The beginning of forever

We met when he was 17. The little liar, had told me he was 18, but I’m not gonna hold it against him. And like all thing’s Cliché

how did we meet? It was indeed through a mutual friend we both knew and was, of course, in the pub. or rather outside.

Tomato To-mar-to.

THEN

13th June 2005

time:12am(ish)

Remember a time back when the pub would close.? you would always get the ton of wankered dunk people in groups gathered outside together all of them deciding weather to carry on or give up and ho home. I had been one of those people.

I had decided i was going to carry on and was waiting for my sister Emma to meet me. Squinting at at my watch trying to make out the time 12:30 am and I was fucking freezing. Sitting on the front steps of our local snooker hall’s shivering, “It was June for fuck sake” I thought but id only dressed (maxi skirt & tank top), for the earlier warmer temperature and was (lie) only going be having one or two alcoholic beverages because i had split shifts for the next three days so i didn’t wanna be hanging out my arse, but that’s what we always said wasn’t it? one drink turned into five, five turned into day drinking ,day drinking turned into night drinking ,you get the jist. I (because i have no willpower) was consequently Sitting on cold stone steps praying that I was not giving myself hemroiids, shivering head too toe.Joe (the mutual friend) being Joe had lent me his jacket to wear until his taxi came. He at somepoint had wandered off somewhere and was probably chatting up a poor unsuspecting female victim.

And i was. Oh God. “I can not even remember this”. (I would be reminded constantly though Further down the line?) I vaguely remember talking to what's his face, that was how much i remember I couldn’t even tell you his name. Well according to sources i was playing tonsil tennis with him!. In my defense i was 19 for fuck sake & living my best best life at being 19. I worked three job’s Just to afford my extravagant lifestyle, and back then recreational use of m.d.m.a, pills,class As and other substances wasn’t an uncommon occurrence within my Circle of friends.You Socialized in the Pub, everything.You knew at that age to do with being Social Was Centered around? You guessed it. The Pub.

A little while later, Joe returned and shouted up the steps, “Lolly pop.”I’m off Bird Gimme my coat.?” Id suddenly stopped talking to what’s his face and very quickly he was forgotten. Turning towards Joe, i screeched “Seriously”? “Lollipop? “What the fuck? “Bird”? Smirking Joe knew it Rubbed me the wrong way. I hated anyone who referred to me as a bird, or think it was ok to use the nickname i had when i was 5. So even though i was intoxicated i was still had some quick thinking left, and so. Came back at him with my jibe. “Oh Joe I completely forgot to tell you?” “What was it now um”? My middle finger rested on my chin looking like i was trying to remember something important. I clicked my fingers “oh right that’s it”.

“SAD ACT CALLED? HES LOOKING FOR U GINGER PUBES”? Hah, That had shut him an is big mouth up hah.

(Kevin & Perry go large was a classic film) banter was a common thing between me and Joe and it had always been my favorite pass time. Id known this kid since primary and even as, later in life when our kids attended the same primary school we’d still roll with the banter.

“Your leaving me! A helpless beautiful woman freezing her tits off how are you so awful?”

“you should be Chivalrous and lend me.um borrow.your jacket. until whenever.whatever”?. I think My Brain had suddenly stopped forming coherent sentences

I was indeed a little more than drunk. But this was not the point.

“Shame on you Joseph”

“I thought we were friends”.

“we are”? Joe replied

“So nearly,hardly,friend?”

“So if you want to stay friends

“Gimme, my coat?”.

“Nope”

“LAUREN”? And then as if a rocket was shoved up his arse,He’s running up the steps, towards me, so i take off running down or rather as much as I could manage in stupid flimsy shoes, danm it?

“Nu,uh fuck off Joseph”

“Your so frustrating” Joe let out an exasperated Breath while I Sat and tried catch mine. “God i Need to work on My Cardio” id thought as i wheezed. my adrenaline was kicking up a notch from my alcoholic and other substance haziness.

Joe had given up. and now stood with his hands on his hips blowing out another exasperated Breath, hah I’d Won. , but he was wasn’t paying me any mind. Now he was stood at the bottom of the Steps and I was at the top Trying to concentrate on breathing. Joe had now turned his attention looking toward towards a little group gathered Across the road from the Snooker hall

I recognized a few girls but paid them no mind. i think they were in My little brothers year at School, id drunkenly scoffed. “where the fuck was Emma”? I got out my phone out and shot off a text to her.

EMM:“Are you coming or what”

Suddenly there’s squealing from the group that Joe is currently fixated on. putting my phone away and looking over in the direction the squealing was coming from.Ugh rolling my eyes, girls were so freaking obvious when they were desperate for attention. what was it, they called them nowadays? Pick me i think.? at 19 years old I had been content, and had a mutual arrangement with the men in my life, and I had a habit of going back on myself ,sort of round in a circle, between my part-time lovers, I had a stick to what I know girl attitude and never really had anything serious. a solid few months seeing one or a solid month of the other, it had been like that since I was 16 all three of the men I flitted between at this stage of my life I was on familiar ground with, and to clarify i never dated them at the same time i was exclusively a one man woman. Or had all of them together, together, eww.

Which was why I was watching in amazement. These girls with barley no self-respect giggle as they hung over the horny testosterone, fulled 17-year-old boy Them loving the attention, ugh, i personally wasn’t ever like that. i remember my girl friends who were. some of them being way worse,attention hoe’s,. and so Just as I was going to ask Joe who he was looking for? it seemed, Joe had spotted it.

putting his thumb and index finger to his lips

Whistled loudly across the Road, “Owwch my fucking poor ears”.“LUKE!”he’d yelled. My phone bleeped... “oh a reply from my AWOL sister".

EM: im coming lolls Derek waffling gonna nick his stash and back door it fuck him

ME:legend. hurry the fuck up im frozen solid

EM: on route baby sister

I hadn’t really been paying attention to anyone or anything that night. But it would just so happen that the universe had.

I put my phone away and was thinking about what I could do to pass the time looking toward Joe then, following his line of sight And my gaze landed on this Luke character or at least i think it was. Ugh i should have known he’d be one of those that the girly hoe’s,would be draped over. He herd Joe calling him and he’d yelled back something to Joe, Luke was ignoring the “were you going” “don’t leave”squealing girls as he made his way across the road to see what Joe had wanted. I at this moment in time, was getting my drunk self together. Standing up, looking downwards and around at myself to see if had accidentally sat in something or wasn't looking disheveled, i had started my wobbly decent slowly down from the top of the steps “whoa" I thought "I am so drunk ill have to be carrying on. fuck work” muttering to myself. “Luke, let Lauren borrow your coat, please. Then i can have my coat.

I Hearing this was making hand gestures in a babling. Blah blah, yadda, yappy yap yap, not paying any mind to who Luke was because i was trying not to fall down a a flight of 13 concrete steps , still mumbling blah blah in answer to him. he really was being mean!!

I guess from what I know now, i had already been on lukes radar he’d seen me earlier & had been asking Joe about me.

Genius really, he was like a little ginger cupid matchmaker was our Joseph.

The universe’s tricks somehow had him in on it...

I was trying to walk straight coming down, and wondering who Luke was and why Joe was asking a stranger for his coat? yelling “I already have a coat,thanks? Pulling Joes coat around me to show i did indeed have one "so Joe shh”.

3.2.1…

We made eye contact. I sat down rather abruptly on the step I had stopped on. Stunned. My mouth wide open.

As i recovered I blurted out

“Fuck me your cute!”

And the michevious half smile I received in response to my no filter comment ignited a million sparks right inside me. From the tips of my toes all the way to the top of my scalp.

The universe cheered!

Because Standing Right there next to Joe was luke. future father of my children.

I almost fell off the step trying to wrestle Joe’s coat off myself and had launched it back at him. Joe laughed and gave me a knowing smirk. like to say "i knew this was a good plan" and about as gracefully as a drunk panda i accepted Luke’s coat. ahh way way warmer,.

I can’t remember exactly what we talked about but eventually my AWOL sister Emma had turned up. "whoop party time" she hollered.

How in the world was i going to say good bye to this absolute perfect boy?. With his perfect nose,brown hair that was longer on top an looked perfct for tugging, sparkly blue eyes, straight white teeth , chiseld jawline. And from the looks of those muscular arms a body to rival Adonis.. And So with a sadness settling deep in my drunken bones I was gearing myself up. And i had started to unzip lukes coat. when he'd shyly looked at me and said "so can we swap numbers so I can get my coat back ? (My inner confidence queen fixed her crown)

“Oh”. “Smooth”?. “Real smooth MR”.

And so two weeks later after I finished work one evening I had been waiting for the bus I received a text from someone called cute coat guy. I did a little giggle. Because I had completely forgotten about the coat hanging in my wardrobe, and the owner of said coat!.

The Universe had made it's decision....

For the next 16 years,Luke, would become my person.