Page 53 of Musical Games
‘Have you had one before?’
He nodded.
‘How did you deal with it?’
He cleared his throat. ‘I waited until I passed out.’
‘Oh, Jamie.’ She pressed her hand to her chest as if trying to keep the pain she felt for him from spilling out. ‘Can I teach you a breathing technique that helps me?’
He shrugged.
‘My teacher called it “battlement breathing”. You breathe in and out through your nose a really small amount of air. You breathe in for a count of four, hold your breath for four, breathe out for four, then hold your breath again for four. You also make sure you only breathe with your belly.’
His forehead creased.
‘Okay, I’ll show you.’
She sat up straight, putting one hand on her stomach, the other between her breasts.
‘Look at my chest and my tummy.’
He kept his eyes glued to hers as the colour rose in his cheeks.
She blushed. ‘Okay, maybe we should try this another time.’
Jamie nodded and looked out the window. He cleared his throat. ‘It’s a starry night. Do you want to go out for a bit? I could take the guitar?’
‘Do you have anywhere in mind?’
He nodded.
‘Will my feet stay on the ground?’
He smiled. ‘Aye, they will.’
Ten minuteslater they were dressed and driving out of Kinloch. There were no other cars and Sam felt like they were the only people left in the world. After a few minutes he pulled up by the side of the road and cut the engine.
They got out and stood in the silence, looking up. They were encased in a bowl of stars that stretched from high above them to every point on the horizon. Sam had never experienced anything in nature so profound and all-encompassing.
‘It’s so…’ She broke off, lost for words.
‘I know,’ he replied softly. He slung his guitar case and a bag over his shoulder. ‘It’s not far, but the ground is a little bumpy.’ He paused and she saw him swallow. ‘If you like, I mean, if you need to, you could hold my hand?’
She tried to speak but her throat was squeezed so tightly shut she couldn’t even breathe. So she nodded and slowly extended her arm towards him.
His fingers caught hers in a warm grip that stopped her heart. His eyes were darker than the night sky. He smiled at her and her heart tripped back to life. He squeezed and pleasure pulsed through her.
‘Shall we go?’
She nodded again and they set off.
Her body felt so alive at his touch as if energy was flowing between them, connecting every cell and completing a circuit. Every nerve seemed rerouted to her palm, every part of her yearning to be touching him. Even though his legs were so much longer than hers, he matched her stride. It was so right, so perfect, she wanted to weep.
He squeezed her hand, then let go to open a gate.
‘We’re here.’
Without his touch she felt bereft. They entered a small field in the middle of which was a circle of standing stones.
