Out of The Blue (16 page)

“So how are you finding the Buxton household?” Jo asked.

“Good,” was all I could muster.

“Feeling suitably vetted and grilled yet?”

I felt my face redden. “Definitely.” I recalled sitting around the dinner table last night.

I barely got the words out before Jamie reacted. “Hey! Just cos Paul’s too scared to venture into the Buxton den … Robin’s obviously braver.” She finished with a wink in my direction.

“Paul?” I asked both of them.

“My boyfriend,” Jo replied with a deep breath. “The fireman. He goes running into burning buildings but can’t face the wrath of our parents after their last visit.”

“What happened?” I asked. This was the story I was waiting for.

“Let’s just say it started with an early arrival, finding us
in flagrante
, with Paul wearing a pared-down version of his uniform, and ended up with us all getting a mild case of food poisoning.” 

“Ah, the benefits of living several hours away,” Jamie said smugly. I could see the sibling rivalry bubbling just under the surface.

“Never give your parents a spare key as they can” – Jo held up two fingers on both hands, quoting her next words – “pop round to drop stuff off before going shopping.”    

“Ooh, bad timing,” I said in sympathy.

“He was so nervous and thrown off his game he didn’t cook the chicken thoroughly enough. We were all as sick as pigs a couple of hours later.”    

“Shit!” I said, then realised my poor choice of words. “Sorry,” I offered over Jamie’s laughter.

“Don’t worry. If they like you even half as much as Jamie obviously does you should survive the weekend. I’d better go and unpack.”

Jo got up from the table, taking her tea with her. I couldn’t resist reaching out to touch Jamie’s arm.

“I understand your need for abstinence.”

“I thought you might.”

Our time alone was cut short by the arrival of Lou and Jenny. I’m not sure what they did to Lou but she was even sparkier now. So much for a relaxing spa morning.          
 

The party-goers began arriving mid-afternoon, soon after the stereo Jamie had set up earlier began pumping out The Elgins’
Heaven Must Have Sent You
, followed by numerous other Motown greats. Realising it was going to be a marathon rather than a sprint, I figured it would be wise to pace myself. No need to make a fool of myself on my first meeting with the Buxtons. It seemed weird to be even thinking that far ahead.       

By 7.00 p.m., the party was in full swing. I had been introduced to so many people they all began to blur in front of me. I finally decided to switch to wine after drinking only a couple of beers so far. Jamie had been attentive, entertaining me with stories of the people that surrounded us, making sure I didn’t get cornered by anyone. Lou, as I was told to expect, ruled the dance floor as the Motown music continued. Some sixty-year-old! I only hoped I was that active at her age.

Jamie and I were at the buffet table when Lou danced over to refuel.

“Have you seen my new teeth yet?” she asked, grinning like an angry dog.

“Uh yeah, I think you said. Budapest wasn’t it?” I said, hoping she would resist the urge to pop them out for me to take a closer look.

“Amazing set up they have over there, so organised. Loads cheaper than here.”     

After only a few seconds of the next song, Jamie piped up. “Oh, I love this song,” she said, placing her glass on the table.

“I know. I put it on for you,” Lou replied with a crooked smile.

“Dance with me!” Jamie demanded, her eyes fixed on mine.

“What? I’m not much of a dancer. I’ve got two left feet,” I said, trying to placate her.

“Come on!” She pulled me towards the makeshift dancefloor. “Imagine we’re alone. Think of it more as cuddling to music.” Her words were so soft only I could hear them. 

I could see there was no escape as I resigned myself to the situation. The dancefloor had emptied a little as Jamie pulled me into her arms. She was going for the full-body contact position. I certainly wasn’t going to stop her as she nuzzled her face into my neck. As we slowly swayed around the dancefloor, blending in with the other smoochers, I recognised the song as
Midnight Train to Georgia.

The party began to thin out around midnight. Spotting Richard outside attempting to tidy away some of the party debris, I took the opportunity to get some fresh air. Finding empty cardboard boxes in the kitchen, I began gathering empty bottles and cans ready for recycling. Jamie came out looking for me as I filled my second box. She had a certain wobble as she attempted to help me with my task.

“Oops!” I said, catching her arm, preventing her tripping over a stray chair leg. “Are you having a good time?”

“Yep! But are
you
having a good time?”

Her blurry words made me smile. “I am. I think I’m ready to call it a night. What about you?” I asked.

“Umm. I’m so tired. Are you coming, too?”

“Yeah. Let me just fill this box.”

Depositing the box in the kitchen, I picked up a bottle of water before leading the way through the house. Thankfully, the music volume had been reduced as we passed the last remaining stragglers on the dancefloor, Lou of course being one of them. We carried on up to Jamie’s bedroom, and dropping the water on the bed, we went straight for the bathroom. 

Her arms wrapped around me from behind as I finished cleaning my teeth. I’d seen Jamie drunk before, but not like this. Considering her vow of self-restraint this weekend, the alcohol made her pretty free and easy with her feelings. Her warm lips travelled along my neck as I wiped my face on the hand towel. Turning in her arms, I saw the fire in her eyes before her lips covered mine. She slowly pushed me back, pressing me against the bathroom counter. Her thigh pressed firmly between mine, making me groan as blood began rushing to all the right parts. Her mouth was wild as her tongue pushed its way past my lips, claiming me. Her left hand travelled around my back, holding me firmly, while the other held my chin as she devoured me. I pulled back, gasping for breath while she continued to distribute hot kisses along my jawline.          

“I love you, so much.” Her words vibrated in my ear as her hand slowly travelled down between my breasts, resting on my hip before opening the top button of my trousers. I considered stopping her but other needs had begun to take over, bypassing any idea of moderation.

“I love you, too,” I whispered as I dropped my toothbrush in favour of slipping my hand under her shirt.

“Oh my God, Jamie! Really? In
our
bathroom?”

I looked across the room to see Jo, toothbrush in hand, with a vexed expression splashed across her face. Jamie made a quick exit, leaving me standing there to face the music. I grabbed my trousers with one hand while I used the other to wipe my mouth before speaking.

“Sorry, Jo. She’s, umm, a bit of a handful tonight. Night.” I slipped out of the room, closing the door behind me.     

I found Jamie lying on her bed, a pillow covering her face. Sitting beside her, I rubbed her thigh. “Hey … you okay?”

A low groan response emanated from beneath the pillow.

I tried and failed to suppress a giggle. “Let’s get these shoes off before you cause any more mayhem.”

“My little sister just caught me making out with my girlfriend. Can it get any worse?”

“Hasn’t she seen you with anyone before?”

“God, no!”

***

Jo finally broke her silence over breakfast the next morning, blurting out the bathroom events as she played mother, pouring out tea for everyone. Jamie came close to needing the Heimlich manoeuvre as she choked on her sausage. Luckily, her parents took it all in good humour. They seemed more concerned over what leftover food they could palm off onto all of us before we left.         

After breakfast, we all assisted on the final clean up before getting ready to leave. Unfortunately, we all had to be back at work on Monday.

“So, how was it?” Jamie asked, as we drove towards Peterborough.

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, unsure of what she was expecting. “I was pretty nervous, but it was good actually. You have a lovely family. I can see where you get it from.”

“Get what from?”   

“You know, the Buxton crazy gene.”                

The last six months had been a whirlwind for me. Out of the blue, I had become someone who lived to be with someone else. I’d become a little less work-obsessed and a lot more Jamie-obsessed. Regardless of where I was working during the week, we almost always managed to meet up for the weekends. I loved spending lazy days lounging around in bed, watching movies together, or weekends away exploring wherever I was working at the time.
    

I smiled as I walked back to my car, clutching the ring box in my hand. I had so much nervous energy with nowhere to direct it. I felt so sure of my emotions; I knew how I felt. I only ever wanted to be with Jamie, no-one else; this was it for me. I was convinced Jamie felt the same way, too. Our conversations over the last few weeks had spurred me on and I wanted to show her how committed I was. It wasn’t like we had to get married next week. I’d wait as long as she needed. I just wanted her to know I was ready to spend the rest of my life with her.

My phone buzzed as I approached my car.  

“Hey, where are you?” I said, trying not to sound too excited.

“Just arrived. Have you left yet?” Jamie asked.

“Just about to. I had to pick something up before I left.”

“Please don’t say it’s work, not this weekend.”

Her voice seemed a little strained. God, I wished I was there in front of her. I was dreading the long drive before I could see her, ask her.

“No, not work. Just something for the weekend.”

“And what would that be? Robbie, you’re aware we’re staying with Aunt Lou, right?” 

I liked how she said my name. James had been the only person who called me Robbie, now Jamie had recently started using it, too.

“Of course. It’s nothing like that. There’s something I need to talk to you about, though.”

“Oh?” She sounded different, tired maybe. She’d had a long drive from York.

“It’ll have to wait till I get there, though. It’s the kind of thing I need to ask you in person.”

“What is it?” Her voice was a little strained.

“You’ll have to wait and see when I get there,” I said, trying to contain my excitement as I got into my car.

“There’s something I need to talk to you about, too.”

“Really?”

“Something really weird happened today.”

I paused as I held my seatbelt across my chest. “What? Are you okay?” I felt my stomach flip-flop.

“Uh yeah. I’ll talk to you when you get here … The sooner you leave the sooner you’ll get here.”

I didn’t like the hesitation in her voice. “Okay. I’ll see you soon.” I told her and pointed my car in the direction of the North Circular. Once I was out of the bustle of the inner-city I tried to work through the speech in my head, no matter how many times I tried to write it down it always sounded terrible when I read it back to myself. I figured I needed to be more fluid in my approach, I felt my palms begin to sweat as I mouthed the words I planned on saying to Jamie. ‘My life changed the moment I met you,’ ‘I love you more and more each day we are together,’ ‘you are the love of my life,’ Now I just needed to find a way of stringing them all together in a meaningful way without sounding like a greeting card.   

In hindsight, I should have taken heed of the warning – More haste, less speed – but, as they say, hindsight is a wonderful thing. I was probably a little tired; night driving always had that effect on me. Traffic had been terrible for the first two hours and I still had another hour to go, according to my sat-nav. The November rain had been lashing down, the roads weren’t great; windy single lanes for the last fifty miles. I barely had enough time to focus on the tree in my headlights before it was too late. No matter how much I tried I couldn’t avoid it. Slamming on the brakes on a wet road, I wasn’t as focused as I should have been. The noise of screeching tyres filled my ears with the subsequent shocking bang, then silence, deafening silence.   

I had been in a hurry in London, pitching and closing a deal with James. Now I was in a hurry to see Jamie, but did I really need to be so urgent about it? My excitement at asking her something had got me distracted a little maybe, although I couldn’t for the life of me remember what I was going to ask her now as she sat next to me in my car, a calming hand on my thigh. We were pulling up in front of a house; Jamie was already on the driveway as I got out of the car, waving me inside. I was sat on a porch now, glass of wine in hand as she told me Aunt Lou had already gone to bed, so we were alone to talk, but what about I couldn’t say. A voice told me James was here, that he wanted to talk to me. What was going on here? He was on his way back to Manchester a few hours ago when I last spoke to him. The same voice said my parents were here, too. All of a sudden we were surrounded by people I didn’t recognise; their loud talking irritating me as I tried to look between them to see if Jamie was still there. I hadn’t had the chance to ask her that something yet, whatever it was. She was gone, along with the chair she had been sitting in. I looked around but couldn’t find her anywhere. Everything went very dark and quiet.