Page 71 of The Promise of Tomorrow
‘I think it’s rather lovely,’ said Gayle.
‘Perhaps this is our cue to leave,’ said Melanie, and she grinned, got up and gave Elena a big hug. ‘Playing charades has worn me out.’
‘How about a caffeine hit and another round?’ suggested Elena.
But Gayle and Tahoor both looked tired, and Diego was up early for work tomorrow. Caz thanked them for a lovely evening and whispered to Elena that she wanted all the details about the ‘book collection’ on Monday. Mike slapped Rory on the back and said to Elena he looked forward to seeing the pair of them for dinner at his, with Jenny who nodded enthusiastically. Mike also suggested to Tahoor that they arrange a trip to the pub, to watch the next match. Tahoor nodded enthusiastically and then took Gayle’s number, the two of them saying it would be nice to go out for coffee, the more companions at their age the better. In fact, she should come to his for cake in a couple of weeks, Tahoor added. He’d need help choosing the perfect names for the two stick insects he’d agreed to take from Julian.
Before he left, Derek showed Elena and Rory his phone. ‘The chair of the board sent this today. Her granddaughter made it. She loves the sound of our new campaign.’ It was a photo of a biscuit, with red and green icing on it in the shape of a Christmas tree, broken in half.
Elena and Rory both grinned. She went to open the front door.
‘Look at the snow!’ she exclaimed, and held out her hand to catch a flake. ‘Loads has settled! You can’t see the lawn.’
Don walked onto the drive and moonwalked across it, almost falling over. Melanie kissed Elena again, and Rory then took Gayle’s arm and walked her to the car. Rory’s dad’s taxi arrived and Caz’s husband got out his keys and insisted on giving Derek and his wife a lift.
Promising to drive carefully on his motorbike, Julian went to leave.
Elena caught his arm. ‘In the New Year… if you’re free for a drink one day I’d really appreciate… You see, Rory told me…’
Julian put his hand on her shoulder. ‘That would be great. You’ve got a lot to get your head around, but you’ll be fine, with the right help. I felt as if I was going crazy at one point and never dared hope I’d shake that off. But I did and you will too.’
Elena couldn’t speak, simply giving him a heartfelt hug as they said goodbye. She went to the window in the lounge. Rory came back from walking Tahoor home, having insisted in case the elderly neighbour slipped. He draped an arm around her shoulders.
‘Everywhere looks so beautiful,’ she said as thick, clumsy flakes continued to swirl to the ground.
‘Not as beautiful as my view,’ he said, and she turned to face him looking at her. He took her hand. ‘Right, Swan, snowman-building time.’
‘At this time of night?’
‘I’ll grab our coats. You open the kitchen back door.’
She hesitated but not for long, and by the time he’d come outside she’d rolled her weapon and hit him square on the chest. He threw her coat over through the darkness, their grins lit up by the kitchen light. A competitive spirit kicked in and half an hour later two snowmen stood on the lawn, Rory’s wearingElena’s plum beanie hat. She’d scooted into the kitchen and came out holding a gherkin pickle. She pushed it into her snowman’s face so it stuck out, like a nose.
‘Guess who?’ she asked.
‘Looks like we’ve both built each other.’
The pickle slipped out and slid down the snowman, getting stuck in the lower part of its body.
‘I feel obliged to point out, that is in no way a life-sized representation,’ he said, with an indignant tone.
‘It is very cold out here, but are you sure?’ she replied, and shrieked as Rory chased her around the garden. Hair dripping, cheeks tingling as snow fell heavily, once more, the two of them trudged indoors, hung up their coats and left their sodden shoes standing on old newspaper. Whilst the kettle boiled, they went into the lounge and warmed themselves by the radiator.
Shyly, Elena took his hand, lifted it to her lips and kissed his fingers. The insect tank caught her eye and she picked up the water spray bottle. She’d not paid much attention to Brandy and Snap the last couple of days, what with the party to arrange, and then the OCD research. Elena bent down to look for them and she gasped. Where Snap had been hanging upside down, now hung an old skin, white, dry and brittle. A few twigs away Snap lay on a leaf, still missing a leg, but now, at least, it should grow back. The insect’s skin was fresh, olive green, soft.
‘Looks great, doesn’t she?’ said Rory. ‘Julian and I spotted her earlier.’
‘How amazing it must feel to shed your skin,’ Elena said and put down the spray bottle. She and Rory sat down on the sofa.
‘I guess you’ll find out, because that’s what you’re about to do in the coming months, right?’
Her eyes pricked. Yes. An exciting future lay before her, bright and shiny, like the most eye-catching bauble. There’d betravel – Berlin first – and a commitment to… to giving romance a real shot. Snap would be growing a new limb. Elena would be growing a resistance to the phraseWhat if?And like Snap’s, over time, Elena’s new skin would thicken and become more resilient.
‘Of course, the best thing about all of this?’ he said. ‘We’re 100 per cent justified in using those cute housemate nicknames now that we’re together. In fact…’ He moved close, oh so close, his breath stroking her neck, causing her pulse to race, her skin to flush. Sensations stirred, deep within, that she’d never allowed before. ‘It’s the prerequisite for kissing me, Houdini.’
She cupped his face in her hands and ran a forefinger over his lips. Cute nicknames? That wasn’t Elena Swan’s way. Nope. Nuh uh. Was never gonna happen.
Well, not in her old story, anyway.
‘Whatever it takes, Pickle,’ she replied, and they smiled at each other before she pressed her mouth against his and lost herself in the first of many new adventures.
