This is the third and final chapter, please enjoy, please note I changed the name of the second chapter to tie in with the Beatles theme. As always reviews are gratefully received.
Chapter 3 – The Long and Winding Road
It was 7.30pm, and Peter Boyd emptied his shopping bags onto his kitchen table and began to sift through his purchases, he pulled a bottle from a large box of beers and opened it, throwing the bottle opener and top onto the draining board of his sink. He continued to put his shopping away when he came across his impulse buy, a Beatles CD. Bloody Grace, he thought to himself, he'd had that tune going around in his head since the evening in her office a couple of days ago, so when he saw the CD in the supermarket he bought it.
He carried the CD, and his beer, through to the lounge and put the CD into his stereo, pressing play he listened to the intro of the first track, You've got to hide your love away, he smiled at the irony of the words, and remembered his earlier conversation with his forensic profiler. He stood and listened as the music played, thinking of Grace as he did so, had he missed his chance with her, or had the chance never even existed. Was it possible that she didn't find him physically attractive, Nah, not possible.
He walked back into his kitchen, leaving the music playing loud enough so he could hear it. He left some prawns and vegetables out of the fridge, planning on cooking a stir fry for his dinner, he put a chopping board on the table, and slung a tea towel over his shoulder.
o0o
Dr Grace Foley parked her car a little down the road from his home, not sure what she was doing. She needed to speak to him, she knew she needed to speak to him, more than that, she wanted to speak to him, but after his earlier admission, was it the right thing to do. She'd dreamed of him saying those words to her, and longed to feel the things he was saying he wanted to do to her, but now, faced with the reality of it all, would it be what she had dreamt of, what she thought she wanted, or just the biggest mistake she'd ever made.
She seemed to sit in the car for an eternity, still pondering over whether or not to go and speak to him, whether to go and knock on his front door, she even got out of the car once and then got back in again. What if all he wanted was a physical relationship, or if after one night together he decided he didn't want her at all, the thought of his rejection causing her to slump back in the car seat again.
She knew Boyd, she knew what he was and what he wasn't, and what he wasn't was the kind of man who was going to lay his heart open, he certainly wasn't the hearts and flowers kind of man, the sort of man who was going to go down on one knee and declare his undying love for her after one night together, bit she needed more than a physical relationship, more than just sex.
That thought made things even worse, sex, oh god, what if he wanted to sleep with her straight away, what if he expected more than she was willing or able to give. She'd been happily single for a long time, she wasn't saying she was past it, or no longer had a longing for physical affection, but it had been a while, and she doubted very much whether it had been that long for him. He hadn't had a relationship since Sarah, she knew that, but she suspected that he'd had the occasional one night stand, times when he'd given his number out to someone, and one occasion when he'd had to change his shirt at work, and, never shy, he'd changed in front of her, she couldn't help but notice the scratch marks on his back, or the bite mark on his neck. But what could she say, he was a very attractive man, with an aura about him that was almost overwhelming.
o0o
Boyd put his wok on the cooker, and added a little oil, it was just as he did this that his doorbell rang, he walked through to the front door with his beer in his hand, and the tea towel still slung over his shoulder, he opened the door to see Grace standing before him.
"Grace? What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk, can I come in?"
"Yeah of course. I was just making a stir fry if you're hungry, there's more than enough for two."
"Um yeah, that would be lovely."
"Can I get you a drink?" Grace nodded her head to him. "I've got beer, or red or white wine, I could open a bottle with dinner."
"White's fine by me."
"Okay, well come through to the kitchen, otherwise I'll set fire to dinner."
Grace followed him through to the kitchen, where he opened a bottle of Chardonnay from his fridge and poured her a glass, he put the bottle on the table and set two places, cooking and stirring as he did so.
"So you wanted to talk?" He said as they sat down to eat.
"I think we need too, don't you?"
"I think I said too much earlier."
"What is it that you want Boyd? I mean do you want a relationship, or just another notch on your bedpost, because I don't have the kind of emotional detachment required for a no strings attached sexual relationship, I need more than that, a lot more than that."
"Well maybe it should be me asking what it is you want?"
"I want the works, someone to hold my hand on long walks, to cuddle up on the sofa on a cold night, someone who will hold me and comfort me when I'm sad, someone who will make love to me and not leave before it gets light."
"The works eh? That's quite a sizeable requirement Grace."
"I know, but I'm too old to be messed around, I don't want an occasional fumble, where you get up and leave before morning, I'm not asking for a declaration of undying love, but I am asking for a commitment."
"Why do you think that all I want is sex?"
"Because I know you well enough to know that you don't do relationships."
"I've had relationships, I was married for god's sake."
"And divorced."
"Yeah okay I'm divorced, doesn't mean I'm incapable of making a commitment."
"I didn't say you were incapable, maybe unwilling would be a better description."
"Okay, okay, you've told me what it is you want, now I'm going to tell you what I want. Yes I want a physical relationship with you, I want to take you to bed and do things that'll frighten the fish, make you moan so loud the neighbours will complain and sweat so much we'll need to change the sheets, but, and it's a big but, I don't just want sex, I want to hold your hand on long walks along the river, I want to wake up with the feel of your breath on my neck, I want to make you breakfast in bed on a Sunday morning and then stay in bed till lunchtime, to hold you in my arms if you're sad and make you feel safe if you're afraid. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying I'm gonna magically turn into something straight off the pages of a mills and boon book or start serenading you from the street, but I think we want the same things, don't we?"
"And what if I'm not ready for a physical relationship yet, what if I want to wait a while, how will you feel about that?"
"I'm a bloke Grace, and for the majority of the time quite a normal one, I think, and as with all blokes I think about sex sometimes, but as much as it pains me to admit it, at my age it isn't the only thing I think about, if you want to wait a while before we get between the sheets, then fine."
"Everything you said earlier, it was all about the physical side of things."
"I know what I said, I was just trying to make you understand how I felt, of course I want to make love to you, but when you're ready, not before."
"I didn't know you were so sensitive Boyd."
"Believe it or not Grace, there is actually quite a lot you don't know about me."
"Such as?"
"That I am a fantastic kisser."
"Really."
"You should try it sometime."
Grace got up from the table and placed her plate in the sink, running water onto it, Boyd stood beside her, "Kiss me Grace." he spoke lightly into her ear.
She turned her back on the sink and stood facing him, she gently moved forward and placed her lips against his, as soon as he felt her lips against his he took control, the kiss remained soft and delicate, moving his mouth against hers, he waited a few minutes before gently moving his tongue so that it clashed with hers, his hands naturally moved to her waist and then slid around her back so that he was holding her tightly. He eventually pulled away, "Why don't we take the rest of this bottle through to the lounge?"
"I have to drive home."
"You can get a taxi."
Grace picked up her glass and walked out of the kitchen, as she walked into his lounge she picked up his Beatles CD, "So you're a Beatles man are you?"
"No not really, I'm more of a stones man, but I haven't been able to get that bloody tune out of my head since the other day, when you were playing it in your office."
"So I've turned you into a Beatles fan."
"Mmm, maybe, but then again I do believe you could turn me into anything you wanted to."
He sat close to her on the sofa, one arm laying lazily across her shoulders, the Beatles CD playing softly in the background, every now and again unable to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss her, never trying to take things any further than a kiss, completely respecting her wishes.
"Ooh, turn it up this is my favourite track." She said to him
He turned up the stereo, and then extended his hand to her, Grace took his hand and stood up, he pulled her into his arms as the song began to play.
The Long And Winding Road, That Leads To Your Door
Will Never Disappear
I've Seen That Road before, It Always Leads Me Here
Leads Me To Your Door
Thank you for reading, this is the end of this one.
