Aftermath (9 page)

She so desperately wanted to see Niall and he wanted to see her too. He
kept urging her to fly out to
be with him but her friends advised her not to go so fast, not to join him until she
’d
done some thinking on her own.

I wish we weren't so far apart. I can't wait to fall into your arms. I want to look into the deepest blue oceans, feel your energy and feel your tender kisses on my skin. XXX

She'd decided to take her friends'
advice and have
some well-deserved time off to relax and clear her mind. She researched spas all over the world but somehow she couldn't find the right one. Actually, she couldn't find the right spa anywhere in the world except for England, where Niall was working on business.

“Don't worry,” she told her friends. “I'm taking your advice and going to a spa.”

Of course, she neglected to mention where exactly.

It was early in the morning when she arrived at The Sanctuary Spa in Sussex and she immediately texted Niall. He called her back within minutes.

“Guess where I am?” she teased him.

“I don't know, at the studio in Cork?”

“Nope,
I'm in Sussex, just down the road from you at The Sanctuary Spa. Would you like to join me for dinner?”

“Of course, I'll cancel my appointments and get there as soon as I can.” She knew he was smiling. Later, he told her that his heart was beating out of his chest on the drive to meet her again.

When Niall accepted h
er dinner invitation, she was
very happy. It meant there was a continuation, a real continuation. Yes, they had that magical first kiss, but the realistic part of Hope knew that she couldn't let everything hinge on a kiss, no matter how incredible it may have been. Being together again would be the confirmation of their kiss and a reaffirmation of their feelings.

So began the most amazing week of her life. They didn't plan anything, everything was gloriously spontaneous. They were staying in a beautiful bedroom with a four-poster bed and a little balcony which overlooked the gardens. It reminded Hope of the scene from Romeo and Juliet.

She was out of her room in a heartbeat and running down the stairs as soon as she saw Niall jump out of the taxi. They hugged and kissed, cherishing the warmth of each other's embrace.

They made dinner reservations at the hotel but Hope couldn't eat anything. She filled herself with his presence. She was so happy and so drawn to him. He was happy too, but a little cautious at the same time. They sat next to each other, and she was trying to hold his hands. She was a very tactile person and loved to touch people. At one point, much to his embarrassment, she sat on his lap.

“I can't help myself,” she laughed. “You're just irresistible.” She
wasn't doing anything naughty; s
he only wanted to be near him.

After dinner, they returned to their room and lay down on the huge bed. They lay next to each other, side by side but nothing happened. They held hands and there was such a magical energy all around them, like nothing she had ever experienced. It felt so right between them, like they'd known each other forever. There was no awkwardness, no tension, only a comfortable, easy, peaceful feeling.

They stayed at The Sanctuary f
or a week and each day felt as if
they'd known each other all their lives. It was lovely to explore each other and learn about each other. Hope discovered that Niall wore contact lenses; clear ones, since nothing was needed to enhance the colour of his eyes. One morning she walked into the room and he was lying on the bed wearing glasses,
reading. She loved it and said
he looked even sexier wearing glasses. He told her she was crazy.

They took massages and treatments during the day and walked around the grounds, enjoying the perfectly landscaped gardens. Most of the other guests were older than them and everybody was smiling at them like people do when
they
see a young couple in love.

Even though they felt such a special connection to each other, nothing int
imate happened between them
until the last night. Hope was tired of waiting. She could not resist the powerful attraction she felt to him and on their final night they took their love to the next level.

The next morning Hope had to return to Ireland to start filming her latest presenting job. Niall had laughed when she'd told him she'd be chasing unsuspecting singletons all over Ireland and trying to set them up on dates. He had to stay on in England to finalise some business, but he promised to meet her as soon as he returned to Cork.

He waved her off in a taxi back to the airport and just as he was fa
din
g out of sight the words “I’d die
for you” of Bryan Adams’ song “Everything I do”
came on the radio. A strange feeling of dread gripped her heart and she remembered praying, please God, don't let this be some sort of message. I can't lose him.

It was h
er first morning back in her apartment
and
she was awakened by someone loudly ringing her doorbell. It was a messenger. Who could be sending something so early? She swung open the door and was presented with the most beautiful bouquet of yellow roses. They looked like sunshine flowers and she couldn't help smiling. Niall loved her apartment. He said he was more at home there than anywhere else in the world. 

“That's because I'm spreading love all over, painting love on the walls,” she laughingly explained.

Hope had a small garden behind her apartment and they'd sit out there together talking for hours. He told her about his childhood and she told him about hers. She described the mountains and the forest behind her grandparents' house and the loving way in which they took care of her. They never ran out of things to talk about; from their backgrounds to their beliefs, their conversations covered everything. They
had so much in common, more than
they'd ever realised.

Niall was an outstanding chef; a master of cooking. His specialty was the traditional Irish Sunday dinner of roast meat with roast vegetables. He introduced Hope to creamy mashed pot
atoes with his essential secret
ingredient mixed in. His potatoes were to die for and Hope made all sorts of yummy noises when she ate them! The taste was beyond scrumptious. Niall often teased her that she loved his cooking, not him and that was the real reason she stayed with him.

Hope loved Niall's spontaneity.

“Why don't we go to Paris?” he suggested one lazy
Saturday morning when they were
lounging around, watching television and reading the newspapers.

Hope looked at him in surprise and then her face broke into a beamin
g smile. “Why not?” she agreed
,
with a nonchalant shrug.

An hour later and they were at Cork airport getting ready to board a flight to Paris! They checked into the Hotel Saint Germain in the Latin Quarter and spent the next few days taking in the sig
hts. Niall hired a car, a luxurious
Audi convertible, and they drove all over the city. They explored the Etoile, the Champs Elysees and onto the grand boulevards of the Left Bank. They enjoyed leisurely lunches in the little cafes which clustered the footpaths and at night they went for peace
ful strolls along the avenues.
One evening, they went dancing together at a club in the First District. Niall was quite shy about dancing and left most of the moves to Hope.

Hope suggested they drive to Normandy. She wanted to see Etretat which is famous for having a massive rock in the ocean with a large hole in the middle. Many artists, such as Monet had painted it. They left their hotel and drove west toward the Channel. The trip was spent listening to music at full blast on the stereo system. When the car's satellite navigation system broke down they tried to read the
maps but they failed miserably and soon were
hopelessly lost. They had planned to have a romantic picnic along the way but they couldn't find a place they liked. It was late at night when their hunger pains finally forced them to stop and they pulled up beside a small cemetery and ate their pic
nic overlooking the tombstones.
Etretat was as fascinating as Hope had imagined. The rock was breathtaking and Hope was excited to share her first view of it with Niall.

Looking back, it seemed to Hope that without even realising it, they'd always been on a race against time. She was dashing off to her latest television gig and he had another endless business meeting somewhere. She treasured those three days in Paris with him. Those days were even more precious than she
’d
realised; in a few short years he would be gone.

Hope never believed that she would ever meet anyon
e as special as Niall. It was
like a dream come true. He made the impossible seem possible and every minute she spent with him was like living in paradise. She felt very lucky and blessed that their paths had grown together and when they were apart she missed his smile, h
is touch and every bit of him.
Hope felt like she was living in the clouds during those early, heady months of their relationship. Niall told her he felt the same way too. He was so very tender and loving.

“What's the most special day to you about our relationship?” he asked her once.

“The night we first made love,” she answered, without hesitation. “That night signalled the true beginning of our romantic journey for me. What's yours?”

“Our first kiss,” he smiled shyly. He was sentimental and not afraid to show his feelings, like no man she had ever known. It
was wonderful
that they had two different special dates in their hearts; this gave them two memories to celebrate.

Niall knew that Hope was nervous about getting married. The fiasco of her first marriage had scarred her and she wanted to be completely certain before she even contemplated marrying again. Instead, he jokingly talked about making a contract with her.

“How about twenty years?” she teased.

“Only twenty years?” he asked. “So, when I'm old and with ugly, twisted hands you will disappear and leave me. If we make a contract, it is forever; that's my deal.”

Niall had a silly complex about his hands. When he was a small child, mayb
e five or six years old, he’d fallen
off his bike and broke
n
his fingers and now they were ever so slightly crooked, hardly noticeable. His friends and family teased him
mercilessly
about them but Hope loved his hands.

A few weeks before Niall's memorable proposal, they were on holidays in Portugal. Niall had surprised her with an unforgettable trip to the beautiful five star
,
luxury
collection
Sheraton Algarve Hotel. The hotel was located right on the sea front on a breathtaking stretch of white sand
y
beach, surrounded by palm trees. Niall had rented one of the hotel's bungalows for them which had shuttered windows overlooking the ocean. The views were spectacular. Their first night they stayed in the bungalow, just happy to be in paradise together.

They spent the next day playing on the beach and sunbathing. Later that evening they went to the scuba diving centre where Niall had booked three days aboard a boat. After scrambling across several boats they eventually reached theirs. Hope was nervous about climbing from deck to deck in the dark, but holding Niall's hand made her feel safe. Once they got on the boat they had to remove their shoes and their shoes stayed off for the entire three days. Hope loved it; if she could she would stay barefoot all the time.

Their accommodation on board was sparse to say the least. Their living quarters consisted of a tiny cabin with bunk beds. They stayed on the bottom bunk, their bodies tucked tightly around one another.

The other divers were a mixed group; English, Irish, French and Australian. There were about twenty people on board including the crew. Every morning there was an on-deck briefing, to go over the dive site, the currents,
the rocks,
depth
and so on. Then they'd suit up, get their oxygen tanks and jump over the side. There were three dives a day. Hope was with Niall every time he prepared for a dive, and she was waiting for him when he returned. She would ha
ve joined him but her sinuses were
playing up so she thought it best not. When Niall was in the water, she read, sunbathed or chatted with the crew.  Niall was so happy; he absolutely adored scuba diving. His good humour was infectious and his high spirits and silly jokes made everyone else happy too. It was sheer bliss and a real treat to leave their hectic lives behind for a while and just take time to enjoy each other.

It was a very peaceful time and in between dives they went snorkelling or swimming in the bay. Everyone was excited about what they'd seen underwater and Niall was bubbling over with details about his undersea adventures.

The second night on the boat they cre
pt upstairs on deck. They
climbed into a hammock and slept out under the stars. It was magnificent. All they did on that boat was eat, sleep, scuba dive, sunbathe and make love. It was the best holiday they could have imagined.