Tea & Biscuits

The large metal door banged shut behind him as he smiled, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. Freedom smelled better than he thought it would. He looked down at his watch and made his way to the bus stop. He had an hour before his Probation appointment and he wanted a beer.

In the bar, he took a long drink of the pint of bitter in front of him. It was the best he ever tasted and after almost 4 years inside, it was the hardest earned. But he had played the game, kept his head down and it had worked, it was sweet.

An hour and a half later, Steve walked out of his Probation Officer's building, a small smile on his face. He had agreed with everything, to keep away from Alice Lewis, not contact Beth, not harass her friends...everything.

Steve walked along the road and into a Travel Agents. The girl behind the counter looked up and smiled at him. He gave her a winning smile back.

'Can I help you?' She was still smiling.

'I hope so.' He leaned forward a little and enjoyed the view of the bit of cleavage he could see down the front of her regulation blouse.

'I'm looking for someone, she used to work here. Beth Lewis. She's a friend and we lost touch' He smiled widely.

'I know Beth!' The girl was blushing as he appraised her. 'But she left a few years ago. I think she went to work in a hostel or something...'

'That's great. Thanks a lot...' He looked at her name badge 'Nicky..' He smiled to himself. 'Still haven't lost the touch'. he thought.

He hummed to himself as he left.

******
Beth had managed to find her feet quickly at the new hostel and they liked her. Once she managed to get into a routine she found herself thinking about Alan less and when she did, it was fondly and with a smile.
But she missed having her friend around, someone she didn't have to explain herself to. And if she thought about him for too long, she found herself missing his arms around her, his lips kissing hers. So she tried not to think about him.

She even went on a couple of dates with Ben. He was nice, handsome and any other time she may have been interested, but she told him she thought of him as a friend and that was then end of it.
He was disappointed but moved on to date the local barmaid who was blonde and petite and screamed a lot when they were shagging in the next room, so Beth didn't feel too guilty about letting him down.

Beth thought about Steve a lot at first. She felt safe enough but worried about her Mum. But a month after his release, there had been nothing and she started to relax.

She should have known better.