Page 6 of Sunny Skies and Summer Kisses

‘I do! That’s been my dream for as long as I can remember and it’s about to become a reality! I’m over the moon. I love spending time in the city, but I’m a country girl at heart, and I’ve made no secret of the fact I’ve always wanted to have my own dance school back home. And I know I could make a decent living out of it too.’

‘Depends what you call decent.’

‘Decent enough to make me happy. And I intend to start out at my new studio looking professional. I’m going to get some branding done, set up an online dancewear shop; advertise properly. My mum’s friend, Vi, used to have a really successful PR business and she said she’d help with promotion. There aren’t any other dance classes for miles around back home. We always had to trek over to Middleton-le-Moors which isn’t ideal in the winter months; my dad used to have to do lift sharing with other parents. It was a heck of a commitment.’

‘I don’t suppose you’ve thought there might be a reason there aren’t any other dance classes for miles? As in, no one’s interested,’ he’d said, in a tone that suggested she was stupid.

Anoushka had bitten down on her anger. It wasn’t worth arguing; Damon always had to be right. He never backed down. Ever.

‘I guess you can take the bumpkin out of the countryside, but you can’t take the countryside out of the bumpkin.’ He’d chuckled, amused at his own observation.

Reliving it all, Anoushka could hardly believe she’d put up with his unreasonable, bullying behaviour for so long. She cursed inwardly.Ughh! What have I been thinking?If one of her friends had told her their boyfriend behaved in such a way, she’d have no qualms in telling them to kick his backside right out of their life. Which made it difficult to understand why she hadn’t applied that advice to herself.

5

‘There’s no need to sulk.’ Damon’s words pulled her back to the present as the car climbed the precipitous lane leading to Great Stangdale Rigg. Anoushka gazed out of the window and sighed. Normally, she’d drink in the glorious panorama the vantage point afforded them, where the road wrapped around the valley of Great Stangdale, dividing it from the villages of Danskelfe and Arkleby that nestled in their own broad valleys. But today, her vision was hampered by her jittering stomach and a clutch of negative feelings, and her eyes merely skimmed over the cluster of thatched cottages where smoke curled up and out of squat stone chimneys.

‘I’m not sulking.’I’m absolutely bloody seething!Her nostrils flared and she clenched her jaw in a bid to keep her anger from spilling over.

‘Yes, you are; I can tell,’ he said, reaching across and taking her plait from between her fingers, holding it up between his forefinger and thumb. ‘And I thought we’d agreed you were going to get this cut.’

‘Wehadn’t agreed anything of the sort,’ she said. ‘Careful!’ Her heart lurched and she gripped onto her seat when he narrowly avoided one of the many sheer drops down the side of the bank.

His head swung back to the road as he righted the vehicle. ‘Calm down, I’ve got everything under control. And I distinctly remember us having a conversation about it only last week and you agreed to make an appointment at the hairdressers. You can’t tell me you’ve forgotten already?’ They’d reached the top of the incline and were heading along a comparatively straight stretch. He turned to look at her again.

‘I haven’t forgotten. It’s not every day I get told my hair’s like “some childish fairy princess” that I should’ve “grown out of years ago”.’

‘That’s not what I said.’

‘It’s exactly what you said. And that I should get rid of the “silly, baby blonde” – which might I point out is actually my natural colour – and get some lowlights put in so I’d look my age.’

She sensed Damon tense beside her. He started drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, running his tongue over his teeth. ‘You know I’ve only got your best interests at heart. My advice is well meant, but as usual, you choose to twist it around; throw it in my face.’ He exhaled noisily. ‘After all, everyone knows it’s not a good look for a woman in her twenties to have her hair like a ten-year-old little girl. I’m actually being kind by telling you that. And you shouldn’t use it to flirt with other men, flicking it around at any opportunity. Makes you look ridiculous and immature.’

Ughh! Here we go.She shook her head and bit down on her reply, ignoring his attempts at goading her. She wasn’t going to play into his hands today.

Doing all she could to stem her building anger, she turned to look out of the window again, spotting Brogan striding across the moor, her rich, red hair glowing in the sunshine, a gaggle of dogs in tow. Brogan ran her dog-walking business – Pond Farm Pooches – from her home at a small-holding named Pond Farm just out of the village. The sight of her friend triggered a surge of relief and an overwhelming need to talk to her. Over recent weeks, Anoushka had been confiding in her and their friend Kristy more and more about the mounting misgivings she had of her relationship with Damon. On the last occasion, they’d listened quietly, both wearing expressions of disbelief. ‘Let me put it this way, Noushka, what would you do if Lily started going out with a boy who treated her like that? What would you say to her?’ Kristy had asked, her striking blue eyes shining fiercely.

Her words had made Anoushka sit up and pay attention; she hadn’t thought of it that way. ‘I’d tell her to dump him as quickly as possible. Then I’d want to get my hands on him and throttle the living daylights out of him.’ Her hackles had risen at the very thought.

‘Exactly. And now you know how your parents feel. And me too for that matter,’ Kristy had said, flicking her glossy black hair over her shoulder.

‘Same here,’ Brogan had said. ‘You need to get out of that relationship before it’s too late, Noushka.’

Now, back in the present, sitting beside an increasingly agitated Damon, Anoushka’s mind tugged at the conversation again, and was soon joined by the things Kitty had told her about her own experiences. It would seem, to Anoushka’s way of thinking, that all the people closest to her, those who loved her, were worried about her and shared the same view of Damon, had the same advice to give about him. They couldn’t all be wrong, could they?

With her heart pounding, she scrunched up her eyes as the car shot along the rigg road, bouncing over potholes, thoughts piling up in her mind. Why the hell was she still with him when he’d been making her feel so miserable and down, and had almost succeeded in driving a wedge between her and her family and friends?Because he’s skilful at pushing you into a poky, dark corner and making you feel absolutely rubbish about yourself, a little voice said.And then, just at the right moment, he pulls you back, talking you round, making you doubt yourself, which is exactly how Kitty had described her experience with Dan.

She felt the mist in her mind lifting, her toxic relationship with Damon suddenly glaringly clear, revealing all its ugliness. She licked her lips, her mouth dry, as she drew all her courage together. Before she knew it, she was shouting, ‘Stop the car!’

‘What?’ Damon’s head shot round, his top lip curled in disbelief.

‘I want you to stop the car!’ Her heart was hammering hard against her ribcage. Was she actually doing this?

‘Are you mad?’

‘No! Yes! No! I can’t do this anymore, Damon.’ She couldn’t wait a moment longer; she had to tell him now. Had to get it over and done with.

‘What the hell are you talking about? Can’t do what?’

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