The Holly Man

To Have You With Me Day By Day

Amy was roused by the sound of Will coming out of the en suite. She saw him smile and started to sit up before she clutched the silver grey cotton sheets around her, embarrassed by her nakedness. Her face warmed with the flush that rose to her cheeks, and she saw him smile indulgently. "Morning," he said, moving to sit on the side of the bed, "I was just about to make us some coffee." Amy smiled, and he reached to hold her face gently. Her blushing eased in response to his touch, and she closed her eyes. She felt his arms surround her, and she sank into his chest, allowing her fingers to feel his freshly shaved face. She couldn't remember another moment in her life when she'd felt this level of contentment and safety.

After a while Will broke the silence, "Amy," he said, "much as I'd like to spend the rest of today with you in this bed, I'm concerned that you've had quite an ordeal on Friday night, and I want to make sure I take good care of you." Amy smiled without lifting her head,

"I'm not made of china Will, and the care you gave me last night gave me the best night's sleep I think I've ever had." Her head bobbed as his laughter caused his body to move.

"Well," he retorted, "I'm glad to have worn you out in such a positive way, but since I hadn't expected a house guest this weekend, I don't have much food in. I was going to suggest I let you use the bathroom while I make some coffee, and then we go out for breakfast."

"That sounds lovely," she sighed, sitting up.

"What is it?" Will asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Well," she said in a quiet voice, "I obviously don't have a lot of experience, and you," she stopped, and her face burned. Will cupped her face,

"Amy," he said smiling, "You were completely wonderful." She smiled and looked away.

"Who do you sleep with?" she said, turning her blue green eyes to face him. "I mean, after last night, I realised you haven't gone a century without sex."

"No, my darling, I haven't." he said, letting out a surprised laugh. He took a deep breath, "Prostitutes."

"What!" Amy coughed.

"Yes," he nodded, "I don't have to worry about disease, although I always use protection. It allows me to feed easily, and yes, satisfy other needs." He smiled and lifted her chin, "It's a transaction Amy, and one that never comes close to how I felt with you last night. Until you walked into my life, I'd accepted that emotional connection of any depth wasn't possible." He dropped a kiss on her head, "For the avoidance of doubt, I won't be needing such transactional services going forward."

Just over an hour later, they were sitting on the white painted spindled chairs in a quiet corner of a quaint local café. The smell of gently frying bacon lingered in air around them as they waited for their order to arrive. Amy wrinkled her brow at Will's serious expression as he played with her fingers.

"Amy my love," he said, "There's something I didn't tell you about what happened on Friday night."

"Go on, what?" she replied.

"Well," he paused, "I haven't decided what to do about it yet, but I will have to do something. Thing is, that man in the bar." Amy wriggled uncomfortably at the memory, and he cleared his throat, "Yes, well, he...he told me Raj paid him to interfere with your drink." Amy felt her eyes sting with hurt and humiliation,

"What did I ever do to make him do something so horrible? How can he hate me so much to do something like that when he hardly knows me?" She heard what sounded like a growl in Will's throat,

"Because he sees you as a threat." A waitress arrived, and Amy blinked away the tears, muttering thanks and giving her a watery smile. As soon as she'd moved away, she looked into Will's grey eyes,