A Christmas Kiss

by Eliza J Scott

  ‘Woah!’ He hurriedly passed his glass to Jimby, laughing at the happiness that shone from her as she threw herself into dancing. He leant towards her. ‘Aren’t you a little young to remember these songs? You don’t even look like you’re in your thirties yet.’

  ‘I’m not, I’m twenty-eight, but my lovely dad used to play them all the time.’

  ‘Oh, right.’ His mind did a quick calculation: that would make her eight years younger than him; he found himself wondering if the age gap would put her off, but reasoned that she’d probably guessed how old he was when he told her about Alf and Clara.

  The friends danced the night away and before they knew it, the tempo changed as “Don’t You Want Me?” by the Human League was replaced by the slower “Save a Prayer” by Duran Duran, signalling the winding up of the party.

  Zander felt momentarily awkward – slow songs meant smooching, didn’t they? They could always sit them out if she didn’t fancy it, he supposed, wondering what Livvie would prefer to do – secretly hoping she’d be up for it. He didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  Livvie suddenly threw her arms around him, resting her face on his chest, and, oh boy, did it feel good. He glanced around, catching a wink from Jimby and huge smiles from the rest of their friends. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, inhaling her sweet perfume. It felt wonderful; she was the perfect fit. Oh. My. Days. This is heaven.

  ‘Lovely.’ Livvie’s voice was so breathless, he barely heard what she said.

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘You’re lovely,’ she said. ‘This is lovely.’

  His heart picked up pace; this was more than lovely, he thought. This was bloody amazing.

  He swallowed. ‘And I think you’re lovely, too.’

  As Simple Minds’ “Alive and Kicking” replaced “Save a Prayer”, she lifted her head from his chest, looking into his eyes. ‘You do?’

  ‘I do.’ He nodded, pushing her thick curls back from her face. ‘And I want more than anything in the world to kiss you right now.’ His heart was pumping fast, the flames of lust burning brighter.

  ‘And I want you to kiss me, too.’

  Zander swept all thoughts of Mel from his mind and bent to kiss Livvie, anticipation of how her lips would feel against his building rapidly. But before they had chance to make contact, they suddenly found themselves covered in beer, their moment cruelly snatched away.

  Livvie squealed and jumped back.

  ‘What the—’ Zander wiped the droplets of beer from his face.

  ‘Oh, shit, I’m so sorry,’ said Jimby, looking sheepish. ‘I was goosed by someone with a bloody shocking case of wandering hands.’ He looked over his shoulder and shot Maneater Matheson an accusatory glare. ‘When I tried to get out of reach, I tripped over Lycra Len’s feet and ended up knocking his beer out of his hands; unfortunately it came sailing this way.’

  ‘It certainly did,’ said Rosie

  ‘Are you sure you weren’t too busy rubber-necking at Zander and Livvie?’ Vi arched a quizzical eyebrow at her husband.

  ‘I’m positive; well, maybe a bit, but that bloody woman’s hands were getting into places that haven’t seen daylight for years.’

  ‘Oh, spare us please, Jimbo,’ said Molly, pulling a face.

  ‘I’m only explaining why I tripped. I should be getting sympathy, not a bollocking; I feel violated. If a bloke did that to a woman, there’d be hell on.’

  ‘You do have a point actually,’ said Molly. ‘Do you want me to go and have a word with the old tart? I’d love to wipe that lecherous leer right off her wizened old fizzog.’

  ‘No, just leave it; it’s not worth spoiling a good night,’ he said.

  ‘What happened?’ asked Lycra Len. ‘One minute I had my pint in my hand, the next it was flying over here.’

  ‘I’m afraid your drink was Jimbied,’ said Vi.

  ‘I was goosed.’ Jimby nodded towards Maneater.

  ‘You poor sod, rather you than me,’ said Len.

  ‘Here you go.’ Kitty handed Livvie and Zander paper hand towels from the kitchen.

  ‘Thanks, I didn’t get too much on me; I think it was Zander who bore the brunt,’ said Livvie, dabbing at her sleeve.

  ‘It’s not too bad, actually.’ Zander pressed the paper towel against his shirt that was nowhere near as damp as his spirits after having his chance of kissing Livvie scuppered once more. He was seriously beginning to wonder if it wasn’t meant to be; they’d been thwarted every time.

  ‘I think that’s our cue to leave,’ said Robbie as the music came to an end and the lights came on.

  ‘That was so much fun. I’m so pleased you suggested coming here tonight, Zander,’ said Livvie, her eyes shining.

  ‘Yeah, it was great.’ He loved how she said his name. ‘We timed our visit well.’

  ‘By the way, I’m not sure how long you’re both staying for, but you’re welcome to join us for some of the other things that are going on,’ said Kitty, pulling on her coat. ‘Ollie and me are having our lot round for Christmas dinner. It’s all very relaxed and you’re more than welcome to join us; I’ve lost track of how many we’re having so two more won’t make a difference, will it, Oll?’

  ‘Not at all, it’d be nice to see you there.’ Ollie pushed his hands into his gloves. ‘Listen, I’ll just nip home and get Alf for you, save you both having to traipse over.’

  ‘You sure?’ asked Zander.

  ‘Yep, I’ll be back in a flash,’ he said, heading across the bar.

  ‘And Camm and me are having a bit of a family gathering on Monday afternoon; it’d be great if you could come to that,’ said Molly. ‘Ooh, bloody hell, Vi, look at the state of your ankles, they’ve puffed up like a right couple of puddings, you need to rest them, chick.’

  ‘Yeah, they’re feeling a bit splodgy,’ said Vi.

  ‘Oh, Vi, they look uncomfortable, you need to sit with your feet up tomorrow, get that brother of mine running around after you.’

  ‘That brother of yours does that anyway.’ Jimby winked at Kitty.

  ‘Ah but, just a little more wouldn’t hurt.’ Vi gave him a theatrical wink in return.

  ‘Too true.’ Molly joined in the winking.

  ‘And there’s Christmas carols round the tree on the green on Christmas Eve, which is always lovely,’ said Rosie. ‘Practically the whole village goes to that.’

  ‘Wow, you do loads of stuff here,’ said Livvie.

  Zander noticed she looked a little unsteady on her feet.

  ‘Tell me about it.’ Molly wrapped her scarf around her neck. ‘It’s hard to keep up with things sometimes. You ready, Camm?’

  ‘Sure am.’ He made his way over to them. ‘Time to tackle Withrin Hill.’

  ‘You okay?’ Zander asked Livvie when everyone had headed off home. They were standing beneath the soft glow of a street lamp while she tried to button her coat, all fingers and thumbs.

  ‘I’m fine, just a bit cold.’ Her teeth were chattering and she’d started to shiver.

  ‘Would you like a hand with that?’

  She shook her head, still struggling. ‘No thanks, I can manage.’

  He wasn’t convinced; the buttons were all skew-whiff. ‘Right, well, you look absolutely nithered, come on, let’s get you to the car; we’ll have things warmed up in no time.’

  ‘Okeydokey, but I think I might need to hang on to you, everything’s started to go a bit swimmy and the floor’s moving.’ She grabbed onto his arm, squeezing it tightly.

  He couldn’t help giving an amused grin. ‘That’s fine, come on.’

  22

  Livvie

  Livvie was woken by the dull thud of a headache; the sort that threatened to grow as soon as you stood up. Tentatively, she opened her eyes; the room was shrouded in darkness thanks to the thick curtains and she could only guess at the time. She lay there for a while, closing her eyes again, shutting out any distractions as her thoughts tried to arrange themselves into some kind of coherent o
rder despite the subtle pounding in her brain.

  The feeling that she’d had a great time the night before bloomed insider her and she could feel a smile pull at her lips. She recalled the cosy pub with its huge open fire, and she could remember having delicious food there, the flavours still vivid in her mind. She could clearly remember meeting Kitty, Molly, Rosie and their partners and how incredibly friendly they all were. And memories of dancing and laughing in the village hall lurked around, but over and above that, everything else was a smidge hazy.

  She sighed and snuggled further into the duvet, enjoying the comforting rustle of the feathers; she’d have to invest in one of these back home, it was so much toastier than her cheap acrylic one, and besides, she most certainly didn’t want to sleep under the one Donny had soiled with his indiscretions.

  As she lay there contemplating the previous evening, Livvie gradually became aware of sounds of life from downstairs. Zander! Her heart skipped a beat and an image of him looking at her intently, his eyes full of passion, pushed its way blatantly to the forefront of her mind. It triggered a vague memory that began swirling round her head, gradually picking up momentum. They’d nearly kissed! Again! What? No way! Her eyes shot open and her heart started to thump against her chest as she remembered how close they’d come to touching lips and how desperately she’d wanted it. Anyone would think it was becoming a habit.

  She didn’t know how she was going to face him this morning. They’d found themselves in this situation before and they’d managed to brush it off easily. But something was telling her this latest “almost” kiss was a little bit different; there’d been a bit more meaning to it. Well, if she was being completely honest with herself, it had a whole bloody lot more meaning to it and that thought made her cheeks burn – yet again.

  ‘Oh, what the bloody hell am I doing?’ she said, scrunching her eyes tight shut.

  Livvie toyed with the idea of staying in bed all day, avoiding Zander, postponing the excruciating awkwardness she anticipated, but the sudden memory of him bringing her a cup of tea yesterday morning scuppered that idea. ‘Oh, well, best get this over and done with,’ she said, pushing herself up and swinging her legs round. A groan escaped her lips as her head objected to the sudden movement. ‘Ow!’ She rubbed her forehead, looking down at the sage green fabric dotted with cream hearts. ‘At least I managed to get my pyjamas on.’ She rummaged for her slippers with her feet and took a moment while they wriggled their way into them in; she couldn’t bear to bend down and risk the feeling of her brain hammering on the inside of her skull. Been there, done that, don’t want to do it again.

  The smell of frying bacon hit her nostrils as she made her way downstairs; she was relieved to find it made her stomach rumble in an agreeable way. Padding across the floor, she followed the sound of the radio and Zander singing quietly to himself.

  ‘Morning.’ She stepped into the kitchen and Alf, who’d been watching Zander intently, hurried over to her, wagging his tail as if he hadn’t seen her for weeks. ‘Hello, Alfie.’

  Zander, who was tending a host of fried breakfast goodies in a pan turned and greeted her with a wide smile; even in her hungover state, she could see he looked genuinely happy to see her. ‘Hi there, Sleeping Beauty, and how are we this fine morning?’

  Livvie crumpled her face and ran her fingers through her knotted curls. ‘My head’s felt better, if I’m honest.’ She tried to bend down to stroke Alf but it only served to make her head feel like there was a wrecking ball doing its worst inside it.

  ‘Ah, that would be the demon drink.’ He laughed. ‘Prosecco and plenty of it, I seem to recall.’

  ‘Oh, don’t remind me.’ She clapped her hand to her forehead at the memory of it slipping down rather well the night before.

  ‘Never again, I’m guessing?’

  ‘Too right, never again.’ She pulled out a chair and flopped down at the table.

  ‘How does a coffee sound?’

  ‘Perfect.’

  ‘I’ll have one ready in two ticks.’ He set the machine away and it glugged and hissed into life, pushing the delicious aroma of freshly ground coffee into the air.

  She took a surreptitious glance at him; he was still in his pyjamas, the long-sleeves of the navy blue T-shirt pushed up revealing strong forearms covered in dark hair. Livvie felt a sudden irresistible urge to run her fingers over them; her heart surged at the thought. Calm your jets, woman!

  ‘Oh, that smells so good.’ She took the coffee he handed to her. ‘Thanks.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’ He smiled. ‘And how are you fixed for a bacon butty; or I can do you a full Yorkshire fry-up if you’re up to it?’

  The thought of that was surprisingly appealing.

  ‘That was delicious,’ said Livvie, savouring the flavours that lingered in her mouth as she set her knife and fork down on the now empty plate.

  Zander laughed. ‘Well, it certainly didn’t hit the sides.’

  ‘Best cure for a hangover, I find.’ She laughed too, relieved that her headache was inching away.

  ‘Another coffee?’

  ‘I quite fancy a tea if that’s okay? If I have too much coffee, I end up feeling like I’m climbing the walls.’

  ‘Not sure that would do your hangover much good.’ He smiled at her. ‘Tea it is.’ He went to fill the kettle and set it on the Aga.

  ‘Oh, look at poor old Alf, he’s doing a very good “I’m starving” impression.’ Livvie’s eyes were drawn to the Labrador who had been patiently watching them devouring their breakfast from his bed. Drool had started to drip from either side of his mouth.

  ‘Don’t worry about him, he knows a sausage has been set aside with his name on it, and the wait is killing him, isn’t it, Alf?’

  The pair chuckled as Alf’s face seemed to take on even more pleading expression. ‘It’s a reward for his exemplary behaviour in the pub and at Kitty and Ollie’s, where I’m told his manners were impeccable.’ Zander looked at him fondly.

  ‘He’s just the most gorgeous boy,’ said Livvie. ‘I’m really going to miss him.’

  Her comment hung awkwardly in the air between them.

  Zander coughed. ‘Erm, yep, I’d best start packing my things up this morning. There’s been no more snow; I had a look outside earlier and the roads aren’t too bad at the moment. But there’s more’s on its way, so the sooner I get off the better.’

  ‘Oh.’ Livvie felt her heart plummet to her slippers. She wished she could snatch her stupid comment back. She liked being here at Dale View Cottage with Zander and Alf, enjoyed spending time with them. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy and the thought of them not being here with her felt like a huge, black raincloud putting the dampers on a bright, sunny day.

  ‘Why don’t I make a quick list and nip down to the village shop before it shuts for the day; get you some provisions in case the snow gets too bad and you end up stuck here for a couple of days?’ He brought two mugs of tea across to the table and set them down.

  ‘You don’t have to do that.’ She glanced up at him, trying to read his expression. If she wasn’t mistaken, he looked how she was feeling – or was it simply a case of wishful thinking on her part?

  ‘I know but I want to; I don’t like the thought of you tackling icy roads in your little car that doesn’t have winter tyres on, or you being snowed in and hungry. Indulge me, I’d only worry otherwise.’

  ‘Okay.’ Livvie felt sadness settle on her shoulders. ‘So, if you went back to Leeds, would you be going back to an empty house?’

  ‘I expect so.’

  ‘And all of your family are in Carcassonne?’

  ‘They are, well apart from my cousin Beth who’s skiing in Chamonix with her boyfriend Liam.’

  ‘So would that mean you’d be having Christmas day on your own?’

  ‘Well, my colleague, Noah, has invited me to his house for Christmas dinner, but kind as it is, I have no intention of taking him up on it; I wouldn’t wa
nt to invade his time with his young family.’

  A couple of beats fell before Livvie spoke. ‘You don’t have to go … you and Alf, you’re welcome to stay here with me.’ She looked up at him and their eyes locked.

  ‘Oh,’ he asked, his eyes searching hers. ‘Right … are you sure? I mean do you really think you can put up with Alf and me – and our blokey bad habits – until the New Year?’

  She giggled, feeling suddenly shy. ‘I’m sure I can; I mean, it’s your house and I’d feel kind of bad if you left and anyway, what I’m trying to say is, I’d really like you both to stay.’ She watched Zander as he thought this over, a muscle twitching in his cheek, desperately willing him to accept her offer.

  ‘Well, in that case, we’d love to, wouldn’t we, fella?’ He leaned towards Alf and gave him the thumbs up. ‘I reckon Livvie’s only said it cos of you; you’ve won her over with that irresistible charisma of yours.’ Zander may have been joking, but his broad smile told her his happiness matched her own.

  Alf trotted over, hopeful that his dad’s words were an indication that the sausage with his name on was about to appear in his food bowl. He wasn’t disappointed.

  A smile spread across Livvie’s face as her sadness lifted and floated away. The thought of spending more time with Zander had made her spirits soar in a way she hadn’t expected.

  ‘So what do you remember about last night? Zander asked, peering over the rim of his mug of tea.

  ‘Oh, well …’ Livvie felt her cheeks flush. ‘I can remember being relieved that there was an eighties themed party going on and that the locals weren’t really stuck in a tragic time warp.’

  Zander chuckled. ‘It was funny to see you trying to make sense of it; your face was a picture.’

  ‘I can imagine.’ She giggled. ‘And I remember meeting your group of friends and them being really friendly.’

  ‘They’re your group of friends now; they’ve really taken to you. You slotted in really well just like I knew you would.’