Dear Darling (2 page)

Straightening my shoulders and lifting my head high, I grabbed Mel's hand and walked with renewed determination towards the party. As we got closer to the grand building in front of us, my stomach started doing cartwheels and somersaults. Yet, when I heard the distorted guitars and raspy voice of Liam Gallagher singing “Cigarettes and Alcohol” my body relaxed slightly. The familiar Manchurian accent somehow calmed me, and I was ready to party.

As we entered the house, my mouth hung open as I viewed my surroundings. It was like nothing I'd ever been in before, there were marble floors and chandeliers, floating staircases, and expensive-looking paintings and furniture.

I looked at my cheap, high-street outfit and shoes that were on the far side of acceptable and cringed. I didn’t belong in that house, not with all the overpriced accents. I was trying to figure out a way to back out gracefully, but as I turned, I walked face first into a rock solid chest. My gaze lifted up towards his face, his green eyes danced with amusement.

“Do you like what you see?” he asked, practically drooling. As I looked around, people were watching our exchange, and I cringed inwardly.

“Um, I-I’m sorry. I have to go.” I turned, realised Mel had already disappeared deep into the house, and sighed. I wasn’t going to be able to leave. Unable to decide what else to do, I walked away from Mr Green Eyes and headed off to find something to drink.

I found Mel grinding up against some bloke with dark, spiked hair and a tattoo peeking out of his sleeve. His eyes conveyed the cockiness his body was showing, but he wasn’t unattractive. Watching him moving up and down to “Mr. Vain” by Culture Beat, I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony.

“Can I have another beer, please?” I shouted over the music to the lad manning the keg.

“Sure.” He poured the beer, all the while moving to the rhythm of the music. Handing me the cup, he gave me a wink, keeping his hand gripped to the cup longer than he should. Widening my eyes, I quickly grabbed the drink and made my way towards a darkened corner. I stayed there, plastered to the wall like I always did, just watching everyone. It wasn’t until I drained my fourth cup of beer that I decided to explore the house.

I made my way outside, opening the huge sliding doors that led out to the back yard. There was a colossal swimming pool to one side and lush gardens, stone paths, and spans of perfectly manicured grass that took up the rest. Wrapping my cardigan around me, I tried to stop the chill from the wind that had picked up during the evening. As I stood there, wondering what kind of people owned the house I was stood in, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Someone was watching me. Hoping they would go away, I continued to stand there, but it seemed to become a test of wills. I turned, searching the darkness, and found who the culprit was a few minutes later.

He sat on a sun lounger with his legs splayed either side of the wooden frame.

Damn, that lounger is lucky
.

He had on a long black coat and black jeans. I could see his T-shirt underneath, which held the recognisable font Nirvana used.

He motioned his head in a “come here” movement, but I didn’t move. Instead, I looked around to see who he was motioning to, but I was the only person around. When I looked back at him, he smiled the most beautiful smile I had ever set eyes on and nodded.

On shaky legs, I carefully made my way towards him. When I was close enough for him to touch me, he pulled me to sit in front of him on the lounger. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, though. If I did, I knew I would make a fool of myself, and that was the last thing on Earth that I wanted to do in front of the boy who had hijacked my every waking moment.

“I'm Elias Vale,” he greeted with the most alluring cockney accent I'd ever heard. The sound of his voice compelled me to look at him. His chin dimpled as he smiled and his eyes glistened in the moonlight. His soft, shiny, brown hair fell slightly over his face, and he flicked his head back to move it from his eyes.

“I'm Sally . . . No, I'm not. Sorry, I'm Saffy, Saffy Rose.”
Crap
! I bit my lip to stop myself from talking and making an even bigger fool of myself. Dropping my head into my hands, I berated myself mentally. I'd spent the last few weeks dreaming about speaking to him, and I made a complete arse of myself with the first words. He only laughed lightly, and I could feel the seat we were sharing shake as he did so.

“Is that short for something?” He sounded genuinely interested in my name. His smooth voice, along with the alcohol I had already consumed, made my stomach flutter a bit. He pulled my arm to uncover my face and his touch tingled throughout my entire body. I didn’t understand the sensation, but I knew that I didn’t want that feeling to stop. My entire body felt alive.

“Saffron . . . but I hate it.”

“You shouldn't. It's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” His words made me giggle, and I lowered my head on a hiccup. No one had said anything like that to me before, so I squeaked out a soft, “Thanks” and turned my attention to the pool.

The silence was awkward. I didn’t think either of us knew what to say to each other. But, there was this magnetism pulling me to him. It was electric, and even though I was stumbling over my words, I felt at ease in his presence.

“Did you know that some people think the moon affects the way humans act at certain times?” I looked at him, but his face was tilted towards the sky. I followed his eyes to the moon, which was full and had a misty hue wrapped around it like an eerie cloak. It shone down on the earth, lighting the space between Elias and me.

“No, I didn't know that.” My voice was barely a whisper. I was scared that if I spoke any louder it would ruin the moment between us.

“I'm studying space science and engineering.” He smiled, looking at me. “What're you studying?”

“Um, I'm doing journalism and photography,” I answered, clearing my throat and smoothing my top, anything but look at him.

“That's so cool. I love photography, especially pictures of the moon, they’re my favourite.” He glanced upwards, pausing for a moment. “Do you want to go get a drink?” He shifted backwards and away from me before lifting his leg lithely over the lounger and standing with elegance and ease. Everything he did seemed so easy and fluid. Reaching for my hand, he laced his fingers through mine, and the tingle that was evident before pulsated, once again, through my body. He pulled me up, and I staggered before falling against him. His taller frame towered over my five foot two height, and I felt safe as he gripped hold of me tightly. I tilted my head up to thank him, but his beautiful eyes captured mine, making the words fall away. We stood, staring into each other’s eyes, for the longest time, before he took a deep breath and stepped back.

“Come on, let’s go get something to drink, beautiful girl.”

“So, how come you ended up at the party?” he asked over the music, which was pulsating against the wall we stood against.

“My roommate, Mel, found one of the fliers.” I shrugged, realising I’d owned up to gate crashing. “How about you?”

“Chris, my roommate.” He motioned his head towards
Mr Vain
who was still grinding against Mel. “It’s his parents’ house. They’re away, so he arranged this little party.” I scoffed at the word “little”
.

“Hmm, I think your roommate and my roommate are getting it on.” I laughed, directing my eyes back to the pair. They had no shame.

“Shall we get out of here?” he asked, placing his hand on the small of my back and directing me towards Mel. Whispering in her ear that we were leaving, she gave me a small nod and smile before continuing her erotic performance. Looking for Elias, I watched as he whispered something to Chris and then fist bumped him before turning back to me with a smile.

We took the bus back, luckily without the sewer guy, and talked the whole time. As we reached the dorms, he let go of the hand he was holding and turned to face me.

“Goodnight, Saffy,” he said, his eyes glistening in the moonlight.

“Goodnight, Elias.” Licking my lips, I held my breath and waited. Longing for the kiss that never came. He cleared his throat and took my hand in his warm palm.

“Can I see you again?” My stomach did backflips at his words.

“Of course, you know where I live.” I winked and tried to hide the bit of disappointment that bubbled inside me. He bent to kiss the back of my hand. It was such a gentlemanly thing to do, and I admired him for it, even if I was desperate for that kiss.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I spent all my free time with Elias, or Eli as he preferred to be called. Money was tight, as we were both looking for jobs, so we couldn’t go out much, we hadn’t even had a proper first date yet.

I had just walked through the door of the dorm after a particularly bad day of lectures, and almost missed the envelope on the floor. My name was written on the front, so I lifted the flap and took out the crisp white paper from inside. Written in beautiful calligraphy were the words
Meet me in the park.
Smiling to myself, I quickly changed my clothes, grabbed a jacket, and headed out of the door towards the park.

Small lights sparkled in the distance, and as I got closer, I could see the candles that dotted around in a circle. He sat in the middle of a picnic blanket, huddled inside his coat. Rose petals surrounded the circle, a bottle of Lambrini sat next to the basket, and a few sandwiches were placed on plates in front of him. It was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen.

“Are you waiting for me?” I asked, grinning widely.

“Hmm, well I don’t know. Are you Saffron Rose?” he asked in a posh accent, a grin adorning his face.

“Yes, I am, dear sir. Whom might you be?” I played along, smiling wider with every word.

“I, my beautiful lady, am your knight in shining armour.” He winked, as I kneeled next to him, laughing.

“Is that so? Well, what makes you think I need rescuing?”

“A beautiful young lady like yourself all alone in the park at night? Of course you need rescuing.”

“Oh, really?” I continued to play along, as he moved swiftly towards me, pinning me against the blanket.

“Yes,” he breathed. My heart lunged out of my chest, beating harder than it had ever done before. His face hovered over mine, his eyes staring deeply into mine as if he could see straight to my soul. I waited, frozen in the moment. His soft lips pressed firmly against mine, caressing them delicately. I parted my lips, and almost lost my breath when his tongue delved into my mouth. It was a heavenly, sensual moment, and the first kiss I’d dreamed about, became a reality. When he pulled away, giving me room to breathe even though I didn’t want it, he smiled and peppered kisses along my cheekbone before sitting back.

“Are you hungry?” I wanted to tell him no and pull him back to me, but the moment had passed.

“I’m starving,” I said, sitting up and scooting over so I was tucked against his side. He smiled and handed me a plastic-wrapped plate.

“Tell me what you see in the future,” I asked as we ate sandwiches and drank cheap wine.

“I want to work for NASA, but it is difficult to get your foot in the door.” He shrugged.

“You shouldn’t let a bit of hard work stop you from your dreams.” I took a sip of my wine, looking up at the stars.

“Our futures change all the time. I never planned to meet you, but now you’re here in my life, and I wouldn’t change that for a different course.” He joined me in my stargazing. “Our lives aren’t written in the stars; we make our own future. We may never touch those stars, but if we follow them, they’ll lead us to our own destinies.” I realised in that moment how deep Eli was, and how much he thought about things.

“What are your plans for Christmas?” he asked as we lay on the ground, looking at the stars. It had been over two months since I met Elias Vale, and Christmas was coming quickly.

“I have to go home,” I replied sullenly, shifting myself onto my elbow so I could look at him. I’d made plans before I left to go back home for Christmas, and my parents were looking forward to seeing me again. Even in the dark, I could see his despondent expression and the distant look in his eyes. “What are you going to do?”

“I might stay here and eat a microwave lasagne. I usually go to my brother’s house, but his wife has decided that they’re going to her parents’ this year. I might tell work that I’ll come in.” He shrugged, but his monotone voice gave away his feelings.