Gone (20 page)

“Hey, Dad?” He is sat at the worn pine kitchen table with the paper in front of his face.

“Hello, Rebecca.” Dad does not lower the paper.
Well this is a little awkward.

“It’s not what you think.” I’m kind of twitching around in front of him, not entirely sure what to do with myself. “We were talking, and then I guess we just fell asleep. You can be grumpy with me later, please don’t make Josh feel bad.”

I’ve had to use that P-word again. Given the circumstances and what with the fact that three weeks ago my dad found me in a far worse situation, using the word
please
in the hope he does not overreact is not a bad choice to make.

The paper shakes a little and I can hear a weird snorting horsey noise.

Oh dear here comes the anger explosion.

Slowly Dad lowers the paper, he is bright purple, but not with rage. Tears are streaming down his face as his body convulses with laughter. “You should have seen your face.”

“Are you taking the piss?”

“No.”

“So you’re not annoyed with me?”

“No, not particularly.” And by this, I know he means not yet.

“Am I still allowed out?”

“What a crazy thing to ask, of course you are still allowed. Go enjoy Cornwall, it’s a beautiful place, you may notice when you are not so distracted by handsome painters.” He makes a strange chortling sound and gives his paper a brisk shake before lifting it back up again and obscuring his face from my view.

I hesitate in the middle of the kitchen, not sure if this entire weird situation developing around me is real or not.

“I made you a flask of coffee.” Dad waves his hand towards the kettle and the flask standing next to it.

“Uh thanks.”

“You ready, Bex?” Joshua bounds into the kitchen, his hair is pulled back into its familiar low ponytail and he is wearing a vivid green T-shirt that makes his eyes stand out. My mouth pops open and I snap it shut. I’m too slow, way too slow and Joshua starts to break out in a sexy wide grin.

Turning ever so slightly I try to catch a glance of my dad’s reaction to Joshua after finding us in bed together this morning. He is peeping over the top of his paper but he must sense my movement towards him because he quickly lowers his head again. “Don’t forget your coffee?”

“
Thanks, Dad,” I say. Grabbing the flask I walk over to Joshua who quickly links his fingers through mine tugging me in beside him so our bodies are touching.

“Have a great day, try not to get washed away in the sea or sunburnt,” Dad calls after us as we walk through the door.

Out on the pavement by Daisy I hesitate. “Did my Dad seem a bit odd to you?”

“Not really.” Josh starts to unlock the door handle with his keys.

“Really? You didn’t think that it was a bit strange he didn’t shout?”

“
I don’t know, Bex, do you expect you parents to shout about everything?”

“Well yes, you know why.”

Josh starts his slow wide smile again. “No, I don’t, not really but you are going to tell me today.” He watches me scrunch my face up into a frown. “You promised. You don’t break promises as well do you?”

“Sometimes.”

“Well then you are a naughtier girl than I first thought.”

“Do you like your girls naughty, Joshua,” my voice tinkles over his name which makes my comment completely pointless. I’m not sounding overly naughty right now. I sound like an over excitable six year old.

Joshua grins at me the green piercing. “Guess you’ll have to find out.” He swings the door open wide and sweeps his hand aside, “You may enter my rusty vehicle.”

I clamber up into the van biting down as hard as I can on my bottom lip trying to stop myself grinning back at him. If I carry on the way I am people are going to start thinking I am normal. Dates, sleep overs, early morning surprise trips. That’s normal right isn’t it?

We are heading out of the peaceful, quiet village when I finally think to ask just how long this trip is going to take. “About an hour, traffic allowing.” He tells me with a smile from the driver’s side.

“An hour! A whole hour in this van? Are you joking? I thought we were at the end of the world anyway?”

Joshua turns to me the greens pinning me in place. “We are not at the end of the world yet, but I am going to take you there.”

Something about his words makes my stomach tighten with a low unexplainable burn. I shift a little on the pvc seat hoping that it will disperse a little. Thankfully I don’t make a farting noise so I assume the seats haven’t warmed up enough yet. It’s chilly and the weather looks a little misty. Giving my arms a rub to reduce the goose bumps I give my weather forecast. “It’s going to rain.”

“No it’s not.”

I peer further out of the window. “Yes it is.”

“No, it’s not. It’s going to be a scorcher. I hope you brought your bikini with you.” Joshua turns a little to face me and rakes his eyes along my crossed legs and crochet vest top. He can clearly see the tie of the halter neck so I don’t bother replying. It’s going to rain anyway so I doubt I will need it. I continue to stare out of the window at the passing scenery. It really is rather beautiful, once you are on the main road you would never really know you were by the sea. It’s just green fields everywhere. At the same time there is something quite unique about knowing that they sea could appear at any moment. I turn to the boy made of the moon and sea sitting by my side.

“Where are we going anyway?”

“Everywhere?”

“Including the end of the earth?”

“Including that.”

“Why?”

“Because I want you to see all of this place before you leave.”

“Why?”

His knuckles grip the steering wheel a little tighter and he keeps his attention focused out the windscreen. “It’s the nearest thing I have found to home.” He says finally.

I don’t really know what to say because I know that this place, with its rugged landscape and never ending winding lanes was never meant to be my home.

Twenty minutes of heavy silence have passed when we start to head towards what looks it could almost, just about, resemble a town. I swivel a little in my seat and perform the obligatory fart sound. It must be warming up. I glance up at the sky through the window and sure enough beneath the layer of hazy cloud a vivid blue is starting to seep through.

“I think you may be right about the weather.”

“I’m always right.”

I roll my eyes in response and turn my attention towards the town we are driving towards. A tall spire dominates the view. I lean forward to get a closer look, cranking my neck into an unnatural angle to see through the window. “What’s that?” I ask.

“Truro Cathedral, I’m going to show you right now.”

I have been so busy watching the Cathedral getting closer that I haven’t noticed Joshua negotiate Daisy into a pay and display car park.

“Everything is going to be closed,” I say. I glance at my watch which confirms that it is only seven thirty, technically a time that no sensible person should be up and out of the house.

“I know, it
will just be us.” He grins a little as he jumps down from his seat and slams the door shut.

“Okay,” I shrug.

“Come on, Bex, where is your sense of adventure?”

“Reb─”
I don’t get to finish because he pulls me around by the hand and presses his lips against mine. I edge myself a step closer until I feel my body fit into the grooves of his that I am starting to recognize. I feel the burn I experienced earlier in the car reignite in my stomach.

He slowly kisses around my lips with the lightest of touches. “Driving seriously hinders my capacity to do that,” he murmurs. His lips kiss along to the lobe of my ear which he lightly tugs on with his teeth.

That’s it. The burn in my stomach explodes and rushes over my entire body.

Reluctantly I inch myself away from him, although I can still feel the hand he has resting on my hip through the material of my clothing.
God damn clothing.
“Did you park the car to finally have your wicked way with me?”

“You wish. I parked the car to show you the sights and get to the bakers before the tourists get there.”

I have no idea what he is talking about. “I don’t understand.”

Joshua links his fingers through mine and tows me towards the car park exit. This is a minor problem because my legs feel a little like jelly after the kiss and earlobe nibble move he just made. “You will later. Come on, stop dawdling, we’ve got a lot to do.”

“That’s rude. You were the one who stopped the proceedings to kiss.”
And make my legs go dead.

He stops again and rounds back into my space. “Well in that case.” His lips come back to mine, his tongue teasing.

I place both my hands on his shoulders and break away a little. “What’s with you?”

“What do you mean?” He leans back a little so his cool green gaze can appraise me.

“You seem different.” He does seem different. Wild, carefree, and definitely different.

“What because I keep doing this?” He reels me back in, this time his right hand slides under my vest top and along my tummy. “And this.” He lips are against my mouth but I can hear the tone in his voice. His hand slides up and over my right breast which is quick to respond as his thumb grazes against my bikini covered nipple.

“Uh. Yes. This.”

Joshua laughs and moves away, leaving me standing there with flames scorching over my skin. “
I don’t know. It just feels good to be away from St Agnes, it feels like I can get air into my lungs again.”

Seriously he can breathe? Because right now breathing is not high on my to-do list.

“Come on, Bex, let’s go and explore, or do you want to make out in a deserted car park a little more?”

I flush what feels like a vibrant shade of red to match my burning limbs.

We move away from each other turning back for the path we were on, and find an elderly couple standing watching us.

The red cranks up another notch.

“Hey, good morning.” Joshua grins at them as we walk past and I concentrate on my flip flops.

As we move further away I can hear the old lady say, “Remember when we were like that, Ed?” To which the old man replies, “My memory is not that good.”

We are too far away to hear her comeback but her words make me hesitate. Do people looking at Joshua and I see some perfect ideal of Love’s Young Dream? Because that’s not what this is, is it?

Yet as we giggle and walk towards what must be the high street it’s all I can think. What if this is it? Loves Young Dream.

Joshua

Half Truths and SandCastles

To be honest I’m feeling pretty bad about touching Bex’s boob in front of an old couple in a car park. That’s not really my thing. Although I reckon it could become a new thing if I wanted it too.

I tug her hand and lead her towards the high street. This was supposed to be a quick pit stop to buy some pasties and show her the sights. Not a grope in a public place. Bex is laughing, the early morning sunlight bouncing off her skin and hair. I wonder if she has noticed that she has completely forgotten to put any make-up on? Not a single scrap. I know she was distracted by her dad this morning, but part of me wants to claim that it is me who is making her forget to cover up her beautiful skin with that terrible foundation. Her amber hair is piled on top of her head in a loose bun, strands escaping and trailing down the back of her neck. The exposed flesh of her long slim neck makes me want to slowly kiss my lips up it, and I so would, but I don’t want to shock any other locals straight after their breakfast.

“Come on, we have got time to look at the cathedral before we have to move on with the day trip.”

Bex matches her pace with mine and I tuck her in close to my side winding my arm around her waist.

“This place is beautiful,” she says. Her gaze is taking in the wide high street which sweeps into a large circle.

“Not all of Cornwall is like St Agnes.”

“I’d say.”

“Come on, we have got to get to the bakers, or all the old biddy’s will get there before us and steal our lunch.” I increase the pace of my footsteps with my words.

“Who on earth will be buying stuff at the bakery now?”
she questions.

“
Everyone! That old couple had already been. I could smell the pasties from over the other side of the car park.”

“Oh, I’ve had Cornish pasties in London.”

“No you haven’t.”

“Yeah I have.”

“Believe me you haven’t.”

Bex grinds her feet to a halt. “Are we going to have our first disagreement about a pasty?”

“Not at all, I am just stating a fact which you don’t agree with.”

“That’s an argument in my book.”

“No one argues about pasties.”

“Well, I have had one.”