by Kaylie Kay
She hadn’t been close to another man since she had met Tom. This moment wasn’t real, she told herself, she had just got carried away with the atmosphere and the champagne, yet she found it so hard to break away.
‘I have to go,’ she said eventually, pulling herself up and looking sadly at him.
‘Ok.’ It was as if he too knew that this was only a moment in time, not the beginning of something, and they walked in silence, arm in arm, back to the park’s entrance. He hugged her goodbye, kissing her one last time, and she felt him watching her as she walked back towards her hotel. She never turned around, never looked back.
Chapter 7
Olivia stared out of the window as the aircraft took off. She heard the landing gear going up and the whir of hydraulics as the pilots adjusted the rudder to steer the plane in the direction of home. Hong Kong twinkled below them, the millions of lights starting to blur into one as they climbed higher.
She remembered the events of the night before in every beautiful detail, shuddering as she recalled the way his touch had made her feel. She could still imagine the strength of his arms around her and smell him as if he was sat right there next to her. She fought the feelings of guilt that kept trying to ruin the memories; she would come back to them later, but while she could still see Hong Kong she wanted to stay in that moment as long as she possibly could.
The flight back to London was over an hour longer than coming out, but it felt like infinitely more. It would have helped if she had been able to sleep on her break but her thoughts kept her awake. As they had got closer to home she had had to put the memories in a box, fasten the lid tight, and store them away safely at the back of her mind. It had been a kiss, that was all, a moment of madness thousands of miles away and she couldn’t let that one moment affect her real life, the one she shared with Tom.
It was five years and seven months to be exact since she had been introduced to Tom by her friend Lindsey. She and Lindsey had been friends since school, and while Olivia had wanted to travel and see the world, Lin had settled down to life in the country with her husband Pete and her greatest love, her horses. Whilst they were busy raising their two children and living their dream, Olivia was having a string of failed relationships with the wrong men.
Her lifestyle meant that she met people from walks of life that she wasn’t really part of. Her mother had single-handedly raised her, and her sister Shelley, working long hours at a local supermarket to give them a warm home and the things they needed after their father had left when they were small. The places Olivia went now meant meeting people that came mostly from a different background and that was generally where the relationships would fail. Despite dressing in nice clothes now and living what some people would deem a glamorous life, Olivia was still that working-class girl at heart and put little importance on material things. Most of the men she met, however, seemed to think money bought them entitlement, and the right to be judgemental of others.
How could she take them to her mum’s tiny apartment, or introduce them to people who still lived her old life? While she could dress appropriately and fit into their circles, it never seemed so easy to do the other way around. Either they could not accept or respect her loved ones, or she was unable to bring herself to tell them about her background. There would inevitably come a time when their differences would become too much and moving forward to a committed relationship was just too difficult, needing too much compromise.
Tom was different to them. He and Pete had worked together for years and Lindsey had known he was perfect for her friend. When she had introduced them at her New Year’s Eve party the chemistry had been instant.
Tom was tall and strong, and a couple of years older than her – just how Olivia liked her men. She hadn’t been able to stop herself looking at the curves of his biceps through the sleeves which stretched over them, and the pull of his shirt over his chest had hinted at the muscles beneath it. He had been dressed immaculately in expensive clothes, and smelt so good that she had found herself standing closer than was really necessary to him, just so that she could breathe in his aroma.
His dark hair was cropped close to his head and whilst he was closely shaven, that night he wore at least a day’s worth of stubble. It was his smile that she had loved the most though, crinkling right up to the corners of his beautiful deep green eyes. Yet despite oozing confidence and success, when he spoke to her he was so humble and kind, and oh so funny!
They were inseparable for the rest of the night, and as she had stared into his eyes when he had first kissed her she had known he was the one she wanted to be with for the rest of her life, something she had always believed was a myth until that moment.
Tom, like Olivia, had grown up in a working-class family but had worked hard and slowly built up his building company. It was his true passion, after her of course, she would tease him. As their relationship blossomed they spoke about marriage and children often, but he just wanted to get them in the best position possible first, and she admired his focus, forever wanting to climb higher. There was no rush anyhow, she would tell herself, they were committed completely to each other and that was enough for her, for now. They had moved into a beautiful new house in Kent last year and she had to admit she was enjoying the fruits of his labour. Of course she wished he wasn’t always so busy but she had to accept he was doing it for them and their future and she loved him even more for it.
As she sat on her jumpseat flicking through memories and thoughts of Tom in her mind, she tried to understand why she had fallen for Jez, when she already had everything she could possibly want. She had obviously just got too comfortable in their relationship and forgotten, for that moment, that she had everything already. It wouldn’t happen again.
As the plane’s wheels touched down at Heathrow Olivia took out her phone and switched it on. Tom’s gorgeous face smiled back at her on her home screen.
Can’t wait to see you, will be keeping the bed warm ;). He had sent the message last night whilst she was flying.
Oh yes, it was Sunday. Tom was home, she realised, and felt herself getting excited. Back to reality on this beautiful sunny Sunday morning.
Chapter 8
Olivia drove her Mercedes out of the Heathrow staff car park and headed towards the M25. The sun was shining, music blared from her speakers and she was looking forward to climbing into bed with her man. A picture of Jez popped into her mind but she pushed it straight back. Why had she been so silly? Maybe she had needed to be reminded, it was natural after so many years that they would take each other for granted a little, wasn’t it?
Suddenly she remembered the message from her mum to call her. She checked her watch; it was 7am but Mum would be up by now, perhaps talking to her would take her mind off things.
‘Siri, call Mum,’ she instructed, and the ring tone started to play over the Bluetooth.
‘Hi Mum, sorry I forgot to call you back Friday,’ she apologised.
‘That’s ok darling, I just hadn’t heard from you for a while.’
‘Sorry, I’ve just been so busy with minimum rest between flights, it’s always manic in the summer months.’ She wasn’t exaggerating either, these last few weeks had been really full-on. ‘I’ve just got back from Hong Kong now though, so we can have a good catch up while I drive home. You can keep me awake.’
‘Glad to help out.’ She knew her mum was pleased at the opportunity, always desperate for a good natter.
They caught up on the family news, how cousin Paula was pregnant again with her fifth child, and that her husband Dave was going to have a vasectomy now. Apparently Mum’s brother Shane had been arrested for fighting again and his wife was in pieces; the poor thing suffered with her nerves as it was. Olivia may live a different life now but they were all still her family and she would never forget her roots, their lives were just a little dramatic for her sometimes, she thought. It passed her journey home though and it was nice to hear her mum sounding so animated. She should call her
for a chat more often.
As she hung up the call she pulled into her road in Edenbridge. Their house was a little way up on the right, behind tall wooden gates that Tom had installed himself in the brick wall that separated them from the street. She clicked the button on the remote control on the dashboard and they opened slowly to welcome her back. The house wasn’t huge but it was no means small either. Detached and set over three storeys, it was probably too big for just the two of them, but they would fill it with children one day, and for now they often had visitors. Tom had converted the whole basement into a den with a bar and dancefloor so they could entertain their friends, and they had a pretty good social life as a result.
She pulled her car in front of the second garage door next to Tom’s Audi, switched off the engine and jumped out. She would come back for her case later but right now she didn’t just want but needed to see Tom.
She crept quietly into the house and up to their bedroom. He hadn’t heard her coming from their bedroom at the back of their house. She stood at the door and watched him dozing, the daylight bathing him in golden rays. She hadn’t looked at him properly for such a long time and had forgotten how beautiful he was. His arms were outside of the covers and her need to be in them was overwhelming. She undressed right there in the doorway and climbed naked into the bed. Tom opened his eyes and gave her a sleepy smile as he wrapped her up and made love to her.
‘I love you, Tom,’ she breathed, and had never meant it more.
Chapter 9
Olivia awoke to the sound of the radio blaring downstairs, Tom singing out of tune to the song that was playing and banging around loudly in the kitchen. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table, 12:05. The sun was still shining and she didn’t want to waste this glorious day, getting up and showering quickly in the en-suite bathroom.
‘We’ve been invited to a barbecue over at James and Sam’s,’ Tom called through the bathroom door.
‘Perfect.’ Olivia switched off the water and opened the shower door. He passed her a towel and she began to dry herself off. ‘What time?’
‘Not until two,’ he watched her wipe the water from her face and grinned cheekily at her whilst looking her up and down, ‘so I think I’ll just take you back to bed for a while,’ and before Olivia could disagree he had swept her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her back through to the bedroom. Their love life hadn’t been this good for ages. Tom was always tired lately, but Olivia wasn’t complaining and relished every second of his attentions. She should land back on Sunday mornings more often, she through wryly.
The barbecue was in full swing when they arrived, with probably about thirty or forty people gathered in small groups around James and Sam’s perfectly manicured lawn. Sam emerged from the summer house at the bottom carrying a tray of glasses of Pimm’s, all garnished beautifully with fruit and screaming ‘summer’. She worked her way towards them, weaving in and out of the small children that were running around.
‘So glad you two could make it,’ she exclaimed loudly as she came closer. ‘Olivia, Tom says you’ve just landed from Hong Kong, you must be exhausted!’
‘Oh I’m fine, Sam, I just had a few hours’ sleep, I couldn’t miss seeing you all!’ She reached forward and pecked Sam on the cheek affectionately.
‘Well if you get tired just climb into a spare bed, you know where they are.’ They had stayed over here many times rather than drive home after a few drinks. It was nice to know she could sneak off later if she needed to, but Tom had work in the morning so it probably wouldn’t be a late one. ‘James is around here somewhere.’ She looked around the garden. ‘He’s probably getting some bits for the barbecue. Let me go and put this tray down, be back in a minute.’
Olivia took a glass of Pimm’s and Sam sashayed away with her tray. Tom was deep in conversation already with a man she had never seen before about football, and as much as Olivia wanted to share everything with him, sport just wasn’t her thing. She scanned the garden looking for someone more interesting to talk to.
‘I’m just going to talk to Sam’s mum,’ she said, and touched him on the arm, but was unsure if he had heard her. He would talk about football for hours so probably wouldn’t even notice she’d gone!
She headed over to where Sam’s mother Janet was sat at a table under a large umbrella. She was with Sam’s sister Fiona and a younger girl that she didn’t recognise.
‘Hello,’ she said cheerily and greeted each of them individually with an embrace. ‘Hi, I’m Olivia,’ she introduced herself to the girl that she didn’t know and held out her hand informally.
‘Olivia, this is Sarah,’ introduced Fiona.
Sarah stood up quickly and shook her hand eagerly. ‘Hi, pleased to meet you!’ she exclaimed in a strong Australian accent.
‘Sarah is an old school friend of mine’s niece,’ explained Fiona. ‘She wanted to come and try living in the UK so she’s staying with us and helping with the kids until she finds something more permanent.’
‘Oh fantastic, how exciting for you!’ Olivia loved to see people travel and explore the world, especially while they were young like Sarah. She had always found people who didn’t want to travel so frustrating, they had no idea how amazing the world was out there She wanted everyone to see all of the fascinating places she had seen. ‘How long are you staying for?’
‘At least a year, but maybe longer if I find something, or someone, worth staying for,’ she giggled, looking around.
‘I am sure you will.’ And she meant it, as this girl was beautiful in the beach babe way that was rare around here. Long tanned and toned limbs poked out of her cute playsuit that hugged her slim figure, and her hair tumbled in naturally bleached waves around her shoulders. There was no doubt the single young men would be falling over each other for this girl’s attentions!
‘Have you been anywhere nice lately Olivia?’ asked Janet.
‘I landed back from Hong Kong just this morning Janet,’ she replied.
‘Awesome,’ Sarah cut in. ‘What do you do?’
‘Oh, I’m a flight attendant.’
‘Wow! I’d love to do that! That must be the best job in the world!’
‘I like it, yes, but it’s not for everyone.’ Not everyone could cope with the lack of sleep and being away from home, it was true. Olivia started to tell her about the ups and downs of life as a flight attendant, about the less glamorous routes and sheer hard work that came as part of the job. Sarah listened intently to begin with but suddenly seemed to become distracted. She kept looking over Olivia’s shoulder at something and had started flicking her hair around and giggling at the wrong times to Olivia’s stories. Oh! She had obviously spotted someone she liked, realised Olivia, and she wrapped up her speech sharply, Sarah not even noticing the half-finished tale.
Whoever it was that had got Sarah’s attention was getting closer; this girl was so obvious Olivia was a little embarrassed for her. Then just as Olivia felt an arm around her shoulder a brief look of confusion flashed across her face.
‘There you are.’ Tom kissed her forehead. ‘I wondered where you’d gone.’
Oh my word, she’d fancied her Tom! Olivia tried not to laugh. Yes, she knew he was a good-looking guy but this girl couldn’t have been much older than twenty, and Tom would never be interested in her, even with her youthful beauty. She trusted him implicitly.
‘Tom this is Sarah, Sarah this is my partner Tom.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Sarah.’
Olivia looked at her expecting to see a flash of embarrassment, or at least disappointment, but there was none.
‘Likewise, Tom.’ She smiled at him as if auditioning for a toothpaste advert, and fluttered her eyelashes much more than was necessary. Was she flirting? Oh my word, this girl was bold! Olivia had always prided herself on not being a jealous type but this girl’s audacity was more than mildly annoying. ‘Olivia was just telling me about her job, you must really miss her when she’s away.’ Was she hoping he would s
ay that he didn’t?! Tom had better give the right answer here, Olivia thought.
‘Of course,’ he grinned. ‘Excuse me, ladies, I’m just going to lend a hand.’ He kissed Olivia again and headed off after James who had just walked past with a huge tray of meat for the barbecue.
They both stood there for a moment in silence. Olivia didn’t know what to say now and Sarah had just watched Tom walk away admiringly, as if she was oblivious to the fact he was Olivia’s partner.
‘Lucky you,’ Sarah remarked, looking back at Olivia. ‘Your boyfriend is hot!’
‘Thanks, I know.’ She couldn’t disguise the warning tone in her voice, and knew that her smile wasn’t quite reaching her eyes. Olivia wrestled with her emotions; she knew she was probably being oversensitive, it was landing day after all and she was tired. She supposed she was actually complimenting her in a roundabout way. The girl was just young and excitable, she would find herself a suitable muse soon enough. ‘Nice to meet you, Sarah, I’d better go and help them before the burgers get cremated.’
‘Nice to meet you too, Olivia,’ she said genuinely and turned back towards the table where Fiona was sitting.
Chapter 10
As the afternoon unwound and the Pimm’s took effect Olivia relaxed and floated between people, chatting easily and enjoying the atmosphere. Summertime music played over the garden speakers and the food and drinks flowed endlessly, the aromas from the barbecue filling the air. As she moved from one group of familiar faces to another she told animated stories of her latest travels; people were always so keen to hear about her adventures. Of course, she might have used some creativity with some, no one wanted to hear she hadn’t left her hotel room in New York, or that she had run out of chicken on the flight home. Others she held back on, like what had really happened in the park in Hong Kong.