She couldn’t help it, she was starting to feel broody. She had been for a week or two now. She had tried to bury the feeling and there was a part of her that wondered if her behaviour over the last day had something to do with it all.
Right now though, she needed to focus on the present.
She wasn’t sure how to reconcile the idea of having children with the complex situation she now found herself in, but as much as she tried to deflect away from it, her mind and her ovaries were heading in that direction.
‘This is incredible,’ she said as she drew level with Amy, reaching out for her hand. They pulled the boats closer until they butted together and held tight as they lay back in each other’s husband’s laps, drifting along in the warm sun and the cool breeze.
Above them a solitary bird circled in the sky, and the sun blazed down with a ferocious heat.
‘Do you remember what you said to me in the sauna that day, the night before we first made love? You asked me - What do we want?’ said Amy.
Emilia nodded, stroking Amy’s thumb and said, ‘For it to be nice.’
‘This is pretty nice isn’t it?’
‘It’s better than nice,’ she said. ‘It’s perfect.’
*
Emilia pushed open the door to the cafe and stepped inside. The decor was rustique, with thick brick walls to keep the heat out during the summer and to provide insulation during the winter. Large support beams adorned the ceiling, and towards the back the interior became more cave like. The serving area had been carved out of the rock, the chisel marks still visible. Emilia wondered idly how long the building had been here.
It was busy, and there were only a few places to sit but within moments an old, bearded man approached them, dressed in a traditional French waiters outfit, complete with waistcoat despite the heart, to direct them to the last few available seats.
‘Suis-moi s'il te plait,’ he said in a thick accent, beckoning them to come with him.
Mark waved the ladies forward and they followed along, as each of them weaved their way through the other diners to the rear of the establishment.
After lounging in the baking midday sun for a little too long, they’d continued on down the meandering gorge, eventually arriving at a little town that bordered the river. Overhanging buildings, built into and above the rock face hung down from them, precarious and foreboding, as though they might tumble down at any moment. There they were greeted by another jacket bearing instructor, male this time, who gestured them over and guided them in, helping them out one by one and tying off the boats to the little jetty.
He explained in broken English that they had a couple of hours in the town to grab some lunch and cool off before the minibus would be ready to return them back to the start and to have a wonderful afternoon.
Together they had wandered up through the cobblestone streets, climbing the steep steps together, Amy and Emilia side by side as Mark and Cassian followed, looking out for a nice restaurant where they could all eat.
As they sat down around the table, Mark ordered them a bottle of wine and a basket of bread and the old waiter scurried away to retrieve both, smiling happily to himself.
‘My goodness,’ said Emilia. ‘That was amazing. I’ve never done anything like that before.’
Mark smiled and nodded. ‘I’m glad you enjoyed the surprise. I’ve been wanting to do it for some time. Back when I lived here, I travelled down to the Ardèche and spent a few days with a friend, paddling along the gorge there and camping beside the river. It’s similar to this one, although perhaps in some places even more dramatic.’
‘How does he have a story for almost everything?’ laughed Cassian. ‘I feel like I’ve barely lived and we’re only a few years apart.’
Mark laughed. ‘Stick with me mate and we’ll find plenty of adventures to go on together.’
‘I strongly suspect all of Mark’s friends he talks about are his ex-lovers,’ said Amy, raising her eyebrows at him accusingly. ‘And he seems to have an awful lot.’
Emilia giggled and covered her mouth.
As Amy was about to continue talking she stopped and frowned as Mark’s expression changed, a look of recognition crossing his face as he looked behind her, distracted by something.
She turned around in her seat to see the girl from the dock, standing at the bar ordering a drink, still dressed in her tiny red bikini but now wrapped in a black sarong which barely reached below her pert little bottom. Her hair was down now and even Amy had to admit to herself that the sweet little French girl was extremely pretty.
Mark grinned and looked at his wife, as she shook her head. Emilia looked between them, confused at the sudden pause in the conversation, frowning at Cassian who shrugged. She turned in her seat and looked around and then smiled shyly as she saw the girl at the bar. She too now turned and grinned at Amy who rolled her eyes at them both as Cassian finally caught on.
‘Go on, invite her over,’ she said, with mock reluctance.
‘Celeste?’ called Mark from the table, raising his hand.
‘Of course, he remembers her name,’ said Amy, rolling her eyes.
The girl turned, confused but with an expression of excited anticipation, looking toward their table. She grinned widely as she saw the four of them and Amy noticed that for a moment she actually bounced on the spot. She hurriedly turned back to the bar and paid for her drink and then she quickly made her way over to their table.
‘Voulez-vous vous joindre à nous?’ said Mark, smiling warmly and standing up.
‘If that is okay?’ she said, looking at Amy for permission more than the others.
‘Please, we’d love you to join us,’ she said, relenting at last.
Mark pulled up another chair from a nearby table as Emilia and Amy shuffled apart to give her some room between them as she excitedly sat down, smiling at them all.
‘We can speak English,’ she said, nodding. ‘I like to practice.’
‘Have you finished for the day?’ asked Mark as he sat back down in his own chair.
‘Yes, my shift is over,’ she said in a subtle French accent. ‘It’s too hot for the boats to go out now, the Gorge goes to forty eight degrees some days at this time of year, it’s too dangerous to work, so I break for the day and I have the afternoon off.’
‘How long have you done this?’ asked Amy.
‘It’s my third season,’ she smiled and then shrugged. ‘J'aime cela. It’s the best job.’
‘Where do you live?’
‘In the city, I have a little apartment that overlooks the water gardens.’
‘Sounds beautiful,’ said Emilia, who was clearly taken with the girl.
‘So… are you all together? Romantique?’
Amy smiled as Emilia blushed. Each of them looked at each other. They’d never considered themselves as being something which could be defined, but it was a question which had been hanging in all of their minds for some time. Now it was being asked and a mixture of reticence and anticipation murmured through the table.
‘Yes we are,’ said Mark, confidently as the others smiled.
‘Et toi aussi?’ she said, glancing between Mark and Cassian, who laughed.
‘Non, juste les filles.’
‘Ah, ok. So you échanger? Swap?‘
‘Oui,’ said Mark grinning as he looked at his wife. ‘Amy est ma femme,’ he said ‘My wife. And Emilia est la femme de Cassian.’
‘And you share?’
Cassian nodded.
‘That’s so nice, tu es très chanceux. Lucky.’
Celeste turned and looked at both the girls with a shy expression.
‘And do you two? How do you say?’ she looked back at Mark. ‘Faites l'amour?’
‘Make love,’ said Mark.
‘Yes,’ she turned back. ‘Do you make love?’
‘We do,’ said Amy, taking Emilia’s hand and squeezing it.
‘That’s so beautiful. Girls are better à brouter le minou than boys,’ she giggle
d and turned a little red, pursing her lips.
Amy covered her mouth and laughed in shock as Emilia looked on confused.
‘What does that mean?’ she said, looking at Mark who shook his head, refusing to translate.
Amy leaned across Celeste and cupped a palm to her Emilia’s and whispered. ‘It’s slang, but it means eating pussy.’
Her eyes grew wide and she went bright red, looking shyly at Celeste who was laughing quietly, covering her mouth in shame.
‘How did you meet?’ she asked, still giggling.
‘It was at a masquerade ball,’ said Cassian.
Celeste looked at Amy, puzzled.
‘À un bal masqué,’ she said, making her hands into the rough shape of a mask and covering her eyes.
‘Ah oui,’ she nodded. ‘Excitant.’
‘Do you have a boyfriend, or a girlfriend?’ asked Emilia, trying to hide her red cheeks but failing.
‘No,’ said the girl, nonchalantly. ‘I like to have fun though, with boys and girls.’
‘Did you grow up here?’
‘Yes, in the city with my mother,’ she said looking down. ‘She passed away two years ago now, so I live in her old apartment.’
‘Je suis désolé pour votre perte,’ said Mark, leaning forward and placing his hand on top of hers. Amy couldn’t help noticing that Celeste stroked his thumb as he did so.
‘What about you? Where in England are you from?’ she said, brightly, trying to move away from the topic.
‘We’re from Oxford.’
‘The Université?’
‘Yes the same place,’ said Cassian. As he spoke he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and slipped it out, looking at the caller name.
It was Alice.
He frowned and glanced up at Emilia, but she was beaming at Celeste, her eyes wide and enchanted by the little brunette beauty, so he stood up and made his excuses, heading toward the front of the cafe, swiping to answer as he weaved his way out so it didn’t go to voicemail before he had a chance to talk.
‘Hey Alice,’ he said as he stepped out onto the narrow cobbled street, walking over to a waist high wall which overlooked the gorge below.
‘Hey,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t sure you’d answer.’
‘You okay?’
‘I’m okay, I was just thinking about you.’
Cassian smiled. ‘Were you thinking about my magic wand?’
‘She told you then,’ laughed Alice. ‘I guess there’s no secrets between the three of us anymore.’
‘I guess not.’
‘Is she okay?’
‘She’s great, more than great. It’s beautiful out here. You should come with us some time.’
‘You’d love that wouldn’t you?’
Cassian laughed, turning around to face the cafe. Inside he could see Emilia laughing at something Celeste had said, touching the girls arm with her soft fingers.
‘When are you guys back?’
‘Saturday.’
‘I miss you.’
‘We miss you too.’
‘We?’
‘Alice,’ said Cassian, warning her.
‘I’m sorry, I know. It’s just, the other night was amazing.’
‘I know.’
‘Did she say anything yet?’
Cassian hesitated, wanting to tell her how Emilia felt, but it didn’t seem right coming from him. ‘Yes, but it’s best if you hear it from her.’
‘Ok. I’m sorry.’
For a moment they both enjoyed a comfortable silence, Cassian smiling as he listened to her breathe. ‘It was amazing,’ he said finally.
‘Can we do it again?’
He paused as he thought, turning back around and away from his wife. He looked out over the river. The beauty of the rocks and the trees and the blue flowing water down below was mesmerising. He watched, fixated as a bird dived down to the surface hundreds of feet below and plucked a small fish out using its beak, soaring back up high before disappearing into the thicket of foliage.
‘Yes,’ he said, finally.
Alice said nothing, but he could hear her relief, as though she was smiling down the phone.
‘How’s the house?’ he said, changing the conversation.
‘Good, but your cat is a nuisance.’
‘We don’t have a cat.’
Alice said nothing for a moment. ‘Then the wild cat that has invaded your house is a nuisance.’
‘So it’s going well?’ laughed Cassian.
‘Peachy.’
‘I love her,’ said Cassian, suddenly.
‘I know you do.’
‘And I love you.’
‘I know you do, and you can make me happy by repeating the other night once in a while. As long as it’s okay with Em. That’s all I want.’
‘I want that too.’
For another few moments they listened to each breathing, until Cassian broke the quiet.
‘I better leave you and the wild cat to it.’
‘I miss you both,’ said Alice.
Cassian turned back at last, looking in toward his wife. She had shifted even closer to the little French girl who was talking to her animatedly.
‘We miss you too.’
‘See ya, Mr Wizard.’
‘See you, Alice.’
He felt guilty somehow. Despite Emilia’s approval, something didn’t feel right, but at the same time, it was what he wanted. But there was no way this could ever move forward without her.
He loved her more than anything. More than life itself.
He had to know she meant what she was saying, but he wasn’t sure how to go about getting that kind of reassurance. Perhaps he just had to take her word for it?
He crossed the street, dodging a fast moving moped, then ducked back into the cafe, his phone still held tight in his palm.
As he made his way back to the table, Emilia turned to look at him and smiled broadly, beckoning him over with excitement in her eyes.
‘Celeste has invited us out tonight,’ she said, bouncing in her chair.
The young French girl turned in her seat, looking up at him with wide eyes.
‘On peut aller danser. Dancing? Mark already paid for our drinks,’ she said laughing in his direction and shrugging.
‘Just the two of you?’ said Cassian.
Amy looked at Emilia and Celeste who both smiled enthusiastically and nodded. ‘We’d like that.’
‘Ok, let’s do it,’ said Amy as she raised her eyebrows at Mark.
‘Fine by me. Is that okay with you, Cass?’
‘Of course, you and I can have a few beers back at the villa.’
‘Should we meet you somewhere?’ said Amy, turning to Celeste.
‘It’s a place called Badaboom,’ she said, standing up to leave. ‘At ten?’
‘We’ll be there.’
‘I’m so excited, à bientôt.’
She leaned forward and kissed Emilia three times on her cheeks and then did the same to Amy. Then she turned and winked at Mark, holding up the fifty euro note he gave her earlier and flexing it.
‘Maybe after the dancing, I can see you again? And your friend?’ she raised her eyebrows, then turned around, walking away and swaying her hips as they all watched, open mouthed.
‘Ok,’ said Amy, grinning at Mark once their new friend was out of ear shot. ‘Maybe you were right.’
He laughed and winked at her.
‘She’s lovely,’ said Emilia, watching as the girl left, bouncing out into the street.
She was more than lovely, thought Emilia to herself.
Just like Amy, she was something special.
Cassian glanced down at his phone again, then slipped it back into his pocket.
*
As the taxi drew to a halt outside the club, Emilia peered out of the window excitedly looking for Celeste whilst Amy slipped the driver his fare.
The queue stretched beyond the corner, as they both stepped out onto the curb. The end was out of sight, wrapp
ing around the side of the old building and disappearing into a side alley.
Amy had chosen to wear a loose beach dress which flowed smoothly around her thighs as she walked, with a lace back which drew together like a corset.
Emilia on the other hand had chosen a little red dress with a cross over strap that wrapped up from her waist and around her neck in a loose bundle of material, revealing a little round circle of under cleavage which she was feeling rather self conscious about.
Amy looked up and down the breadth of the mass of people and then spied their new friend’s now familiar face waving back at them from near to the front, beckoning to them both to come and join her.
Emilia frowned as Amy reached out. ‘I can see her, let’s go.’
‘Shouldn’t we join the back of queue?’
‘I think it’s okay,’ she laughed. ‘Come on.’
Emilia looked at Celeste as Amy dragged her forward and saw that she was shaking her head, giggling at her reticence. As they approached she opened her arms wide to embrace them. ‘You English, you love queueing. It’s so cute.’
She gently reached out and touched her waist, then kissed Emilia three times on her cheeks, deepening her blush with each peck, and a moment later she extended the same courtesy to Amy.
As she stepped back, Emilia couldn’t help looking her up and down. She was wearing a stunning little zip up black dress with a lattice chest and spaghetti straps, revealing a tantalising glimpse of her ample cleavage, the sight of which made her heart thump a little faster in her already anxious chest.
‘Have you been here long?’ asked Amy over the noise of the crowd
She shrugged. ‘Un quart d'heure?’
‘Is this your favourite discothèque?’ said Emilia, looking up at the baroque exterior as she tried to calm herself down. She hadn’t been clubbing in almost five years and the mass of people were making her nervous.
‘This place is le meilleur, you’ll see,’ she winked as the crowd began to move forward.
Inside, the venue was a heaving mass of sweat and flesh. Emilia could feel the bass in her chest as she followed Amy and Celeste through the throng of young people.
The music was ear splitting. Her chest pounded with each thump of the bass line as she felt it vibrating up through the floor. At the far end stood six, ten-foot tall speakers, behind and above which was a rig of scaffolding that extended high into the rafters of what appeared to have once been a magnificent auditorium or theatre. The original Art Deco furnishings were still visible, juxtaposed now with modern and minimalist modifications to the original facade.
Come With Us Page 10