by Karen King
She almost moaned as Joel pulled his head away and looked at her. ‘I want to be more than friends. Do you?’
‘Yes,’ she groaned, pulling him closer to her. ‘Much more.’ Then their lips found each other again.
‘Do you have to go now?’ he asked. ‘Could you go a little later? So we can say goodbye properly?’
She nodded and, arms wrapped around each other, they walked back into Joel’s house.
Much later, as she lay in Joel’s arms in his big double bed, Sweetie fast asleep downstairs, Lexi said. ‘I guess I could go home in the morning.’
‘I wish you didn’t have to go home at all.’ Joel sighed. Then, seeing the look that crossed Lexi’s face, he added. ‘But I’m grown up enough to deal with it.’ He pulled her closer to him and kissed the top of her head. ‘We can make this work, Lexi. Lots of people have long-distance relationships. That is, if you want to?’
‘I do,’ she nodded.
‘I really like you, Lexi.’ He was propped up on his elbow now, looking down at her, his eyes searching her face. ‘And I think you feel the same about me, too.’
She bit her lip. She hadn’t felt this way about anyone before, not even Ben, but was it too soon? They were both fresh out of relationships. They needed time to move on before they got involved with someone else.
‘I know we’ve only just met, and it’s sudden and unexpected, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is how we feel about each other. Do you feel it too?’
His eyes were holding hers. As if he was looking deep into her soul. How could she deny it?
‘Yes.’ Her reply was almost a whisper.
‘Then let’s see where this goes. You live a couple of hours away. Okay, it’s not ideal, but it’s not that difficult either. We can keep in touch, see each other at the weekends – not every one, if you don’t want to. We can take it as slow – or as fast - as you want.’
It would be good to know that Joel was there, on the other end of the phone, to see him again. To know that she didn’t have to say goodbye.
‘I’d like that,’ she agreed.
He leant down and kissed her, and she kissed him back, wishing she didn’t have to go.
I could stay one more night.
But then she would have to say goodbye all over again tomorrow.
‘Will you stay overnight again?’ he asked, his voice husky with desire. ‘It’s dark already now, and I have to go to work tomorrow, we could leave at the same time. Saying goodbye wouldn’t be so hard then.’
‘I’d love to.’
His face broke into a huge smile, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. He pulled her to him. ‘Now, tempting as it is to spend the rest of the day in bed, let’s get up and have something to eat.’
That sounded good to Lexi, her tummy was rumbling.
They showered and dressed, then Joel rustled up a tuna pasta bake and Lexi found a tin of fruit and cream in his cupboard, and they sat and ate it as if it was a feast.
‘This calls for a celebration, but as we’re both driving early in the morning, perhaps we should restrict the alcohol and celebrate with hot chocolate and a shot of brandy instead?’ Joel suggested.
‘That sounds good to me. Do you have marshmallows?’
‘Of course.’
A few minutes later, armed with a mug of hot chocolate with a shot of brandy in each, they sat in Joel’s lounge and talked. It was as if they wanted to tell each other everything. Joel told her more about his childhood, and she understood why he had never bothered much about Christmas as he grew up. ‘You showed me the true spirit of Christmas, and I’m grateful to you for that,’ he said.
‘Does that mean you’re going to put up a Christmas tree and wear a Christmas jumper every year?’ she teased.
‘Yes, and when the jumper you knitted me wears out, you’ll have to knit me another one,’ he said with a grin.
They talked all evening, before saying goodnight to Sweetie and going up to bed together. This time their lovemaking was slower, gentler, like the merging of two souls.
Joel stirred and opened his eyes. Lexi was facing him, her arm wrapped around his chest, her eyes still closed, her breathing soft. She looked so peaceful. And beautiful. He lay watching her sleep for a while, hardly believing how things had turned out. He’d come down to Devon to make a new start and recover from his marriage break-up, and here he was involved with someone he’d only just met, and who was going back home today. Not that Gloucester was the other side of the world, but it was far enough away for them not to be able to see each other regularly, to spend evenings going for a walk, or a meal, or share a bottle of wine in front of the TV and go to bed wrapped in each other’s arms. But then perhaps they both needed this time to be themselves, to pick up the threads of their lives and decide what they wanted to do with the rest of them. He hadn’t planned to get involved with anyone else, but Lexi had snuck into his heart and he didn’t want to let her go.
‘Yap! Yap!’
Lexi’s eyes flew open. Then they rested on his face and she smiled. ‘Hello.’
‘Hello.’ He leant forward and kissed her on the mouth.
‘Yap! Yap!’
‘I think Sweetie wants to go out.’
‘I know. I’m going to let her out now. Fancy a cuppa?’
‘Yes please.’
He kissed her again, then got out of bed and went down to make coffee for them both, after opening the back door for Sweetie to go out first.
He didn’t want Lexi to go.
He had to be adult about this. She had her life, and he had his, but at least they could see each other now and again, see where it went.
Sweetie came back in and stood by her bowl, wagging her tail, indicating that she wanted something to eat. He took a tin of dog food out of the fridge and scooped some into the bowl, then gave her a fuss. Then he picked up the two coffee mugs and took them upstairs.
Lexi was in the bathroom, he could hear the shower running. He put her mug down on the bedside table on her side of the bed, and his on the other one. Then the bathroom door opened and Lexi walked out, rubbing her hair. His eyes rested on her naked body. God, he really didn’t want her to go.
‘Hiya, I thought I’d freshen up. How’s Sweetie?’
‘Absolutely fine.’ He walked over to her and gently took the towel out of her hands, put it on the chair, and cupped her face with his hands. Then he kissed her gently on the lips. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him soundly back.
‘Fancy coming back to bed? One last swansong?’
‘Sounds good to me,’ she murmured.
It was over an hour later, and the coffee had gone cold before they got out of bed again.
‘I really need to go now,’ Lexi told him. ‘I don’t want to get home too late.’
Joel pulled her closer to him. ‘I can’t wait until next weekend. Can I come up on Saturday afternoon? And maybe stay overnight?’
She kissed him. ‘That sounds a very good idea.’
It was strange being home. She’d spent two weeks surrounded by her family, and now the flat was silent, empty. And bare. She’d left her flat, heartbroken, just a fortnight ago, and such a lot had happened in that time. How had she met someone else, and fallen so head over heels, in only two weeks?
Maybe it was the equivalent of a holiday romance. It was Christmas, the season of goodwill, and friendship, and she and Joel had been thrown together. Perhaps when they both returned to their normal lives, they would realise that it had all been in the heat of the moment, that they didn’t actually have anything in common after all.
A text pinged in. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was from Joel.
Missing you already. Are you home yet? Can I video call you?
She immediately pressed the video-call button and Joel’s face appeared on the screen.
‘Hello,’ he said softly.
She touched his face with her finger. ‘Hello.’
‘How was the journey?’
‘Sweetie wants to say hello, too.’ Joel placed the phone so Lexi could see the little fur ball, who barked when she saw her image.
Lexi swallowed a lump in her throat. She missed them both so much. Especially Joel.
They finally said goodbye, and Lexi set about unpacking her case, then had a shower, and got into bed. It was strange being in the bed by herself, but it wasn’t Ben she was missing, it was Joel. She lay there for a while, memories of their two nights together flashing across her mind. Joel had raised feelings in her that she never knew she had. She had thought she loved Ben, but it had felt nothing like this.
As she drifted off to sleep, images of their lovemaking flitted across her mind, how he’d kissed her, every part of her, and she felt that she could still feel his hands on her body, his kisses on her lips.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Saturday, 8 January
Lexi glanced at her watch. Joel would be here any moment. She couldn’t wait to see him again. They’d exchanged texts over the past week and video-called at least once a day on the phone, but she was missing him like mad. Lloyd had offered to look after Sweetie for the weekend, as Lexi lived in a flat. She was really looking forward to spending time together again.
It had been less than a month since Ben had left, but already it felt as if he had never lived with her. She realised now what little input Ben had had in her life, he’d just been there, someone to come home too, wake up with, occasionally share things with, whereas Joel was ever there, even at a distance. He sent her texts asking her how her day had gone, genuinely interested in her life, as she was in his. And now, they had two whole days together.
A message pinged in. I’m outside! J xxx
She pressed the buzzer to let him in, and went to open the door to her flat. A couple of minutes later, there he was, holdall in one hand, a big bunch of flowers in the other, and a huge smile on his face.
He put the holdall down, then the flowers on top of it, and held out his arms. She went straight into them, and felt the warmth of his hug enveloping her. They kissed, long and deeply, then she pulled herself away. ‘Would you like a drink? I’ve got some beer in the fridge, and wine.’
They’d agreed to order a takeaway that night, and go out for a meal the following night. She was pleased, much as she enjoyed the physical side of things with Joel, she didn’t want that to be all their relationship was about. She wanted them to go out together, and share experiences, as they had done in Lystone.
‘I hope this doesn’t sound boring, but a cup of coffee would be great,’ he told her, picking up the flowers and handing them to her. ‘I wasn’t sure what ones were your favourite, so got a mixed bunch.’
‘They’re gorgeous. I don’t have a favourite, I love all flowers. Thanks so much, I’ll go and put them in water.’
Joel followed her into the open-plan lounge and kitchen, and watched as she took a vase out of the cupboard. ‘Want me to make the coffee?’
She was about to say no, when she stopped herself. She wasn’t going to be the one who did all the chores, as she had with Ben. ‘Please. The coffee pods are on the rack by the wall.’
Joel selected two pods and put one in the machine, and turned it on, then took two mugs off the mug stand.
‘How’s Sweetie?’ Lexi asked him when the flowers were in water, and they were both sitting down on the sofa, mug of coffee in hand.
‘Great. I can actually leave her to go to work, and she’s happy to settle in her basket at night. I’ve given Lloyd a spare key and he pops in and lets her out for a run around. Sometimes he takes her back to his house, but to be honest, most times he’s out. He’s got a full social life now, thanks to your gran.’
‘I’m glad.’
‘And how’s your work going? Are the kids giving you grief?’ Joel asked.
She amused him with a couple of incidents at school, then they ordered a Chinese takeaway. By the time they’d eaten that, while listening to music, it was time to go to bed.
‘I’ve missed you,’ Joel said as he climbed into bed beside her, and wrapped his arms around her.
‘I’ve missed you, too,’ she murmured, snuggling up to him.
Later, when they had made love and settled down to sleep, Lexi thought how wonderful it was to be with Joel again. If only she could wake up with him every day.
But how could she do that when he lived two hours’ drive away?
Just make the most of the time you have together, she told herself as her eyes closed wearily.
Joel woke up the next morning wondering where he was for a moment, then remembered that he was in Lexi’s flat.
And Lexi had gone. The other side of the bed was empty.
The bedroom door opened and Lexi came in carrying a tray laden with scrambled eggs on toast and two glasses of orange juice.
‘I thought I’d make us breakfast. I hope this is okay.’ She put the tray down on the bed.
‘It’s perfect,’ Joel told her as she pulled the duvet back and got into bed beside him.
‘Mind you don’t spill the egg all over the sheets,’ she said as he kissed her.
They chatted away as they ate their breakfast, then made love again, showered and got up. Lexi had promised him a sightseeing trip today – Gloucester Docks and the shopping centre. He was looking forward to it, Gloucester was a historical town and he was sure there would be plenty to see there.
‘You must come up in June, when the tall ships festival is on,’ Lexi told him as they walked along the dockside. ‘I always like to go and see them. I find them fascinating.’
Joel’s heart soared. So, she was still expecting them to be together in five months’ time. Well, that was fine by him.
After the docks, Lexi suggested that they went to take a look at Rainbow Street. ‘It’s only ten minutes or so from the shopping centre, so we can go to the shops and grab something for lunch. I’ve been meaning to see it myself, but not got around to it.’
‘Sure. Is there a rainbow painted on every house or something?’ he asked.
‘It’s called St Mark Street really, but the locals call it Rainbow Street. You’ll see why.’
They got back into the car and set off.
He soon discovered that it was so named because so many of the houses were painted in different colours: red, orange, vibrant lime green, blue, yellow. ‘Wow, it’s colourful,’ he said. ‘Who did this?’
‘A local landlady. She wanted to bring a bit of colour into the street and improve the desirability of the houses, so she arranged for them to be painted in different colours. They’re now quite a tourist attraction.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ he replied.
Later, after lunch in a pub at the nearby shopping centre, they took a look around the shops then returned home to get changed before going for a meal at a local Italian.
The next day, they set off to have a walk around the Forest of Dean, then a drive over to Symonds Yat Rock. He hadn’t expected Gloucester and the surrounding area to be so beautiful and interesting, Joel thought, as he drove home later that evening. He could understand why Lexi liked living there, it was a good mix of shops and countryside. He’d been hoping that she might want to move back down to Devon, but she seemed so happy there, he thought it was unlikely.
Showing Joel around had reminded Lexi just how much she loved Gloucester. While she’d been staying with her parents she’d been drawn back into life in Lystone again and wondered if she should move back down there, but now she realised that her life was here and, much as she loved the little Devon village where she grew up, she didn’t want to live there. But Joel had been talking about buying a place there to move into when his sister and her partner returned. How could they continue with a long-term relationship when they both lived so far apart? And she did want a relationship with him, she’d really enjoyed this weekend.
; Just take it as it is, she told herself, you can be in a relationship with someone without living in their pocket.
‘We can make this work,’ Joel had told her when he left.
He was right. They could.
Chapter Forty
Five months later
She was almost there. Lexi couldn’t wait to see her family again. Joel. Ryan and Nell would be there, too, although, unfortunately, Jay, Sonia and Toby couldn’t come. Canada was a bit far for them to travel over twice in one year, even if it was Granny Mabe’s eighty-fifth birthday. Her gran’s party was tomorrow night, Saturday, so Lexi had travelled down on the Friday after work, planning on spending two nights with Joel.
A smile came to her lips as she thought of her gran, they’d chatted a bit over the last few months – when she could catch her gran in that was – and Granny Mabe had mentioned Lloyd a few times. It seemed that they’d become very friendly and that Lloyd was really involved in village life now, which was great.
Joel and Andy had been offered more work with the council over the past few months. And the green had been declared an area of outstanding beauty, so all plans to cut down the tree had been shelved. Things had worked out well.
As she drove into the village, Lexi tried to imagine living here again. Hazel and Al were coming back next month so Joel would be getting his own place and last weekend he had asked Lexi if she would live with him. Of course Lexi had agreed. They’d become so close over the last few months and she really loved Joel. She wanted to wake up to him in the morning, to come home to him at night, but she had worried all week about where they would live. Joel had settled in Lystone and was building his business again while she loved her job and living in Gloucester. Devon seemed too quiet and far away for her now. Joel was happy here though so after a lot of thought she had decided to tell him that she would move to Lystone. She could get a job in another school and she’d be near her family. She’d soon adjust again.
Joel greeted her with a big hug and, as she stepped into the house, she felt as if she’d never been away. Sweetie came rushing to greet her, tail wagging like mad.