That Friday (8 page)

"Would you care to
break?" he asked, joining Tess at the other end of the table.

Tess shook her head with a smile.
"You break. I'm lousy at it."

"Okay." Charlie picked
up the two cues at the side of Tess and weighed them in his hand. When he had
decided which of them felt best, he returned to the table, where he bent to
line up his shot.

Her drink in hand, Tess moved
around the table so she could watch as he took the break. She focused on his
face, loving the way his brow furrowed, and how his beautiful hazel eyes
darkened and closed slightly as he squinted at the table while he concentrated.
It was the first time she'd seem him so focused in person and she loved it; it
was better than seeing him do so on Skype.

She emptied her glass as the balls
scattered across the table, the noise filling her head with sounds she'd not
heard in years and she smiled. She felt so happy and so alive; just being near
him made her
feel
fantastic.

As the balls bounced off the
cushions Charlie watched them, hoping one would fall. None did, however. He
stepped away from the table, when he was sure all of the balls had stopped
moving and he was not going to get another turn, so Tess could take hers. He
took the opportunity to have a drink while he waited.

He tried not to but he just
couldn't help laughing when the ball Tess hit bounced off the edge of the
pocket she was aiming for by the smallest of margins. It wasn't that she had
missed that made him laugh, it was the annoyance she displayed, stamping her
feet and pouting, which, in his eyes at least, made her even more adorable than
she was usually.

After another sip of his vodka and
coke, he set his glass down and returned to the table. He examined his options
carefully and then lined up his shot. Frustratingly, the ball ended up nowhere
near the spot he had been aiming for. A flash of light distracted him from his
irritation and when he looked up he saw Tess, camera in hand, smiling as she
took his picture.

Tess had waited until he took his
shot, not wanting to distract him, before she took the picture. She had caught
him still in his shot-taking pose, as she had wanted, so he looked as though he
was playing without deliberately posing for the picture. She knew he was
uncomfortable with being photographed, he had told her how he always felt false
and looked silly if he knew a picture was being taken.

She wanted as many photographic
memories of their time together as she could get. With the photo taken she
slipped the camera into her pocket and went to collect the cue she was going to
play with. Just as Charlie had, she considered her options and then bent over
the table to take her shot.

When he picked up his own glass,
Charlie saw that Tess' was empty. He realised then that she must be feeling as
nervous as he was, which made him feel a little better as he drained his glass.
He immediately felt the urge to get another drink and worried it was a sign
that he was slipping back into his old drinking habits, something he very much
wanted to avoid.

He ignored the urge for as long as
possible, focusing instead on the game. He hoped it didn't look too much like
he was focusing because he was keen to win, it really didn't matter to him,
though he didn't want to play to his best. It was long before he had edged
ahead and was aiming for the black, though that was more through luck than
skill; several balls had dropped fortuitously, which had given him the lead.

When the black ball finally
dropped, after more attempts than he would have liked, he decided he had held
off for long enough. "Would you care for another drink?" he asked as
he leaned his cue against the wall and picked up their glasses to take them to
the bar with him. He knew it wasn't necessary, someone would collect up all the
empty glasses from the table around the bar soon enough, but it was a habit he
had developed a long time before and to his mind it was simply common courtesy.

Tess smiled. "Yes
please." She was more than ready for another drink and figured that since
he'd won the game, it was only fair of him to get it. "Vodka and coke
again, please."

Charlie nodded, "Sure."
With a quick kiss he left her to set up the table while he went to replenish
their drinks. He was glad he had someone to enjoy a drink with, it had been
months since he drank socially and he'd forgotten how good it felt, and how
much fun it could be.

 They continued like that for
a couple more games, with Tess claiming victory in their second game because
she had potted the black, even though she still had half her balls on the
table, not that Charlie cared. He was having too much fun, simply being near
her, to care about something like that.

When they finished their third
game they decided it was enough.

"What?" Charlie asked
when Tess took his hand and pulled him toward the chain at the side of the path
and the snow-covered grass on the other side of it.

Tess smiled. "Come with
me," she said, tugging on his hand so he would follow as she stepped over
the chain and began walking through the snow. "I want a picture of us in
front of the sign." With her free hand she gestured to the sign for The
Dry Dock.

Though he pretended to be
reluctant, and concerned about the snow soaking through his trainers, Charlie
liked the idea. His like of it was magnified by how keen she was to not only be
seen with him but to be photographed with him; it was so unlike the other women
he had been involved with. The number was small, he hadn't dated much over the
years, but they had all had one thing in common, and that was their reluctance
to admit they were seeing him.

It had been hurtful that they were
all so unwilling to let anyone know they were involved; Tess' eagerness to show
the world they were together lifted his heart and he knew there was little he
wouldn't do to put a smile on her face. He wanted to put a smile on her face so
big it could never be removed.

Though they both tried several
times, with a variety of different poses, they were unable to get the picture.
They got a number of pictures but couldn't manage to get the two of them and
the sign in at the same time.

Finally, when they were frustrated
with their failed efforts, Tess approached a couple of girls who had just left
the bar. "Would you mind taking a picture of us under the sign?" she
asked, silently praying that the girl would say yes. She really wanted the
picture, but didn't fancy standing there for ages accosting every person that
came out until they got it.

"Sure," the girl said,
taking the camera that was held out to her while her friend looked on, an
irritated expression on her face. "Where do you want the picture?"
she asked.

It didn't take long to get the picture
Tess was after, much to her relief since by the time it was done Charlie was
shivering. "Thank you so much." She took the camera back and stuffed
it into her pocket, out of the way, before grabbing Charlie's hand.

Together, they crossed the grass to
the pavement, where Tess took her hand from Charlie's so she could link her arm
in his as they made their way down the road. It was time for them to return to
the hotel; both of them had decided that, even if they hadn't said anything; it
was too cold for them to stay out any longer, without anything planned.

*****

They reached the hotel quickly,
the time taken up with more anecdotes from their past; they revealed little of
substance but were entertained nonetheless.

"Would you like a
drink?" Charlie asked when they reached the lifts, which were right by the
bar. He was enjoying the evening far too much to want it to end, not that he
thought the evening would end just because they went up to their room. The
truth was
,
he didn't want her to think he was eager to
get her into bed; he wanted to enjoy their time together for as long as
possible. Their conversation was as precious to him as their embraces.

Tess nodded. "Sure." She
wasn't fussed what they did just then, all that mattered to her was that whatever
they did do they did together.

She followed as Charlie turned
away from the lifts to walk into the bar, where they scanned the selection of
drinks available. Nothing grabbed their attention, so they settled for vodka
and coke, as they had in The Dry Dock, though that time they went with doubles.

With the bar empty, which
surprised them, they were able to sit wherever they wished and they took seats
at a table by the window. The snow was fitful, and was no longer settling as
fully as it had before, but it was still a nice view and a pleasant backdrop
for their conversation.

Charlie couldn't help laughing
when Tess took a sip of her drink and immediately lowered the glass with a
grimace and a bemused look. "What's the matter?" he asked once he
stopped laughing.

"It's stronger than I was
expecting," Tess answered when she was able to speak.

Charlie laughed again. "It is
a double."

"I know," Tess said.
"I just forgot for a moment." It had been a while since she drank
regularly. Once the extra kick wouldn't have caught her by surprise, now
though, it was unexpected. She had steered clear of vodka for a long time, and
with good reason, she enjoyed it too much and it went down too easily. The fact
that she was drinking vodka again was one thing, drinking a double was another
entirely and the drink alone brought memories flooding back along with the
flavour.

"Is everything alright?"
Charlie asked.

Tess nodded, "I'm fine."

Charlie could tell that she wasn't
as alright as she said; he didn't want to push it however, he knew that when
she was ready to talk to him she would. They had spoken so much, on Facebook,
the phone and on Skype, over the previous few months to know that. Though she
said she was okay, she would tell him what was wrong when she was ready.

For the first time since he got
off the train, silence fell between them. Neither felt awkward so Charlie made
no effort to fill the silence unnecessarily as they finished their drinks.
"Would you like another?" he asked when both their glasses were
empty.

"No." Dawn shook her
head. "I think I've had enough; you can have another if you want
though."

Charlie was surprised to discover
he wasn't bothered about having another. "How about we go up to our
room," he suggested.

Smoothly, Tess stood, taking her
coat from the back of her chair; at the same time she retrieved her hat, scarf
and bag before leading the way to the lifts.

The passion they felt for one
another was reignited the moment the lift doors closed behind them and it began
ascending. Unable to resist the temptation, Charlie kissed Tess, pushing her up
against the back of the lift as he deepened the kiss. His hand fell to her
waist, slipping under her top to rest on her skin, enjoying the feel of it. He
stroked his thumb along the skin of her waist at the top of her skirt.

They broke apart, flustered and
breathless, when the lift doors slid open on their floor and they found
themselves in front of an elderly couple. With embarrassed smiles and pounding
hearts they stepped passed the couple, averting their gaze as they did so, and
made their way to their room.

It didn't take long to get to the
room and the moment they were through the door, before they had even taken off
their jackets, Charlie pushed Tess against the door, his lips on hers. The kiss
in the lift had not been enough to satisfy him, all it had done was make him
want more.

While one hand moved to her hip,
just as it had in the lift, his other slid up the arch of her neck to tangle in
her hair, his thumb caressing her neck just behind and below her ear.
Instantly, Tess melted into his arms, her entire body going limp as he kissed
her.

Charlie deepened the kiss, and his
caress, as he held onto her, keeping her up, sure that if he didn't she would
fall to the floor. Finally, he broke the kiss, though not before nibbling
quickly at her lower lip. He kissed her again, briefly, and then pulled back so
he could remove his jacket. He had to force himself to hang it up, rather than
simply throwing it across the room to the sofa.

While Charlie removed his jacket,
Tess split her jacket open and rolled her shoulders. It was a move she had only
ever seen in films but she had always wanted to try it; she was pleased when
her bright red coat slid off her shoulders and down her arms to fall at her
feet in a rumpled, crumpled heap, just as it was supposed to.

When he turned to look at her,
Charlie saw that Tess was watching him from out the corner of her eye, her head
tilted down as she chewed her bottom lip. The expression on her face made his
heart beat fast and sent butterflies fluttering through his stomach. He reached
out to undo her cardigan belt and then the buttons, pulling it open to reveal
the low-dipped green silk top she had on beneath it. His hands moved up to her
shoulders so he could slide the cardigan off; when it reached her hands it
dropped to land on top of her coat.

Charlie kissed her again, his arms
once again going around her body as he awkwardly manoeuvred them both to the
bed, where they fell, laughing as their bodies separated. They didn't remain
apart for long however; he reached out to pull her to him, rolling her on top
of him, where he could run his hands across her bum and up the back of her top
as he kissed her.