"Caught" drabbles by Neville Hunt

Spilt beans

Caught #41

If Mark had thought Sarah didn't hear him muttering "Tell me about it", he was wrong, which was a signal for Sarah to get to work again!

Sarah’s ‘getting to work’ involved calling Mark’s mum Victoria, whom she'd met through Jack, and spilling the beans that Mark was ‘seeing someone’. This was like lighting the blue touch paper. Victoria and husband Ted had wondered whether, or if ever, Mark would find someone to settle down with. He had been coerced into bringing home a couple of girls who were nice enough, but both promptly dumped him a few weeks later.

Home alone

Caught #40

They danced a bit until Juliette heard that her taxi had arrived..

“I’ll drop you off if you like Mark”, she offered.

“Drop me off what?” Mark feebly joked.

“Please yourself!” and then she was gone.

If Mark had tried to chat up any bimbos, Sarah would have made sure he was interrupted. But he just had a couple more beers and tottered off to catch the last tube home, not before Sarah had rubbed some salt into his wound

"Why did you let her go home alone Mark! You're nuts! She’s so cute!”

"Tell me about it!" he muttered.

End of

Caught #39

“The right idea is that we’re mates and that’s as far as it goes! Is that OK with you?”

“Well I wouldn’t dare say no, would I, for fear you might come at me with a knife or something!” Mark did dare say.

“I don't have a knife, but don’t think you can dump me and get off with a blond bimbo or I’ll break your legs! Mates don't leave mates in the lurch!” Juliette’s final salvo poured more confusion on poor Mark’s confused countenance.

Then fortunately, Sarah interrupted them, bringing that particular topic and associated tension to a close.

Limits

Caught #38

When the track stopped she said “You’re confused seeing me here aren’t you? Well you needn’t be; Sarah invited me and not as your date either so you needn’t think you have to talk to me all evening.”

“I don’t have a problem talking to you at all, or all evening, or dancing, but sometimes you can be a bit scary.”

“Only when you start getting the wrong idea about me though.” Once again, Juliette seemed to be setting out the limits of their friendship.

“Quite frankly Juliette, I’ve no idea what the right idea about you is!” Mark countered.

Mind reader

Caught #37

Mark needn't have worried... the dancing was of the body-separate kind... rock and rollsy rather than smoochy. Despite feeling an urge to pull her to him and hold her, he managed to resist and kept his distance, if only for fear of her reaction if he stepped out of line. He merely looked at her and liked what he saw. The music was loud and they couldn’t speak although Juliette smiled and winked at him.

Once again, Mark was confused, both by her presence at the party and by the signalling. And of course Juliette quickly read his mind.

I bet she looks good on the dancefloor

Caught #36

Mark was now uncertain what to do. Juliette had been surprisingly friendly, even though he had not invited her to Sarah’s party. And she looked rather cute in a floaty short dress that would seem rather absurd on a taller model-type. But on Juliette it was great and made her look distinctly sexy.

Once again, she came to his rescue with a proposition “Come on Mark, you’d better dance with me before we cramp their style!”

This seemed a good idea and Juliette grabbed his hand and dragged him off to find out what dancing with her might entail

He's fit, he's fit you can count on it!

Caught #35

Mark couldn’t possibly ignore Juliette, but he had no idea what she would say if he approached as she chatted to the other guy. Juliette solved that problem, smiling and beckoning him over, saying “Hi Mark, meet John. He’s a regular at my gym...one of the fittest guys I’ve met! ”

Mark wasn't so keen to hear how fit this unknown competitor was until another man sidled up to John, linked arms with him and it was crystal clear they were a couple. Hearing Juliette’s introduction, the second man added “Oh John is definitely fit, I can vouch for that!”

The green-eyed monster

Caught #34

By the time of the birthday party Mark was thinking about Juliette a lot and rather wished he'd invited her to the party after all. She really had got to him and yet she was untouchable.

He was caught off-guard when he turned up a bit late at Sarah's party, having had a few pints in his local beforehand, to find that Juliette was there. In an instant he experienced a set of mixed emotions; excitement, fear, delight and jealousy as he saw her chatting intently to a man across the room. He had no idea what to do.

Himvite and Hervite

Caught #33

“Oh don't be a complete wooss Mark, aren’t you a bit pleased that Juliette can stand up for herself and maybe even drink you two lightweights under the table to boot?” Sarah was definitely siding with her new comrade-in-arms.

After the Cambridge punting affair, Sarah was really taken with Juliette. She suggested to Mark that he bring Juliette to her birthday party in Clapham a fortnight later. Mark was somewhat stung by the punting incident and decided against it at the time, but unbeknownst to him, Sarah, who had swapped mobile numbers with her, had invited Juliette separately.

Mad woman

Caught #32

Mark still couldn’t see the funny side of it all, whereas Jack, Sarah and Juliette thought it had been hilarious and had made the afternoon. For Mark, the beer didn’t do the trick either. He was nursing some rather hurt feelings as they made their way back to the car.

On the return journey to London Mark and Jack sat in the back of the car while Sarah drove and a surprisingly sober-seeming Juliette took the passenger seat.

“I want to keep as far away from that mad woman as possible!” demanded Mark, who promptly sat behind driver Sarah.

All's well?

Caught #31

All's well? Not a bit of it! But sensible Jack took Mark off to the bar for a couple of pints, although the bar staff hadn't been too keen on having the dripping wet Mark there. Similar things had probably happened loads of times before, so they let it go on the promise that Mark had a change of clothes on the way to him.

And when she got back to the pub with that change of clothes, Juliette herself started to match the boys pint for pint, while Sarah kept herself sober for the drive home.

Well enough! Just!

Foresight

Caught #30

Mark was annoyed about how his attempts to help Juliette had not only been spurned, but also greeted with a violent response, and in public too. He got back to the punt and was helped aboard by Jack, who was still laughing uncontrollably.

The two women went off to Jack’s car where Jack, the organised solicitor, had had the foresight to have a change of clothes which he lent to Mark and Sarah had a spare jumper and pair of jeans which she could lend to Juliette, although the bottoms needed to be rolled up.

All's well that ends well?

Not quite all aboard

Caught #29

The inexperienced Juliette made the mistake of hanging on to the pole and falling off the boat. Straight in the water she went and seeing this happen, Mark quickly took off his jacket and boater and jumped to her rescue.

However, Juliette didn't want to be rescued. She was fit enough and tough enough to sort herself out! Perhaps she mistook Mark’s attempt to help her as an opportunity to grope her, so she pushed him back into and under the water, and quickly swam back to the punt, hauled herself in, and joined the others laughing their heads off.

Quantified!

Caught #28

“I mean why not let me and Sarah have a go. We’re probably fitter and more agile that you guys.”

“Leave me out of it” said Sarah, “I’m very happy to be left to chill.”

At that, Juliette jumped up... not smart in a punt... and grabbed the quant from Mark causing the shallow boat to rock rather too much for comfort. Nonetheless, Mark let Juliette take over and she was fine until, following a rather too eager stroke the quant stuck firm in the bed of the River Cam. Inexperience showed, and the joke was on Juliette this time.

Are you man enough?

Caught #27

“Hey, stop that you moron!” shouted Mark as he had just managed to avoid toppling straight into the River Cam. Jack just laughed and carried on.

“Getting seasick Mark?” was Jack's response. “Can’t deal with a bit of rough weather?” he taunted, continuing “it sure sorts out the men from the boys and no mistake!”

“What about sorting out the girls from the men then?”, piped up Juliette impishly. “Are you man enough, Jack?”

Jack hadn’t quite understood and reverted to the solicitor in him. “Sorry, what exactly do you mean?” was all he could say, and said rather seriously.

Reckless

Caught #26

Out of the office and out on the river, Jack, the staid solicitor, did not stay staid. Rather he became rather reckless, uncharacteristic one might think for a solicitor.

Sarah later accused Jack of showing off in front of Juliette, an accusation he had strenuously denied, but he couldn’t deny to himself as he was acutely aware of the stigma, socially speaking, of his profession. He stood as close to the edge of the punt when on quanting duty and had a devil may care attitude when not, rocking the punt side to side especially when Mark was in charge.

Vive la difference

Caught #25

“I love her”. That was Sarah’s almost instant judgement which she passed on to Mark in a whisper as they waited for their punt. “She’s not a bit like your usual bimbos!”

“Well thanks a lot!” said Mark, feigning hurt feelings. “But she certainly is different don’t you think; I hope in a good way though!”

”Vive la difference.” That was the last thing Sarah could say on the subject as Jack bustled them all into the waiting punt.

Fortunately, the boat trip took place before the boys had got to the pub, otherwise things could have been much worse.

In the dock?

Caught #24

"He’s a solicitor, need I say more?”

“So he’s going to be on my case? Are you putting me in the dock Mark?” Juliette couldn’t stifle a little giggle, breaking any tension.

“Of course not, he's from Cambridge, that’s all.”

Relief, Mark had done it. He'd given himself another chance to see the fascinatingly scary Juliette with someone who could make an objective assessment of her. Saturday it would be, and Jack and his fiancée Sarah would drive them; Jack driving there and Sarah back on the assumption that the lads would be sinking a few beers along the way.

Taking a punt

Caught #23

Juliette...[deep breath]...I really don't know why I am doing this because you scare the hell out of me, but let’s meet up again this weekend, but this time with some protection from my pal Jack and his fiancée! And let’s go somewhere public.”

“O-kay”, she said tentatively, “where had you in mind?”

“I thought maybe that if the weather holds out we could go punting in Cambridge this Saturday. How about that?”

“Never done it; sounds great...but what’s your chaperone like?

“He’s a good lad who worries about me. He’s straight as a die and a really decent bloke.

Different

Caught #22

Mark was a bit fearful that Juliette might actually have some serious mental issues, issues he had neither any experience of before nor inclination to experience now.

But on the other hand, she was really different... and her rather ‘kooky’ looks, big nose and all, underlined that. It wasn't so much that she was a challenge, but that she seemed to offer something different and above all, honest, far more so than the bimbos he had dated before. So with a deep breath, rather than communicate via Facebook, he called her mobile. And his privates would stay intact that way!