An Untimely Romance: A Time Travel Romance (6 page)

Heather’s face was
ashen as she looked at Frank for answers, choking back more questions, as right
behind him she saw an unearthly face resembling that of the housemaid, but it
couldn’t be... Its sunken eyes were dark, sinister, pressing their way back into
crumbling cheekbones. The hairs on Heather’s body stood on end and she shivered
uncomfortably as an intense chill consumed her. She felt a deep sadness as she
watched the eyes boring relentlessly into the back of Frank’s head, unwavering.
Then dust particles filled the air and fell like ashen remains. Without
warning, the decomposing corpse turned, before heading in the direction of the
fireplace, shedding like a snake as she left herself behind, replaced by a
darkness, a shadow looming over the mantle, a swirling mist depleting and
imploding an explosion as it reinvented itself into that of a darkened orb.
Heather closed her eyes tightly, unable to comprehend what she was seeing,

“Heather, you okay?”

She opened her eyes
upon hearing her mum’s voice.

“Yes, fine, mum,” she
answered, swallowing deeply. “Just tired; I think I’ll have an early night. Do
you think you could come with me?” she asked, excusing herself.

“Heather, we have
guests,” her mother brushed her off, picking up her conversation with Walter.

“Goodnight, Miss
Richardson,” Frank said, and stood as she got up from the table.

“Yes, night, love. Make
sure you’re up bright and early,” her dad said, juggling three conversations at
once.

Heather walked through
the double doors, giving the room a sideways glance as she turned back
momentarily, trying to catch her mum’s eyes for reassurance, a change of heart
maybe. She could hardly bring herself to walk through the manor alone, and with
all the bizarre happenings that were taking place, she felt beyond scared. But
the drink and conversation flowed, and nobody seemed to notice her as the orb
floated nonchalantly in front of the open fireplace.

Every footstep she took
brought with it an eerie creaking as the floorboards talked in their own
haunting language. Even the shadows felt heavier, looming around every corner
she turned. Heather had never felt so relieved as when she finally closed her
bedroom door behind her and turned on the light.
Oh what a night
, she
thought. In every possible way it had been the worst night of her entire life,
and the day ahead wasn’t boding well either. Too spooked even to undress, she
jumped under the quilt leaving the light on, knowing then that the shadows
would leave her well alone.

Suddenly, her phone
vibrated on the bedside table. Not surfacing, she simply reached out with her
hand and pulled it under the covers. As she retrieved the text message, her
heart lifted when she saw Ruben’s name. The message read:
9.37 p.m. Don’t
give Frank a second thought; two can play that game. Let’s just say he’ll be
more than occupied this weekend. By the way, u looked amazing tonight, I must
be luckiest man alive. Don’t forget, ur my girl now. Till tomorrow, luv ya xxx

The night had taken its
toll and she tiredly replied to the text. Then, in a matter of minutes, she was
fast asleep.

~•••~

Heather woke early. The light drifted in
through a small opening in the curtains, and a chorus of birds singing filled
her ears. She gazed under the covers at her phone, which she realised she must
have lain on all night, and picked it up to check the time: 5.28 a.m. An hour
from now Ruben would be picking her up. She lay there, picturing his face.
She’d never felt so alive, and she was confused as to how one person could
possibly make her feel like this after such a short time. It was so nice for
someone to show an interest in her for a change, though.
Am I falling in
love with him?
she wondered.
I so want to please him, but how?
She
knew the answer to this question already, even though it felt much too soon.

Yawning, she read his
last message over and over again. Her eyes were sore from the lack of sleep,
and she didn’t feel the slightest bit refreshed. She wasn’t sure if it was the
ghostly experiences, the weekend ahead or Frank that played on her mind, but
whatever it was, she felt at odds with something. With all the eerie goings-on
around the manor over the last few days, she was relieved to get away. Haunting
reflections now overshadowed the house she had once admired, and she felt too
scared to step out of the annex alone for fear of the unknown.

She showered and
dressed apprehensively, brushing her teeth, while at the same time running a
comb through her hair. She liked to look natural in the morning, so only applied
a touch of make-up where needed. She heard her phone vibrating.
Is that the
time already?
she thought, taking a final glance in the mirror.

The message read:
6.25
a.m. Outside, girl xx

She popped her phone
into her handbag, picked up her suitcase and a lightweight jacket, and walked
out of her room as quietly as she could so as not to disturb her parents, who
loved their weekend lie-ins. The engine of Ruben’s BMW sat purring like a large
cat. He smiled at her through the open window, and then leaned over to open the
passenger side door. Heather slipped in.

“No Frank then?” she
asked, looking round expecting company.

“There will be later,”
Ruben huffed, typing the postcode into his satnav. “Unfortunately, he’s making
his own way there. Suppose one good thing is that we won’t be stuck with him
for the three-hour journey.”

“I’m damn sure he’s not
going to ruin our weekend,” Heather insisted, a half-smile on her lips as she
ran her fingers though his hair, pulled him towards her and pressed her lips
against his; not with her usual soft touch, but a roughness quite out of
character, to prove a point perhaps, using her tongue and teeth to play with
his bottom lip.

She felt his hands
moving softly between her legs, teasing the buckle of her jeans; she sensed her
zip lowering and Ruben’s warm hands exploring the soft area of skin directly
below her navel. A step too far maybe, she wasn’t quite sure, but she felt
herself pushing him away. He grabbed at her hand.

“This is yours,
Heather, all yours,” Ruben sighed, sucking at her neck, and moving her fingers
slowly up his thigh.

She felt herself
tensing and pulled her arm back.

“Ruben, please stop ... I
don’t want to.”

“You’re doing it again,
playing mind games!” Ruben smacked his hand down hard on the steering wheel.
“Anyway, you’ve got me wrong this time. Feel in my pocket.”

Her eyes untrusting,
she pushed her fingers tentatively inside the front pocket of his jeans. She
felt something smooth, and retrieved a small plastic pouch. She opened it and
felt inside.

“Ruben, it’s lovely!”

“Let me put it on for
you.”

Heather turned and bent
her head forward, and Ruben gently slipped it around her neck. She looked down
to see a fine linked gold chain with two intertwining hearts.

Cupping her face in his
hands, his voice was gentle.

“Like I said, this is
yours, all yours.” He kissed her reassuringly on the cheek. “Don’t you think
it’s about time you started trusting me? I thought we were a couple. That’s
what you want, isn’t it?”

“Of course I do. I’m so
sorry; it’s just all happening so fast. When you undid my belt, I thought...”
Heather jumped. “Ruben, it’s Mum! How long has she been there?”

Ruben turned and looked
up at the house. He could see Faye waving from her bedroom window. Foot on the
clutch, he pushed the car into first gear and waved back, before closing his
window and heading down the driveway.

“Give ya mum one thing,
her timing’s bloody amazing.”

Embarrassed, Heather
gasped. “You don’t think she saw anything, do you?”

“Saw what exactly?” he
jibed. “There was nothing to see, and I’ve got tinted windows in any case, so
not a chance...” Ruben paused. “I really can’t understand you. One minute you
blow hot, the next you blow cold. You leave me, well, I don’t know where.”

“I do want you, I want
you more than anything. I hardly slept thinking about our weekend together. I
know now I can’t wait for you till my eighteenth.” But the words Heather spoke
were words of guilt, the words she knew he wanted to hear.

“That’s what I like;
that’s my girl talking,” Ruben said, placing his hand in hers. “But our new
friend is sure to disapprove. I can sense he doesn’t like me, thinks I’m too
old and just taking advantage... Or maybe the truth of the matter is that he
wants you for himself.”

“Have you seen the way
he dresses, the way he talks? He’s got no chance. And as for the age thing, I’m
afraid that’s his problem. I’m as good as eighteen. I think this weekend it
could be me who takes advantage of you,” Heather flirted. 

“Only when you’re
ready, in your own time,” Ruben said, driving over the cattle grid. “I don’t
want you to feel uncomfortable or pressured.”

Heather smiled to
herself. She couldn’t help her thoughts, and questioned the sincerity of his
words. She fastened her seat belt and relaxed back into her seat, which seemed
to hug her from both sides. She turned slightly, glancing at Ruben as he drove,
his concentration fixed on the road.

“Are you going to tell
me where we’re going then?” Heather asked, turning on the radio.

“Nope, you’ll find out
soon enough.”

Heather peeked at the
satnav. She could see that wherever their destination was, it was a good three
hours away. She leant back against the headrest, watching the fields pass by.
Her eyes felt heavy, and although she didn’t remember doing so, she must have
closed them for what only seemed like a second.

“Oi, sleeping beauty,
you hungry?”

Heather stirred,
rubbing her eyes. Slowly waking up, she looked at Ruben unfastening his seat
belt. The car sat stationary.

“Just going to fill her
up and wondered if you wanted owt?” he said, turning off the engine.

“Yeah, erm, whatever.
I’m easy.”

Stretching her arms,
she gazed into the mirrored visor directly above her and saw that her mascara
had smudged across her cheeks.
Typical
, she thought. She looked
at Ruben and wondered if his cheeky smile was in relation to her rather
unattractive panda face, or due to the ambiguous comment she had just made.

Licking her finger, she
cleaned her face as best she could, forgetting the mascara was waterproof and
so actually making it worse.
Whatever
, she thought; she’d clean herself
up later, and try not to look in Ruben’s direction for the remainder of the
journey. She looked out of the passenger window and saw that they were parked
in the country somewhere, at a rather small petrol station with only four
pumps, two of which were out of order.

An oldish man in blue
overalls walked out through the garage door towards Ruben and began filling up
the car. She watched as he and Ruben stood chatting. Ruben then followed him
back into the garage to pay.
Not long to go now
, she thought. According
to the satnav, only fifteen minutes and they’d be there ... wherever
there
was!

A few minutes later,
Ruben was heading back to the car.

“Here, take ya pick,”
he said, throwing a carrier bag at her before sitting back down.

She sifted through its
contents; there was a selection of sandwiches, bottled water, a couple of
sausage rolls, chewing gum and a large bar of dark chocolate. She chose a
chicken salad, and as she pulled it out, she noticed something else.

“Didn’t know you
smoked.”

“Only after sex!” He
laughed.

“Oh ... oh right,”
Heather said, almost choking and her face a picture.

She pulled at the
cellophane on her sandwiches.

“Bloody hell, lighten
up, girl! I was only joking,” Ruben said, frowning and shaking his head.
“They’re not for me. Quit years ago.”

“Well they’re not for
me, are they?” Heather questioned. “I don’t smoke, never have done.”

Still shaking his head,
he started the car. Heather could feel a slight tension between them. Somehow
she always managed to say the wrong things. Then it hit her.
They must be
for Frank
, she thought, taking a bite into her sarnie.

Turning off the satnav,
Ruben said, “Know me way from ’ere,” indicating right.

The views were
astounding.

“We’re nearly there
now, so I may as well tell you. We’re on the edge of Snowdonia’s National Park.
But wait till you see where we’re stopping.”

The tall leafy canopy
of trees masked the sunlight as they drove down narrowing lanes. Ruben parked
up in the middle of nowhere.
Please not camping, anything but camping
,
Heather thought. Not that there was anything wrong with sleeping in the
outdoors, it just wasn’t how she had pictured their romantic weekend away; she
had been thinking more along the lines of a luxurious hotel. She was sure he’d
mentioned room bookings before he left the meal the night before; perhaps that
was just his way of making a quick exit. All she could see were trees and more
trees, so her first impressions were not boding too well at all. She sat
feeling rather deflated while he opened the boot and retrieved their luggage.
And
the tent
, she thought.

Winding down the
window, she called to Ruben, “Do you need a hand putting it up?”

“Putting what up?” He
grinned.

“The tent, of course.”

“Do you really think
I’ve driven three hours for us to be stuck in a tent, with your bloody
chaperone? What do you take me for? On second thoughts, a tent might have been
a good idea, for Frank! Didn’t use me loaf there, did I?”

Heather hoped Frank’s
navigational skills weren’t the best; he certainly didn’t look the sort to be
au fait with modern technology, and she couldn’t picture him having a satnav,
or a car for that matter.