Your Time To Shine

Part 13

“There’s just so much food to choose from on the desert isle, I could barely take my eyes away,” Sara laughed after finding her way back to the table where Luke sat waiting for her- she’d surprised Luke and brought him back some dessert like he’d asked her too, she’d just picked what looked nice and hoped it tasted as nice as it looked. She placed it carefully on the table- she’d opted for what looked like a mince pie, but without the mince, something a lot sweeter it seemed as she took a bite into it- but not quite a jam tart. She couldn’t be too sure.

“You and your food, eh?” Luke laughed, not too loud though, or else he knew he’d get disapproving glares from all the people around that seemed to high up in the world to be in such a hotel like this one, that wasn’t long from their home. They looked so ... rich, their clothes looked expensive as did their accessories. Any one of the old women could of passed as the queen.

Sara’s face twisted- a mix of a frown that was trying to not let her heart turn it upside down into a wide-mouthed teeth-showing smile. “Shh, that’s mean!” She stuck her fork straight into her plate, making a scratching sound. She flinched, recoiling her fork back immedietly to place it down on the table because she didn’t want to make any more of a fuss.

“You ready?” Luke clasped his hands together after he’d wiped his mouth with the napkin. Getting a clean napkin, he wiped Sara’s upper lip- she’d had some jam lingering on the left side of her lips. “Now we’re done. I see you haven’t got any makeup on today.” He stood up, pushing his chair neatly under the table, his eyes never leaving Sara’s.

“Yeah, I’ve been listening to you a lot more often now. You’ve made me realize the true beauties on the inside of me, not the outside; although that helps a lot too, if you’re beautiful on the outside too, naturally of course.” Sara giggled, pressing the chair so close to the table so that it wouldn’t go under any further, just to reduce the risk of some clumsy person walking past, catching their foot and falling head first into, more than likely, somebody carrying a plate full of food, and then get their face covered in food. That’s what would happen, knowing peoples luck. And it would be all Sara’s fault for not checking her chair was tucked under properly.

Luke smiled triumphantly. “Only a real girl could admit that.” He winked at her playfully, linking his arm into hers cutely. “I could take you down to the gardens? They’ve cleared the ice and it’s quite a warm night for this time of year.”

“That sounds absolutely wonderful, and I bet they are really something to look at as well. The hotel alone is a wonder, but I can’t wait to see their gardens.”

“My mother used to work here.” Luke told Sara- like he was telling her a long story from many years ago. “Before I was born, of course, she worked in helping the gardens and keeping them up to scratch, you could say...” Through an ivory gate, “Everybody who knew her, worked with her, said she was a wonderful woman...” Up through the cream-colored stone path, under the roof of trees, opened up into a very bright wonderful garden, in the centre a large, oak wood tree that drew your attention with its proud, haughty stance. “And she cared for that tree, and her mother did, and her mother, and her mother, and her mother before that, until you get back to her mother who planted this tree. It’s been a tradition, you could say, but when my mother didn’t give birth to a girl, it stopped, because I’m a man. I took on a new career, one new to my whole family.”

“That’s so wonderful.” Sara stepped forward, almost breathless, to run her hands down the trunk of the oak-tree- it seemed so delicate, yet it also seemed tall, mighty, but not at all haughty. Wise, if a tree could be wise, it would definitely be the oak tree- so old yet so young. “It’s a breathtaking tree, don’t you think?”

“Of course, but have you not seen it’s ‘sister’ as I call it, the willow tree?” Sara followed his pointing finger to the left of the oak tree, her eyes lying down upon an elegant willow tree that invited her in to come and inspect it.

“Very nice,” Sara complimented but her eyes followed the bright colours of the rose bushes- Roses were her favourite flowers. “These rose bushes are so amazing- I’ve never seen them so pure and untouched. Yet it’s as they say, every rose has its thorns.”

“Oh don’t start this one again, Sara! We’ve been through it before.” Luke frowned helplessly, stepping forward to take her hands. Their eyes locked into place. She glanced down at the floor, but he tipped her head with his index finger, caressing her throat with his other hand. “Stop me if you must,” He told her, tilting his head towards hers... going in for the kill, as they say. Their lips met- a reaction that they hadn’t felt the first time they’d kissed in the classroom- running strong and fresh through the veins. A reaction that you’d only feel when you truly loved someone but had denied them the luxury of loving you, even when you knew that’s what you wanted.

It was magic.

Luke drew back- mainly because he was out of breath, but he didn’t know if Sara had wanted or not, she hadn’t stopped him, but she hadn’t been able to get a word in edgeways before he’d gone in to kiss her. “I’m sorry I-”

“Shh.” Sara placed her finger on his lips softly. “It’s okay. I wanted it this time. I’m willing to give us a try.”

“You were waiting until you were sixteen...” Luke angelically worked out- all the pieces were falling into place now.

“Shall we go back to the room, now? It’s getting quite dark...”

Oh how it was a struggle to get into the room- Luke tried the key, then Sara did, then Luke did, then they twisted it this little bit further and it suddenly almost fell into the room swiftly before their eyes at that moment. “Oh my, we are a pair aren’t we?” Sara laughed giddily, chucking her head back so that her bright red hair trickled down to her waist in a mass of curls and waves.

“Yes we are. I’ll get changed in the bedroom, you get changed in the bathroom?” Luke suggested- it would take him less time to get changed so by the time Sara had token all of her clothes off, to pull a whole new set of pyjamas on, Luke will of got his sleeping-shorts on by then anyway, so it wouldn’t matter if she just walked out without knocking to see if he had gotten changed- the likelihood of it was, he’d already be changed.

“Sure.” She reached into her bag for some pyjamas, nipping into the bathroom to get changed into the baby-pink pyjamas that weren’t too warm, but they wouldn’t be too cold either. They were just right for a great night’s sleep. She appeared from the bathroom door with her eyes closed, hand over her eyes- reminding her of when she’d first met him in the gym.

“I’ve got my sleeping shorts on don’t worry.” Luke offered her a lop-sided grin.

“Ah,” She dropped her hand to her side, tossing her clothes into the bottom of her suitcase for washing when she got home. Her mother had packed all the stuff that she would of packed if she’d of known, exactly the same clothes, outfits, underwear, accessories, deodorant... it was just plain weird how great minds thought alike.

Luke slipped into the first single bed, Sara slipping into the second single bed.

It was quite a while into the night- after the howling of the wind because it was the first windy night in a while, that Sara whimpered; “Luke?” When he managed a groan, he continued. “I’m scared that some bodies outside.”

Luke smacked himself to wake himself up properly. “I’ll go and check.” He padded towards the door, opened it, peeked outside, then shut the door, making sure it was locked from the inside. “No-one there. Are you really scared?”

“Yes, Luke.” Her innocent eyes looked up into his.

He sighed. “Come here,” He crooned, sliding into the bed beside her, wrapping his warm arms around her cold body. “You’re so cold. Do you think you can get some sleep now that I’m here to protect you?” He glanced over at the digital clock on the side. “It’s one o clock on the morning. You really need to get some sleep.”

“I will...” She attempted to stutter, but she was already half asleep, soothed by the comfort of his welcoming arms.