Unrequited Alice
Page 23
“You love her. You can’t get over her…”
“Wait! I can see you.”
I looked around, trying to spot him. He was by the shoreline, standing still, phone in hand. Waves lapping on his feet. God, I loved him.
He put his phone in his pocket and ran towards me, then sat beside me on the sand. I smiled at him, then looked out at the sea.
“So…” he said, looking at me. I didn’t look back. I was a bit embarrassed about my outburst now.
“So?”
“After you fell asleep, I spent last night wondering why you didn’t like Donna much.”
“Oh yeah?”
“And I realised. She’s spoiled and selfish and not very nice, really, when you think about it.”
I turned to face him. He was grinning that gorgeous grin. We both started laughing.
“And it took me to see her through your eyes to realise that. I’m way over her. What I ever did see in her, I don’t know. Maybe it was the idea of it. Maybe I wanted what I couldn’t have – some sort of sibling rivalry. But all that matters is that I’m done. Finished.”
“Well, I’m glad I helped.”
“And I’m sorry I didn’t react that well to your little outburst this morning. I guess I was shocked. But I do realise what’s right in front of me. I see you. I want you. Only you.” He put his hand on my hand. “I’ve just been too scared to admit it, and I’m sorry.”
Wow. I leaned in and put my head on his shoulder. All the hurt and tension now gone, and only relief and happiness in its place.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Alice.”
“Me too.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking a lot lately, about my dad. He rejected us. Then Donna rejected me. I guess I didn’t want to get hurt by anyone else again. Ever.”
“I won’t hurt you, Toby. I couldn’t even bear to think of anyone else hurting you.”
He looked into my eyes.
“You’re amazing.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I am.” He laughed.
“You still want that breakfast?”
“Yes, I’m starving.”
“Me too, come on.”
He stood up and held out his hand. I grabbed it and he helped me up, and then he pulled me to his mouth and my lips met his. I wrapped my arms around his neck and all the sounds – the ocean waves, the kids running around, the traffic in the distance – all faded, and it was just us: two people, kissing on the beach. And it was the most amazing kiss, ever.
We walked back holding hands. We didn’t talk about us, just about the sand and the tourists and the ocean. Completely in the moment, yet everything had somehow shifted. For the better.
“These croissants were warm when they were delivered,” he said, picking one up back in our room.
“Sorry,” I said, stuffing some in my mouth. “Maybe you should’ve just kissed me that first time, in Niagara, and then we would have been done with all the drama, and we wouldn’t have let it go cold.”
“You weren’t ready, the first time.”
“Neither of us was.”
“I was going to kiss you last night, when I helped unzip your dress.”
“But I had to throw up, how sexy of me.”
He laughed.
“And then I was going to tell you over breakfast.”
“Tell me what?”
“How I’m crazy about you. That I’m in love with you.”
We were sitting up in bed, the platter of calories in front of us. He leaned in and kissed me softly and I let the pastry I was holding fall to my lap.
“Sorry … making up for lost time,” he said, leaning away again and taking another bite.
I wasn’t hungry anymore; not for food, anyway. I put mine down on the side and straddled his lap. He started kissing my neck, gently at first and then more passionately.
We started pulling at each other’s clothes then, frantically, like we couldn’t get them off quick enough. My heart was racing, full of both lust and sheer happiness that this was finally happening. I’d never wanted anyone more.
“So…” Toby said, as we rode the elevator down to meet his parents for lunch before we all went to the airport. “That was … pretty amazing.”
“I can’t believe we haven’t been doing that since Niagara,” I said, smiling at him.
“We’ll just have to make up for lost time.” He started kissing me and the elevator doors popped open.
“Oh good morning, my dears,” Rose said, looking embarrassed. Marcus winked at Toby. I felt my face grow hot. Zara was behind them.
Zara linked her arm through mine. “Glad to see you two looking so happy and fresh-faced today.” She gave me a huge grin, and I could see she was pleased.
Lunch was good, and I promised to keep in touch with Rose and Zara regularly when they left.
“I don’t know what happened, but I’m glad,” Zara whispered in my ear as she hugged me.
We had a little more time to kill, so we spent it in the bedroom. It was as if we couldn’t get enough of each other, now that we were finally allowed to touch and say and show how we really felt. Then we packed up and headed to the airport. In some ways, on the outside, nothing had changed. We walked through the airport holding hands. I leant my head against his shoulder on the flight. But every now and then he’d look at me, and some sort of unspoken message passed between us. On the inside, everything had changed.
“It’s your apartment too, you know,” Toby said to me later as we arrived outside the building where his apartment was located.
“No,” I said, “it’s yours and maybe I should move in with Kerry. We can date, like a normal couple.”
“Don’t be silly, we can’t go from living together to not. You’d only end up staying over all the time. It’s ours. I want you to really feel at home here. It’s your home too. Make it your own.”
In that case, I had some serious work to do. But that could wait.
We got inside and dumped our bags. I went and put the kettle on, and then I turned around and saw him standing in the middle of the room, smiling at me.
“What?”
“I’m deeply in love with you,” he said, grinning. “And I’m sorry I was so stupid not to admit it.”
I walked up to him and put my arms around his neck.
“All that matters is here and now,” I told him. “Focus on the present.”
“Aha, my own words.”
“They were wise words.”
“Happy?”
“Very, very happy.”
Epilogue
“I’d just like to say,” Toby held his glass up high, “congratulations to my amazing girlfriend on her graduation!”
“Woo! Go Alice!” called Mike, his arm around a pregnant Beth. Everyone raised their glasses and I beamed with pride.
It’d been a pretty amazing few years; I’d got my placement without issue, and had worked hard, in reasonable comfort thanks to the money from Gran. We had been to visit her each Christmas; she was still pretty happy and jolly and feeling fit.
The photography was going well, and I’d decided to specialise in portraits. I loved capturing people’s special memories; family moments, weddings, parties… I’d started working as an assistant to a very prestigious New York wedding photographer, and I was loving it.
I’d grown closer to my new American friends and family; I saw Aunt Kerry regularly and somehow, through her, felt I’d gotten to know my dad so much better than I ever had before. I’d grown close to Beth too, and Zara and I chat on the phone regularly. Rose had become a second mum, too. I think she was glad I kept in touch better than Toby had previously managed to. Penny and I were still in touch and she was coming out for a visit soon.
Hannah and Harry were doing well; from what I could tell on Facebook. I hadn’t made any effort to keep in touch, and she never called me either. After returning from Florida, I’d texted Ed to tell him to move on with his life, and wished him wel
l.
Brian and Donna were getting on just fine, or so I heard from Rose. We didn’t see them much, which suited me just fine.
I looked at Toby, talking and laughing amongst our friends, and wondered what would have happened to me without him. He’d changed my life, and I his … but it was more than just our relationship. He’d changed my attitude. He’d made me see life from a different perspective. Oh, how I loved him.
He smiled at me, and squeezed my hand underneath the table.
“See,” he said quietly, “you did it, you took control of your life and I’m so happy for you.”
I beamed with pride.
THE END
A note from the author:
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Sarah Louise Smith
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