Loving Christmas Linda – The Special Embrace (Part 1)

 

51-year-old Paul Hartley found himself stranded in a strange town with less than a week to go before Christmas.

Although to be fair an unfamiliar town would have been a more accurate description, but nonetheless he was stranded almost a hundred miles from home in Abbeyvale, with a seriously sick car in the garage and a distinct lack of will to contemplate traveling home to the north by train.

In truth he was in no hurry to return home to the empty soulless house that he was once happy to call home, which now held no comfort for him.

Paul’s wife of twenty-five years, Elaine, had died earlier that year, finally losing her battle with cancer.

Their three children were all grown up now with homes and families of their own so there was only him in a house full of reminders.

The house would be full at Christmas, full of noise and hustle and bustle, and the usual mix of love, laughter and tears, but for now it was cold and empty.

So he booked himself into the Abbeyvale Court Hotel for the weekend and he would drive home on Monday once the car had been resurrected.

Finding himself in a strange (unfamiliar) town just a handful of days before Christmas and with more than a little time to kill he decided he could fill part of his day by doing some last-minute Christmas shopping.

So after breakfast on Saturday morning he left the Hotel and as Paul stepped outside he shivered, the day was cold, grey and damp and clouds scudded across the December sky, it was the kind of day that chilled you to the bone.

He made his way towards the high street, which was only a five-minute walk, the receptionist had assured him with a smile, as she jotted down some brief directions.

In an effort to warm himself up he walked briskly following her directions down the narrow almost Dickensian lanes and alleyways, passing picturesque Victorian and Tudor buildings, well mock Tudor at least, as he went.

It was indeed five minutes when he emerged onto the busy cobbled pedestrianized high street which was a curious mixture of the ancient and the modern.

At one end of the street a Norman Church was visible and at the other was what appeared to be a municipal building with rather pretentious Georgian columns.

There was still evidence of a row of Edwardian shop fronts but much of the street was modern with a little too much sixties influence to be easy on the eye in Paul’s opinion.

The street was crisscrossed along its full length with festive lights and decorations which did their best to brighten the scene.

Paul decided to familiarize himself with what the town had to offer in the way of shops, so he turned left and joined the throng of shoppers, with gloomy faces to match the weather, and headed towards the Georgian pillared building which turned out to be the public library.

As he dodged between the Christmas Lemmings Paul made a mental note of the shops that interested him, which he would return to.

His progress was hampered by erratic shoppers who appeared to move independently to any logic.

Some seemed to zigzag everywhere and very few possessed the ability to walk in a straight line for more than a few paces and others would take a few steps and then stop for no apparent reason, then after a few moments pause carry on, normally in the same direction.

The sound of cheery Christmas songs and carols could be heard from every shop he passed though the cheeriness of the music was clearly not reflected on the faces of the shoppers going in and out of them.

As he passed one shop Noddy Holder screamed “it’s Christmas” to the outside world, just in case any of the reluctant shoppers were in any doubt.

When Paul reached the other end of the high street where the Norman Church stood there was a little square, which he wasn’t able to see before, in the center of which was the war memorial, and to its left was a magnificent Christmas tree, festooned with a myriad of assorted baubles, ornaments, tinsel, lights and surmounted by a beautiful angel.

Assembled around the tree was the Salvation Army band and Paul took a few moments to admire the tree and listen to the band and while he listened he was taken back to a distant time and place where he and the love of his life had held hands as they sang along.

The clock chimed, and he was brought back to the present and he took a few more moments while he decided on his first port of call, not realizing at the time just how important a decision it would prove to be.

Paul decided on Woolworths, always a favorite of his at Christmas, but on this occasion, it also happened to be the closest, so he walked briskly towards the store and pushed open the door.

As he prepared to enter he paused to hold the door open for a woman coming the other way and he waited patiently as she put her purse away into a huge handbag and he wondered what response he would get for his trouble.

Paul had found that the older he got the less women appreciated courtesy, the simple act of holding open a door could provoke a wide range of responses, a smile, a thank you, a nod, a sneer, a tut, an accusation of male chauvinism or a colorful mouth full of abuse, and he couldn’t always tell who was going to do what.

When the woman had finished fiddling and securing her bag she moved to step through the open door and as she passed Paul she looked up and said

“Thank you” followed by a broad smile, and then she stopped in her tracks as Paul returned her smile and then he too just stood there.

Both of them stood motionless on the threshold as slowly the recognition set in and they were both dumbstruck, not believing their eyes.

Neither of them were sure how long they stood looking at one another for, but long enough for a queue to form behind each of them.

When they realized what they had done they both blushed and excused themselves and stepped out onto the street away from the door apologizing profusely.

When they were clear of the crowd neither of them knew what to say, and still couldn’t believe their eyes, but Paul knew in his heart without a doubt that he was looking at Linda Parsons, who he had last seen 30 years before being driven off in a taxi, disappearing off through the snow, with her palm pressed against the glass as she craned her neck to keep sight of him through the snow spattered window until the very last moment, until the cab had gone from his sight.

But here she stood before him as beautiful as ever she was in his eyes, the soft curls of her light brown hair, which hung beneath her hat, still danced about her shoulders, it just had fine strands of silver threaded through it.

Her smile was still able to melt his heart, even after all those years and her smiling eyes still had the same sparkle and he thought the years had been kind to her and less so to him.

As he studied her he was fumbling for the right words to express his joy at seeing her when she reached up and hugged his neck, kissing his cheek at the same time, and spoke softly in his ear.

“Paul, is it really you?”

He simply said “yes” and they stood in a long comfortable embrace, and he didn’t know how long they stood there, not wanting to let go before she relaxed her grip and he kissed her forehead

“It’s so good to see you” he said feebly, and she put her head on his chest, squeezed him and sighed.

Linda released her grip and pulled away slightly and put her hand up to his cheek and caressed his grey beard.

“Do you have time for coffee?” She asked almost pleadingly

“Of course,” Paul said, and she put her arm through his and led him across the high street, asking quick fire questions as they went.

Paul explained about his car breaking down and that he was staying at the Abbeyvale Court Hotel as he was in no rush to return home

She responded with “oh really” and “oh dear” internally delighting in his misfortune as they walked into the nearest coffee shop, Café Société, and sat on a large comfortable sofa and over coffee they told the tales of their lives spent apart.

And throughout Paul looked at her with adoring eyes, periodically pinching himself, expecting to awake from a dream, as he had done so very many times before.

He told her about his wife and children and she told him of her marriage to Daniel and the subsequent divorce.

The good man that Paul gave Linda up for turned out to have feet of clay and degenerated into a violent drunk, they had no children, which although unsaid was clearly a regret for her.

With the aid of several cups of coffee they managed to talk away the entire morning and Paul suggested they might spend the rest of the day together and have dinner together at the hotel.

Linda readily accepted the invitation to dinner with a delightful smile but then she looked at her watch and suddenly jumped up in alarm

“Look at the time, I have to go” she flustered then she said she had a prior commitment

“Lunch with mum” she added rather unconvincingly, saying it was something she couldn’t get out of as he helped her back into her coat, the smell of her hair evoking memories of their past embraces.

She fished out her mobile phone as they left the coffee shop, from her huge handbag and they exchanged phone numbers, and firmed up the details for the evening, then with a hug and a kiss she was off.

Paul stood and watched her walk away, her coat tails swishing behind her, she stopped briefly and turned to give him a smile and a wave, then with the phone to her ear she hurried off again talking animatedly and he stood watching until she disappeared from sight before he went back to his Christmas shopping and treated himself to a new shirt for the evening.

Paul bought all the gifts he was looking for, plus paper, tags, cards etc. and with all his shopping complete he returned to the hotel for a late lunch.

After that the rest of the day seemed intolerably long, and in an effort to kill some time he went for a swim, used the gym, and then went for a walk.

He got a haircut, even though he didn’t need one, he even wrapped the Christmas presents he had bought that morning, but the time passed so interminably slowly.

Loving Christmas Linda – The First Embrace

 

Outside in the winter night, snow spattered, unseen, against the other side of the steamy glass, glass which reflected back images like mirrors against the dark beyond.

It was a fairly crowded Friday evening train, but not full, there were still a number of empty seats, one of which was next to 21-year-old Paul Hartley.

The carriage was occupied by a mixture of weary shoppers, shopping bags bursting at the seams and commuting workers content that the weeks work was done, all journeying homeward at the dark days end.

A cheerful crowd though, Paul thought, pleased with themselves for a variety of reasons, bright faced and hearty and full of seasonal cheer and anticipating the Christmas holiday and seemingly oblivious to the drafty carriage, and the winter weather beyond it.

Paul sat alone as the train rattled out of Nettlefield Station and felt lifted by the quiet jolliness as he contemplated the collective countenance of his self-satisfied travelling companions and then she appeared, and Paul was all at once lifted higher.

Because there she was, larger than life, vivacious and self-assured, covered with snowflakes and laughing to herself.

It was his snow angel, Linda Parsons, with snow covering her like sugar on a doughnut, a delicious confection he would have gladly consumed.

Linda was wrapped up against the cold in a red woolen hat and coat and a long-knitted scarf draped about her neck.

Still laughing, she shook her head and the light brown hair that hung beneath her hat, danced about her shoulders and the snowflakes settled on them melted away from her soft curls.

There was a rosy redness on her cheeks, almost matching the hue of her coat, either from the cold winter evening or a liberal taste of Christmas spirit, a little of both Paul assumed.

Linda made her way unsteadily down the train between the seats leaving wet snowflakes in her wake with her full-length coat swishing from side to side.

She moved almost gracelessly, which Paul thought suited her well, as she tottered a little in her high heeled boots, perhaps due to the lurching motion of the train or the Christmas punch and eggnog at the office party.

As Paul studied her she was still laughing softly to herself, which he thought also suited so well, and then she saw him, and her eyes lit up like beacons, and he sighed as he looked into those wonderful, sparking, laughing eyes as she stopped and stood momentarily open mouthed, and then her smile illuminated the carriage and his heart soared at the sight of her and as Paul returned her smile she flushed a little deeper red.

It had been almost a year since he had last seen her, and she was his lovely lost love, Linda, and it had been a hard year for him, in which he had locked all his feelings for her away, but the instant he saw her they were back with a vengeance.

It was like a door had opened in his heart and they all rushed out, he had missed her so much in that time, but he didn’t know just how much until that moment.

They were never lovers, only ever friends, but very special friends, very close friends, though nothing more.

They liked each other’s company, they would have lunch together, journey to and from work on the same bus, shared a cab when the need arose and laughed a lot together, shared confidences, and talked incessantly, because they were best friends but that was as far as it ever went, though he wanted more, he wanted so much more but Paul didn’t want to lose what they had together, so he said nothing.

He loved her so much that it hurt, but she was not free for him to love and Linda was not free to love him even if she had wanted to, so Paul contented himself with their special friendship and his unrequited love remained just that.

If that was all he could have then better that than nothing, so he was happy to love her unconditionally.

They had plenty of opportunities to see each other as they both lived in the same road in Millmoor, he with his cousin and she with her parents, and they both worked at St Augusta’s Hospital in Nettlefield, where Linda was a clerical assistant and Paul was a porter.

And that unrequited love affair could have gone on indefinitely had circumstances not changed for him when his father died.

As a result, he had to move away to look after his mother and he didn’t see Linda again, not until that moment.

When she was standing in front of him, his angel, larger than life, smiling, blushing, laughing and oh so lovely.

Paul stood up and smiled at her again and she threw herself at him and Linda hugged him so tightly and as she did so, he smelled her hair as he held onto her and was intoxicated by her scent and all the old feelings flooded back, over whelming him.

Paul had often dreamt of being reunited with her, but never in his wildest dreams had he expected such a reaction from her.

“Could it be my love is not unrequited?” he wondered

They sat down heavily on the lumpy seats in the rattling carriage and to all intents and purposes were completely alone.

They sat looking at each other in silence not wanting to lose sight of one another just in case the spell was broken.

Linda removed a glove and put her hand on his as if testing it was not a dream and he was really there, in substance.

“It really is you” she said and then she slipped her hand into his, her delicate fingers lacing between his, her hand so small in his grasp.

For the remainder of the journey they reveled in each other’s company as they caught up with the lost months, filling in the gaps of their time apart, and as they did so they remained oblivious to their traveling companions, it was as if they had never been apart.

But apart they most certainly had been, she still worked at the hospital in Nettlefield and lived at home in Millmoor while he now lived in Nettlefield and worked for Stephenson’s Supermarket’s as a Warehouse manager.

Linda playfully chastised him for disappearing so completely from her life.

“I thought it was the only way” he said, intimating the disposition of his feelings to her for the first time.

“I’ve missed you so much” she said and squeezed his hand and then the train shook to a halt as all too soon they had arrived at Millmoor Station and their fellow travelers all rushed off into the winter air heading towards their Christmases.

Reluctantly Paul and Linda left their seats and disembarked from the carriage arm in arm, then hand in hand as they walked slowly along the platform, still talking and laughing, until they handed over their tickets and then stepped out of the Station and onto the street, where the shops were now closing and the town had settled down to a relative quiet, although from one pub Noddy Holder screamed “it’s Christmas” to the outside world and only the pubs and restaurants seemed to hold any attraction to the remaining Millmoorian’s.

Paul and Linda however were not interested in noisy hostelries, so they joined a small group gathered round the Salvation Army band and joined in with the carol singing in the town square before reluctantly strolling towards the taxi rank as the snow again fell onto Linda’s soft curls.

They were both bound for different parts of town, Linda, had to get home to babysit her sister and Paul was bound for The Downshire Grey where he was meeting up for a Christmas drink with friends.

They took their place in the queue of travelers eager to be home, Paul was eager to be nowhere else but with Linda and he shuffled along for the last few steps like a sulky schoolboy.

Linda was smiling as she turned to face him and kissed him gently on the lips, such a warm sensitive and tender kiss, their first ever kiss, and when their lips parted she smiled at him coyly and flushed a deep shade of pink.

“I’ve wanted to do that for so long” she said, and Paul kissed a snowflake off her nose and cupping her flushed cheek in his palm he slid his fingers beneath her soft brown curls and caressed the soft downy hair on her nape as he pulled her sweet lips to his and returned her kiss.

Linda’s arms enveloped him, holding him so close, and so tightly, not wanting to let go, not wanting to lose what they had found and not wanting to lose him again.

They stood locked in their first passionate embrace as the snow fell softly on the scene until Linda pulled away for a moment before burying her face in his neck and saying softly.

“I’ve missed you so much, I’ve missed your love for me”

Paul had waited so long for that moment, waited so long to hear those words, to hear his love returned and then they kissed again.

Taxi’s arrived and departed through the slush and the queue around them just kept moving as if unaware of the depth of their love.

After an indeterminate period, they moved from the queue and found a bench in the town square, in a quiet spot with a view of the Christmas Tree and talked.

The substance of that talk was of love, a shared love, an unquenchable love.

Not an unrequited one as Paul had supposed because Linda had the same profound feelings for him, she had always done so she said, but she had not been free to pursue her love for Paul a year earlier and she was still not free.

So, Linda was torn between the two loves in her life, torn between the comfortable familiarities for a good man, a loyal and dependable man, for safety if you like, and the passion she felt for a soul mate.

Paul was similarly conflicted, Linda was the love of his life and he would never, could never love another in the same way, but it wasn’t fair on Daniel, her other love, her childhood sweetheart, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Paul had been on the receiving end of that kind of pain and he found himself unable to inflict it onto another, even if he were a rival, so the conclusion to their converse as they cuddled on the quiet bench was that their love was a forbidden one, and had to be set aside.

They could be best friends no more, not now the genie was out of the bottle, though they both wanted more, so much more.

Paul could not content himself with the special friendship that they had once treasured, not now that he knew his love was not unrequited.

There was no going back, now Pandora’s Box had been opened, but at least now he knew she loved him with the same depth of feeling as he loved her.

After they had reached the conclusion of their frank exchange they slowly walked hand in hand back to the taxi rank and kissed again in the falling snow.

They joined the queue and all too soon it was her turn and after a final kiss she got into a taxi and through the winter wonderland Linda departed taking Paul’s love with her.

As the Taxi drove away with Linda in the back, with her palm pressed against the glass, she craned her neck to keep sight of him through the snow spattered window until the very last moment, until the cab had gone from his sight.

Linda was gone from his arms, gone from his view, gone from his life but a Christmas happening had changed his life forever, after a brief encounter, fleeting, here and then gone.

Her scent was still in his nostrils, the taste of joy on his lips, and his soulmate was gone forever, yet she remained forever in his memory, forever in his heart.

He resolved that he would never see her again and moved away in the New Year to avoid another chance encounter and make a life elsewhere, but Paul never forgot Linda.

And when on a winter’s night he heard the Salvation Army play, or when the snow falls during Christmas time, or when he felt a snowflake on his skin, he feels her small hand in his and all at once she is in his arms once again, and he can smell her soft brown hair and the taste of her is on his lips and he hears her say “I love you” and Linda is his forever.

 

WE BROKE UP LAST CHRISTMAS

We broke up last Christmas

A hasty knee jerk reaction

To a silly misunderstanding

Which I regretted so much

And I was still hoping

For some kind of miracle

That we might make amends

When we met by chance

And there was a spark

I was looking closely

For some kind of sign

That we might go back

To how things were

But it was soon apparent

That it was too late now

To salvage our relationship

That was born and died

At Christmas time

THOUGHTS OF YOU POP INTO MY HEAD

 

You’re just a name in an address book

But thoughts of you pop into my head

Some distant half-forgotten memories

Of when we shared a home and a bed,

In quiet moments I wish us back there

Where I had a special place in your heart

But it would take a Christmas miracle

For us to go back in time to the start

It was a very special Christmas love, but

Too much time has passed since then

And it’s too late now to have regrets

For love that died by the seasons end

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (153) The Pickup

 

Stacey Jackson went to the University of Downshire where she did Geography in Abbottsford and it was for her, like many girls of her age, a life-defining time.

She was in halls for the first year and she shared with three other girls from Beaumont Island, curvy redhead Poppy Nunthorpe, Paige Chapman, a skinny flat chested girl, who was beautiful but painfully shy and Nicole Wilson a quiet busty brunette.

All four of the girls were studying different subjects, but their strong friendship resulted from their shared history as islanders, and as they got on so well the four of them decided very early on to rent a house between them for the second and third years.

 

Stacey was five foot nine, tall, beautiful and kindly with bobbed brunette hair, and hazel eyes, a lovely smile and a slender figure and she lived at Crag Edge Farm which is the smallest of the five farms on the island, on the west of the island bordered in the east by Roman Road and Halfway Lane to the south.

 

Sunday was a filthy wet day as Stacey drove through Saxvirdan and she spotted Dennis Simmons at the bus stop, he was tucked into one corner, and she wouldn’t have recognised him, had she not already known he was there.

She sounded the horn and stopped in the bus bay before lowering the window.

“Happy Birthday!” she called

“Oh!” he exclaimed “Thank you”

“Do you want a lift?” he asked

“No thanks I’m waiting for Tyler” he replied

“Well how about getting in and keeping dry” she suggested

“Yes please” he said smiling broadly and quickly got in the car.

“Where are you going?” Stacey asked “on such a miserable day”

“I don’t know” he replied, “It’s a surprise, Tyler’s organised something and said to meet him at the bus stop”

“I see, well how about I keep you company until you get your surprise” she offered

“Cool” he said and smiled

 

They sat in the car for about twenty minutes chatting and laughing before he said

“Where has he got to?”

“He’s at the Cherry Blossom” she replied

“What’s he doing there?” he asked

“He’s on a date with Poppy” she replied enigmatically “Well I suppose you might say it’s a double date”

“A date?” Dennis exclaimed

“He’s on a date with Poppy? Why?”

And then he added

“Who are the other couple?”

“I was hoping you’d ask me that” Stacey said and then waited

“Well tell me who it is then” he said with as much interest as he could muster

“Us” she said and then there was silence for a full minute as he processed the information, and he replied

“Say that again”

“Us” she repeated “We are the other couple”

“We are?”

“Yes, does that meet with your approval?” Stacey asked

“Oh yes” he replied with a chuckle

“Good” she said as she put her arm around him “Do you want your Birthday present now?”

“Is it a kiss?” he asked hopefully

“It is” she replied, “Happy Birthday” and put her lips to his and after a long five-minute embrace they came up for air and she said

“We’d better get going, they’ll be wondering where we’ve got to”

“No not yet” he said with alarm “I’d like another one of those Birthday presents first”

 

After fulfilling his Birthday request, and several subsequent ones, they arrived at the Cherry Blossom half an hour later.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (152) A Miserable Week

 

As usual Molly and Danny attended Church on Sunday and it was a beautiful sunny morning and St Clara’s was very well attended, and it was as if they all knew it was to be the last bright day of the month.

 

On a rainy Monday morning Natasha Baker was paying a visit to Kingham’s Saddle and Tack makers, on Roman Road, or more specifically, she was paying a visit to Oliver Kingham.

There had long been something simmering between them but following Howard Nelson and Carolyn Livingston’s engagement party she had decided to be more proactive.

In her role as Horse Breeder on Woodside Farm she was accustomed to wearing a baggy sweater, jodhpurs and boots, but at the party she managed to turn a few heads wearing a dress and high heels, and she was sure that Oliver’s eye, was turned on her also.

So she visited Kingham’s wearing figure hugging jeans and a snug fitting top to make sure his eyes were on her again.

Her pretence for being there was a saddle in need of repair, they weren’t desperate for another saddle, and the one in question had been in need of attention for some time, but it gave her an excuse to go and see Oliver.

Unfortunately for both of them, he was not alone as his two apprentices, Jacqueline Craig and Matt Stearnes were present, so Natasha wasn’t able to use her womanly wiles on him.

So after a brief chat she said goodbye and went back out into the gloomy weather and resolved to get him on another day.

 

It was a grey damp Tuesday morning and when the early morning mist turned to heavy drizzle, Molly and Danny adjourned their writing session and took a coffee break. 

As Molly poured the coffee Danny said

“It’s St Andrews Day next week”

“Yes, I know”

“But do you know what that means?” he asked

“Erm no” she replied doubtfully

“I’ll give you a clue” he said “Emmaline’s Christmas Emporium”

“We’re going to Emmaline’s?” she asked excitedly

“Yes” he replied

“Oh goodie, I like Sharpington” Molly said excitedly.

“When can we go?”

“After the weekend” he replied

 

The following day the drizzle had given way to strong winds and persistent rain which kept everyone indoors for the rest of the week, at least all of those who didn’t need to venture out.

Natasha Baker was one of the islanders who felt compelled to brave the weather as she still had unfinished business with Oliver Kingham.

So on Friday she drove over to Kingham’s on the pretext of checking on the status of the saddle, as she was just passing.

However fabricated her ploy sounded she was going to run with it and take her chances, but when she got inside Jacqueline told her that Oliver wasn’t in as he’d gone to the mainland.

“Oh botheration” she muttered as she got back in the Landrover.

 

It had been almost a month since the storm deposited part of a tree through Deborah’s window and having her in the house with him, with her amiable manner, wicked sense of humour, joyous infectious laughter and the divine smell of her scent in his nostrils was both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing for all of the above and a curse, because living with her and wanting her so badly was absolute torture.

The last weekend in November they were both off duty, and ordinarily they would get out on one of their walks but with the weather being so bad they were confined to the house.

The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (151) Taking the Initiative

 

It was a busy night in Philips Folly on Friday night, but as the evening wore on and the crowd thinned out Michelle got to spend some time with Mark one on one, and they were getting on very well, and when the bell rang for “chucking out time” she very much fancied her chances, especially when he invited her to his place for a nightcap, and when she gauged his level of disappointment when she declined, Michelle knew she was in.

Michelle was still living with her parents and had arranged for her dad to pick her up from the bus stop.

About halfway between the pub and the bus stop it started to rain so they made a run for it and ducked into the bus shelter, and the moment they were undercover she pinned him in the corner and kissed him, and when she stopped, still pinning him in the corner she said

“Well, that was ok.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come back for that nightcap?” he asked.

“I can’t” she said with real disappointment “next time though for sure.”

Then Michelle kissed him again and when she had finished the rain eased off and about a minute later there was the sound of a car horn and when she looked over her shoulder it was her dad.

He thanked Mark for looking after her, Michelle thanked him for the company and as she got in the car she said.

“Next time for sure”

 

Now considering it was only a song in a bus shelter the effect on them both after that kiss meant they couldn’t wait until the next time.

 

At Emma Jane Ratcliffe’s birthday dinner on Saturday night, there was just the Birthday girl, Blake Ramsey and four other guests who were also old friends chosen for their friendship and not their social standing.

April Portnall who was also one of the popular girls, but she started with them in nursery as well and she had no affectation either, her cousin Matt Stearnes who was 22, Phil Wilson and Eden Hills.

The party was at a Chinese restaurant called the Cherry Blossom which was Emma Jane’s favourite.

As you would expect from such a great restaurant it was a really excellent meal and a quantity of wine was consumed with the meal so as they reminisced about their shared history they laughed until they cried.

 

As they left the Cherry Blossom and got down to street level, they had the usual hugs and kisses on the pavement and then Phil went across the road to where his Dads car was parked.

Then as April, Matt and Eden all lived in the same neck of the woods they went off to get a Taxi and as Emma Jane and Blake lived close by, they walked home.

 

As they walked away from the town square he said

“I had a really great time” 

“Yeh me too” she agreed

“Wasn’t it great to get the six of us together again?”

“We should do it more often” Blake suggested

““We” should get together more often” Emma Jane said

“What just the two of us?” he asked

“Yeh” she said coyly

“Just you and the geek?” he asked with surprise

“You’re not a geek” she said defensively “And anyway if you were that wouldn’t stop me fancying you,”
“You fancy me?” he asked pointing at himself
“Didn't you know?” she asked, and he shook his head
“What about you?” she asked shyly

“Do you fancy me?

“I don’t know about fancying you” he said, and she was clearly crestfallen for a second

“But I’ve been in love with you since we were 7 if that counts”

“Pig” she said and laughed before she kissed him softy on the lips which led to the most wonderful spine-tingling embrace that seemed to last forever.

When it ended, she looked at him with her soulful eyes and smiled the most loving smile.

Blake returned her smile and wanted to say something fitting for the moment, but he was lost for words.

“Wow” she said beating him to the punch then she giggled and ran off up the road and shouted over her shoulder

“You’ll have to marry me now”