"You're a fantastic cook" He said with a smile
"Actually, I bought this" She replied, blushing slightly
"Not just this, the whole meal, it was fantastic" He said, taking a mouthful of food.
"Thanks" She smiled, noticing he had some cream on his chin. She smiled
"What?" He asked, wondering why she was smiling at him like that
"Nothing" She said as she leant forward, putting her hand gently onto his cheek and wiping away the stray dessert with her thumb, before smiling angelically and eating it
Des found himself rendered helpless, he couldn't move, he couldn't talk. He stared at her adoringly, feeling an uncontrollable desire to kiss her, to tell her she was the only woman he could ever want, but he couldn't.
Sheelagh could see the look in his eyes, she was more surprised by him not making a move. Rather than do something she might regret in the morning, she shuffled along the sofa and rested her head against his chest. He put his arms around her and held her there.
"Thanks for coming, Des" She whispered
"Thanks for inviting me" He said, his voice muffled as his face was buried gently into her hair.
She sat back up, looking him in the eye
"What's been up with you lately anyway?" She asked curiously
"What do you mean? He replied
"You've just been so quiet, and...I'm just worried about you, that's all" She said, trying to look into his eyes but finding it too hard
"I've just not been getting very much sleep lately that's all" He said, it wasn't a lie, it was just being economical with the truth
"Why?" Sheelagh wasn't prepared to give up that easily
"Bad dreams" He sighed
"What about?" She asked, she couldn't believe that a dream would scare Des Taviner!
"You" He murmured, looking away from her
Sheelagh's heart jumped
"What about me?" She found herself asking
"It's the same dream every night, we answer a shout in a multi-storey car park, you say we should split up and look around, and I try to argue but you won't let me and then someone shoots you" He replied honestly
"It's only a dream, Des" She said sympathetically
"It's more than that, Shee. Every night I go to sleep and I lose you, I couldn't face waking up and losing you too" He said quietly
Sheelagh sighed, and put her arms around him.
"And this is what's been bothering you all these weeks?" She whispered in his ear
"Yeah, I'm so worried something's going to happen to you, that's why I've made you turn down so many shouts" He said as he buried his face in her neck
Sheelagh pulled back again, she stared deep into his eyes for a moment
"I don't know what to say" She whispered
"Sorry" He replied
"Don't be sorry" She said quietly as she leant in and kissed him gently on lips
She looked at him for reassurance, just to make sure she wasn't making a mistake. Des smiled at her, and leant forward to kiss her again. For all he knew a moment as magical as this should momentarily ease his concerns, it didn't, it just seemed to compound them. Now he knew Sheelagh felt something for him, he knew it wasn't just in his head.
"I suppose I should go" He said reluctantly
He didn't want to but he knew it was the right thing to do, he stood up and offered Sheelagh his hands, she reached out and took hold and he pulled her to her feet. They walked to the front door
"Thanks for a lovely evening, Des" She smiled shyly
"Thank you, dinner was fantastic, it's been so long since I had a proper home cooked meal I'd forgotten how good they are!" He beamed
"It was nothing, really, but you know, next time I've got the house to myself you're welcome to come and keep me company" She blushed
"Night" He said as he wrapped his arms around her once more, pulling her in for a final kiss
The gentle lingering kiss was finally broken by the phone ringing, Sheelagh had no intention of answering it
"Night Des" She said with a kind smile
"Night" He said as he ran his fingers through her hair once more
"Don't worry, I think you've got something a bit better to dream about to tonight" She grinned, giving him a cheeky wink
"Mmm, I think you're right" He leant forward and kissed her again before opening the door, taking her hand, and kissing it gently.
"Drive carefully" She said quietly
Des nodded and smiled as he walked to his car, Sheelagh stood on her doorstep watching him go. She sighed to herself and went back inside, closing the door behind her. She was exhausted but she knew she couldn't leave the pots out or it would be blatantly obvious to Patrick and the kids that she'd had company.