Awoken - chapter one

Chapter twelve

Twelve

A week or so later, with my suspicions of Beau's behaviour hidden away at the back of my mind, I parked my car up on our uneven cobble driveway. With only a few minutes to spare before Beau was due to arrive, I could hear the buzz of his motorbike approaching from around the corner; it was the familiar hum of the engine that caused my heart to skip a beat. I took a deep breath and swallowed the bulging lump in my throat. As I brushed through my hair with my fingers, trying in vain to remove the tangles, I caught a glimpse of the living room curtains fluttering. I peered round and there was Mum, apprehensively waiting for Beau's arrival. She raised her thumbs and mouthed 'Good Luck' with a silly grin on her face. This was the last thing I needed, I was already nervous.

I waved awkwardly, shooing her away with my erratic hand gestures. Finally she closed the curtain but she obviously didn't realise I could still see her staring through the white floral nets. I jogged apprehensively towards the huge maple tree in next door's front garden. The crisp yellow leaves rustled in the cooling breeze and I was sure that this tree provided sufficient camouflage from my mother's gaze.

He stared at me intently, grinning broadly. I hadn't realised until this moment how much I had missed that smile. I had to remind myself it had only been twenty-four hours since I last saw him at college! I jumped onto the back of the motorbike and forced the shiny, metallic, black helmet onto my head. It hugged snugly to my ears shutting off any interruptions. My thoughts on the other hand barked at me louder than ever. I buckled up the belt under my neck and threw my arms around his waist, gripping tightly and laying my head on his leather clad back.

~~~~

'That took longer than I would have expected' I said, while shaking out my bad case of helmet hair.

'Yeah, well I took a bit of a detour. It's your first go on a motorbike I thought I'd really get some speed under ya.'

Should I let him know now that motorbikes scare the crap out of me? I thought. 'Hey I'm not complaining' I lied, while ungraciously checking my teeth for dead insects. 'I feel so relaxed, no wonder you like just riding about.' That was yet another unnecessary fib to leave my lips.

'I aim to please' he replied. 'It would be a pleasure to take you with me any time Miss Gracie.' His warming smile melted my heart and in that second my anxiety drifted away as his sweet and poetic voice lulled me.

I followed him up the ash gravel drive towards a hefty, tawny, stained stable-style door with large black hinges. The Alice in Wonderland style garden with its colourful overgrown daisies and ornately trimmed bushes reminded me of a scene from a fairytale. The sloping willow trees were decorated with pale pink flower led lights. These trees encased the fairytale cottage and evoked the feeling of childhood bliss and innocence once lost. A part of me felt the impromptu desire to skip like I did when I was little. Draped up the left side of the cottage, from the pebbled pathway to the thatched style roof, was mounds of intricate climbing ivy. It weaved around the white-wash window frames and hung down over the front door. Connected seamlessly onto the right side of the cottage was a renovated barn. This was no ordinary home. I didn't have long to gape in awe at my surroundings before pangs of nervousness plagued my already butterfly filled stomach. Before Beau could even get his key into the lock an older woman appeared and swung open the top section of the door

'Hey come on in! I'm Gwen by the way' she said kindly as I passed by her. Gwen was a slim woman with short, reddish, cropped hair, which made her look a lot younger than I guessed she must have been. Her deep russet eyes were friendly, knowing and oozed compassion. Her peachy coral skin was flawless, apart from the laughter lines around her eyes that highlighted her years of experience. Like Beau, Gwen took my breath away. They both possessed beautiful features on the outside and an inner allure that captured people. They shared agreeing, unspoken glances and warm smiles; I could tell they connected on a level that was foreign to me.