Winter’s Fairytale

by Maxine Morrey

  ‘Callum’s loaded. I mean, ridiculously so. Caroline’s been after him for years.’

  ‘Oh come on, Rob. You’re not doing too bad yourself. I’m pretty sure you could keep her in the style to which she’s become accustomed.’

  ‘I… what?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You think Caroline and I are an item?’

  ‘Rob. Please. I’m not stupid, and neither is your family. They’re not happy, which you’d have already gathered, but it’s your life. You have to do what’s going to make you happy. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to rescue Callum.’ I walked away from Rob, and relief flooded Callum’s face as I made a point of returning to his company. I didn’t miss the look Caroline threw me, but I didn’t care much at that moment. Rob could deal with that.

  ‘I thought you’d abandoned me!’ Callum took my arm and manoeuvred us away from them both.

  ‘I wouldn’t do that! Now come on, I believe you promised me a dance earlier.’ Callum smiled and held out his hand, leading me to the dance floor.

  A few dances later, I begged off and found a seat whilst Callum went to find us both a drink. Jenny and Mike appeared at my side.

  ‘Looks like you’ve found a friend.’ Jenny raised her eyebrows.

  ‘Friend, being the key word there.’

  ‘Does he know that?’

  ‘He does.’ And he did. I’d reiterated it on the dance floor. I had no wish to lead Callum on. He’d made what might have been a difficult evening pleasant, and even fun. There was no way I was going to repay that by hurting him.

  ‘What’s wrong with him?’ Jenny asked.

  ‘Callum? Nothing! I like him. I’m just not sure he’s for me.’

  ‘He seems to think otherwise from what I’ve seen.’

  I made a dismissive sound, and laughed. There wasn’t anything wrong with Callum at all. He really was very nice. But he wasn’t Rob and I knew that getting together with Callum now would be unfair on both of us.

  ‘Rebounds are a bad idea.’ I said.

  ‘Rebound?’ Jenny repeated.

  Oh shit! Did I say that out loud? I’d only had a couple of champagnes the whole night, preferring to stick with water this evening, what with the wedding tomorrow, but apparently I was still a little too chatty.

  ‘Yes. I mean. You know, the whole wedding non-wedding thing.’

  ‘Right.’ she said, looking at Mike. I could tell they didn’t believe a word.

  ‘What time is it?’ I said, changing the subject.

  Mike tilted his wrist. ‘Ten to twelve.’

  ‘I need to go.’ I said, jumping up from my chair.

  Mike pulled a face and laughed, ‘Why? I don’t think you have to worry about turning into a pumpkin at midnight. Or do you? I mean, everyone’s been going gaga over your dress… maybe there is a fairy godmother involved somewhere.’

  Jenny blinked at him, then gave him a playful whack. ‘How many have you had? You do know you’re getting married tomorrow, don’t you? Hangover Chic is not a good look.’ She turned to me, ‘I apologise for my inebriated, apparently delusional fiancé. But he did have a valid question.’

  ‘Oh Jen.’ I flopped back down on the chair, ‘I just need to go. Ok?’

  She looked at me for a long moment. ‘Ok,’ she said softly, ‘give me a hug before you do though.’ I hugged her close and told her I’d see her in the morning.

  ‘Here you are!’ Callum appeared in front of me as I straightened.

  ‘Callum! I was just coming to find you.’

  He threw a grin at Mike and Jen. ‘Lucky me!’

  ‘I’m heading home, but I wanted to say thank you for your company this evening. I really enjoyed it.’

  ‘You’re leaving before midnight on New Year’s Eve? Is that even legal?’

  ‘I know it’s frowned upon, but I’m pretty sure it’s still legal.’

  ‘I think we ought to check for sure. Where’s that brother of yours,’ he said to Jenny, casting his gaze around the room, ‘he’s a legal bod, isn’t he?’

  ‘No!’ I said, a little bit too enthusiastically. The last thing I needed was Rob turning up and giving me a grilling as to why I was leaving early. I’d already blabbed once this evening. There was no guarantee of it not happening again. Jenny and Mike might know I was fibbing but I was fairly sure they didn’t know the reason. Rob, on the other hand, with his knack of knowing exactly what I was thinking, might be harder to deal with.

  ‘I mean, I’m pretty sure he’s more entertainingly engaged at the moment.’

  ‘Caroline certainly is.’ Jenny said, indicating a spot in front of her with her glass where Caroline was flirting madly with a very good looking bar tender.

  ‘A barman?’ Mike asked, voicing the thought we were all having.

  ‘Oh, that’ll be just for tonight. He doesn’t earn anything near what she needs.’

  ‘Jen.’ I cautioned.

  ‘No. Jenny’s absolutely right.’ Callum said, ‘We all grew up in this village. Caroline’s been like this for as long as I can remember.’

  ‘But what about Rob?’ I asked.

  ‘Oh they probably had an argument because he didn’t get her invited to the wedding. She’s making him pay.’

  ‘I see. Actually he said something earlier about him and her not being an item.’

  ‘They’re not an item. They’re sex.’

  ‘Meet my fiancée,’ Mike laughed, ‘she tells it like it is.’ They clinked glasses and he kissed her.

  I loved Jenny but I really could have done without having that image put in my head right now.

  ‘Anyway! Like I said, I’m off.’

  ‘But it’s nearly midnight. You may as well stay now!’ Callum tried, encouraged by Jenny and Mike.

  As if on cue, a loudspeaker turned on and a countdown began which everyone enthusiastically began joining in with. Ten!

  ‘I really need to go.’

  Nine!

  ‘Oh, come on Izzy. Have a heart!’ Callum looked at me with puppy dog eyes.

  ‘Now, that’s not fair!’ I chided.

  Six!

  ‘Just a peck on the cheek, I promise!’

  Five!

  ‘Callum.’

  Three!

  ‘I’m really sorry, mate!’ Rob interrupted, rushing up to us all and sliding a little on the polished floor, ‘But I’ve been waiting years for this.’

  As party poppers banged, streamers hooted, and balloons rained from the roof, Rob took my face in his big, warm hands and kissed me, gently at first but with an intensity that increased quickly as he slid his hands down and wrapped his arms around me, holding so tight I was literally pinned against him. And all I wanted was more. He moved slightly and I freed my hands, sliding one around his waist, and the other reaching up to the back of his neck. I wanted to pull him closer, feel him everywhere, and prolong the headiness that I knew was nothing to do with either glass of champagne. Finally he pulled away gently, and just looked at me, a searching, concentrated look that I knew was for me, and only me. He let go, then quickly caught my hand and pulled me gently to the side, away from the main crowd. His arms immediately went around me again, but I held back. We’d been here before.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ‘If you say that was nice, I take no responsibility for what happens next. You know that, don’t you?’

  ‘It was nice. Wait!’ Seeing my expression, his face went serious. ‘Look Izzy. I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have done that.’

  Yep, we’d definitely been here before. I made to move away. ‘I think I should go.’

  ‘No! Izz. Let me explain.’

  ‘Rob, I’m not here for you to make Caroline jealous. I’m not–’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Isn’t that what this is all about?’

  ‘No!’ he said, rubbing his hair, ‘This is about the fact that I’ve been in love with you since the moment Steven introduced me to you four years ago. It’s about the fact that I had to sit and watch w
hilst he got to go home with you. And that I had to sit and watch when he left you standing in that church, and that I had to tell you he wasn’t coming and watch what that did to you – and me, come to think of it.’ He rubbed his nose and gave a little smile.

  I, meanwhile, was just staring at him.

  ‘Izzy. If it had been up to me that day, I’d have gone back out there and married you myself because that’s all I’ve ever wanted. I knew it about a week after meeting you and nothing’s changed.’

  Eventually I found some words. ‘But, Caroline? You and her. You’re… I mean.’

  ‘We’re nothing. I hooked back up with her because when you explained your five-year plan to my family, it was pretty clear that there was no room for a relationship in there. I was pissed at myself because I thought I’d got over you and that brought it home that I wasn’t over you. I’ll never be over you. After the wedding thing, I left you alone which was, well, you have to believe me, was really, really hard. All I wanted to do was hold you and tell you that everything would be ok. That I loved you and I’d make it ok. But I knew you didn’t want to hear that. Not then and probably not ever. So I kept away. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and I really did want to know that you were ok, but you wouldn’t talk to me.

  ‘That night I saw you again, I wasn’t worried because I thought, it’s been months, I’m over it all, it was just a crush. But it wasn’t. The moment I saw you again standing there, extremely ill-prepared for snow, I was as deeply in love with you as ever. I really did do everything I could to get you home that night but I’m not going to lie and say that I’m sorry I couldn’t. Because I’m not. Having you there that whole weekend was wonderful. Coming back from a run and seeing you sat on the floor, looking sexy as hell in my sweatshirt, it was just… everything I’ve ever wanted. Well, not everything. I mean, we were in separate bedrooms for a start. That’s definitely not something I wanted. But I knew you weren’t interested in anything then–’

  ‘You weren’t either!’ I interjected, trying to process everything, ‘You told me so. You said you weren’t looking for anything other than friendship.’

  He pulled me towards him, tipping my face up to his, ‘Izz. I’d made you cry within minutes of meeting you again! I thought, I don’t know, I thought if I put you at ease about me not wanting anything more from you, then in time you might actually open up to the possibility.’ He ran a hand over his hair again and gave a half-hearted laugh, ‘I don’t know. It made sense to me at the time.’

  ‘But this week, on the stairs when I kissed you? You might go around kissing people willy nilly but I don’t. Didn’t that give you a clue I liked you? It gave me a pretty big one.’

  ‘You didn’t know?’

  ‘Not really, no.’ I pulled a face, ‘I realise how silly that sounds. I suppose I’ve just been concentrating so much on putting bad things behind me, I couldn’t see when something good was standing right in front of me.’

  He smiled and bent for another kiss which I sank into before a thought crossed my mind, which, considering the way Rob was kissing me right now, was pretty surprising in itself because for the most part, I wasn’t thinking at all.

  ‘Wait!’ I pulled away. His face showed confusion and I began to smile at what else it showed. Pure unadulterated lust. I was fairly sure my own expression was similar but I needed to get this straight. I’d cocked up mightily in my previous choice and although, as I had promised him I wouldn’t, I wasn’t making any comparison between Rob and Steven, I needed to make sure this time.

  ‘After I kissed you on the stairs, which, for your information, I know you thought was a whole lot more than nice, however much you tried to cover it.’ I dropped my gaze lower momentarily and he grinned. ‘That same evening, you had Caroline Bennett all over you, and you weren’t exactly fighting her off. Quite the opposite in fact. And you went to dinner with her. Don’t deny it because I accidentally saw you in the restaurant when I was out for a walk. I was backing up from the window when I fell over the dog. So that’s your fault.’

  ‘Of course it is.’ He gave a little shake of his head, ‘Izzy, you kissed me. I had been wanting that for so long, it’s untrue. And all it took was a pair of funky wellies. If only I’d known.’

  I pulled a face.

  He continued, ‘You gave me hope with that kiss and then two hours later you smashed that hope by telling everyone you were happy just making dresses for other people and focusing on your five-year plan, which had no room for me in it. What was I supposed to think?’

  ‘Rob. You never said anything when I kissed you. How was I supposed to know you wanted more? Every woman I’ve ever seen you with looks like Caroline. Why on Earth would you be interested in me? And as for what I said? I’d just been publicly reminded that I’d been left at the altar. I know your mum didn’t mean it, and I know it wasn’t my fault and I’m glad it happened as it turns out, because I don’t think it would have been a very happy marriage for very long. But it’s still hurtful to be stood up like that, and made a fool of. I didn’t know what to say, and your mum looked so mortified I just said the first thing that came into my head. I had no idea how you felt! I wish I had because then I would have been able to say that everything was actually perfect because I was about to have mad monkey sex with the best man.’ I paused, ‘Although bearing in mind it was your parents, maybe I would have phrased it a bit differently.’

  He smiled and agreed.

  ‘You’re right, I should have said something after that kiss.’ He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in close, ‘But I was so worried about scaring you off. I know you’ve been through the mill already and I thought taking it slow would be the best policy. But it wasn’t. I should have just told you. Which is what I’m doing now. As for the rest? I’ve never even noticed a pattern with my girlfriends before until everyone kept bringing it up this Christmas. It wasn’t a conscious decision, it’s just something that sort of happened. But believe me, every single thought I’ve had about you has been entirely conscious. And I’m interested in you because you’re beautiful and funny and talented and sweet.’

  ‘Oh. Ok.’ I know that wasn’t the most gracious or romantic of replies but it was all my brain could form right about now.

  He smiled, but it faded a little as he spoke again, ‘Do you think you might ever feel the same?’

  ‘The same? About you?’

  ‘No, about Harold.’ He pulled a face at me.

  ‘Well, that’s easy. I’m totally in love with Harold.’

  ‘Ha ha.’

  ‘No, it’s true. But the thing is, I’m also totally in love with you too.’

  ‘You are?’

  ‘Of course I am! Why do you think I was so bothered about you and Caroline?’

  ‘I just thought you didn’t like her. I knew Mike and Jenny would fill you in on the back story.’

  ‘There is that. It does bother me that she treated you like that. And then that you were stupid enough to go back to her.’

  ‘I didn’t go back to her, Izz. I promise. We didn’t sleep together.’

  ‘That was definitely her lipstick on your shirt the other night.’

  ‘Yes. We kissed. I was lonely and upset and pissed off.’

  I rolled my eyes.

  ‘But I took her home and left her there and I went on and sat in the pub drinking orange juice until they threw us all out. I swear. I took her out to dinner because I needed to tell her there was no getting back together, which is what she wanted, and I didn’t want to do it here tonight. If she made a scene, I wanted it to be as far away from Jenny’s wedding reception venue as possible.’

  ‘But you brought her here tonight.’

  ‘I’d offered her and her parents a lift the other night. Of course, she held me to it.’

  ‘And you’re too much of a gentleman not to honour it.’

  ‘Her parents had already cancelled their taxi. Izzy. Please, you have to believe me. I’ve been trying to find the right moment
and the right words to tell you all night.’

  I did believe him.

  ‘So basically, we both just should have said something sooner.’

  ‘I guess.’ he said, bending his head and kissing my neck in a way that sent tingles right to the tips of my toes.

  ‘This ‘you being a gentleman’ thing?’

  ‘Yes?’ he replied, moving back up my neck.

  ‘Does that only apply to Caroline?’

  ‘What?’ His head shot up as he looked at me, ‘Of course not! Why would you say that?’

  ‘Because I seem to remember you being very ungentlemanly when I was trying to extricate myself from wet stockings the other week. A gentleman would have looked away. You gawped.’ I raised an eyebrow.

  He groaned and lifted me so that I was pressed against him, but our eyes were level. ‘You know you nearly killed me with that move, don’t you?’

  ‘It wasn’t a move!’ I replied, worried that he thought it was.

  ‘No, I know. That’s what made it all the more deadly! You need to know there was a whole mountain of restraint on my part going on there.’

  He put me down and I looked up at him through my lashes and grinned. He returned it and buried his face in my neck again.

  ‘Rob, we probably ought to get back to the party.’

  He made a non-committal sound.

  ‘Rob.’

  He brought his head back up and met my gaze. ‘I have a room here.’

  I tilted my head at him. ‘Wow. You must think I’m easier than I am.’

  ‘You’re the one that brought up wild monkey sex!’

  I laughed, ‘I didn’t say tonight.’

  ‘Oh my God,’ he dropped his head down gently on my shoulder which was helped by my sky high heels, ‘you’re killing me, you know that, don’t you?’

  ‘I have to be at the house early in the morning for everything.’

  He brought his head up and looked at me, a mix of emotions on his face. ‘Yeah, I know. I know.’

  ‘Please don’t think I don’t want to.’ I whispered.