It was the only thing I compromised on by tweaking from the original feature; fumbling about with coal and sticks every night wasn’t in my idea of a relaxing holiday.
She plants herself cross-legged right beside it.
I hunker down on my knees to unzip my travel bag and rummage through it.
“Here, take this.”
Her eyes are wide as she inspects the thermal jacket I hand her. “This is for me?”
“Well, I doubt I’ll squeeze into it.”
“You bought this for me? It’s even in my size!”
“Don’t forget these.” I wrap the thermal scarf around her neck and fasten the hat on her head.
“You look cute.” I grin.
“I’m so warm!” She shrieks, wrapping her arms around my neck. “How did you have time to get this? How are you so thoughtful? It’s making me horny.”
“Good.” I lift a brow. “Because as soon as you are warm, I’m going to strip you naked.”
*** We finish dinner beside the fire.
Scotch in hand, I watch her sleeping face and the movement of her chest as it rises up and down on my lap.
The red wine topped with the cold hair has her out like a light. I brush a finger down her sharp cheekbone, careful not to wake her.
Her eyelids flutter indicating she is dreaming.
Watching her will never get boring. Her breath falls out softly from her full lips. If I have to sit like this all night, I will, just so she can sleep here, peaceful and protected by me.
I have to tell Tristan. I’ll make him understand that it’s serious, that it’s not like the other flings. I know now it’s not.
Losing Tristan would be something I couldn’t recover from. I didn’t have many friends, not ones I could trust. I could count them on one hand – Tristan, Jack, Martina and of course Karl.
But giving up Charlie now? It’s not an option. I realise that now, as she sleeps in my lap, her long brown hair draped over my knees. Even the thought of losing her sears me with pain.
Her eyes flit open, and she smiles lazily up at me. “Hey, you. Are you being creepy and watching me sleep?”
“Guilty,” I whisper as I run a finger over her bottom lip.
“I’m sorry for calling your plane chitty chitty bang bang.”
I let out a chuckle. “That’s good because you know that’s how we are getting home?”
Her eyes grow wide. “Shit. I forgot about that.”
“Am I the craziest bitch you’ve ever had in the air?”
“Maybe,” I say softly. ” I took Jen to the South of France. That was quite a turbulent flight.”
Her face sags, and I try to recover my faux pas. “No one has been here with me, though.”
She gazes up at me, letting out a small laugh. “You are trying to kill me, so you don’t need to tell Tristan. Haunted house on a hillside with gargoyles overlooking sea cliffs. Small plane in thunderstorms. This weekend is a horror cliche.”
I raise a brow. “You’re the first person to call a million-pound plane small.”
“Truth be told, I don’t share this place often. I come here alone, occasionally with Karl. I’m pretty private, Charlie.”
She lifts herself off my knees so that she’s facing me, a beautiful crush creeping across her cheeks. “You’ve never taken another woman here?”
“No,” I frown. “Only you.”
She inhales softly and cups my cheek in her hand. “Thank you for sharing it with me.” “Does that mean…” she asks quietly, “that I’m your girlfriend?” My eyes hold hers as a barrage of emotions floods me.
Fuck this.
For the first time in years, I know what I want.
If I could stay in this moment forever, I would.
With this girl.
My girl.
Leave London, my company, everything behind and become hermits on these cliffs.
“Yes, Charlie. You most certainly are.”
She rests her head on my shoulders, and I inhale deeply into her hair. This was what content feels like.
Charlie
It’s a contender for my favourite day on the planet so far.
I woke up to a morning coffee overlooking the sea then we spent the morning hiking across miles of breathtaking coastline. Despite the brutal winds punching me repeatedly in the face, I was starting to understand why Danny loved it so much here.
We’ve walked for miles without seeing another person; in fact, it feels like our own private island. Just us, the sheep and puffins.
The ‘Danny up a mountain trying not to step in sheep pellets’ versus ‘CEO Danny negotiating acquisitions’? Like chalk and cheese. Here his smile reaches his eyes, and that deep-set frown has all but vanished.
“I told you my grandmother lives here.” he squeezes my hand as we meander down the cobbled streets of the main town, window shopping the thrift shops. “We are going to her house for lunch.” “What?” I stop short, filled with sudden panic.
My hair is wild, and I’m wearing so many layers of clothing I look like I’ve been bubblewrapped.
“I can’t meet your granny” My arms flap wildly to highlight my wild sheep farmer look. “Like this!”
“You look beautiful,” he shrugs as he pulls me down another pedestrianised side street. That’s the lovely thing about the Shetland islands, hardly any traffic. “She’s from Shetland, Charlie. You think she’s expecting you to rock up in a designer frock?”
“A bit of warning would have been nice,” I grumble. “So I could have at least brushed my hair.”
He stops outside a small cottage at the corner of the street. “Nervous?” he grins, kissing my forehead.
“Terrified.” I hiss as I try to flatten down my hair. “What if she hates me?”
He raises a brow. “Why the hell would she hate you? She’ll love you as much as I do.” My eyes search his.
“As much as you do?” I whisper, watching him.
He smiles softly but evades the question.