The Not Gate (Tom and Alice #1) (18 page)

TOM’S BIRTHDAY

Sunday
28th January

T
oday was Tom’s birthday. Alice walked quickly to the same stretch of gated road that he had picked her up from before. It was cold but bright, a beautiful morning in every sense of the word. At nearly 8am she turned the corner onto the road, the time they had arranged to meet, in the distance she could see his little car already waiting and she started to run. He got out of the car and watched her sprint towards him. Tom opened his arms and she jumped at him, he spun her around and around like she weighed no more than a teddy bear.

‘Happy birthday,’ she said, kissing him hard on the mouth.

‘Thank you, baby,’ Tom held her tight and walked her to the passenger door, ‘let’s get out of here.’

‘Sounds good. I knew you would be here first this time, you’re such a control freak,’ she laughed clicking her seat belt into place.

‘I’ve been here since just after seven, in case you were early,’ he grinned, ‘as if I would have let you wait out here on your own again.’

‘See, what did I tell you?’

Alice looked over at him and felt her heart swell. His roguish hair looked fairer with the light from the early morning sun shining onto it through the driver’s window. His constant grin meant his dimples were visible all the time and he looked so happy.

‘Do you want your present now?’ she beamed.

‘I’ve just got it,’ he started the car and pulled off, ‘you’re here aren’t you? The traffic shouldn’t be too bad as it’s Sunday, but its best to get going, make the most of our day together.’

A whole day together. Alice couldn’t believe it when he had suggested it. They were driving to Brighton, a town full of adventure, where no one knew them.

‘Excited?’ he glanced over at her still smiling.

‘Very,’ she squeaked.

‘Me too,’ he moved his hand to her knee and kept it there, except for when he had to change gear, a small gesture that meant so much and left Alice’s heart in her mouth.

They stopped at a roadside Little Chef, sat near the window and ordered two full English breakfasts and tea. No one seemed to look at them oddly and Tom had become more and more relaxed with every mile they travelled away from home.

‘You can eat a lot for such a little thing,’ he said watching her dip her second slice of fried bread into brown sauce.

‘The benefits of a teenage metabolism,’ she smiled back, ‘anyway you can talk, you finished five minutes ago and there’s not an ounce of fat on you.’

‘Benefits of a gym membership,’ he smirked.

‘I’ll remember that when I get to your age.’

Tom looked offended, ‘detention Miss Rutherford, smart mouthing a teacher,’ he had really loosened up, that would have never been a joke before.

Alice laughed, ‘more tea?’

‘Go on then.’

‘What did you get for your birthday?’ Alice asked pouring the drinks, she wanted to know everything she could about him. The things that happened when she wasn’t with him seemed so important to her.

He thought for a moment, ‘mum gets me vouchers and dad sends a cheque. I don’t think they ever discuss it they always assume that they’re sending for both of them. I don’t ever correct them… it’s nice getting double,’ he grinned wolfishly.

‘What about your sister?’

‘She always gets me some really random present. I haven’t seen her yet, but last year she got me a seven-in-one food chopping gadget thing. She watches too much of the late night shopping channel I think. My best friend Neil usually gets me tickets to see something, a concert or sports event,’ Tom reached over the table and took her hand turning it over in his, ‘but I wasn’t joking my best present ever is sitting opposite me.’

Alice blushed, he was touching her in public. Tom watched her face, his blue eyes twinkled and he pushed himself off the chair, leaned over their dirty plates and grabbed her face in his two hands, pulling her forward his lips met hers and kissed her sweetly. Alice’s body responded and instantly tried to deepen the kiss but Tom pulled away first.

‘Careful baby, we’re still in Little Chef you know.’

Alice looked around self-consciously. She noticed a handsome lanky waiter of about her age gaping at them open mouthed and enjoying the eyeful he was getting.

‘Time to go?’ Tom asked amused.

‘Definitely,’ she nodded pushing her chair back to leave, ‘I’m paying, it’s your birthday.’

Tom raised his eyebrows at her and cocked his head to one side. He pulled his arrogant face that Alice thought was so hot, ‘you’re fucking joking, right?’

‘No,’ Alice pulled out her purse.

Tom took the purse from her hands, opened her bag and placed it back in.

‘Go and wait by the car,’ he looked down at her and his eyes narrowed warningly.

‘You don’t have to make me feel like a child, Tom. You don’t have to pay for everything,’ Alice felt wounded but tried to keep it from her voice.

‘I’m not paying because of your age, Alice. I’m paying because you’re a lady,’ he shook his head gently.

‘Oh… that’s very old fashioned.’

‘I’m an old fashioned sort of guy,’ he smiled at her and offered his credit card to the waiter.

After paying and a quick bathroom trip, Tom climbed into the car and turned to Alice, his face unexpectedly serious.

‘Alice, I need to ask you something,’ he whispered, looking down at his lap.

‘…what?’ she asked quietly, fearing the worst.

‘Little Chef lolly?’ he beamed, pulling two rectangular lolly pops dramatically from behind his back like a magician. Alice laughed at his silly face and grabbed the orange one from his right hand.

‘I love Little Chef lollies,’ she kissed his cheek.

‘The orange one was mine,’ he pouted.

‘Not anymore, stud.’

‘It is my birthday,’ Tom pleaded.

‘Oh… okay, here you go,’ Alice opened the wrapper and held it out to Tom.

‘Thank you,’ he reached for the lolly and as his fingers touched the stick Alice whipped it away from him and stuck it in her mouth.

‘Not a chance,’ she laughed.

They arrived in Brighton an hour later. Tom parked the car in a little pay and display car park near the pier and they walked hand in hand down a slope to the beach. Surfers paddled a little way out from the shore despite the cold, their bellies on their boards waiting for the right wave.

They walked along the beach in near silence. Alice still couldn’t believe they were out in broad daylight together.

‘This is nice,’ Tom broke the quiet and gave her hand a little squeeze.

‘More than nice,’ she agreed, looking up at him through her thick lashes.

They walked on.

‘That’s a good one,’ Tom suddenly said aloud but as if to himself. Bending he picked up a flat, small, almost perfectly rounded pebble from the thousands surrounding their feet.

He let go of her hand and turned the pebble over in his. He looked at Alice, then took two steps forward and launched the stone across the water, it skimmed the surface once, then bounced up again, down again and straight up, picking up speed now, again and again. Alice smiled, she was counting… seven, a long way out now, eight, nine. It had skimmed the bobbing waves nine times before it disappeared out of sight. Alice had seen it done before three or four bounces, but that was really impressive.

‘Show off,’ Alice beamed at him, he grinned back at her, ‘but seriously how do you do that?’

Tom picked up another stone, ‘actually I don’t know, my dad showed me when I was about six and I’ve just got better over the years… practice I guess.’

‘It certainly made perfect,’ Alice said looking for a pebble to try it herself.

‘Not yet… one day maybe,’ he smiled.

They played on the beach together. Tom trying to show her how to skip stones. The most she managed was three small skims, but she was secretly impressed with herself for doing that many.

After a while Alice sat on the cold rocks and just watched Tom. The way he moved. The way his thumb brushed over the surface of each carefully selected pebble in some kind of silent preparation for the throw. The way his shoulders looked from behind as he flicked the rock from his fingers, releasing it into the sea and for ten seconds letting it realise its full potential. This beautiful rhythmic dance that with the right master, it is able to perform. The stone suddenly quite alive and captivating, until it’s pulled back swiftly into the salty swell, resting undiscovered, maybe for a hundred years until it re-surfaces once more at someone else’s feet… in another time and another place.

HAND IN HAND

Sunday
28
th
January

T
om watched the pebble disappear into the sea. He turned and walked towards where Alice sat. She was his, the thought hit him as he looked at her all bundled up in her green winter coat, her hair pulled back in a ponytail with a few stands blown out by the late January weather. Her cheeks were quite pink and so very beautiful. As she watched him walk towards her she bit her lower lip shyly and half smiled. Had he ever seen a prettier girl in his life?

‘You’re going to get a cold bum,’ he said plonking himself down beside her. She shuffled closer and tucked herself under his arm. Tom tilted her chin up with his right hand to look at him and kissed her slowly on her lips. His tongue found hers and that rush of heat between them still surprised him. He felt Alice push her hands under his heavy grey lamb’s wool jumper. She pulled his t-shirt from the waist band of his jeans and pressed her cold palms onto his warm back. Her fingertips travelled slowly up and down his flesh and within moments he felt like he was going crazy with the need to have her.

Tom angled his body over hers, pushing her back against the rocks. He cupped his hand behind her head so it didn’t collide with the solid surface. He kissed her once more then pulled his face away and looked down at her.

‘Are we really starting this here?’ he breathed heavily.

Alice tried to pull him back to her, ‘yes.’

Tom looked around, the part of the beach they had walked to seemed pretty deserted, he looked back at Alice, her green eyes fused on his and waiting for his judgement.

‘Baby, I can’t, not here. If anyone saw you… well it’s just not very decent. As much as I want to,’ Tom brushed the stray hairs away from her face.

‘But…’ Alice started.

Tom cut her off with a little kiss, ‘no arguments today, it’s my birthday.’

‘But I want to,’ she pleaded.

‘And we will, that is most definitely a promise,’ Tom stood and pulled her to her feet, ‘I think we need a cup of tea. There’s a café on the pier. Come on.’

‘I don’t need tea,’ Alice said through gritted teeth.

‘Well I do, and I’m the boss.’

Alice rolled her eyes and Tom grabbed her hand and pulled her grudgingly back towards the pier.

‘How old are you today anyway?’ Alice asked him mockingly when they sat at the small round table with hot mugs of tea in front of them.

‘Thirty,’ Tom replied looking down at his drink guiltily.

‘Oh,’ she smiled to herself.

‘What?’

‘You look… older, that’s all.’

Tom looked up, ‘you cheeky…’

‘Joke,’ Alice held her hands up in surrender.

Tom smiled and shook his head.

‘Any luck with finding another teaching position yet?’ Alice sipped at her drink.

‘There’s a job at a school in Banbury, it’s the right level but the school is not that good, so I’m not sure. It’s close though which is obviously a bonus,’ he reached across for her hand, ‘…it’ll be alright, baby.’

‘Don’t go too far, will you?’

‘Of course not,’ he whispered.

After they had finished their drinks they walked half way down the pier to one of the only attractions to be open at his time of year. The amusement arcade.

The sounds of the amusements couldn’t help but fill your senses as soon as you enter them. The constant jumble of music from hundreds of machines, the flashing neon lights and the jangle of coins as they fell nosily into the tray of some lucky winner – lucky until they played it all away again. The smell of cigarette smoke and the occasional bang, then an alarm, as someone kicked a machine that didn’t want to pay out.

Tom leaned down to Alice’s ear so she could hear him more clearly, ‘I loved these places as a kid. Didn’t get to go that often but when I did…’

‘Really?’ she asked.

‘Oh yeah, this is a young boy’s playground. The atmosphere, the excitement, it was great,’ he took her hand and led her towards the back of the large room, ‘do you want a go on something?’

‘I don’t know,’ Alice looked around at the various machines and spotted one a few metres away, ‘over there.’

Alice pointed to the Love Meter tucked in the far corner.

Tom raised his eyebrows, ‘do you really need confirmation?’

‘It’s fun, remember?’

‘I meant something a little more masculine,’ he muttered under his breath. But fished some coins out of his pocket anyway if that’s what made her happy.

Alice took the money and placed it into the slot. The machine came alive with the sound of romantic violins and lip smacking kissing noises. Tom cringed and looked around to see who might be watching. He was going soft.

‘You have to put your hand here,’ she reached for his hand and placed it on the male sensor pad, shaped like a handprint. Alice placed hers on the female and the machine instructed them to wait until the barometer stopped on one of the cheesy quotes that ran up the side of the flashing pink meter. When it stopped and got a reading, you and your partner were what it said.

They both watched as the lights flashed up and down, toying with them. Alice watched in anticipation which he thought was funny, and he watched in embarrassment. The lights froze and the machine let out a loud wolf-whistle, ON FIRE started flashing.

‘As I suspected,’ Tom laughed.

Alice smiled, ‘it’s good to make sure,’ she said pushing him playfully.

‘What do you want to do now, baby?’

‘Finish what we started earlier?’ she flashed her eyes at him.

‘I would happily get a room for the afternoon, but I don’t want you to feel that you have to put out every time we’re together.’

Let’s go.

Alice looked at him in disbelief, ‘really… you don’t have to play the gentleman all the time for me you know?’

He grinned back at her, ‘let’s get the fucking car.’