Two Circles

`You are hitting me like a girl today bro` what is up with that ?`  Casey slapped Daniel with the back of his hand, the glove smarted his skin and woke him up. Casey laughed at the startled look on Daniels face, it must be a woman, Daniel only got this way over women.

`Who is she?` he asked in between punches.  Daniel feigned indifference `I don’t know what you are talking about` Defending for all he was worth and lashing out with badly timed jabs and off centre hooks.

`Bro don’t mess with me, you only get this crazy over a woman.  You didn’t return my calls last night so I am guessing you were with some bimbo who has your head all up in a spin there` He planted a hook right on target, Daniel dazed a little, staggered backwards before putting his hands up signalling defeat.  He grabbed his water bottle from the side of the ring as best he could with both gloves still on and poured water over his smarting face, what was going on with him, she had got all up inside his head as Casey so delicately put it.

`It was just some woman, we met last night at Joe Coles place, we had some drinks, we played some pool, we had some more drinks and then we went back to mine` he smiled, very proud of his prowess, another notch in his bedpost.

`And then ?` Casey motioned with his hand for a continuance `And then what ?` Daniel enquired `Exactly` said Casey exacerbated by now with his friends elusiveness. `And then nothing` Daniel retorted.  `Yeah right` Casey shook his head `and then nothing, really gets you all out of sorts the next day, tell me was she better than, what was that girls name, don`t tell me, hang on, Serena – that was it, was she better than Serena ?`

Unable to contain his excitement any longer Daniel blurted `Better, give me a f*****g break she was the best lay I have ever had, I am not exaggerating man it was like she was inside my head and I was inside her head as though we had been making love for centuries in our minds or something, I don’t know if what I am saying is making any sense but she KNEW me man, I cant describe it and my god she is the most beautiful woman I have ever met. `  `Whoa easy tiger` Casey slung his gloves down in to his gym bag and started to untie Daniels gloves as they sat at the side of the ring together `What is this `making love` bullshit !!, she has seriously messed with your head bro` I can’t believe I am hearing this s**t from you` He seemed genuinely shocked, Daniel had let too much out, he had better keep the rest to himself.  They walked to the showers.  Daniel ached not only for her again but he physically ached, perhaps he was coming down with something or perhaps he had just had a very good workout last night, he grinned to himself.  Throwing his dirty clothes on to the floor he stepped in to the shower, the soft water enveloped him, he felt safe, he felt free.

Despite the rough beating of the water down on his chest he could stil feel the lightness of her touch as she felt the muscles on his arms and ran her hands down to his stomach. She kissed the small of his back, working her way up in light butterfly kisses to his neck, he bowed his head to her and they nuzzled in each others arms.  The waterfall was mild for this time of year, kind to them it lapped their skin, it connected them, it left them clean. `We cant keep meeting in secret like this Brighid, we must tell your father` Brighid silenced Solomon with a kiss to his soft wet lips as if she was passing her very love in to him with it.

`You know that my father would never approve of you Solomon, it is not that you are not a good man, you are, it is just that he does not believe that any man deserves the hand of his only daughter, you know how fathers can be` Solomon shook his head

`No Brighid it is not that, it is because of the Prophecy that your father will not allow you to marry` Brighid threw her head back in laughter `The prophecy, please my love do not tell me you believe that nonsense, it is a story of old wives to tell their grandchildren, there is no truth in it, you know me how am I supposed to be the keeper of all the universe, I know only of this village and my love for you` She kissed him again, more passionately now, her hands searching his skin wildly, he gently pulled her hair as they kissed, then pulled her away `Brighid I am serious now, you carry the mark, the mark of the traveller see` he pointed to a mark on Brighids back, `two circles joined together to represent the traveller and the one that protects her`  Brighid pulled away and stepped out from under the waterfall. `It is just a bedtime story silly, if I was the traveller surely I would know by now or something, it must just be coincidence that is all` She dressed quickly for the air was cold and unforgiving if you lingered. Solomon watched as she dried her hair in her shawl, the way her hair fell about her neck, the infection of her smile and those eyes, eyes that made old men weep in sorrow and old maids weep in envy. She was his and he wanted the whole world to know of their love but caution was of course the best solution she was still his betrothed no matter what. He followed after her quickly as she bounded for the village picking wild flowers as she danced.

`Are you going for the world record for showers or what ?` Casey beamed at Daniel `God this girl really must have been good`

`No I was thinking of something else, remembering or something`

`Remembering what ?` Casey asked confused.  Daniel flashed the images through his mind again the girl in the waterfall, her beautiful body as they touched, they mingled with the images from last night, they way they held each other, the way they touched, it had been the same.  As he took her from behind and ran his fingers over her skin, something in the small of her back a tattoo of two circles.