‘Yeah. It was pretty bad.’ His shoulders dropped. ‘So then I spent years in care. In and out of different homes, then with different foster carers until I was eleven and was finally adopted by my amazing parents who changed my life. They saved me. They really took care of me and gave me a loving, stable home, which I believe made me the man I am today.’
‘They must be so proud of you.’
‘Yeah. They are,’ he said, the brightness returning to his eyes. ‘I owe everything to them. So in answer to your question, the reason I became a doctor was because I wanted to help children. To nurture them. I guess to help them. The way that I was helped and saved by my mum and dad. I don’t know if that makes any sense…’
‘It does. It makes a lot of sense.’
‘I had a great upbringing from the age of eleven. A wonderful family life. I’m so grateful for that. That’s what I’d love to have one day. A partner—a wife to love and cherish. To share my life with and to work together to provide our children with a stable home. Help them to achieve whatever it is they’d like to—support them as they pursue their dreams. So, that’s me. Hope that wasn’t too heavy and serious, Alex,’ he said nervously, trying to gauge my reaction.
‘Gosh,’ I said, desperately wanting to throw my arms around him and hold him tight. ‘You’ve been through a lot, but I actually think it’s amazing the way that you haven’t let it hold you back. You’ve had a traumatic childhood, and instead of allowing it to bring you down, you’ve used it as a driver to do something positive with your life. I think that’s incredibly inspirational.’
‘That’s really kind.’ He blushed. ‘Thanks.’ Our eyes met again. I meant every word of what I said. I thought he was amazing. His strength, his positivity, his kindness. It was wonderful. ‘So,’ he continued, ‘you didn’t pinch my arm, then. That means you’ve missed out on my dazzling dance moves.’
‘Ah, dammit! Does the offer still stand?’
‘Maybe. But you’d better be quick. We’re almost at the entrance…’
‘Okay, then!’ I reached out and gave his upper arm a squeeze with my hand. It felt very muscular. What else was hiding underneath all those layers of clothes…?
‘Too late. We’re here,’ he said, turning the corner and approaching the ticket office.
‘You sure you still don’t want to dance? To entertain the queue?’
‘No way! Embarrassing myself in front of you is one thing, but in front of a crowd of strangers is a definite no. Rain check!’
‘Alright, then. I look forward to you showing me your moves another time,’ I said, realising afterwards that could be interpreted in multiple ways. Miles smiled as if to confirm that he got the innuendo memo too. My stomach flipped again as I allowed my imagination to run away for a few enjoyable seconds.
As we queued for the tickets and talked, I couldn’t seem to stop my heart from beating faster. The more I looked at Miles, the more I realised how attractive I found him. I’d loved his smile from the moment we’d met, and I although I hadn’t been sure about them at first, I was really starting to dig his glasses. His beautiful eyes just sparkled beneath them. He had the whole sexy Clark Kent vibe going on. Mmm-mmm.
It was also interesting that he said that he would like to get married and have a family—although saying he’d like to have that ‘one day’ didn’t exactly give the impression that he was in any rush to settle down anytime soon, which was a shame.
There was so much to see, we almost didn’t know where to start. Miles suggested the Penguin Beach and found a spot near the wooden hut where we could sit and I could rest my feet, which by now were throbbing. Although I’d tried my best to disguise it, maybe Miles had seen me hobbling along and felt sorry for me? Either way, I was glad to take the weight off them.
For about half an hour, we just sat in the demonstration area, watching the penguins diving for food, then we headed down to the underwater viewing areas and looked on in awe as they flew underwater in the 1200-square-metre pool.
Whilst we’d been chatting away constantly, up until that point, we’d always kept a little distance. Even if it was just a few inches. It was like we were both nervous to get too close, for fear of whether the other would reciprocate. But now we’d been at the zoo for over an hour, I felt Miles begin to relax a little more.
As we headed over to the Into Africa exhibit, he linked his arm in mine and just smiled. Feeling the warmth of his body was like a bolt of lightning. I wanted to wrap my arm around his waist. Pull him in even closer to me. For our lips to meet. Maybe there would be time for that later. I hoped so.
We went to the viewing platform and were mesmerised by the elegance of the giraffes. Like the name of the exhibit suggested, the surroundings had been designed to recreate an African-esque setting. It felt quite authentic.
Next we strolled along to the Tiger Territory. As if reading my mind from earlier, Miles wrapped his arm around my back and pulled me closer. I rested my head on his shoulder as we walked and breathed in his delicious scent. I couldn’t help myself. When I looked up, he was staring down at me, his glasses misting up a little. Our eyes locked, and for a moment I thought we were going to kiss, until a couple of rowdy boys pushed past us, chasing each other and screaming playfully. Kind of killed the mood.
We held hands as we watched the tigers scale the huge trees in the tropical Indonesian-style setting through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. They looked so beautiful with their deep orange coats and thick black stripes. Miles told me that Sumatran tigers, which were the species here, were the rarest and smallest subspecies of tiger in the world and were seen as critically endangered. I’d thought I loved animals, but he seemed just as passionate. Apparently, he’d been fascinated by them ever since he’d started living with his adoptive parents, as they used to take him to the zoo every summer.
I was in my element. By the time we’d seen a couple more exhibits, we were starving so made our way to the Terrace Restaurant. Whilst Miles went to the toilet, I slipped off my boots to give my feet a breather. I shouldn’t really, as they’d probably be impossible to put on afterwards, but the pain had become unbearable. I knew it was stupid to suffer like this, but it was what we women did, right? To look good and feel more confident. They’d be okay in an hour or so, once we’d finished eating.
We both opted for fish and chips and chatted about what we’d seen so far. It felt good to refuel. All that walking had certainly burnt a lot of calories.
‘Ready to go?’ asked Miles.
‘Yeah…sort of…’ I winced, reaching below the table to try and find my boots whilst still maintaining eye contact with Miles. I must have inadvertently kicked them to the side. They were practically in the walkway beside our table. I was surprised someone hadn’t tripped over them. There was no way I could put them back on without him seeing me.
‘You okay?’ he said, looking concerned.
‘Yeah, I…I’ve just got to put my boots back on. They were squeezing a little, so I thought I’d slip them off for a bit.’
‘It’s okay, I understand. Not that I wear high-heeled boots, of course…’ He shook his head, realising how it sounded.
‘Are you sure?’ I chuckled.
‘Well, only on Sundays, and today’s Saturday, so…’ We both burst into a fit of giggles. ‘What I meant to say was, I know from experience, and by that I mean from exes, that wearing heels for long periods of time isn’t very comfortable.’
‘Yep. Unfortunately, I’m yet to find a pair that offer both style and comfort.’
‘Forgive me,’ he said cautiously, ‘but, when you went in your bag earlier to get your phone out, did I see another pair of shoes in there? Some flats?’
I blushed. They must have fallen out of the shoe bag. He wasn’t supposed to know about those. I was trying to maintain the illusion of a strong, sexy woman who wasn’t fazed by wearing a pair of heels. Dammit. I couldn’t lie, though.
‘Yes…yes, you did.’
‘Alex, I know
that you might want to project this glamorous image by wearing heels—at least, that’s what my ex told me when I made the mistake of asking what I thought was a simple question as to why women wear heels if they hurt so much—but I just wanted to say that if you wanted to change into those shoes, if they made you feel more comfortable, then it really wouldn’t bother me. I’m not one of those guys that expects a woman to dress a certain way. Yeah, heels are nice. Sometimes. But a woman can look just as sexy in a pair of trainers or flats. It’s about how she carries herself. Her confidence. That’s what is attractive. To me anyway.’
I stared at him, waiting for him to say only joking, but he didn’t. Of course, deep down I knew suffering in heels for a man was stupid and that I should be able to wear what I wanted, but I guess I’d never been brave enough to stick my middle finger up at convention and actually do it. I’d thought a man would think less of me if I did.
‘Well…’ I paused. ‘I could really do with putting on my flats right now.’
‘I bet you could. We’ve been walking for hours. Even my feet are hurting me.’
‘Really?’ My eyes widened.
‘No…I just wanted to make you feel better.’ He smiled. Miles really was a sweetheart.
I pulled my flats out of my bag, slid them on, closed my eyes and exhaled. They felt heavenly. Like walking on clouds compared to those boots. Now I knew where the term killer heels must have come from. Killer being the operative word. I think I’d definitely need to soak my feet in the bath later.
We wandered around the zoo, alternating between holding hands, linking arms and holding each other. It was magical. I must have taken at least a hundred photos on my phone along the way. Mainly selfies with the animals in the background and Miles and me posing in front. I had so much fun. It was the perfect date.
‘Are you cold, Alex?’
‘A little.’ I shivered. Should’ve known this light jacket wouldn’t have been warm enough for this evening.
‘Here,’ said Miles, taking off his blazer. ‘Have this.’
‘Oh, but then you’ll be cold…’ Let a man be nice to you, Alex, I reminded myself.
‘Don’t worry about me. Here,’ he said, placing it over my shoulders. ‘The temperature just dropped so quickly. It’s getting dark too.’
‘Oh, shit! What’s the time?’ I asked, reaching in my bag for my phone to check. As I unlocked the screen, the 5% battery symbol flashed up. Must have run it down taking all those photos and videos.
Miles hurriedly pulled his sleeve up over his watch. ‘It’s almost five-thirty! Sorry. I didn’t realise. You said you had to leave around five. Are you going to be late? Where do you need to get to?’
‘London Bridge, but it’s a good twenty minutes to Regent’s Park station, and then I’d need to get the tube to Waterloo, then get the Jubilee line, so that will be say another half an hour journey, and then it will probably take another five or ten minutes to get up to the bar.’
‘Would it help if I got you a taxi?’ asked Miles. ‘Then again, the traffic is so bad around here, it would probably take even longer. Can you at least call or text them to say you’re running behind?’
‘Yeah. Yes…I can do that. I think my phone will die at any second, though.’
‘Or, I know: bring the number up and then we can put it in my phone and text them from there? My battery’s still good.’
‘Erm…’ I stuttered, as my mind screamed no way! Could you imagine? Texting Luke from Miles’ phone? That did not seem like a good idea…at all. ‘I’m sure it will be okay. If we hurry, I could still make it for six-fifteen, or maybe a few minutes after.’
‘Okay, let’s go,’ he said, and we headed through the park. Walking quickly was now a possibility with these flats on, thank goodness.
My stomach sank. I’d had such a wonderful afternoon with Miles, and I didn’t want it to end. It had gone far too quickly. I mean, yes, I was on my way to see Luke, which I was sure would be nice, but I just wished I could have stayed with Miles a little longer. A few more hours. Or even for the rest of the evening. If I didn’t have to rush off, we could have gone for dinner. I bet we would have chatted and laughed all night. Then he would have walked me to the tube platform like he had last night. And I would have loved to stare into his beautiful eyes whilst he leant forward and kissed me. Just the thought of it made my whole body tingle…
I couldn’t think about that now. Firstly because I was meeting Luke, and secondly because fantasising about Miles kissing me could quite possibly cause a tsunami to erupt in my knickers. No. I needed to block out all sexual thoughts. Immediately.
We made it to the station in good time, and thankfully the tube came pretty quickly.
‘So you’re off at the next stop,’ said Miles.
‘Yep. Thank you so much for an amazing day. I’ve had a brilliant time.’
‘Mission accomplished, then,’ he said, his glasses steaming up again slightly. So cute when they did that. ‘Really glad you enjoyed it. I had a fantastic time with you and all our new furry friends too. You’ll have to send me some of those photos.’
‘Will do,’ I said, not wanting to take my eyes off him.
‘If you like, I can get off and walk you to the bar to meet your friend?’
‘Thanks. That’s really lovely of you.’ He’s so kind, I thought as my stomach tightened, overcome with guilt, knowing I was leaving him to meet Luke. ‘I’ll be okay.’
‘Okay,’ he said, gently stroking my arm and setting off a shockwave. ‘If you’re sure.’
‘Oh! I almost forgot!’ I said, taking off his blazer. ‘Your jacket.’
‘You keep it. Until next time. It’ll give me an excuse to see you again.’ He smiled.
‘No honestly,’ I said, handing it to him. ‘I’ll be fine. And no excuses needed. I’d love to see you again.’
‘Really?’ His face lit up.
‘Definitely.’
‘Brilliant! Well, I’ll message you tomorrow to check when you’re free.’
‘Great! Thanks again,’ I replied as I reluctantly backed away towards the doors.
‘You’re welcome, Alex. I think we did a pretty good job with scene number two.’
‘We certainly did! This is my stop, then,’ I said, staring into his eyes, wondering how we’d say goodbye.
‘It is…well, see you soon.’ He leaned forward and kissed me gently on the cheek.
As his lips touched my skin, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I wanted to stay on the train. Be close to him and feel that electricity pulsing through me again.
As the doors closing alert began to sound, I reluctantly stepped on to the platform.
‘Bye, Miles,’ I whispered. ‘I hope to see you very soon.’
Chapter Fourteen
I was meeting Luke at GŎNG—the bar that was part of the Shangri-La Hotel in The Shard, which was on the fifty-second floor. Not ideal when you’re running behind. I had to take not one but two separate lifts: one to the thirty-fifth floor and then another right to the top. Crikey. I reached in my jacket pocket for a tissue to mop my forehead. I’d been rushing so much that I could feel the beads of sweat forming. I knew I wouldn’t have time to go to the toilets to check my make-up and hair when I arrived, so I’d done that quickly whilst taking the escalators up to the station exit.
The lift doors opened, and wow! Even through the crowds of people, I could see that the views were breathtaking. I anxiously looked around for Luke, then spotted him seated on the soft brown leather stool right by the window, dressed in a grey checked suit with an open-neck white shirt.
‘So sorry I’m a few minutes late,’ I said as I rushed over.
‘Thought you’d stood me up,’ he said, glancing down at my shoes and frowning. Shit. I hadn’t had a chance to change back into my boots.
‘Sorry—I got held up, and my battery died. I wouldn’t have stood you up, though. That would be rude,’ I said, unbuttoning my coat and sitting down on the stool opposite.
>
‘It’s very difficult to get such a prime table here on a Saturday night. It’s a good thing I have connections and was able to hold the space. Anyway, you’re here now,’ he snapped. ‘What are you drinking? Rosé?’
‘Yes, please,’ I replied, and he got up and walked towards the bar.
Luke seemed a bit off. I reached in my bag to see if my phone was still on to check the time. I had 3% battery, and it was 6.21, which meant I must have literally been five minutes late. Surely it couldn’t be that? He had been fifteen minutes late on our first date and then twenty minutes late on our second because his conference call had run over, and I hadn’t complained. Not that I was condoning it, because of course it’s never good to be late, but this was the first time for me.
The bar was really busy. Like every place I’d been to with Luke so far, it was very glam. Much like the people here. Even though my skirt and polo neck were fairly smart, they weren’t on the same scale as the women that were done up to the nines in high heels and sparkling cocktail dresses. I felt very out of place. Especially with my flats. Ah yes. My boots. I'd squeezed them into the shoe bag and they were now hanging out of my handbag. Would it be weird to change into them now? My feet probably wouldn’t fit into them, but I could try and do it quickly before Luke came back.
Too late.
‘One rosé as requested.’ He placed the glass on the table and sat down. ‘Sorry if I was a bit short earlier, Alexandra. I had an annoying phone call before you arrived, so I was a little irritated.’
Phew. Glad he apologised. Was getting worried there.
‘Sorry to hear that. Nothing too serious, I hope?’
‘No. Just someone trying to negotiate my speaking fee down for a conference, so I told them where to go. I’m more than worth every penny of what I charge. Anyway’—he clapped his hands together—‘pretty impressive here, isn’t it?’
Only When It's Love: A Chick Lit, Romantic Comedy Novel: Holding Out For Mr Right Page 11