Where did your heart go? (The Heart Trilogy Book 1) (39 page)

Chapter 48

In her bedroom Charlie put the radio on quietly and then turned to look at Mitchell.

“So what shall we do?” she asked, as they crossed the room to meet each other.

“I think I need to say thank you properly for this morning” Mitch said, leading her towards the bed. Turning her around he untied the string of her bikini top and it fell to the floor as his hands reached round and cupped her breasts i
n his hands and he felt her lean backwards towards his body. Then he let them slip to her shorts and pulled them off too. He could felt her shaking already as his hands ran back up and he turned her around.

Their lips finally met and they walked backwards towards the edge of the bed and as they parted he gently pushed her back onto the softness of the duvet. Charlotte breathed in as he knelt down and his hands ran down to the edge of her bikini bottoms. He hesitated for a moment and looked up into her face and was about to ask permission when he saw her just smile and nod. He hooked his fingers under the fabric and slid them down her legs to the floor. Kissing his way back up he breathed in her unique musky scent and then ran his fingers over her small line of hair and gently into her wetness.

Charlotte closed her eyes and just gave herself to the feelings of his finger and then they shot open again when she felt his hot breath and his lips and tongue there instead. She looked down at his dark hair between her thighs and then as the sensations started to bubble up and spread out through her body she just closed her eyes again and tried to stay quiet when she really wanted to just cry out his name. Mitchell had definitely found the right spot as she wriggled beneath him as the pure pleasure of his tongue flooded her body and she sighed and let it flow. Grabbing his shoulders she started to sit up as she really wanted to feel all of him inside of her but Mitch pushed her gently back.

“I want you” she breathed

“Not today Charlie, I seem to remember you said you wanted your first time to be special and I have plans for that” Mitch replied, smiling down at her and seeing the satisfied look of desire on her face.

“But I want you now” she pouted, trying to convince him to give in as her hands snaked their way over his hips to pull him closer.

“You’ll just have to be patient” he finished, even though his breathing was rapid as he felt her hands on him. It would be so easy just to carry on but he found that he didn’t want to
; he wanted it to be special between the two of them.

Lying down next to her they continued to kiss and in between they talked about the dance competition next weekend and all the things they wanted to do whilst they were in the capital as neither of them had ever been there before.
Finally they drifted off to sleep locked in each other’s embrace.

As the rain pattered on the window pane I woke up and looked through the crack in the curtains at the grey day outside. At least I wasn’t working today so I didn’t even have to leave the house if I didn’t want too. I lay in bed a while and then decided that as I had no one to even offer to make me coffee in bed I got up and wrapped my dressing gown around me and headed downstairs. In the comfort of the kitchen I waited for the coffee machine and found myself picking up the card that was attached to the flowers. I suddenly realised that I could always try the florists on Monday morning and see if they would give me the sender’s details. But did I really want to know I was enjoying the suspense and mystery surrounding my secret admirer.

Turning on the radio I listened to Mark on his Sunday brunch session and wondered whether my secret admirer would send me a song today? Perhaps I should go first for a change and send one for him if he was listening. Pouring the coffee I cradled my mug and reached for my mobile phone and gave the studio a call

“Hi Mark” I said

“Hi Stephanie, good to speak to you this morning, would you like a request?” he asked

“
Can you play Here comes the rain again by The Eurythmics for my secret admirer if he is listening this morning” I replied

“Sure Steph, leave it with me and have a great day, gorgeous” he finished as the phone line went dead as he returned to the show.

I poured my next coffee and decided that a full English breakfast might cheer us all up so I set about getting this ready and wondered how early my daughter would be up. Working away I listened to my request and then waited and within about half an hour I
got my reply ‘Laughter in the Rain by Neil Sedaka’ and although I had never heard this song before the lyrics spoke to me and I smiled as I continued to work. Sitting in his kitchen James smiled too as he sent his reply to Stephanie’s song request, he was really enjoying this flirtation and he hoped that it would help his cause to win back her affections.

Upstairs Charlotte stirred and was greeted by the sight of Mitchell lying next to her, last night had been fantastic as she blushed now even thinking about what he had done to her with his tongue. Turning she kissed him gently and he opened his eyes and stared sleepily into hers.

“Morning” she whispered

“Is it?” he asked “I was still dreaming about last night” he said, smiling back at her, his dazzling, sexy smile. She moved so that she was tightly wrapped in his arms again and they listened to the rain falling outside. Eventually the smell of bacon drifted up the stairs and they decided to head down and then decide what to do with their day.

“Morning guys” I said, as they appeared in the kitchen with tousled hair and smiles on their faces.

“Morning Mum; that smells nice” Charlie said, as she poured some coffee for the two of them an
d they hopped up onto the stools by the kitchen island.

“Morning Stephanie” Mitch said “Thanks for a lovely evening last night” he said, looking across at Charlie and their special secret smile lit up their features. I tried to gauge whether they had or hadn’t
but as I couldn’t I just hoped that they were being careful.

“So what are your plans for the day?” I asked
.

“Not sure really” Charlie said, looking across at Mitch
.

“Think we might do a couple of practises of our dance but otherwise I’m in
Charlotte’s capable hands” he finished, grinning at her as he thought about all the places he wanted her hands to be.

Suddenly Charlotte picked up the florists card from the table and read it.

“Oh Mum, who is this secret admirer then?” she asked,
curiosity brimming over.

“I’ve no idea” I replied, blushing slightly “But he has good taste in flowers” I finished. I placed their breakfast down and then joined them, noticing a worried look cross both their brows but I let it go. After eating and helping to clear the kitchen I headed up to get dressed and then grabbed my laptop so that I could finalise some plans for our event which was looming ever closer. They headed for the lounge which was our largest room in the house and I was soon listening to their song as they practised it over and over again. As I walked past the door I watched for a few seconds and again found myself breathless just watching the way they flowed together, making difficult dance steps look easy.

Then the music changed to
‘Take my Breath away’ and I guessed that Charlie was going through that one too. As Mitchell watched Charlie dance he made some comments and hoped it would help her even more with the lovely lines and shapes she already created with her body. Then they swapped over and Charlie watched as Mitch ran through Thriller again, she also made some objective comments that he was happy to take on board before they finally finished. The rain had cleared to leave a warm but cloudy afternoon so they both headed out for a walk. Mitchell had the old address for his Dad’s house and wanted to see that and then the river side where the ‘Rock on the River’ event would take place.

Holding his hand Charlie felt like the luckiest girl alive as they passed dog walkers, parents and children and other couples like them and she remembered the bench mentioned in her Mum’s diaries.

“Mitch we need to check the graffiti on the benches” Charlie said

“Why?” he asked puzzled by the request.

“Well if it’s still here your Dad drew a heart and their initials onto one of the benches when he told my Mum he was falling in love with her” Charlie replied as they slowed down when they reached the first bench. There was nothing there so they continued to the next and then the next until they found it at last.

Sitting down on the slightly damp seat they found the heart, faded from the sun and weather after twenty four years, but still there.

Charlie looked through her bag and found a marker pen inside and handed it to Mitchell. He managed to find a small blank space not far from the heart and he drew one too and put inside it MC 4 CE and then handed the pen back to Charlotte. She left the top off and carefully drew over the lines of the original heart and initials, making it stand out once more against the rest of the scribbles that were there. Sitting together it felt strange but comforting to know they were in the same place as their parents had been one day so long ago as they looked at each other. Then their lips met and they kissed and held each other, knowing that the time they had left together today was short.

“Do you think they’ll get back together?” Charlotte asked, as they made their way back home.

“I kind of hope so but I guess it’s up to them” Mitch replied “All we can do is wait and see next weekend” he finished, putting his arm over Charlie’s shoulders as they walked in step together.

“I wonder who this secret admirer is.” Charlotte said, thinking back to the card from the florists.

“My Dad will blow him out of the water
” Mitch said “After all I’ve inherited his undeniable charm and good looks and it worked on you” he finished, as Charlie gave him a playful punch and laughed. She skipped away from him but he caught her and spun her around and back into his arms.

“I love you Charlotte Eden” he said

She smiled at his words and the seriousness that lay underneath the green of his eyes

“I love you too Mitchell Cooke” she replied, pressing her body close to his.

They entered the house to find the smell of roast dinner cooking.

“Where have you been?” I asked them, as they sat down on the sofa.

“Along by the river, we found your heart there Mum” Charlie said

“And we drew one on the bench too” Mitch said, joining in. I smiled as inside I remembered that day and how magical life had seemed at that moment in time.

“I’ll go and check on food, why not watch a film or something” I said, leaving them alone so that I could be alone. My mind was replaying the other time when I had seen the heart on the bench and I hoped that my daughter would never have to look at their heart in the same way, full of despair and sadness rather than the love and happiness it symbolised.

“Hey let’s watch that film your final song comes from, what is it called?” Mitch asked.

“Top Gun, you mean your Dad has never made you watch this, Mum tells me it used to be his favourite too” Charlie said, in amazement. She soon located it on the shelves and put the DVD in to play. Pulling her close they cuddled up on the sofa and started to watch until suddenly Mitch turned to her.

“Have you realised that our parents have named us after the lead character
s” he said

“Yes, the first time I watched it when Mum helped me pick the song that our group is dancing too and she did agree that it was strange that she had picked it but I hadn’t made the connection with your name too” she said, laughing “It could have been worse he could have called you Maverick” she giggled.

“Or Pete” Mitch said “I like my name, I’ve never met anyone else called it yet” he finished.

“I watched a television series with a character called Mitchell in it but yes it’s pretty unusual” Charlie finished, sneaking a quick kiss on his cheek.

As the film finished Charlie wiped her eyes on Mitch’s sleeve and he kissed the rest away, knowing how involved she had been watching the film. They headed through to the kitchen as I had finished cooking and was just plating up the food.

“So we’ll be seeing you again next weekend” I said.

“Yes, my Dad and grandparents are coming to watch so I’ll introduce you to them” he said, and again I spotted a secret look pass between the two of them.

“Well, you’ve met my guests already as Aunt Sarah and Uncle Chris are coming down with Mum” Charlie said.

“Shall we meet at the venue as might be too difficult to arrange something at the hotel” Mitch said. I nodded and silence reigned as we enjoyed the food.

Mitchell was soon dressed in his leathers again for the ride home. I said goodbye and then headed through to clear up
as Charlie headed out to the driveway with him. After a final kiss and a hug she drew back from him and watched him mount his bike alone. She wished she could just jump up behind him and speed off and never be apart.