The Best he'd Ever Had

by Terri

Arms tightly crossed, Jim lounged against the wall, shoulders digging into the rough brick as he watched her across the road. He welcomed the sensation, if he concentrated on that dull ache he could forget about the pain that threatened his heart. At least that was the plan in theory, in practice it didn’t help a bit.

Jim didn’t share his life easily, had expectations and standards that were hard to live up to. Many had tried to catch his attention, with sleek exteriors and slick moves, but it wasn’t enough for Jim. He needed reliability, the inside as good as the out.

Like Blair. The thought of his room mate running through the loft with wild hair and questionable clothes made Jim smile. There’d been sneers about Jim’s ‘hippy friend’ at first, remarks about how scruffy he was, with his long hair and miss matched clothes. Jim had ignored then all. Blair was a loyal friend, dependable and fiercely protective. Within months Jim loved him like family and valued his opinion on all matters, even if he didn’t always admit the fact.

Thoughts of Blair in his mind, Jim jumped when a horn sounded. Looking up his heart jumped a little when he saw her start to move, a strange man rubbing his hands across her body. It was all Jim could do not to run across the road, to hold onto her and not let go. They’d been together so long it was breaking his heart to see her go with someone else.

It was Blair who’d seen her first, Jim had laughed at Blair’s exaggerated description, hands flying as he mimicked her body. Nobody could be that perfect, but she had been and within minutes Jim had been in love. It was Blair’s hand that pushed Jim towards her, as he hung back, afraid that some fault would show up close. But it hadn’t, and soon Jim had her number clutched in his hand.

He’d picked her up the next day and drove to the beach, where they’d got to know one another. That first drive had been wonderful, and coming home with the moon shining high above Jim had known it was the start of a perfect relationship. But perfection never lasts, and Jim knew the end was near when he had to abandon her because of work one too many times.

Now all Jim could do was watch as she went with another man, someone that had the time to treat her as she deserved. Someone that would replace the shine lost after so many months of being with a detective. Jim didn’t want her to go, but he had no choice, so despite the love he held he let her go.

She’d been the best Jim had ever had, but he was a special man with special needs, and a truck without bullet holes was one of them.

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