Illicit Affairs

by Dixon

  He did get it but just because he understood didn’t mean he wasn’t crushed by it. The hardest moment in his life was forcing himself onto that plane two years ago, fighting with himself the entire trip to not turn back around like a selfish bastard and tell her he didn’t care about her feelings or needs, that he wanted her, needed her, and couldn’t live without her. But he couldn’t go through with it so every day for the last seven hundred days was spent thinking about her, wondering how she was getting on, dreading the idea of her with another man, constantly staring at his phone deliberating on calling her, deleting the text he should have just damn well sent instead of watching the black cursor erase the words forever to be left unsaid.

  There was so much distance between them, a distance that manifested its way into their relationship and opened a void of silence between them. It got to a point where he couldn’t bear it anymore and when her father retired and she assumed his position, there was no way in hell he could work with her so close and yet so far. He’d drink himself into a coma if that had happened.

  Nate had vowed to himself that day two years ago, stood in her apartment, that he would wait for her and he had. But right then, as he had spoken to a wall that she refused to lower for him after all this time, he made a new promise—that this would be the last time he tried to win her heart.

  “Nate, I—”

  “I best get back, but it was nice to see you again,” Nate said with a pearly-white grin as he stood up and looked down at the hopeless expression on her face. “Maybe we’ll bump into each other, right?”

  “Right…” Ava exhaled as though someone had placed a weight inside her stomach that rooted her to her chair. She couldn’t move or speak, helplessly staring at the love of her life walking out of the cafe.

  It wasn’t until the entrance door swung shut and the bell chimed that she finally snapped back into focus and stared down at the empty seat in front of her. A seat that was always full whether that was Sam or her sister, but now it was empty, left vacant moments ago by the last remaining person her heart sang for.

  Suddenly, Ava felt more alone than she ever had and realised in that moment that she hadn’t been swimming in her loneliness but was barely managing to tread it.

  She was drowning and Nate was her life ring that was floating far out to sea.

  With a shaky hand, she pulled out her phone from her coat pocket to check the time before a hand came in front of her vision.

  “Excuse me, miss?” The barista leaned down to her and passed her a small white piece of paper. “This just fell out of your pocket.”

  “Oh…thanks…” Ava replied, frowning as she took the small rectangular piece of paper and wondered why a fortune cookie message found its way into her pocket.

  “Lust rushes but love waits.”

  The message hit her in the heart and all she could think of was Sam standing there, whacking her over the head with her walking stick and screaming at her to get off her arse and run after him.

  “Shit, what am I doing?” she gasped and abruptly stood up, tipping her chair back and causing an old woman to jump slightly. “Sorry!”

  “That’s alright, my love,” the elderly woman spoke with a familiar Welsh accent but Ava didn’t have time to question where she knew her from. “Go’an get him!” She grinned, pointing a sun-spotted hand towards the door.

  For the first time in years, light flooded into Ava’s heart as she bolted out of the cafe like Bambi on ice without her walking aid, but it didn’t matter, she was going to catch him. She mustered all of her willpower into pumping her legs one in front of the other, her damn thigh feeling heavy as she pushed it hard.

  “Oh, fuck it!” Ava squealed, skidding to a stop halfway up the street in the middle of a busy market square before she ripped off her designer heels and passed them to a fishmonger. “Hold these.” She didn’t wait for a response as she sprinted up through the heavy traffic of people, her eyes on her prize as she suddenly saw dark stylish hair. “Nate, wait!”

  Ignoring the people that looked at her like the madwoman she was, she finally reached him, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around.

  “Can I help you?” The stranger peered down at her with his nose scrunched in offence.

  “Wrong person,” Ava squeaked, the blood surfacing to her cheeks before her stomach sank and the light inside her drained to empty. She felt like a right tit watching the man walk away until a familiar accent spoke behind her.

  “Ava? What are you doing? Is everything alright?”

  “Nate!” she gasped as she turned around to see him frowning down at her in confusion. “I came to ask you…” She finally broke breath only to realise how much her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen and how her mind hadn’t thought this far ahead as to what she’d say when she caught him. “Do you like Thai?”

  “Do I like Thai?” His eyebrow rose.

  Ava grimaced up at him, realising she was a failure when it came to romantically trying to quote what he had asked her those years ago in the office. How else were you meant to tell someone you loved them and that you were a complete bloody tit?

  “Oh, bugger it!” Ava blurted, grabbing the lapels of his grey peacoat and yanking him forward until her lips smacked into his with the force of a freight train.

  For a moment, Nate didn’t close his eyes, shocked to his core as the Aphrodite suddenly kissed him and fed his soul with what it starved for. Soon, his eyes closed, and his arms snaked around her waist as his fingers interlocked behind her back. His lips kissed hers back with such ferocious passion that for a moment he forgot that they were stood in the middle of a bustling food market inside London where people were applauding and awhing at their display of affection.

  Breathless, he pulled back and couldn’t help but laugh at the ballsy, ferocious, and helplessly unromantic Ava Archer for pulling the most clichéd and wonderful trick in the book.

  “What?” She laughed, peering up at the amusement on his face.

  “I thought you said we weren’t a love story?” he chuckled, cupping her cheek.

  “We weren’t…but we are now.”

  THE END

  About The Author

  Holly Dixon has always been passionate about writing and storytelling. She describes herself as a curious author who loves exploring the darker side of Romance. As part of her writing process, she loves immersing herself in her projects —diving headfirst into the research, production, and fine-tuning of the stories she feels are the most worthy of telling.

  A Scottish lass at heart, Dixon enjoys the fact she could bring a part of her heritage to this story through the character of Samantha Eastley. She sees pieces of herself in every character she writes, but relates most to the spirited and wacky best friend in ILLICIT AFFAIRS.

  She first started writing on Wattpad at the age of twenty-five in late 2019, but it wasn't until the COVID pandemic hit in early 2020 that Holly began to get serious about publishing her work for real. Towards the end of 2020, she began writing ILLICIT AFFAIRS and completed her first draft in four months with a view of releasing her debut novel in September 2021.

  "Writing this book has been the most wonderful pastime in lockdown for me, but I'd be lying if I said that publishing it hasn't been the most exciting yet nerve-racking process ever! I went into indie-publishing blind and fairly naive as most new authors do. A lot of research went into this and a lot of people online through writing communities have given me so much priceless support in launching this book that I am forever grateful for. My advice for any new aspiring authors would be: to take advantage of the wisdom you receive from writing communities, do a tonne of research before hand, save your hard-earned money and pay for a good and creditable editor, don't skimp on the marketing of your book, and give yourself at least six months to promote it. Anyone, and I mean ANYONE, can write a book but polishing that beauty up and promoting it in a highly competitive market is where the climb really begins!"

  Holly is so excited to see the
response from her readers so far and can't wait to show them what else she has in store!

  * * *

  Connect with Holly below:

  Glossary

  “A complete tit.” — A complete idiot

  “Bloody Nora!” — Expression of surprise

  “Don’t act the goat.” — To behave in a silly way

  “For a game of soldiers.” — Used by somebody who does not want to do something because it is annoying or involves too much effort

  “Help ma boab!” — Term of surprise

  “Jesus, Mary & Joseph!” — Term of surprise

  “My heid’s mince!” — My head is scrambled. Term of confusion.

  “Spaniel ears for tits.” — Saggy breasts

  Ae — Of

  Aye — Yes

  Bellend — Vulgar term. An annoying or contemptible man.

  Bloody — Term used to add emphasis to something

  Braw — Good

  Chip — A French fry

  Couldnae — Couldn’t

  Cuppa — Cup of tea

  Da — Short for Dad

  Didnae — Didn’t

  Doesnae — Doesn’t

  Eejits — Vulgar term for a couple of idiots.

  Fanny — Vulgar term. Can be either a silly person or used to described a woman’s genitals

  Fud — Vulgar term. A foolish person

  Gob — Mouth

  Hen — A girl or young woman.

  Ken — Know

  Knobbed — Can be used to describe sex or the action of being hit over the head

  Knobbing — To have sex with someone

  Lass — A girl or young woman.

  Ma — My. However, can also be short for Mum.

  Mare — More

  Maw — Short for Mum

  Nae clue — No clue

  Naw — No

  NHS — National Health Service

  Old Geezer — British term for an old man.

  Oot — Out

  Pish — Vulgar term for the word piss.

  Ruddy — Term used instead of bloody. Used to add emphasis to something.

  scrambeed eggos — Scrambled Eggs

  Soz — Sorry

  Tinky — Dirty

  Top Shagger — Vulgar term. A person who has sex, especially one who has numerous casual sexual encounters.

  Twat — Vulgar term to describe a silly person or a woman’s genitals

  Wee — Little

  Wise-arse — Used similarly to smart-ass

  Ye — You

  Yer or Ya — Your/ You’re

  Yin — One