The Sex Was Great But... by Tyne O’Connell Page A

in the I-want-to-shag-her way, but really liked her. I liked the way she didn’t let the horn blowers and the near scrapes with death perturb her, and I especially liked the way that, when everyone blasted their horns at her and shook their fists and shouted, she smiled at me.
    Obviously I wanted to shag her as well.
    â€œPeople are so mean when they get behind a wheel in this town. I don’t know why. Anyway, what did you say about wearing hats when you’re hot?”
    I felt so dumb. “Just that we…um…wear the hats to be, well, noticed, really. It made you notice me, right?”
    â€œThat was the whole problem, remember? I didn’t notice you. I bumped into you and you fell into the bus stop.”
    Could I feel any more ridiculous? I wanted to tell her about myself—about how I wasn’t really a beggar, about how I’d come to crash-land in L.A., about how I was a normal guy with a normal background—but instead all I said was. “Oh, right, yeah, course. I forgot.” I definitely hated everything coming out of my mouth, but I didn’t seem to be able to stop. I was on a roll to ruin.
    â€œOkay,” she agreed, pronouncing the word ok-ay in a way that made it sound like two words—and I was pretty sure those two words were “dumb” and “ass.” She didn’t have a clue what I was on about. I wasn’t sure I did either. Hanging out with Kev this past month I’d got used to him. Even his begging had started to seem almost reasonable. But now I wasn’t so sure.
    I opened my window and stretched myself out in the seat. My face was throbbing, so I closed my eyes and let Holly get on with the business of driving. There were a few questions floating around my head as I started to doze off, but my face just hurt so much that the rhythm of the throbbing eventually put me to sleep.
    After a while I realized she was talking to me again, and as I came to I sucked in a bit of saliva that had started to dribble out of my mouth. I’m not normally a dribbler, so I can only guess that my subconscious was making me dribble in order to sabotage my chances with Holly.
    â€œIs begging a big thing in Britain then? Are there a lot of guys like you?”
    â€œLike me?”
    â€œYou and your friend, Kev.”
    Was I a guy like Kev? Did she actually think that I wasin any way, shape or form similar to Brew Crew nutter Kev? This was horrible.
    She giggled. “Sorry, did that sound bad?”
    I gave her a look that said it did.
    â€œWhat I guess I’m saying is that it’s not so popular here in L.A. It’s not what people normally come to L.A. for.”
    â€œI didn’t come here to beg,” I said firmly. “I mean, I don’t beg. Not usually. It was just today. Kev wanted some beer, and I needed to get myself sorted with my passport and shit, and, well, I guess I just sort of fell in with the idea.”
    â€œLike you fell into me you mean?” She giggled. “Sorry for laughing, but you looked so funny crumpled up inside my face on the bus stop chair.”
    I folded my arms across my chest sulkily.
    By the time we turned off Sunset Boulevard into Laurel Canyon I regretted everything about my life. How could I have I let Kev talk me into going out on the crack with him? How could I have submitted to wearing the ridiculous hat I now wanted to chuck out the window? The only thing that stopped me was pride, which was what now compelled me to stick it back on my head.
    Okay, I’ll admit it wasn’t one of my coolest moves.
    She glanced at me and looked like she wanted to say something, but changed her mind. We wound our way up into the hills in silence. The tight turns and hairpin bends were fairly hairy, but we mostly stayed on the tarmac. I felt responsible for the lull in conversation.
    â€œSorry if I was being too intense back there,” I told her. “It’s my face. Sorry, but it just