by Anna Samuels
‘Hey.’
‘You all ready?’
I nodded, ‘Yeah…all ready now.’
‘You seem calmer?’ she commented, cocking her head to one side.
I grinned, ‘Laurie gave me a talking too…’
‘Oh did she? What did she say?’
‘She told me to ‘suck it up!’ I told her and laughed.
‘Good advice!’ Alex said with a chuckle.
‘Anyway, she’s right. I don’t want to be anywhere but here, doing this so I should really be enjoying this. I have no need to be nervous! I’m going to be excited instead.’
‘Good for you,’ she smiled. ‘Okay…well, I’m going to go and lead the countdown.’
‘Yay! Go for it!’ I grinned.
I watched as Alex made it to the front of the crows and then turned on the microphone.
‘Welcome to Hope Beach everyone!’ she began. ‘Thank you so much for coming out to see our Christmas lights switch on tonight. It’s also a very special occasion as we’re marking the grand opening of Hope Beach Art Gallery which has been created by our very own Ally Durrington…Ally! Give everyone a wave!’
I waved at the people around who clapped politely.
‘So we’ll start with the lights! Everyone with me! 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1!’
The lights flickered on, illuminating the Christmas tree beautifully. Everyone clapped and cheered as the tree shone in the darkening night. People chatted amongst themselves for several moments before Alex came over the microphone again.
‘And now, ladies and gentlemen, if you would join me over by the new art gallery, we are going to open the shop and then you’ll be able to see what a talented artist we have in our midst!’
I walked over to the gallery and ducked under the ribbon to stand next to Alex. People gathered around as the floodlights illuminated the area.
‘Ally…have the microphone to say a few words…’ Alex said handing me the microphone.
I had been expecting this so luckily I felt prepared. ‘Hello everybody. My name is Ally Durrington and I am a local artist. I love the sea and the beach and all my art work is inspired by it as you will see when you have a look around my gallery. Thank you for being here tonight and I can’t wait to be officially open. Shall we cut the ribbon?’ I asked no-one in particular.
Alex handed me the scissors. ‘I declare Hope Beach Art Gallery to be open!’ I said with a flourish and then cut the ribbon with a huge smile on my face. The group of people clapped and then people followed me into the gallery. It was quickly packed from corner to corner.
I positioned myself behind the desk and till in case anyone did want to make a purchase and waited. Customers soon began chatting amongst themselves and also asking me about the art work. I got lost in descriptions of how some paintings had come into fruition and was soon feeling far more confident. Within the first ten minutes I had sold a painting. In the first hour, I then also sold four pieces of jewellery, one sculpture and three small prints. After two hours even more items had been bought and I was over £1000 in takings already. Another hour and people were trailing off into the night, headed back to their warm and cosy homes. It was past eight by that point and cold and very dark.
After the last customer had left, only Alex lingered outside. She oversaw the clear up from the drinks and snacks table and then the floodlights came down. When the staff dispersed and the lights switched off, the only warmth and light came from the gallery. I watched as she headed over.
‘Last two standing,’ she said quietly as she walked inside and closed the door.
‘Yeah! What a night!’ I exclaimed.
‘Was it a success?’ she asked.
‘I sold more than I could possibly have hoped for. The till is totalling almost two thousand pounds!’
‘Wow!’ she said stunned. ‘I hope you’ve cashed up to keep it safe?’
‘Yep…in here,’ I said, indicating my coat pocket.
‘Good…so are you about done now?’ she asked.
‘Yes, I’m completely beat…ready to go home and sleep.’
‘I’ll walk out to the car with you.’
‘Okay,’ I agreed and pulled down the blinds before turning off the light and locking up the door.
We wandered out into the cold, night air and fell into step together. When we reached the Christmas tree, we paused there. It was glistening in the moonlight, the silvery decorations catching the delicate light.
‘It looks breathtakingly beautiful,’ I said softly, my voice almost a whisper in the windy evening air.
‘Yeah,’ she agreed huskily.
I looked up at her and saw that yet again, her eyes were on me, not the tree. I felt my heart pick up pace and the tension in my body building. ‘Don’t,’ I said before thinking.
‘Why?’ she asked softly. ‘We’re both thinking the same thing.’
I shook my head, wanting to deny the truth she was stating, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I murmured.
‘Oh you don’t?’ she replied. ‘Your eyes tell me something different.’
‘No they don’t,’ I replied, looking away.
‘Yes…they do,’ she said slowly.
Alex lifted her hand to my cheek and turned me back to face her; to look into her eyes.
‘Why deny it?’ she asked. ‘You want me as much as I want you.’
My heart hammered fiercely, even as my mouth said, ‘No.’
‘No?’ she repeated, and before I could react, she lowered her head and captured my mouth with her lips.
The first touch of her lips on mine felt like an electrical bolt had hit me. I froze for a moment in shock before reaching for her blindly before I collapsed. Her lips were moving slowly and tantalisingly against mine, making my mouth slick and pliant. She was coaxing me to respond and with a groan of submission, I gave in.
I opened my mouth to her and she took me with abandon. Her mouth opened over mine and I felt the first touch of her tongue. My stomach flipped over with desire as her tongue danced with mine. I felt my body weakening with passion and all my control slipping away. Alex lifted her hands to my neck and cupped my head in her hands, angling me so she could kiss me deeply. I held onto her waist for sheer support as she made love to my mouth with hers.
The kiss was agonisingly erotic and seemed to go on forever. Heat pooled within me and I felt my body responding further south. Her tongue was driving me wild with her skilful arousal of me. I moved my mouth with hers, searching for more and desperate for her now. I moaned deeply, aching for more of her and wanting her to touch me everywhere else too. She only kept kissing me though, and as she lifted her head to glance down at me, reality dawned heavily. Her eyes were drowsy and her mouth pink and swollen from being on mine. She looked sexually aroused and I knew my face must have mirrored hers.
I took a step back, pulling her arms away from my neck as I did so. ‘No…no! Alex, what the hell? We can’t be doing that! What are we doing?’ I exclaimed hotly.
‘Ally, wait…’ she began, reaching for me frantically.
‘No! Don’t touch me! I’m not doing this with you! Let me go!’ I exploded and ran off towards the car park.
I ran until my lungs burned, hoping she would let me go. I reached my car but sure enough, heard footsteps running behind me.
‘Ally wait!’ she exclaimed breathlessly.
‘No! Let me go, Alex…honestly, I can’t get into this with you. Let me go home.’
‘Ally please…let’s just talk. I don’t want to end things like this tonight!’
‘No Alex. You let me go home. Step back. I mean it.’ I kept my voice calm, cold and stern, hoping she would do as I asked.
‘Fine,’ she said at last. ‘Fine…go. We can talk in the morning.’
I knew there would be no way I would be talking to her in the morning about it but I didn’t say that then. All I wanted to do was get away and be alone with my thoughts. Being with her was too confusing.
‘I’m lea
ving now,’ I told her assuredly.
‘Okay. Well, see you in the morning, Ally.’
‘Bye,’ I muttered coldly. I climbed into my car and drove away before she could stop me.
When I reached home, I let myself in and locked the door behind me. I ran up the stairs and fell onto my bed. I burst into tears and proceeded to cry myself to sleep.
Chapter 22
Awkward times
The following morning, I awoke feeling down. Guilt filled me and my stomach felt sick with the raw emotion I was experiencing. The kiss itself had been absolutely incredible; a wonderful moment that I would remember forever. The trouble was, Alex and I were in no position to be kissing each other; no position at all. I thought about Jenny and even though I didn’t particularly like her that much, I knew I didn’t want to do anything to hurt her. I rolled over in bed and groaned, feeling terrible inside and not knowing how to make things right again.
After stewing on it for some time, I climbed out of bed and into a hot shower. As the warm jets pulsated on my head, I closed my eyes and let the water relax me. As I did so, erotic flashbacks ran through my head of the night before. I imagined Alex’s searching tongue on mine and how she had felt in my arms. I tried to ignore the physical reaction she had on my wet, soapy body but somehow it was impossible. I got out of the shower feeling even more frustrated than before.
I ate breakfast slowly but then there was no avoiding it. I had to go to the gallery, my opening hours were printed and displayed for all to see and I couldn’t stay home and fester, I had to go and open up.
With thoughts of Alex ever so present in my mind, I got in my car and drove the short distance to the beach. When I arrived, I saw that Alex’s car was there but thankfully she wasn’t in sight. I knew it wouldn’t take long before she sought me out though.
I opened the gallery and lifted the blinds. Anticipating Alex’s arrival at any time, I rehearsed what I would say to her and hoped she’d understand.
I painted for most of the morning as a steady stream of customers trailed in. Some bought items, others didn’t. I was pleased with what sold though as I was beginning to see what items were popular. The jewellery was selling well and that pleased me as it was quick and easy for me to make.
By lunch time, I was completely on edge. I wondered why Alex hadn’t come to see me and yet I feared the moment she did. At shortly past one, she finally arrived at my door.
She stepped in frowning, looking at me intently. ‘Hey,’ she murmured.
‘Hi,’ I replied quietly.
‘Can we talk for a minute?’
I nodded. ‘Uh, yeah…’
‘Can I shut the door just while we talk?’
‘Good idea,’ I agreed.
Alex shut the door and paced the room for a moment. I waited for her to speak as I wanted to know what she would say.
‘I guess I should say sorry,’ she finally said, stopping and looking at me across the desk. ‘I should, but I won’t because I’m not sorry…’
‘I’m not doing this, Alex…’ I replied quietly.
‘Ally! We kissed! Didn’t that mean anything to you?’ she exploded, clearly frustrated with my calm reaction.
‘I won’t deny that I’m attracted to you, Alex. I won’t deny that it was an incredible kiss! What I can do is say I’m done, and I want nothing more to do with you.’
She gaped at me.
‘We shouldn’t even be friends…it’s too dangerous. Too tempting.’
Alex looked stunned. ‘You don’t even want to be friends anymore?’
I looked down at my hands, twisting them to help relieve my tension. ‘I just think…I think maybe we should take a breather from one another…’
‘A breather?’ she repeated.
I nodded. ‘I’m sorry, Alex…but I won’t be part of a cheating scenario. I don’t believe that it’s right, in any shape or form. Think of Jenny…you don’t want to hurt her, surely?’ I said, pleading with her to understand.
‘No,’ she muttered looking down, ‘but I can’t ignore this…attraction, Ally. I want you!’
I looked away from the intensity of her eye contact. ‘It can’t happen. You’re in a relationship,’ I reminded her.
‘But I’m unhappy,’ she revealed.
‘Maybe…but that doesn’t mean you can cheat with me.’
She looked at me for a long moment. ‘You’re right. I know you’re right…it’s just hard. I want to still be friends, Ally. Say you’ll still be my friend.’
I looked down and reminded myself to be strong with her. ‘I just think for now…I think we should stay away from each other. If we go back to movie nights and take-outs at mine…well, I just can’t deal with it right now.’
‘So that’s it?’ she asked, sounding angry.
I nodded, ‘I guess so.’
‘You won’t even talk to me?’
I shook my head. ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea.’
‘Fine then! Fine!’ she said, sounding cross, and she left the gallery with a slam of the door.
I watched her go feeling regret, while knowing I was also doing the right thing.
My Sunday was long and tiresome without Alex around to chat to. I hadn’t realised how much enjoyment I had gotten from her visiting me and chatting about this and that during the day. By the time I closed up it was dark and cold. I pulled my coat around me. As I was walking out, I saw Alex walking down the slope to lock the gates. She glanced at me and then completely ignored me, turning her back on me to put the key in the lock. I sighed heavily and the continued walking to my car.
Back at home I felt restless so I called Laurie and asked if I could pop over. She welcomed me over enthusiastically as Daniel was out and the children were both already asleep.
When I got to Laurie’s, she made us hot chocolate and then we sat down on the sofa together.
‘So, what brings you here tonight then sweetie? You sounded down on the phone?’ Laurie said, looking concerned.
‘Oh, Laurie…I’ve messed up, good and proper,’ I told her.
‘Oh no! You’re having an affair with her aren’t you?’ she exclaimed surprised.
‘No! No Laurie, blimey! I kissed her; I just kissed her,’ I said more quietly.
‘You did? Well, at least you didn’t sleep with her.’
I rubbed my hands over my face wearily. ‘Yeah…but I wanted too…and now she hates me,’ I groaned.
‘Hang on! Hang on! This is way too confusing for me to take in. Go back to the beginning please and start from there.’
‘Okay…well you know the event night when we opened the gallery?’
‘Yes,’ she replied.
‘Well after everyone had gone…we were heading home and somehow ended up standing by the tree. We kissed then and there. I told her we shouldn’t be doing it and left her there.’
‘Okay, hang on a minute…what was the kiss like?’ she asked, leaning forwards and looking animated.
‘It was…it was…incredible. Amazing. Absolutely breath-taking,’ I told her.
‘Really?’ she exclaimed.
I nodded, ‘It was the best kiss I have ever experienced.’
‘Wow…well, so go on...you left her there.’
‘Yeah…or at least I tried too. She ran after me to my car and begged me to talk.’
‘Did you?’
‘No…I couldn’t handle it. I just shook her off and headed home. I needed time to think.’
‘Yeah…I can imagine. So did you go home?’
‘I did…and cried myself to sleep,’ I told her sorrowfully.
‘Oh Ally, honey…you should have called!’
‘What would you have been able to do, Laurie? It’s my mess.’
She tilted her head, looking at me sadly. ‘So what happened today that’s brought you here tonight?’
I sighed heavily. ‘She came to talk things through…I told her I wasn’t going to be part of a cheating scenario and that I didn’t think we should even be f
riends anymore.’
‘Oh Ally…’
‘She’s upset with me and hurt but she also knows it’s the right thing too.’
Laurie nodded, ‘Yes…it’ll be hard for a while but you’re doing the right thing. You can’t get involved with her while she’s attached.’
‘I know…I just feel miserable.’
‘Of course you do…but know that it’s right. Do you think that Alex would ever finish with her partner?’
I shrugged. ‘I don’t know…she’s never really said anything like that until today. She said that she was unhappy today and I’ve never heard her talk like that before.’
‘Maybe meeting you has changed things for her.’
‘I don’t know…but I don’t want to be the reason she leaves her partner! I could never live with myself!’
‘No. But if she’s unhappy already and she wants to be with you, I guess things could change.’
‘I don’t know…I really have no idea. The thing is, she didn’t say she has feelings for me, she basically told me that she’s physically attracted to me which is different,’ I revealed.
‘It sure is…what did she say exactly?’
‘She said, ‘I want you.’ I told Laurie.
‘Blimey! That’s putting it bluntly!’ Laurie exclaimed.
I looked down, ‘Laurie, there’s such chemistry between us, it’s almost tangible. We’re so attracted to each other but if that’s all she’s looking for from me then I’m not keen for that either. I’m really attracted to her but I’m also half in love with her for other reasons too. She makes me smile, she’s intelligent and witty and I feel so comfortable chatting with her…usually. I don’t know…the whole thing is just a massive confusion for me.’
She nodded slowly. ‘Do you think you can keep working there with it like this?’
‘What choice do I have? I think it’s going to be awkward for a while but hopefully it will settle down after a while. I think emotions are a bit raw right now.’
‘Yeah…I’m sure you’re right. It will become easier.’
I nodded. ‘Thanks for talking to me tonight. I needed someone to talk it over with.’
‘I’m always here whenever you need to chat,’ she promised.