Six

Over the coming years the group became amazingly close and had become strong firm friends. They pretty much did everything together, they had just had a fabulous holiday last year. The eight of them were inseparable. Recently they had all gone down to Salisbury, the town Lucy and Richard had both moved from.

Salisbury was famous for its cathedral and Stonehenge. They were of course more interested in the night clubs that they were the tourist attractions. They went to a few on the town’s hotspots, The chapel, The mill and the N&N bar. It was like a different world compared to the sleepy village of Thetford.

Lucy had taken great pride in showing everyone around and the places that she had lived and grown-up in. The pubs her parents had owned, and the council estate they had moved to when they no longer had the pubs. They had a couple of drinks in the Hogshead, it was one of the pubs she had lived in and even though it had been renamed the Malsbury arms, it was always going to be the Hogshead to her. It had a restraint one end and the bar the other these days. So, they had dinner in there. It still had low dark beams and a friendly atmosphere. Richard confessed that he would love to move back to Salisbury one day.

Life seemed pretty good for the group, they had all finished college, university and all worked in jobs they wished for when they were studying.  James and Lucy bond was the strongest anyone had ever seen. Everyone knew they belonged together; the world could see it. The universe had made them for each other. The love this couple had for each other shone in everything they did as a couple and as separate people.

Emma and Robert were just as strong and couldn’t be without each other for a day. They were always together, they hated being apart, they were a unit. You took on one of them you took them both.

__________

The sun was shining as it did most summer days in June, a phone started to ring. After a few rings Emma flew threw the house and grabbed the phone.

“Hello?” she enquired, puffing as she did so.

“Hey Emma, you sound flustered you, okay?” the person on the other end of line responded

“Ha, yeah just ran through the house to answer the phone, What’s up?” Emma said to James. She knew he was after something. She knew him nearly as well as Lucy.

“Nothing is up, just ringing to check in and sew how you are. Can’t I do that these days?” James chuckled.

“Yeah, sure you can,” Emma Laughed “But I know you, so what do you need?”

“Well,” James started, blushing with embarrassment, He was so glad she couldn’t see him right now. “Well Lucy gave me her new number last night on some paper and well I threw my jeans in the wash this morning and err well forgot to take her number out of the pocket!” Emma started howling,

“James” she said between breaths” Why did you not just put it straight into your mobile?” James signed,

“Hey I didn’t think about it she gave me a piece of paper I shoved it in my pocket and carried on my day with my Lady.”

“Well come over here, I have a large bat it’s perfect for knocking sense into men!” She laughed.

“Err, I’d rather not be unconscious though, as I’d like to speak to my girl, however I shall put you on loudspeaker and program it directly into my phone and I also know where to come when I need a good beating” He grinned down the phone. He loved the banter he had with Emma, it was so nice being able to be himself around her.

Emma loved James, he treated Lucy like the queen she was. They were so happy. He had instantly calmed Lucy when she dropped her mobile into the lake last weekend. After he jumped in and fished it out, they realised it had was ruined, Lucy had lost everything contacts, photos absolutely everything. It had been James to make her see that the world hadn’t ended, it was just a phone, and she could rebuild photos. Lucy had gone to the store on Friday to get a replacement phone, but without her friends numbers she handed them all pieces of paper with her number on last night. Emma had been the first to program and text Lucy to ensure she had her Best friends number safely in her phone.

“Hold on, I have to go get my mobile.” Emma said as she placed the landline on the desk. She picked up her phone and found eight missed calls from James. She laughed she really shouldn’t keep it on silent. “You rang me eight times on my mobile before you rang my landline” she laughed, giving James Lucy’s new number.

“Thanks Em, How’s Robert?” James asked checking on them, he heard that they had had an argument and wanted to check they were ok.

“Oh fine, we had an argument last night” Emma signed

“What about this time? You two seem to be arguing a lot at the moment” James was concerned for them.

“I know,” Emma signed “I don’t know why we are bickering so much, I love him like nothing else in the world.” Emma shrugged she didn’t go into detail there wasn’t much to say. They ended their call shortly after.