The table was set for two and was covered in a snow white table cloth and in the centre the was a small candle flickering bright even though the effect was lost a little because it was still daylight out. Never the less the atmosphere was romantic and comfortable. Well it should have been but for some reason Sam had become suddenly quiet and Melanie felt a little uneasy.
“I am sorry about Rachel” he said once they had ordered their food. “The down side to a small town is everyone knows your business”.
“I guess so” Melanie replied not completely sure what Sam was really apologising for.
They chatted all the way through lunch and as time passed, Sam became more relaxed again. Melanie discovered that Sam was actually from New York. His Mom was a doctor and his Dad was the CEO of a large multinational company. His brother Andrew, who was six years older than him was a lawyer and lived in San Francisco. His parents were currently in the Far East. His Dad had some business out there and they decided to make a holiday of it. Sam had just finished Pre Med in collage and was due to start at Harvard in September.
Melanie felt a little overwhelmed. Sam was obviously from a wealthy family and was also extremely clever. She was just plain old Melanie O’ Reilly from Swords in Dublin. Yeah her dad was a solicitor but he wasn’t some high flying Lawyer from a posh Law firm in San Francisco. Suddenly she felt so out of her depth.
She had lost her appetite. So as Alex sat happily chatting away, she just picked at her food and listen to him quietly.
After he paid the bill, he took Melanie’s hand and led her back out onto the street.
“Are you ok” He asked as they walked back towards his car. “You have gone very quiet”.
“I’m fine” she replied staring down at the ground. He stops abruptly and pulls her in front of him and slides his arms around her
“I know how girls work Melanie” he said staring deeply into her eyes. “And when a girl says she is “fine” well that is never a good thing. I want you to talk to me. You know you can tell me anything. Please don’t shut me out already. Give me a chance”. Then he leans forward and kisses her softly on the lips.
Melanie’s head spun. It was soft and gentle but it was perfect. He pulled back slowly and smiled. Then still holding her hand he started back towards his car.
“Come on I want to show you something” he said as she followed him closely. She knew right then she would follow him anywhere.
When they reached the car he pulled the scarf he bought her from its bag and carefully wraps it around her. “You are beautiful Melanie, you know that right”.
“How is this happening to me?” Melanie thought to herself. “This doesn’t happen to 17 year old girls from Dublin. This happens to pretty blonde girls that live in Beverly Hills”. Melanie’s head felt dizzy. Sam once again opened the door for her to climb in. Then closed it and hurried around to his side. A couple of minutes later they were driving out of town in the other direction. Melanie glanced over at Sam and he quickly shot her a look and smiled brightly at her. God he was gorgeous.
Ten minutes later they pulled off the main road and down a little sandy side road. After a minute or two they pulled to a stop. Sam jumped out of the car and hurried around to open Melanie’s door and took her hand as she stepped out of the car. Their bodies were so close together they were almost touching. Sam traces across his finger across Melanie lower lip and he smiles at her. “Come on” he whispers.
Still holding her hand he led her down a small path way between the high grass and reeds that covered the small hills in front of them. The path opened out onto the most beautiful beach Melanie had ever seen. The sand was pure white. The sea was the clearest greenie blue and they were the only two people on it. It was like there was no one else but them in the world.
“Wow” Melanie said as she stared out over the water she could see a little light house in the distances. “Sam this is amazing”.
“When I was younger and I needed some time to myself, I would come down here on my bike. Not very many people come down here so usually I had it all to myself”.
“It is really quite beautiful” Melanie said turning back to Sam. Suddenly she felt shy.
“I want to share this place with you” he said stepping closer to her. “Because as beautiful as it is here, it is nothing compare to how beautiful you are”.
“Oh” was all Melanie could whisper.
“Yes oh” Sam replied as he slowly pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Softly at first but then his kiss deepened. She opened her mouth slightly as she released a soft moan into his mouth. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and searched it, his tongue caressing hers, filling her with a deep hunger in the pit of her stomach. A feeling she had never felt before.
Ok she had only ever been kissed by one other boy before but it had never made her feel like this. When Mike kissed her she always had a sense of fear in the pit of her stomach. But what she felt now wasn’t fear. It was something new. It was desire. She wanted him. She wanted him in every way possible. Oh how had this happened?
********************
It was almost nine when they finally arrived back at the beach house. Sam pulled back into the same space he was in that morning. He switched of the engine and turned to Melanie.
“I had a great day Sam” Melanie said unable to wipe the silly smile she knew she had on her face. “Thank you”.
“You are very welcome Melanie” he said as he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. “I had a great day too”.
“I really should get back” Melanie sighed, feeling reluctant to leave Sam. She didn’t want this perfect day to end.
“Come on I will walk you around to the door” he said as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her softly on the back of it once again. Slowly they climbed out of the car and walked hand in hand to Melanie’s door. They stopped for a moment and stood in comfortable silence. Sam had her wrapped in his arms. Melanie looked up at him and he kissed her again softly on the lips.
“Can I meet you in the morning for swimming” he asked before he pressed his lips against her forehead.
“That would be lovely” she replied happily. Could he be any sweeter?
“I have been waiting all week to ask you that” he whispered as he softly kissed her ear lobe.
“Really?” was all she could reply. Her breathing increased. How could he affect her so easily?
“Really” he replied and kissed her softly on the lips once again. “I have been waiting to do that all week too”.
“Oh” Melanie sighed before his lips found hers once again. And he kissed her hard holding her closer to him.
“Yes oh” he said as reluctantly he released her from his arms. “Ok so, I will see you in the morning. 8 o’clock”.
“Ok” she replied.
“Oh I almost forgot, give me your phone” he said holding out his hand. She handed it to him confused by his request and he started to type into it. Then a ping came from his trouser pocket announcing he got a text message. “Now I have your number and you have mine”.
“Cool “she replied and smiled.
“Good night Melanie” He whispered as he kissed her again. Then he turned and walked back down the path way.
“Hey Sam” she called after him. “Think that maybe you can call me Mel now”.
He just smiled and blew her a kiss. Then he was gone.
When Melanie slipped into bed an hour later, having filled Maggie in on every little detail of her day with Sam, she was tired but happy. She played the entire day over in her head again and again. From the moment he sat beside her on the beach to the kiss he blew her before he disappeared down the path.
Her phone pinged from her nightstand. She picked it up to look and it was from Sam.
“Thx 4 today, can’t wait till morning, Sweet dreams Melanie. S x”
Melanie’s heart jumped for joy. He was perfect almost too perfect and she couldn’t believe he liked her. Quickly she texted him ba
ck.
“Sweet dreams Sam....M xx”
She put her phone back down on her nightstand and curled up under her blanket. She couldn’t wait till morning.
She was almost asleep when her phone pinged again. Melanie couldn’t help but smile. She quickly picked up the phone to see the message but it wasn’t from Sam. It was from her Dad.
“Was thinking about u and couldn’t sleep. R u awake, can I call”
Melanie’s heart dropped. She missed her dad so much over the last few days she wanted to talk to him but now she just didn’t know how to start. She couldn’t face talking to him right now. She knew she would cry and after such a wonderful day she didn’t want to ruin it. She stared at the phone for a few minutes debating what to do. Finally she decided to power off her phone and put it back on her nightstand. She curled back under her blankets but the happy feeling she had a short while ago was suddenly gone and the familiar ache crept back into her heart. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was not going to cry.
As she lay in the darkness she could hear the house phone ringing. She knew it was her dad. She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and kept her eyes closed. She heard Maggie answer the phone and moments later she opened her bedroom door slowly.
“Mel” she whispered. Melanie didn’t respond, instead she kept her eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. Maggie watched her for a moment and then closed the door and went back to the phone. Melanie listened as Maggie told Alex she was asleep. He must have asked how she was doing because Maggie told him she was doing ok. She had been very quiet but that today had been a better day. Melanie was relieved Maggie hadn’t mentioned Sam. She did know how her dad would react given his less the thrilled attitude to her and Mike. She listened as Maggie talked to him for a couple more minutes and finally she said good night. Melanie breathed a sigh of relief and turned back over to try and get some sleep. She wanted to be up early to get ready for her date with Sam.
The thought of Sam made her smile again. Her heart quickened when she remembered how it felt when he had kissed her. How had this happened to her? She couldn’t wait for tomorrow to see him again.
That night she dreamed of white sand and crystal clear water and piercing blue eyes. And she felt happy.
Chapter 6Melanie woke early the next morning. She sat up and switched back on her phone and immediately it pinged twice with two new messages. There was one from Sam and one from her Dad.
She opened the one from Sam first.
“Good morning Melanie, hope you had sweet dreams”
Melanie couldn’t help but grin and a warm fussy feeling flushed through her body. She took a deep breath and opened her Dad text.
“Mel please talk to me”
Her heart sank. What the hell was wrong with her? She knew she was hurting her Dad and that was the last thing she wanted. She was hurting too. Why couldn’t she just talk to him? It was her Dad. But she just couldn’t bring herself to call him. She wished now she had cleared the air between him and her before she left. It seemed so much harder now she was so far away. She wanted to call him and tell him how much she loved him but she just couldn’t do it. She just didn’t know what to say to him.
Part of her was scared to open herself up again. She had always believed that he was the one person in the world that would never ever hurt her. But he had, more then he realised, he had let her down. Now she just needed time.
She kicked her blankets back. She didn’t want to think about this right now. She was going to see Sam and that was all she wanted to think about. She selected her favourite white one piece swimming suit. It showed off her new tan lovely and also her curvy figure. Melanie had never thought of herself as beautiful, slightly pretty maybe but someone who could be desirable, never in a million years. She braided her hair to one side. She slipped on a teal summer dress over her suit and put on her beach sandals then headed out to meet Sam.
When she opened the front door she was surprised to find Sam already sitting on the front step waiting for her looking as gorgeous as ever.
“Good morning Melanie” he said with a bright smile.
“Good morning Sam” she replied shyly. “You are still calling me Melanie”.
“Well I like Melanie” he said as he got up from the step and moved in front of her. He slid his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her softly on the lips. “It’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl”. Melanie blushed as Sam took her by the hand and lead her down the steps and out towards the water.
They stopped before they reached the water. Sam quickly pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it with his towel down on the sand as he kicked off his canvas runners. He stopped dead and took a sharp intake of breath as he watched Melanie slip her summer dress over her head. Her white swimming suit clung to her and showed her beautiful, curvy body off perfectly. “God she is beautiful” he thought to himself.
Melanie could feel his eyes on her and she blushed but she liked how she affected him as much as he affected her. She dropped her dress on the sand next to her towel and kicked off her sandals. She quickly turned and ran into the water. It was cold but felt good against her skin that was suddenly burning from head to toe with a need from deep within.
Moments later Sam was next to her but then he quickly disappeared under the water. Melanie just floated in the shallow water and watched and waited for Sam to re-emerge. When he did he looked gorgeous, wet and glistening in the early morning sun. Quickly he swam straight back toward Melanie. He stopped in front of her and pulled her into his arms.
“Do you know how beautiful you are” he whispered placed soft butterfly kiss from her ear down her neck to her shoulder. Melanie’s heart raced in her chest. She had never felt like this before. She was so confused by her feeling for him. She knew what she felt couldn’t be love. She had only known him for a day and she barely knew him at all and to be falling in love so quickly would be utterly ridiculous. It was too fast. But she wanted him. She wanted him so badly it hurt in the pit of her stomach.
“Melanie you are so special” he whispered before his lips met hers. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and parted her lips enough to allow his tongue into her mouth. Her hands slid up the back of his neck and into his hair. She wrapped her legs around his until their body melted into each other. She could feel his growing erection again her stomach and desire explode in her body.
But she knew it was too soon. She needed to be sure and she needed more time.
“Sam I can’t” she said breathlessly as she quickly pulled away from him. She was scared. But surprisingly she wasn’t scared of Sam or what he might do to her. She was scared of what she wanted from him, what she would let him do because right at that moment she wanted it too. But she knew it was too soon. “I have never, you know and I don’t know if I am ready for that yet”.
“Melanie” he whispered taken hold of her hands. “It’s ok”. His eyes were soft and full of kindness. “We don’t have to do anything you are not comfortable with. I just want to be with you, to spend time with you. That’s all, I promise”.
Melanie smiled and kissed him softly on the lips.
“Thanks Sam” she smiled shyly. “I like spending time with you too. I just need a little time”.
They stayed in the water for about an hour, swimming and joking about. Sam regularly wrapped Melanie his is arms and kissed her but never tried to take it any further.
When they finished swimming they lay on their towels and allowed the sun to dry them.
“You know I watched you swim every morning” Sam whispered as they lay side beside in the sand. Melanie was lying on her back. Sam was on his side with his head propped up on his hand watching Melanie.
“Did you now” Melanie replied with a shy smile.
“And I watched you sitting in the sand staring off into nothing” he continued as he brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. “All week I just wanted to hold you and make everything better”.
Melanie didn’t reply. She didn’t know what to say. That was probably the most touching thing anyone had ever said to her.
“Can I ask you something” Sam asked nervously.
“Sure” Melanie replied sounding a little more at ease then she felt. What was he going to ask her?
“When I watched you sitting there in the sand” he began softly tracing his finger up and down her arm. “You seemed so sad. And every so often you got this look of...I don’t know...a look like your heart had been broken. So I guess what I am asking is, is there someone at home waiting for you. Waiting to fix things between you?”
Melanie sat up and rested her chin on her knees and stared quietly out over the sea. Did she feel comfortable enough with Sam to tell him about her Dad? Sam sat up next to her still watching her trying to read her face.
“No Sam, there isn’t anyone waiting for me when I go home” she replied. “But yes my heart was broken but it wasn’t broken by a boy. I mean there was this guy but he was an idiot and it took me awhile to figure that out but I did...but...”.
She stopped for a moment as the memories of everything that had happened with her Dad ran quickly through her head. Her heart raced as she thought about how he had looked at her the night he threw Mike out of his house. She remembered his words and how they had been like a knife through her heart. And finally she remembered the slap. Instinctively she reached for her face where he had stuck her and a sudden sob escaped from deep inside her.
“Hey...Shush” Sam said pulling her into his arms. “I am sorry Melanie. I didn’t mean to upset you. It really doesn’t matter, honestly”.
“It was my Dad” she whispered as he buried her face in his chest and sobbed. When she finally stopped crying she told him about the night her Dad and Grace came home early and found her with Mike. She told him about her argument with her Dad the following night too and about how he slapped her. And she told him about why what he had said hurt her so bad. About what she had heard her grandmother saying all those years ago. She had never told anyone that before but for some reason he felt she could tell him anything.
Forever and Always Page 5