"Caly." My mother smiled as she embraced me in a warm hug. "How was your week?"

"Good. Busy. Yours."

"Same." Gena Zilla, my mother, smiled withdrawing. Build wise, I was my mother all over. More top heavy than anywhere else. My mother had the same love for food. For this reason she'd raised me to love running. She said I'd thank her for it later, and with my appetite and love for feminine clothes, later had arrived.

In her late forties, my mother had aged well and was still beautiful enough to be a model. Her honey blond hair was short in a fifties bob, peridot eyes, and tastefully applied makeup to highlight her high cheekbones and perfect cupids bow. "I bought you something." Gena collected the large bag off the floor and handed it to me.

I smiled and sticky beaked inside. There were two shoe boxes, Sophia Webster and Louboutin. My smile was as big as they came. "Best mother ever!" I told her.

Gena smiled satisfied and took her seat at the table, watching me look at the tissue wrapped parcel. It was clothing, obviously, but I would wait till I got home to look at it. I took my seat and slipped the bag under the table with my handbag.

"So, the date?" Gena started opening the menu.

"You read the post." I dismissed opening my menu.

"Yes, but you always summarise for your posts and sometimes leave out any identifying details." Gena analysed without looking up at me. "Did he hurt you?"

"A few bruises. I hurt him worse."

Gena smiled. "As you should have. Your father would be very proud of you." Her smile changed. It morphed from true pleasure to the fake smile she presented to her colleagues. "Which brings me to our next item of conversation."

"No." I challenged. "Still on that disaster of a blind date. There was a holiday that needs to be discussed before we get railroaded." I reminded.

Gena lifted her eyes, closing her menu. "Of course. Do you know when you wish to travel?"

I closed my menu and retrieved a post it note from my hand bag, handing it across the table. "All the details. Dates to leave, when I need to be back by, and where I want to stay."

Gena's true smile returned. "Done." She took out her note book and stuck the post it note inside. I knew my mother. She would take whatever I gave her and hand it to her personal assistant to deal with, so it was easier on everyone if I just put it on a post it note.

"Ladies. Would you like to start with drinks?" The waiter asked with a smile.

"Two Gentlemen Jack's please." Gena ordered for me. "And table water."

The waiter looked surprised. "With coke?"

"Did I ask for coke?"

"No mam." The waiter bowed his head and wrote the drink order.

"Ice in mine please." I requested.

"Caly? Really?" Gena scolded. "I taught you to drink better."

"You taught me to drink responsibly." I reminded.

Gena smirked. "Do you know what you will eat?"

"Cheese and garlic pizza for entree, chicken milanese salad - entree size- for my main, sticky date pudding with double butterscotch sauce for dessert please." I ordered and handed up my menu to the waiter.

"Small or large pizza?" The waiter asked with bright eyes and smile.

I looked to my mother. "Large." She smiled. "I'll have the nicoise salad, and the salted caramel cheese cake with caramel brandy sauce, cream and ice cream. Thank you."

"Of course." The waiter looked impressed and walked away.

"So?" I raised a brow.

"So?" Gena asked confused, then caught up. "Ah, your father." She sat a little straighter. Not that her posture wasn't already perfect. "I was interested in what you said about Lancelot reminding me of your father."

"It was a feeling, not a fact." I assured. "I don't know the man to know otherwise remember?"

My mother took a breath but waited while our drinks were placed on the table before continuing. "Not knowing your father is for your safety Caly, not out of spite. I loved him, but he chose to lead a life that put anyone close to him in danger. When I discovered I was pregnant with you, I ended the relationship to protect you from those who would use you to get to him."

"Wouldn't people suspect if you were seeing each other just before you became pregnant?"

My mother fidgeted with her fork. I'd never seen my mother fidget. "We kept the relationship quiet. With my work and his, we were barely seen out and about together. I never told your father about you." Gena took a large drink.

"So he's still alive?" I asked. This is the most I'd ever gotten from my mother.

"Very." Gena nodded. "And more dangerous than ever before."

"Meaning?"

"That anyone knowing you were his daughter would instantly put your safety at risk." Gena watched me absorb what she was telling me.

I frowned. "When I was seven and that man came into the playground?"

Gena studied her drink intently. "I'm not sure. I never told anyone who your father is, so I couldn't be sure if he meant you harm. You said he just asked you your name and if he could look at your locket. I worried, but nothing ever eventuated, so I left it alone."

"A huh." I agreed taking a large sip of the whiskey.

I never told my mother the man asked who gave me the locket, and what I was told about it. He'd smiled when I told him my daddy gave it to my mummy. He came back two weeks later. Everyone had made such a fuss about him coming into the school grounds and talking to me. This time he waited till my nanny took me to a playground. He had a little boy with him and the little boy started playing with me before taking me over to meet the man. He'd asked to see my locket again. I told him everyone got upset when he looked at it last time. He told me the locket was magical and he wanted to show me how to use it.

The man opened the locket and ran his finger over the blue sapphire heart embedded in the back of the lock. "Do you know what a knight is?" He asked. I nodded and told him about King Arthur and the knights of the round table. He smiled. "If ever you are scared, or in danger, just press this heart. A knight will find you and return you safely to your mother. Understand?" I'd nodded. He closed the locket and tugged on the chain. "If anyone ever makes you fear for your life, I want you to pull the chain from your neck. Pull it really hard so the links break. An army will come to save you."

"What if I'm far away?" I'd asked.

The man smiled. "I have men everywhere. I'll always be able to find you."

"For you to say Lancelot would remind me of your father worried me." Gena admitted. "Why did you think that?"

I shrugged. "He's from the other side of the river. He's at university with me and trying to get ahead in life, but I don't think he's fully escaped Riverside."

Mum sighed. "No one ever really escapes Riverside." She gulped down the remainder of her whiskey. "Before now Lancelot has been a distant crush. I got the feeling that has changed."

I blushed. "He gave me a lift home Friday night after Derrick left me stranded."

"Did he kiss you?" Gena asked with a smirk. I shook my head. Gena shook her head amused. "He touched you though?"

I nodded and blushed impossibly harder. "I opened the door for more, but when he made a move, I don't know, I chickened out."

Gena assessed me. "You're worried reality will ruin the fantasy. I get it." Gena poured us both a glass of water. "So what happened Monday in class?"

I pouted. "Nothing. He didn't even acknowledge me. It was like Friday never happened." I took a sip of the whiskey. "He gave me his number Friday night. Told me it was only for if I ever got stranded somewhere again."

Gena's brow went up. "Have you messaged him?"

"To say what?"

"Thank you, You're hot, I want you... anything Caly." My mother breathed out exasperated. "He gave you his number to put the ball in your court. You said you're the one who chickened out when he made a move. He was leaving it to you to pursue him if you wanted it to go somewhere." Gena reached over touching my hand. "It's not like you to back away from something you want. What happened Caly?"

I took a deep breath. "I feel like it would be inviting trouble into our lives. Not just for me, but him too." I frowned. "I can't explain it."

Gena withdrew her hand. "Would you like to hear my theory?"

"Of course."

"I came to the understanding some years ago that you have a commitment phobia, Caly. Possibly that is my fault. I've never had a committed relationship since you were born, and I worry not having a male role model in your life has handicapped you in affairs of the heart. I suspect, you know that Lancelot may be the man to challenge your fear of love, and that's why he's always been a distant crush. It's why when the chance suddenly presented itself, you shut it down."

I absorbed what Gena said and finished my whiskey. Our entree arrived and the talking stopped while we both hungrily ate our first slice of pizza. Once we'd both eaten a couple of slices, Gena dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, then studied me. "Message him. Ask him for a drink later."

"He works Wednesday nights at the uni bar. Student discount night, so it's rather a busy night." I confessed.

Gena smiled. "Perfect. You can call Penny and have her meet you there after dinner."

"I can't really afford to go out drinking mum."

"I'll put five-hundred on your student account if you go to the bar tonight." Gena bribed.

"This guy could break my heart, mum. Why are you pushing this?" I frowned. "Actually, you've been rather keen for me to start dating someone seriously of late. What's going on with that?"

Gena huffed. "You live your life in a text book Caly. I want you to step out and live in reality for awhile. I want you to have fun, fall in love, and yes, get your heart broken a little. That's living Caly."

"I date, I go to parties, I..."

"Admitted on your blog last week that Lancelot has been the fire in your loins for years and no other guy has stood a chance because its him you hunger for." Gena interrupted. "He's a piece of cake you've been admiring, but are scared to eat for fear of ruining how pretty it looks. You need to take a bite of that temptation and see if it tastes as good as it looks, because if you don't, you're going to let every other decent chance of a relationship fall to the wayside, while you pine after something, that may not even agree with your palette."

I sulked back in my chair. The waiter came and served our salads. "Are you finished with the pizza?" He asked.

"I'll get it in a doggy bag please." I requested politely.

Mum waited till he left. "If you're scared to make the first move, don't. Just put yourself in his way and see if he's willing to go after you."

Taking my phone out of my bag I texted Penny telling her I'd be at the bar later. "I've asked Penny to go to the bar. I'll put myself in his way. If he ignores me again tonight, we agree to drop this?"

My mother smiled. "Agreed. Maybe change before you go though. Something a little more low cut should do the trick." Gena gestured to my top.

I laughed. "Jesus, mum. I put the girls on display and Lancelot won't be able to get near me through all the other drunken guys trying to drool on me." I smiled. "Plus, I think he's a legs man."

Gena smiled. "Well, you've got a nice pair of those too."

*****

Two hours later, I followed Penny and Simon into the Tower Bar. There were several uni bars, but the Tower Bar was the best for live music. It also happened to be the bar Aaron had worked at for the past three years, so it instantly became my hang out. I'd taken mums advice and changed out of the dress I'd worn to dinner. Now I sported and pair of slim fit jeans, a flowing scoop neck top that always fell off one shoulder, and a pair of ankle boots. Heels in this bar always resulted in stomped toes.

Student night was also a night for local bands. Tonight featured a grunge group with a female bass guitarist who wore a bikini top with a short denim skirt. Simon's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Penny helped him put them back in by putting his hand on her boob. "You can actually touch these." She reminded him.

"And I'm the luckiest guy here to be able to." Simon smiled before pulling her in for a kiss.

Penny carried the physique of a cheerleader, probably because she was a cheerleader for the universities football team.Penny had a really nice rack, a seventeenth birthday present from her mother, who didn't want her going through life in A cups. Her long blond hair was hanging loose down her back. Penny had also gone with boots, skin tight jeans, and a halter top which basically showed her six pack. She worked hard for her body, gym sessions twice a day plus cheerleader training, she deserved to show it off.

"I'm going to the bar." I announced to the tongue tangled couple, then meandered through the crowd to reach the neon lit, chrome and glass bar. I mis-aimed by about two meters from where Aaron was serving. Not that I could see him till I got to the bar. He'd been bending down grabbing drinks from the fridge until I got there.

"What can I get you?" The guy serving where I stood asked.

I smiled. "JD and coke in a bottle." I said a little louder than necessary, but with the loud music from the other end of the room, it would be acceptable to pretend I was concert deaf.

"Caly!" Julianne, my friend from high school, yelled from further down the bar.

Aaron's head instantly turned towards Julianne, then swivelled to find me when she waved in my direction. His eyes met mine for a half a second, then he went back to serving as I waved acknowledging Julianne. Aaron looked back up the bar as swiped the students card in the till, watching Julianne wave me over, but he didn't look back at me.

My heart sank a little. Maybe he was only being nice last Friday. Sure he was willing to take it if I offered, but he probably wasn't interested passed that.

"Here you go." The barman put my drink in front of him. I handed him my student card and he swiped it. Best thing about our university. You could go anywhere on campus without your purse and use your student card to pay instead. I basically came to the bar with my phone in one pocket and my student card in the other.

"Thanks." I winked at the cute bar tender taking my card back, slipping it in my pocket. The bar tender gave me a generous smile before I took my bottle of drink and weaved my way to the other end of the bar to Julianne. "Hey." I greeted when I got there.

"Hey. You flying solo tonight?" Julianne asked. She was with another two girls, both of them other student nurses like Julianne. I recognised them from the hospital.

"I'm here with my room mate and her fella. They are macking on somewhere down near the band."

"Want to hang with us?" Julianne smiled. I nodded and joined in with the conversation about the going ons at work.

Aaron would look up the bar occasionally, as if checking where I was, especially every time I bought a new drink. The student nurses were partying hard tonight, and I sort of got dragged into their drinking rampage. Not enough that I was blind. I knew my limit. That was five bottles of JD for the record. After I finished my third drink I went to break the seal. I'd held it as long as I could. I'm pretty sure I'd be visiting the bathroom hourly now. The nurses had already been pairing up for the bathroom for the last hour, so I'd survived longer then most.

When I got back to the girls they had already refreshed their drinks. I stepped closer to the bar ready to order another and found Aaron looking down at me. "Water?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Bottle of Jack thanks."

"They are the equivalent of two standard drinks and you've drunk three over the last two hours." Aaron schooled me. "Get a water."

"I'm responsible, Aaron. I know my limit." I informed him.

"Yeah, well, as the bartender I get to make final call." He turned and grabbed a bottle of water, placing it on the counter in front of me and putting his hand out for my card.

"Did you swap tills just to cut me off?" I asked handing it over.

"I didn't like seeing you bruised last week." Aaron countered. He took the card and charged my account.

"I'm horny." I told him. Smiling when Aaron's brows nearly disappeared into his hairline. "I've gone out drinking weekly since I started university, but I haven't had sex since before Christmas last year." I told him. Aaron just blinked at me. "If I was the sort of girl who got drunk-fucked, that wouldn't be the case. Would it?" I quirked a brow at him, taking my card back. "I can take care of myself. Go father someone else." I turned my back on him stepping back into the circle of nurse students, keeping my back to him.

"You got an early class?" Julianne nodded at my water.

I shook my head. "Aaron decided I'd had enough." I grumbled.

Julianne quirked a brow. "Really? Give me your card." She asked handing me her drink. I chuckled and handed it to her.

Julianne skirted her way to midway down the bar and ordered a JD and coke, batting her lashes so the bartender didn't even look at the photo on the card. I turned my focus to Aaron, waited till he looked my way and sculled the bottle of water. Smiling I put the empty bottle pointedly on the bar. He watched me confused. Julianne returned and handed me the bottle of Jack, I gave her back her drink and pocketed my card. I kept eye contact with Aaron as I took my first drink of it.

Aaron's face told me he was pissed off. I winked and turned back to the group.

"Aw crap!" Julianne's face fell.

"What?" I turned to see what she'd seen.

Aaron was leaning over the bar talking to one of the bouncers, Bruce, or Bounce if you read my blog. Aaron turned and pointed me out. Bruce nodded and started towards our group. I looked at Aaron unimpressed. "Really?"

Aaron shrugged, he was annoyed at me for subverting him. I shook my head now truly pissed with him. I turned crossing through the middle of the group. "Catch you girls at work." I waved goodbye.

There was a rule in the uni bars. If you had to be escorted out by a bouncer, you were barred for a month. The bouncer's knew me, hell, Bruce really knew me. The unspoken get out of jail free card was that if you left of your own doing, you were just out for the night.

I made my way to the closest door, Bruce following, but slowed by the crowd of students. At the exit I stepped out. Jeff, the bouncer there, stopped me. "No drinks outside." He reminded me.

"I'm literally going to stand here and finish my drink." I smiled and put the bottle to my lips sculling it down.

By the time I'd finished, Bruce was standing at the door. "Get home safe, Caly." He held his hand out for the bottle.

"Give Aaron a message for me?" I asked.

"Sure." Bruce smiled realising I knew him.

"Tell him I just lost his number."

Bruce smiled and shook his head. "His bad luck." Bruce's eyes scanned me.

"Fucking oath it is." I laughed and skipped down the stairs. I didn't do overprotective guys, or guys that tried to tell me what to eat, drink, wear. I was my own person. You either liked me for who I am or don't bother.

I was at my desk studying when Penny stumbled in an hour later. "What happened to you?" Penny asked looking me over.

I was already showered and in my pyjamas. "Aaron fucking Wish." I grumbled.

Penny lifted a brow. "He was working the bar tonight. What happened?"

"He tried to cut me off. A friend went and bought me a drink to circumvent him. He called a bouncer to throw me out." I told her.

Penny's mouth dropped open. "No way? How much had you had to drink?"

"Three."

"Pfft! That's nothing for you."

"I know." I sighed. "So I walked myself out so I wouldn't be barred, then came home and thought I'd get a head start on next weeks readings."

Penny sat on the end of my bed. "Aaron's not normally such a stick in the mud. Did you turn him down or something?"

I looked at her like she was insane. "Do you really think I'd turn Aaron Wish down?"

Penny smiled. "No. You've been crushing on him for years. You'd drop your knickers the first time he asked."

"And there you have it." I turned my attention back to my notes. Penny was the only one who knew about my obsession with Aaron. She'd thoroughly supported my obsession. He wasn't her taste, but she could appreciate how yummy he was.

"Okay. Well obviously you got his attention finally. Maybe he cut you off to get yours."

"He already had mine." I reminded her.

"Yeah, but you hide it pretty well, Caly." Penny gave me a sympathetic look.

"Too bad. He's pissed me off now. I think he might have finally cured me of him." I grumbled.

"Maybe that was his intention too." Penny shrugged. "Night."

I considered Penny's retreating form. "Night."

Maybe that's exactly what Aaron had hoped for. I sat back and stared at my notes realising the very real possibility of that statement. Taking my phone off the desk I searched through to find the entry for Lancelot. Without any hesitation, I deleted the contact. Turns out, his flavour cake wasn't to my taste after all.