by Dawn Edwards
He hit me. ‘There’s vampires, I’m sure there’s blood.’
I shook my head at him, then turned back to Lana, ‘Is it really that good?’
She shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed again. ‘I guess, I like it. There’s some talk about it being made into a movie, but that’s the inside scoop, nothing’s been confirmed yet.’
CHAPTER 12
DREW
I stood at the train station in Manchester staring at the screen, willing it to change and tell me what platform I needed to get to. With any luck, it would be one of the close ones. I’d hardly had any sleep in the past three days; Arab weddings were long busy events. It had been amazing spending the past few days with my best friend Ali, and seeing his family again, but I was exhausted. I arrived tired after a summer of all work, no play, and little sleep. This weekend only added to it. If there was a state past shattered, I was well and truly there.
All I wanted to do was get on the train, drop the bag I was carrying around and pass out for a few hours before a final night of partying with my other friends in London. A few hours of shut eye is all I really needed. It wasn't like I was hungover as Ali and his family didn’t drink and the wedding had been a dry event. So at least there was that. But knowing my friends, my liver would be making up for it later tonight.
I looked at my phone to see if there was a message from Jessa, but there wasn’t. I wanted her to join me for the wedding, but she said it wasn’t a good idea and traveling wasn’t a smart move for her.
She had been rather absent this past weekend. I hoped it was just that she was giving me my space to spend time with my friends, but as I pointed out repeatedly, she never had to take a back seat. If she wasn’t there in person, I didn't want her to be silent either.
She said she was busy, but I always worried about her. I broke down a few weeks ago during one of our phone calls and asked her if she was seeing anyone. She laughed for a full minute, then called me a dumbass. ‘Seriously, how could I even entertain the idea?’
‘It’s just you’re doing all this self-discovery, I’m wondering if you’re...you know?’
‘If you are asking if I’ve hooked up with anyone, the answer is a flat no,’ she informed me. ‘I may be working on finding myself, but my heart is complete. I don’t need to explore that any further.’
‘Really?’
‘Drew, I’ve been in love with you from almost the time I met you, anyone beside you would be cheating. Sure, I’ve been horny, but it’s never crossed my mind.’
‘Cupcake, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that, not that I can talk, but still.’
‘I’m a bit pissed that you felt you even had to ask me,’ she scolded. ‘I thought that you knew how I felt.’
‘I do, I was just worried that you’d get lonely…’
‘I am lonely, that’s why I’m constantly texting you.’
‘Please don’t stop, I worry more when you don’t,’ I reminded her, but she wasn’t as chatty this weekend as she typically had been. I had to admit, I really didn’t like it. I missed her, I wanted to know how her day was, what she was doing, even if it was the same things she always did.
Our constant open communications made me feel more connected to her. We couldn’t physically be together, so chatting was the only thing we had, and we usually had it in spades, thankfully. Which was why this weekend when I only heard from her every few hours, I felt myself at a loss.
The train was delayed a quarter of an hour when the screen finally changed, indicating that we’d be boarding on platform 3; it wasn’t the closest, but it could be worse. I made my way, following the small crowd of people who were also heading down to London or somewhere else south of Manchester on the late morning train.
On the platform, I was thankful there weren’t many people. With any luck, I’d be able to have a row of seats to myself and stretch out in somewhat comfort as I tried to sleep.
I had to walk past the first-class carts to get to my seat. Looking in, I decided I should have sprung the extra cash and opted for it, but out of habit, I booked the cheapest ticket I could. One of these days I was going to move on from my past, but I was pleased to know that I still remembered where I came from, despite my new surroundings.
I kept walking, looking ahead, when I had to do a double-take. Either I was hallucinating from being overtired, or my dreams were becoming a reality.
I stopped dead in my tracks for a moment, just to make sure my eyes were not deceiving me. I’d wanted to see her for so long, that sometimes I imagined things. Waking up from dreams starring her always put me in a foul mood as I never wanted them to end. Was I so tired that I fell asleep and she was appearing in my dreams?
But this sight in front of me wasn’t the Jessa from my dreams, nor from my pictures; this was a completely different physical form, but it was her nonetheless. I’d recognize that smile and those eyes anywhere. The rest of her was foreign to me, but those eyes and that smile had me frozen in place.
I walked the few feet to her slowly, stopping just a few inches from her, looking her up and down. Her hair was cut short in a bob just below her jawline, and it was no longer blonde. Instead, it was a light brown color that I felt was natural to her.
She wore a floral yellow and grey sundress; it had no sleeves, exposing her thin arms, and it fell just above her knees, showing off her sexy toned legs, which clearly didn’t need heels to accentuate, as she wore white flats. It hugged her in all the right places, revealing sexy curves that in the past had been covered in stress eating and a sedentary lifestyle. That was clearly something of the past.
I couldn’t speak as I looked her over. I knew it was her, the pull was too much to ignore.
‘Thought you were going to walk right past me,’ she commented with that brilliant smile of hers.
‘I nearly did.’ I took her in my arms and hugged her tightly, even as the whistle blew. I pulled away just slightly to look at her, make sure it was real and not a dream. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Thought it would be a nice day for a train ride,’ she smirked as a whistle blew again. ‘Come, I’ve got us a first-class cabin.’
She held out her hand to me and I took it, following her lead to the first-class cart. I’d follow her off a bridge right about now if she asked me to. She had a private area for us, with a table already laid out with tea and sandwiches. Her jacket was laid across one of the seats.
I stored my bag in the upper compartment, as she took a seat and looked up at me. ‘Tea?’
This was surreal. I took the seat across from her, not able to take my eyes off of her for a moment. ‘Your hair, it’s different,’ I commented, reaching over, taking a few strands in my fingers, making sure she was real. I ran a finger down her cheek and she leaned into me, looking up at me, watching me take her in. I felt my cock twitch at the sight and feel of.
I still couldn’t believe she was in front of me. ‘Where’s the rest of you?’ I joked.
‘I left her on the southwest coast of Australia,’ she beamed with pride.
‘I hope you’ve still got that ass on you. If not, you better go back and find it.’ I got up and moved around to slide into the booth beside her, leaning in to kiss her, wrapping an arm around her waist as the train pulled away from the station.
She laughed at me when we pulled away from our kiss. I had waited so long to kiss her, once believing that I’d never have the chance to do it again. Never again would I take her for granted, take being with her for granted. It wasn’t going to be hard to do, I couldn’t take my eyes off roaming over her body. ‘But all joking aside, you look great. Different, but a good different. Not that there was anything wrong with the way you looked before.’ I was rambling.
She smiled, ‘Thanks. Too bad I can’t say the same about you; you look rough.’ She ran a hand over my beard and along my unkempt hair. I hadn’t had a chance to shower yet today. Had I known I’d see her, I might have taken a bit more pride in my appearance.
I nodded, ‘I haven’t slept properly since I left Boston,’ I admitted. ‘Scratch that, I haven’t slept properly since I last fell asleep with you in my arms.’ I kissed her temple, knowing that I could do that again tonight. Fuck, the things I could do with her tonight, if she were game, that is. I ran a hand over my face to stop my train of thought. If I sported wood now, there’d be no going back.
‘Shall I let you get some shut-eye?’ she asked, looking to the row of seats next to me.
‘Yeah, because that’s likely going to happen.’ I looked at her, devouring her with my eyes.
‘So, I take it the wedding was a good time?’
‘Would have been better if you were there, but I’ll take you now.’ It was an innuendo, but she didn’t bite.
‘I wanted you to enjoy your time with Ali, I didn't want to be a distraction…’ she smiled at me. That was so her, selfless. Everything she’d done over the past year had been an act of selflessness.
‘What are you doing here?’ It dawned on me that she was in England, heading to London. Where had she been, did she arrange this just to see me?
‘Like I said, I thought it was a good day for a train ride,’ she smirked again.
‘Have you been in Manchester all weekend?’
She shook her head and took a sip of her tea. ‘No, just rode up this morning.’
‘From where?’
‘Trying to steal all my secrets?’ She took my hand, clearly in a playful mood. This was the Jessa I loved, the playful, carefree Jessa I fell in love it.
‘Just trying to get some answers.’ I kissed the hand that was holding mine. ‘I think after all this time, I’m due.’
‘London, I’ve been there with Breton for a few months now.’
‘Really?’ I asked, surprised, I’d been assuming she was closer, as in America, but then she made a joke about Australia, had she really been there too? There were so many questions I had still. She didn’t give much away over the phone and always said she would explain more in person for security reasons, and I got it. But now that I had her, I wanted to know everything. ‘I guess I should have figured.’ I didn’t think for one moment they would be far from one another.
‘Yeah, I was in Australia for the first seven months, but after the trial, it was slightly safer for me to be a bit closer.’
‘I’m supposed to stay with Breton tomorrow…’
‘I know!’
‘Is he really away?’
She nodded, chewing a bite of a sandwich. ‘Actually, yeah he is, but he’s supposed to be back tomorrow evening, but with him, anything can happen.’
‘Do you know much about his job?’
‘Not too much,’ she shook her head. ‘And honestly, I think I prefer it that way. Any more and I’d stress far more than I already do.’
I stared at her for a few moments, still having a hard time believing she was here next to me.
‘God, I’ve missed you,’ I blurted out, pulling her closer to me, kissing her, tasting her, savoring her. When I pulled away, I had to look down to make sure I was actually holding her hand and not hallucinating from lack of sleep.
We spent the entire train ride talking, touching and kissing. I was pleased to know that our chemistry hadn’t been diluted by what we’d been through and our distance. Our communication was a kind of intimacy that didn’t need chemistry, but our physical affection was enough to cause a chain reaction.
Too soon, we were in London. When the train came to a stop, people started pouring out, walking past our cart, and we accepted that we needed to leave this little bubble we had secluded ourselves in for the past two hours. She slipped her jacket on, took her purse and umbrella then followed me down the train and out onto the platform, holding my hand the entire time.
She looked in the direction of the connecting underground. ‘Where are you off to?’ she asked me.
‘I’m just following you,’ I smiled at her, squeezing her hand.
‘But what were your plans?’ she prompted. ‘I know you were staying with Breton tomorrow, but he said you were with friends tonight.’
‘They no longer matter,’ I assured her.
‘No, really though.’
‘It sounds like you’re trying to get rid of me,’ I questioned her in a playful tone but scared that she actually wanted to end our reunion.
She laughed and squeezed my hand back. I knew what it meant, I’d never forgotten it. I got you. ‘Hardly,’ she leaned into me, tilting her head up and kissing me. ‘You are stuck with me until you get on that plane in two days.’
‘I was heading to a friend’s place, Nigel, having dinner with him and his family then heading to a bar to meet up with a few others. Then I was going to crash at Nigel’s before meeting up with Breton for dinner tomorrow before leaving the day after, but now I’m thinking about quitting my job. I seem homesick all of a sudden, I think I need to be back in my hometown.’
She hit me playfully, ‘We both know you hated living in London.’
‘Right, but we both know just how much I love you.’ I kissed her again and then trailed my lips to her ear, kissing her sweet spot. ‘Now take me home and let me show you just how much I love you.’
She moaned with pleasure and longing, and I felt myself getting hard at the mere thought of being with her.
She pulled back pouting. ‘Time’s never been our friend…’ she cried. ‘I can take care of you, but it’s one-sided.’
That could only mean one thing: it was the time of the month and she was out of service. ‘That’s not fair.’
‘You’re telling me!’ She took my hand and led me off the platform to the underground. We got on the Victoria line heading west. ‘Where do you live?’
‘Near Hyde Park.’
I snorted, ‘Of course you do.’ Leave it to Jessa and Breton to live in a swanky part of downtown London.
She handed me a pass as we got to the underground. Clearly, she had been thinking ahead. ‘What are your plans for tonight?’ she asked me.
‘I don’t care as long as they involve you.’
‘Why don’t you drop your bags off at our place, shower and go to dinner with your friends and then I will meet you out?’
‘Or you could come with me,’ I pulled her close to me on the subway as people crowded in around us.
‘I don’t want to impose, they didn't know I was coming and may not have made enough food. It’s rude and I’m not comfortable. Besides, I want to get a gym session in.’
I ran my hand over her ass, giving it a tight squeeze. ‘Oh thank God,’ I leaned in and kissed her, delighted she still had a bit of ass left, even if most of her was missing. ‘I beg to differ on the gym excuse. Besides, I’ll give you a workout, period or not.’
‘Ewww, hard limit,’ she shook her head and scrunched up her face.
‘Fine, but you’re joining me after dinner,’ I told her, and it wasn’t a request.
We went to the condo she shared with Breton. It was nice, light and modern. From what I’d learned from her in picking out things for the house, she hadn’t likely picked out the decor in here, but she seemed happy with the place.
She refused to join me in the shower, even after I undressed in front of her. ‘You're not playing fair.’
‘I never said I would.’ I winked at her and walked into her bathroom for a much-needed shower.
‘Don’t jack off, I want to do that later for you,’ she called after me. There was a lot I’d do for her, but suffering through blue balls all night wasn’t one of them. I’d have no performance issues with her later, that was for damn sure.
CHAPTER 13
JESSA
I started taking online courses on health and wellness, life coaching, nutrition and culinary arts.
It was good to be doing something, and someday I hoped that I would be able to finish my final term at Harvard and graduate with my business degree. My time at the resort really helped me. Not only did I change physically, but the staff there really made me
connect to myself in a deep holistic way that I’d never thought of doing before.
I had so much I had kept bottled inside, I needed to explore, from the emotions I was feeling over the people I loved, what I had done to them, and the lingering self doubt I still carried with me as a result of Matt nearly breaking my self confidence and self worth. Working with Kristy, my life coach, had been a game changer for me. She brought me really far and recommended some courses to take. I was still talking to her weekly, and while she was still my life coach, she was also a mentor of sorts, guiding me on my journey in the business as well.
Staying busy was making my time in London go faster. It was what I needed during the times when Breton was away and there wasn’t much to do regarding our investigation. I was helping Breton as much as I could. Some of the tasks were daunting, but at least I was able to do something.
I had to stay busy, or I would have gone out of my mind or swam all the way across the ocean to get home. The work grounded me, at least. I missed my parents and Drew so much. While I was much closer than I had been in Australia, I still wasn’t home. I often thought it was a good thing that I had an ocean separating us, otherwise, I’d have caved long before now. Breton really had been strategic with his planning.
Life was routine and I had very little to look forward to, but when Drew told me he was going to Manchester for his best friend's wedding, there was no way that I wasn’t going to see him. He had always been so happy whenever he spoke about Ali and his family; I knew he was like family to Drew, and I couldn't wait to actually meet the guy.
‘So what do you say, do you think you can join me?’ he had asked me months ago over the phone.
‘I don't think so, it’s not that easy for me to just pick up and travel.’
‘Is it a passport thing?’ he asked me, digging for more information. He still didn't know where I was but knew that Breton had seen me somewhat recently. ‘Does that mean you’re still in America?’
I rolled my eyes, but he couldn't see me. ‘It doesn’t matter where I am, it’s just not safe for me to be seen with anyone that I know.’