CHAPTER TWELVE
Silence Is…Not So Golden
The silence was excruciating! Luke had said all but three words to me in the time it had taken for us to wake up and secure ourselves in his car. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the radio was broken.
Fan-fucking-tastic!
We had only just past Birmingham, meaning there was at least another three and a half hours to go, and I had needed a wee since pretty much joining the M6. Normally, I would’ve just said something, but I felt too scared to suggest stopping, fearful of pissing him off even further. It was obvious he regretted last night’s actions, but why he felt the need to take his foul mood out on me still remained a mystery. Sure, I kissed him back, but he started it. And if he’d only hear me out, he’d realise that whist I was the one who prohibited our relationship from exceeding friendship territory to begin with, I had since changed my mind.
“Do you need the toilet or anything?” he asked; voice strained from his lack of talking.
“I could do with going. Do you mind stopping?” I replied, planning on grabbing a packet of Starbursts from WHSmith with the hopes it perked him up a little.
“No, I don’t mind. The next service station is in two miles. We’ll stop there for a bit.”
Perfect.
~~~
It was a little after two when we arrived in Cumbria, and in the midst of autumn, the scenery couldn’t have been more gorgeous. Greens went on for miles as we passed by field after field. Never before in my life had I seen so much sheep. It was refreshing to be this close to Mother Nature and after suffering through the most awkward seven hours of my life, I was finally excited to be at our destination. We made it to the hotel in no time and my God, I was impressed. The place may very well have been posher than Buckingham Palace with its white pebbledash exterior and regal blue window shutters. Even the land was striking with its strategically placed flower beds and perfectly trimmed bushes. One was even in the shape of a sheep.
No joke!
“This looks nice,” I stated, to which Luke simply nodded.
We parked up and set about unloading our luggage, which mainly consisted of me watching as Luke manoeuvred my suitcase and his holdall from the boot, too useless to partake in any kind of help.
“Luke! You made it!” declared a young woman sporting a fashionable pixie cut and bright green eyes. “How long did it take you both to get up here?” she asked, shooting me a friendly smile.
“About seven hours. That was with a stop, though,” he replied, gifting the girl and her plus one his eyes.
“That’s not bad then. This is Mark, by the way, my other half. Mark, this is Luke, my main competition,” she laughed, certainly lightening the mood.
“Nice to meet you, mate.”
“Likewise, this is Maya, my…friend. Maya, this is Katlyn, another intern.” he introduced, rather painfully passing comment on the two of us being just friends.
“Oh, so you’re Maya. I feel like you’re a celebrity in our office. He never shuts up talking about you,” claimed Katlyn, unknowingly causing Luke to blush.
He shuffled from one foot to another and rather than acknowledging her comment, simply moved forwards to express our need to check-in. Well, at least it wasn’t just me he was being rude to.
“Ignore him; he’s been in a crap mood all morning,” I stated, quietly so he didn’t hear.
“Is he stressed about this weekend?” she questioned, with nothing but understanding towards the situation.
“Yeah, that among other things,” I admitted, figuring our current circumstance was probably factoring into it as well.
Katlyn offered my shoulder a friendly squeeze, and with a look that undeniably screamed sympathy, left Luke and me to check-in, with the promise of catching up with us later. Her welcoming smile and friendly nature had settled me down slightly. I made a mental note to cling to her tonight should Luke choose to remain a grumpy git for the entire evening. I understood he was under a lot of pressure, but that didn’t give him the right to act so childishly.
Bloody men!
~~~
Later on, in the privacy of my own room, I materialised from my luxurious bath and set about lotion-ing myself up with all the complimentary moisturisers the hotel had to offer. By the end of it, I smelled like a summer meadow (or at least that was what the bottle told me I smelled like) and felt as soft as a baby’s bottom. Unfortunately, the relaxing bubbles did very little in regards to settling my nerves, and with less than two hours to go before the event started, Luke was very much still in his own pissed off bubble.
Stubborn arse!
I refrained from knocking on his door to make sure he was alright, respecting that he may very well have wanted his own personal space. Apart from everything that was going on between us, I acknowledged that he was stressed about the weekend and what the outcome may have meant for him in the long run. It was unlikely, but he could’ve found himself on the receiving end of unemployment after tonight. That was bound to have an effect on him. So instead, I set about getting myself dolled up for this evening and did so rather slowly. I rather successfully positioned my hair into a neat bun with wisps of curls freefalling around my face to frame my cheeks. My make-up was left subtle for the most part, though I did add a little more rouge to my cheeks and slapped on a generous layer of lippy. Jewellery was not an option since the materials often used to make them tended to irritate my skin. Since I was a full-time waitress who relied on tips to pay my rent, I couldn’t afford the real stuff.
At least not for myself
“Maya, you ready?” asked Luke, accompanied by a gentle tap on my door.
A quick glance to the clock told me it had been almost two hours since I’d vacated the bath. Pretty much done, I couldn’t quite reach the back of my dress to zip it up, and needed assistance in doing so.
“Yeah, almost,” I replied, opening up for him. “I don’t suppose you could help me with my dress? I can’t manage the zip,” I asked, holding the red number up to my breasts for ample coverage.
“Yeah, sure,” he smiled, still distant with regards to mood.
He entered my room and closed the door behind him, setting about zipping me up as far as the element would allow. Once done and seemingly satisfied, he stepped back and admired my reflection through the full-length mirror; eyes alight with a burning fire. The dress clung to my hips in all the right ways. It flattened against my stomach before pooling to the floor, where two silver heels sat proudly on each foot. The waterfall effect of the skirt gave the overall number an added boost, and the centre slit certainly made me feel sexy. Being extremely flat chested, I always opted out for the leg option, seeing as they were my only two physical assets, and on this occasion, it didn’t let me down.
“You look-.” he awkwardly coughed. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, looking much the same in his own dashing suit.
Navy blue and sharper than a steak knife itself, he really did wear the outfit well. With his soft brown waves combed over to one side, he certainly gave the word handsome a run for its money.
“You do too,” I smiled, feeling nervous under his watchful eye. “Oh, I almost forgot,” I revealed, rummaging around in my suitcase for the small gift I brought along with me.
He curiously watched me from afar, saying nothing when I handed over the card and small package.
“I got you a little something for all the hard work you’ve been putting in lately,” I explained, suddenly blushing. “And I wanted to give it to you before tonight so you’d know I’m proud of you no matter what,” I added, staring into his ocean-blues.
So much of what he was feeling was portrayed in that one exchange, and had he not broken his gaze away to rip into the white envelope, I may well have jumped his bloody bones.
“You didn’t have to get me anything, ya know?” he insisted, carefully reading through my handwritten note. “But thank you,” he continued, not wanting to sound ungrateful.
It took him a while to read through it all and I noticed he lingered over certain parts whilst completely re-reading other sections. For the life of me, I couldn’t make out his reaction, but by the end of it, I was gifted a natural smile and was rest assure that my thoughtful gesture had put him in a better mood. Next to take his attention was the small gift situated in his right hand. Whilst he ripped away the gold wrapping paper, I made sure to study his face, wanting to capture the very moment he uncovered his surprise. Upon its removal, he was still none the wiser with regards to what it was and it wasn’t until he cracked open the box that realisation set in.
“Jesus Christ, Maya. You didn’t?” he asked, completely flabbergasted.
“Maybe I did. Tips were generous last month.”
If ever appreciation had suited a person, it was Luke.
“Can I wear it now?” he questioned; eyes still firmly set on his present.
“You can do whatever you want with it. It’s yours,” I replied, clearing away the wrapping paper and popping it in the bin.
Luke carefully took out the Rolex from its cushioned position and clipped it onto his left wrist, admiring the silver band against his pale flesh.
“Look, it matches my shoes!” I told him, flashing him my foot.
He laughed in response and pulled on my waist, forcing me into his wide arms and warm, scented chest.
Vanilla and lavender.
“I don’t deserve this. I’ve been a dick to you all day.”
“Nonsense Luke, you deserve this more than anyone,” I insisted, meaning that in more ways than one.
He smiled his appreciation back and simply wrapped his hands further around my body, seemingly not wanting to let go. I leaned closer, happy to remain there for a little while longer and gently rested my cheek to his chest, marvelling in the sound of his rapidly beating heart.
“Thank you, sweetheart. I love it. I really, really love it,” he sighed, delighted by all accounts.
“I’m pleased you do,” I replied, burying my nose into his dress shirt and enjoying the sound of my new nickname.
Sweetheart. Cupcake.
What next? Sugarplum?