by Audrina Lane
Arriving at the house they opened the door and Charlotte was almost floored by Jester running to meet her. His solid black body bumped her legs before he dropped onto the floor and looked up at her with his soulful eyes. She quickly bent down to give him a rub before James looked out from the kitchen.
“Hi Guys, just put the kettle on would you like on?” he asked. James still found it difficult looking at Charlie as apart from her eyes she was so similar to Stephanie at the age where all of his memories were kept.
“Yes please Dad” Mitch replied “We’ll just pop upstairs and dump the bags” he said. After a coffee Mitch was all business as usual.
“Let’s go and get changed and start practising, I told the guys to head over at around two which gives us a couple of hours before they arrive to try a few things” he said. James watched the two of them head off to change and then come back through the kitchen and into the studio.
As Charlie started to warm up Mitch sorted out the music system and then did the same.
“Can we start with a quick run through of I’ve had the time of my life?” she asked.
“Yeah, why not” Mitch replied. As he walked back across to the stereo system he trailed his hand across her rear and tried to keep his mind on the work in hand. He had a couple of weeks to wait for his exam results to come through and then it was up to him to start building his own business, it was a daunting proposition. Queuing up the track he turned to find Charlie already waiting in position as she looked across at him and gave him the nod. They breezed through the dance a couple of times with only a handful of mistakes that got smaller each time they moved together.
Pausing for a bottle of water and quick breather Mitch found the music for “Suit and Tie” and they had another listen to it.
“Ok Charlie, you’re going to be my sounding board as I show you what I’m thinking of doing. Then we can work on your involvement” he said.
“Yes Boss” she replied. He laughed at her comment and then as the song played for the second time he part danced and part talked his way through it. Occasionally he would pause and ask Charlie about a step he had just done or she would suggest something and stand up to demonstrate what she meant. When they finally stopped again Mitch flopped down next to her and looked at the clock.
“We’ve got time for a spot of lunch before the guys show up” Mitch said.
“Yes please” said Charlie, as he pulled her up from the sitting position on the floor. She reached up her arms and pulled him close.
“I think I need a kiss first” she murmured.
“You’re insatiable” he replied, laughing as their lips met. James had gone out so they were alone as Mitch rustled up some tuna salad and a packet of crisps that they shared.
“Thanks for the help” Mitch said “You should seriously consider doing a teaching course in dance when you’ve finished your current course”
“You think so?” she asked, pleased to hear his praise “Well I have learnt from the expert” she finished, squeezing his hand.
“In a few weeks I should get my certificates through and then I’m going to start teaching here in my studio, set up my own business. Dad said he would help where he could” Mitch said, nervously.
“You’ll have a queue to the end of the road” Charlie replied “You’ll be great”
“It’s a pretty scary thought at the moment” he finished.
They heard a knock at the front door and Mitch headed through to open it for Simon and a couple of the other guys. Once they had all arrived and headed back through to the studio. Charlie felt a little overwhelmed at being the only girl in a room full of testosterone but the guys were soon laughing and joking with her as if she were one of them. The rest of the afternoon passed easily and they soon have a decent routine to continue work on during the week. Charlie filled them all in on the running order of events and promised to send Mitch a photo of the set up on either Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
We headed through from the studio and spotted James preparing food for tea.
“Have you two been inside all day?” he asked.
“Pretty much Dad, we’re just going to grab a shower” Mitch said.
“How about you both take Jester for a walk before tea” James suggested.
“That sounds lovely” Charlie said “Can we?”
“Sure” Mitch replied. After a quick shower they called Jester and headed out into the evening sunshine.
“Can we go to the park, I’d like to see it as it’s where my Mum and your Dad went roller skating together” Charlie asked.
“Yes, it was probably the one across the road” Mitch replied, as they waited for a gap in the traffic.
As Jester ran loose and chased ducks and pigeons Charlie walked along beside Mitch, her hand held firmly in his. She felt so happy, she loved dancing with him, she adored making love to him too but even a stroll in the park felt special. The whole world somehow looked brighter, like she had just stepped into High Definition. All she needed now was her Mum to properly make up with James and they could all be a big happy family. She would at last have a Dad, one who just happened to be her boyfriend’s Dad.
When they eventually headed upstairs to bed later that night, Charlie snuggled into Mitch’s embrace. She felt his fingers running up and down the length of her body as she sighed and gave herself up to the deliciously intense feelings. Lying in the afterglow of their love making Charlie held him tight.
“I still can’t quite believe how much I love you” she said.
“I can so you’d better believe it” he said. Playing in the background on the stereo was the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and as they paused the lyrics struck them
“Just remember
You’re the one thing I can’t get enough of
So I’ll tell you something
This could be love”
Neither of them said anything just nodded in agreement at their song, and it had been from almost the very beginning of their relationship.
As the sun shone through the windows Charlie woke up with a smile on her face as she gazed at Mitchell still sleeping beside her. Remembering her Mum’s diary she carefully disappeared beneath the duvet until her lips found their target. Slowly she slid her tongue up and down the shaft a couple of times and felt Mitch shudder beneath her touch. Then she took the whole of him in and continued to move her lips up and down, she knew what she wanted and she wasn’t going to stop until she tasted him for the first time. Feeling his hands in her hair, guiding her she ran her fingers up his body but instead of following them with her lips she stayed in position. She could hear his breathing quicken as he shuddered and then filled her throat.
It felt salty as it slipped down and she savoured his unique flavour. She loved it but she also adored the way she held him in thrall of her tongue, the buzz from the power she felt was immense and she couldn’t wait to emerge and look into his eyes. As she peeked out from under the covers he smiled broadly and pulled her closer so that he could kiss her.
“That was amazing” he said “But I believe that I need to return the favour”
Pushing her back against the pillows he trailed kisses down her body until his lips and tongue had found her spot and then he went about making her body ripple beneath his touch until he tasted the flood in his mouth.
“So what are the plans for today?” Charlie asked.
“Dancing this morning and then we’ll go into town for lunch or even head to the Bullring again, your choice?” Mitch said.
“If we go to Birmingham can we go to the Salsa club again then?”
“Yeah, sounds good to me” Mitch responded, smiling as he trailed his finger tips over her lips.
“You are so good for me” Charlie said, smiling up at him.
“You are so bad for me” he replied “All I can think about all day is you whether we are together or apart” he finished. As they heard footsteps on the stairs and realised that the rest of the house was awake they pulled on their
dance clothes and headed downstairs for breakfast to find James already busy.
“Hi guys just making some toast for breakfast” he said, motioning to the increasing toast mountain on the table. Darren was already tucking into a couple of slices as they both sat down.
“What are your plans for today?” Darren asked them.
“Dancing this morning then heading into Birmingham for the afternoon should be back later though” Mitch said.
“Great, as we’re all going out for dinner to celebrate Darren and Sophie’s exciting news about their new jobs” James said, joining them.
“Ok we’ll be back for six” Mitch said.
Their morning in the studio was really productive as they moved forward with “Suit and Tie” and then had a quick run though of “Take my Breath Away” before lunch. Then after a quick shower and change they jumped on the bike and headed for the Bullring. As they had plenty of time they wandered around the shops for a while and Charlie bought a new dress for dinner that night. Then they headed down the street to the club and after a drink they took to the dance floor. It was really busy but they soon found enough room together and started to move. They paused for another drink and then continued to dance, their bodies moulded to each other in time with the Latin beat that pulsed through their blood.
When they eventually left, the cool breeze was a blessing as it lightly touched their hot bodies.
“I love that place” Charlie breathed.
“Yeah, it’s fantastic” Mitch agreed, he placed his arm over her shoulder as they headed back to the bike.
“So what’s your brother’s new job then?” Charlie asked.
“Working for the BBC but they’ll have to move to Manchester” Mitch replied.
“Wow, that sounds great” Charlie said. She thought about how wonderful it would be to share a place with Mitchell, even though it was far too early in their relationship for that step yet. Mitch found he was thinking exactly the same thing.
When they pulled into the driveway the sun had vanished from the sky and been replaced by grey clouds. Heading inside James was already looking at the clock.
“Was just thinking about sending out the search party for you” he said.
“It’s ok Dad, it won’t take us long to get ready” he said.
“Ok, well how about Sophie, Darren and I take the first taxi and you can follow on with your grandparents” he said. They both nodded and headed for the stairs and the shower. As they shared the warm water Charlie tried not to get too distracted by Mitch and his body next to hers. However Mitch had other ideas and pulled her close to find her lips again.
“Come on, we’re going to be late” Charlie said, even though she was enjoying the shower far too much.
Pulling apart they dried off and hurried to get dressed. Mitch admired Charlie in her new dress as she twirled in front of him, before fastening up her hair.
“Are you ready, the taxi is here” they heard Peter shout from the hallway.
“Down in a minute Gramps” Mitch replied. Winding his arms around Charlie for a final time he breathed into her ear.
“You are so beautiful and I love you so much”
“You are so sexy and I can’t wait until later” she replied. As she stepped out of the door she felt his hand give her a tap on the backside.
“No more sexy talk now, it’s too distracting” Mitch said, laughing as she turned and poked her tongue out at him. The glint of love and desire lit her eyes up as she stared into his for a brief second.
Chapter 63
As Saturday dawned, bright and clear I lay in bed for a little while and drank in the silence of the house around me. Then pulling my dressing gown on I wandered downstairs and into the kitchen and as the coffee brewed I turned on my laptop. Checking my emails I found one from James, so after I had filled my mug I put the radio on and sat down to open it.
“Dearest Stephanie,
This is a bit like today’s version of the letter’s that we used to send to each other, just much quicker! Also you don’t have to decipher my awful writing!!
It was lovely to talk to you last night. Once again I am sorry if it felt like I was pushing you to make a decision which I know is obviously going to be difficult for you in such a short space of time.
Ever since the night I walked out of your life I have regretted it every day and I have quite often over the passing years thought about you, wondering what you were doing? And whether you still thought of me. Sadly I must have mislaid the St Christopher you gave me and believe me I have searched long and hard for it.”
I paused and took a sip of my coffee as I re-read the first part again. It was easier to read typing than his writing and his comment made me smile. Then when he mentioned the St Christopher I knew that although he might have thought he had lost it he probably knew that Felicity had removed it. He still didn’t know that I knew exactly where it was. I had worn it for a while and then when my relationship with Mark had grown from friendship I had removed it. It was safely wrapped up in a small piece of material, white with black hearts on it.
“So this Rock on the River event sounds great and a lot of hard work for you for the next week so I will try my best to back off and keep things friendly. I still work for the Fire and Rescue service and I still love it, even after all these years. Do you remember that comment you made about ‘fires to put out, people to save and cats to rescue’ well there have been a lot of all of them and I hope to tell you about the cats some time. I have managed to have a quick chat with Darren but he has other things on his mind at the moment so not sure whether it has really sunk in.
Anyway, your wonderful daughter is currently in the garage with my son, dancing as seems usual (the garage has been converted into a studio by the way) but I’m going to drag them out later for a family dinner to celebrate Darren’s good news. I do wish that you were here but there I go again trying to push too hard.
Take care
All my love James x”
I finished the email and got up to refill my mug and pop some bread in the toaster. Then I read my other emails and turned to the electronic copy of the plan I had ready for this afternoon. Mark, Ian and Paul were heading over as well as Jack and Mr Ford, whom I hadn’t seen for years, well ever since Mark’s death. I still hadn’t risked a visit back to that place for fear of the memories lurking there.
I had a few hours to kill before we were due to meet down at the pub. As I cleared up and was about to head upstairs Paul announced the following song.
“This song is from Stephanie’s secret admirer who has returned from his absence last week, today he has chosen ‘Valerie by Steve Winwood’ just substitute the name for Stephanie from your secret admirer who is counting down the days until Saturday”
As the song played I sat down and did just that as I listened to the lyrics and tried to see if there was a clue here, the only one I could come up with was
“I’m the same boy I used to be”
Could it be someone from my school days? I still had no idea as I dropped Paul a quick text asking him to play ‘Too Shy by Kajagoogoo’
As I dredged my mind back to school and college I thought of Gareth who I had turned down, I had no idea where he had ended up. Apart from that no one else had really tried. Suddenly a thought struck me, what if it was James pretending to be my secret admirer? Now that would account for the choice of song and possibly some of the other’s that he had picked over the previous weeks. But how could I find out for certain? Or did I just start to choose some songs that would hint that I had guessed.
After a quick bite to eat for lunch I decided to walk through town the long way. I picked up some flowers from the market and ended up in the churchyard. I picked my way along the path and found the grave. Despite the sun I felt a slight shiver run down my spine as I reached the stone. Placing the flowers onto the ground, I moved the dead ones away ready to drop in the bin on my way out. Reading the inscription again etched into the stone.
&nbs
p; “Mark Eden
Loving Husband and Father
To Stephanie & Charlotte
Suddenly taken from life
24th November, 1968 - 17th April, 1995”
The whole funeral had passed by without me fully taking part. I remember standing there in the church, holding Charlotte tightly but no tears fell. I guessed that everyone else probably thought I was still numb with shock, but I had never really cried that much. I had told myself that I needed to get on with my life for Charlie’s sake. In truth he had been a fantastic friend and I owed him my life in the truest sense of the word. He had deserved better than me, a broken shell of a girl. Standing up I felt the guilt inside of me like a large stone weighing me down. As I walked away I heard my phone ting.
“Hi Steph, it’s a lovely morning. Just checking you received my email? Hope you have a good day and I’ll give you a call later, just let me know the best time x”
“Yes thanks, busy already but I’ll send you a reply later x”
Even in his grave Mark could not escape the spectre who had shared our marriage. Walking down to the river I started to imagine what it was going to look like in a week’s time. We were expecting nearly five hundred people and with the various bands and performing artists the numbers would probably be over a thousand on the actual day. I spotted Jack sat on one of the benches outside the pub and walked over.
“Hi Jack” I said