilder competition, but you could tell I was a regular at the gym. As expected, Claire started coming to stay over the weekends. My room was next to Dafydd's, and the thin walls didn't leave much to the imagination of their nighttime activities. After the second weekend, he cottoned on to the noise they were making as the rest of us, particularly the three girls, constantly teased him about it. Subsequent weekends were more subdued, but I could still make out they were having a good time.

Craig then started going out with one of the three girls, also called Claire, which would be confusing. After a few weeks, their relationship progressed to nighttime activities as well. The rest of the flat just hoped they stayed together for the whole year, as things could get frosty if they fell out.

Dafydd, Craig, and the two Claires often went clubbing together over the weekend. I frequently joined them, as did Mary and Samantha, the other two girls in the flat. The two Claire's constantly tried to set me up with girls we saw in the clubs. I managed to dance or drink with some of them, but I never left with any; either they drank too much for my liking, reminding me of the wasted girls I'd seen in Bristol the previous summer, or we had nothing in common. Mary and Samantha were both now dating blokes they'd met, and the five of them, plus Claire, constantly gently ribbed me about being single.

Part way through October, I started to think maybe I was too picky and decided that the following Saturday night, if they weren't drunk, then I'd take whoever I picked up back to my room and finally lose my virginity. It wouldn't matter if it were only a few week's fling; at least the others in the flat would hear my headboard banging against the wall instead of always the other way around.

The weekend I picked to try to bring anyone back to the flat, I decided to do a park run on Saturday morning. I hadn't slept well on Friday night for some unusual reason, but I woke up excited and feeling alive. It was an odd feeling, almost euphoria, and I wondered if someone had spiked my drink the previous night or if I had unknowingly inhaled cannabis. The only other logical reason was that I was excited to do a park run, which made no sense as it was just for fun. Still, I supposed feeling like this was better than being in a bad mood. I had signed up online for the run and arrived early to register and get my number.

Being in the city centre, a large crowd gathered, so I made my way to be near the front when the time came. I had been running for years and expected to be one of the faster entrants. The run started, and others near the front jostled and pushed to the lead. I let them get on with it and settled behind them, picking up my usual pace. The route the run took was three laps of the park. As we progressed, some of those who had been jostling for the lead at the beginning started to drop back, and I was in about twentieth. We came to the final corner, and I put a burst of speed into the final straight and finished sixteenth. There were about three hundred participants, so I was pleased with that. I then did some stretching to warm down, lifting each leg over my head and resting it against a tree. Just after I'd done that, I heard a piercing scream behind me; I turned around and saw a beautiful blonde woman charging across the grass towards me.

"David! David! Is that you?"

I recognised something about her eyes and face, and then it hit me.

"Alicia? What are you doing here?" I asked in shock.

She jumped up at me and threw her arms about my neck, wrapping her legs around me and spinning us around. My arms automatically grasped her back, supporting us. After a complete turn round, she dropped to the floor and looked up at me. Her vivid blue eyes I remembered from that night on Mull; her lovely blond hair was much longer now and tied into a ponytail, falling well below her shoulders. She had lost quite a lot of weight since that night by the quarry but still looked well endowed in the breast department. She now looked like a model, though.

"Wow!" I said, "You look absolutely stunning!" I declared, "How are you? Are you studying here? What's happened to you? Where are you staying? What are you studying?"

"One question at a time!" she laughed back at me. "Where to start? Shall we go somewhere and grab a coffee, then we can spend the rest of the day catching up?" she paused before continuing, "Oh, you don't have any other plans, do you? I'm assuming too much!"

"I don't have any plans, but if I did, I'd cancel them to see you again," I responded, smiling at her. "I've often thought of you and hoped you were doing well. Where are you staying? I'm in student halls just around the corner."

"I was meant to be at the block that flooded," she said. "They moved us into a four-bedroom house nearby. There are only three of us, as someone dropped out at the last minute, so we have plenty of space. It's nice, it's even got a little garden. Do you want to go and get showered and changed and then meet me back at my place?"

"That's a great idea, Alicia; give me the address, and I'll be there in about thirty minutes! I'm so pleased to see you again! I'll grab some pastries on the way as a treat." I gave her my mobile number, and she took her phone and texted me with her address.

"Now I've got your number as well," I said. "I always regretted not asking your mum for her number."

"Why did you want my mum's number? Do you fancy her then? She's a happily married woman!" she chuckled to me.

"Whilst your mum is beautiful, I didn't know if you'd want to speak to me. I just wished I could contact her to see how you were getting on."

"I'll tell her you think she's beautiful next time I call home!" she said, smiling bashfully at me.

"Like mother, like daughter," I responded. "I'll see you in about thirty minutes."

With that, we pulled apart, her hands holding onto mine until we were too far apart. I ran back to my digs and jumped into the shower, turning it up as high as possible. I washed my hair and body to eliminate all the sweat and then cleaned my teeth for the second time that morning.

I smiled at my reflection in the bathroom. Alicia is at the same university! This was going to be a good year; I could feel it. She seemed happy to see me, so I thought my chances of asking her out were promising. I pulled on some chinos and my only smart shirt and rechecked my reflection. Not bad, I thought; well, it was as good as it would get. I winked at my reflection, trotted down the stairs, and headed for Alicia's address, stopping at a Waitrose supermarket to get some lovely cakes. Not being a regular, or ever, customer here, preferring budget supermarkets, I was faced with a large selection of scrummy-looking pastries. What does she like? Ultimately, I decided the best action was to buy many different pastries. In the worst case, I'd take some back to the flat and treat Dafydd, Craig, and the girls. I was in a happy mood, so cost be dammed.

It was only a short walk to Alicia's, and I soon knocked on the door; after a few minutes, she partially opened it to check it was me. Her hair was still wet, and she looked like she had only recently come out of the shower as she had a large towel wrapped around herself.

"I might have over-catered!" I said, holding up my bags of pastries.

"Oh, these look good!" she said, "Can you just put the kettle on, and I'll get dressed."

"You don't need to on my account!" I winked at her.

Laughing, she headed upstairs to change, and I moved into the kitchen, filled the kettle, and put it on. After opening a few cupboards, I found some mugs and removed two. I also found some plates and put those on the table along with the pastries. I wasn't sure if Alicia was a tea or coffee drinker, so I waited for her to come out.

When she did, she was wearing the T-shirt I'd lent her that summer and a pretty floral skirt that came down to just above her knees. Her hair was now loose and hung in gentle waves down her back, and she had applied some subtle makeup. My hopes rose as she was trying to look her best for me. She was a coffee drinker, so she made us two mugs and took them into the lounge.

"Let's sit on the sofa," she said, "it's much more comfortable."

I picked up the plates and pastries and carried them through. We sat down next to each other, smiling and looking into each other's eyes.

"So, tell me about your childhood," I said in my best psychiatrist's voice.

"Where to start?" she began, laughing. Then, getting more serious, she continued. "After that night, mum, dad, and I had a long, tearful talk. We didn't leave the house all day and talked all through the following day as well. It was so cathartic, getting all my silly worries and angst off my chest. They knew I wasn't very happy but hadn't realised how depressed I had become or about that boy claiming to have taken my cherry. Once we went home, my mum arranged for me to see someone professionally, which helped. I took your advice and joined a local jujitsu school; my mum came along and joined as well. We both love it! We are both blue belts, and I hope to get my purple one sometime this year if I can find a school."

"I've seen one nearby and considered joining it," I said, "I'm a blue belt as well, so we could join and work for our purple together?"

"That would be great; I'd like that," she replied, her eyes lighting up. "Well, we loved jujitsu so much we decided to take up running together and, after six months, started doing park runs most weekends. Hence, me being here this morning! What with our running and jujitsu and dad wanting to lose some weight as well, we all started eating more healthily, and this is the result," she said, waving her hands down her body.

"And what a result!" I responded. "You look stunning; it's all paid off."

"I also took your advice about the taunting, etc., and ignored them. As you said, it's now two years later, and I've left them all behind and will probably never see most of them again. Over the last nine months, many of the boys at college started asking me out, but I remembered their comments from before and ignored them all."

"And I bet every one of them regrets their actions all those years ago seeing you now," I said.

Alicia continued updating me on what had happened since that summer, and I told her about my trips to Mexico, Singapore and Morocco. She squealed in excitement when I told her about my two gold medals at the Youth Olympics, and I promised I'd bring them around to show her. We broke off our chat and had some lunch, and then I started washing up. Alicia was singing in the lounge while picking up some pastry crumbs that had fallen to the ground when the front door opened, and one of her housemates came in. I could hear Alicia's excited voice talking to her, and then they came in together, with Alicia saying.

"Naomi, this is David. He saved my life a few years ago, and we bumped into each other after the park run this morning."

I went to pick up the towel as I turned and then stood open-mouthed in shock.

"Naomi!"

"David!"

We both said together.

Naomi burst into tears and then launched herself at me, burying her head into my neck and sobbing loudly. She had a few more ear piercings than when I'd last seen her, but she wore the same t-shirt I had thrown her after the attack and some lightweight trousers.

Alicia looked at me with a confused expression.

"We met last summer," I explained to Alicia, "it's Naomi's story to tell if she ever wants to." I gently caressed Naomi's back, comforting her.

As her sobbing slowed, I cupped her face, looked into her eyes and gently asked her, "Are you okay now? It's so good to see you again; I often wondered how you were doing."

She smiled at me and let go, "I'm sorry. Seeing you brought it all back but made me realise I might be over it now. You're the first man apart from my dad I've touched, let alone hugged since that day."

"You never need to be sorry about any emotions from that," I said. "It was a terrible experience that no one should have to go through. I'm glad you feel safe with me."

"It's more than feeling safe. It felt like coming home when I had you in my arms." She turned to Alicia, "I apologise for my outburst. You must think me very rude and unhinged."

Alicia responded, "Nonsense, whatever history you two had must have been very powerful. This morning, I reacted similarly when I saw David again, but possibly not quite as dramatic. Let's have a mug of coffee and sit down. David brought some lovely pastries from Waitrose earlier."

Alicia then put the kettle back on and made more mugs of coffee before we took some pastries and went into the lounge. The girls both wanted to sit next to me, so I sat in the middle of the sofa, and they went either side, each holding one of my hands.

Alicia then explained to Naomi how she and I had met and how I had saved her from jumping. The night we spent in the hut during the storm, where we talked long into the night, and the changes she had made to her life after my suggestions. How her life was now so different and happier from before she had met me on that cliff. Naomi listened quietly and gasped when Alicia said how close she had come to jumping to her death before I turned up. Naomi then reached over and squeezed Alicia's hand that was holding mine.

"He's a special man, isn't he?" Naomi asked Alicia. She then retold how I had met her and saved her life, how the four men had raped and murdered those other women. If I hadn't walked past that alley in Bristol at that exact moment, she would have been gang raped and murdered as well. There would probably have been many others after her.

Alicia had taken her hand away from mine and was holding both in front of her mouth in horror as Naomi described what they had done to her and the other women. When Namoi had finished, we were all a bit tearful and had a group hug.

"I can't believe you are both studying at the same university as me and staying in the same house!" I said once we'd calmed down.

"It must be fate!" Alicia said.

We talked for a few hours into the afternoon. I told Naomi about everything I'd explained to Alicia earlier. She was also excited to see the gold medals, and I said I'd promised to show them to Alicia and bring them around that weekend so they could see them. When I told them I hoped to compete in the London Olympics the following summer, they held my hands and begged me to get them tickets to watch.

I promised to try to get them tickets if I was selected and then picked up the mugs to go and wash them while the girls started chatting.

"You seem a different person now!" Alicia said to Naomi. "You always seemed so quiet and withdrawn before. I can understand why now. It makes so much sense. I never understood why you never wanted to go out clubbing with us or why you dress the way you do, as you are obviously pretty."

Naomi looked towards the kitchen and said, "I feel so safe when he's around. I haven't felt like this since before the attack. I was unsure whether I would cope away from home, but now, I feel this will be a great year for me."

Alicia also looked my way and responded, "Yes, I was thinking that as well." She looked worried and continued, "I just don't know how we will work this out between the three of us."

The two girls stayed looking into the kitchen, wondering how the three of us would work. My little brain hadn't got as far as considering the likely romantic connotations of both wanting to be with me. I was delighted to see them both again and very pleased with how they each seemed to be doing.

The front door opened, and a voice I recognised angrily said to the two girls,

"Another bloody idiot! Why are there so many frogs out there? Where is my Prince? They are either self-centred, racist, pig-ugly or just stupid. Sometimes all at once!" She stomped into the lounge and plonked herself on a chair.