"I'm fine...I'm fine. Thank you."
Connie extracted her arm from his grasp. She could hear the rush and pulse of blood within her ears, her head aching more with each throb.
He smiled, a brief twitch of a smile and again his eyes seemed to laugh at her.
"It's nice to meet you Mrs Beauchamp."
He offered out a hand as he spoke again, and for the first time since he had surprised her she heard his voice properly. It was lower and smoother than she had expected. He caught the slight raise of her eyebrows and the shock that registered on her face before she could hide it.
A small smile played about his lips. It wasn't what he had said that had surprised her, though his pointed use of Mrs had caught her off guard – it was the richness of his tone – luxurious and warm.
She accepted his hand, placing her own within his, feeling how small it felt encased within his fingers, and he shook her hand with the perfect squeeze.
"I'm afraid I don't know your name."
Her sore throat was worsening and her voice came out husky and hoarse.
"Alistair...Ali. Rita said you were making a hot drink...sounds as though you could use one."
When he spoke he looked directly at her, a look so unfaltering that it made her feel compelled to glance away.
"Oh I've just got a bit of a cold."
She cleared her throat though it did no good and turned her back on him, exhaling as she reached for the switch on the coffee machine.
"Coffee?"
She asked without turning.
"Please."
She heard him move behind her, the sound of him rocking back on his heels, the squeak of the soles of his shoes on the stone flooring, and the soft pushing of his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"Milk, sugar?"
"No, thank you."
She pressed a button on the side of the machine and the coffee began to pour.
"I have to say you're not what I was expecting."
His voice sounded alarmingly close to her. He had stepped towards her again without her realising, and when she turned to hand him the white cup of freshly made coffee she found he was only a foot or so from her.
"Thank you."
He said again as he accepted the cup and held it with one hand against his chest, the other still pushed into his pocket.
"And what were you expecting?"
She asked, her voice returning briefly and he smiled, hearing the trueness of it.
"Slightly overweight, short hair...dressed from last years Sports Direct catalogue?"
He grinned and touched his tongue to his teeth.
"How very PC..."
She murmured, noting how straight and white his teeth were, much like his sisters...
"One of my better qualities."
He said quietly. He took a sip from his coffee cup, raising his eyebrows as he looked at her through the steam.
He swallowed.
"Whatever I expected it certainly wasn't you."
He concluded, taking another sip and wincing as the heat scalded his tongue.
"I don't look the type?"
She asked, a deliberate hint of sarcasm to her words.
"You're certainly not the stereotypical lesbian..."
His voice tailed off as she raised her eyebrows.
"Ah..."
He narrowed his eyes with amusement.
"Bisexual?"
He asked, cocking his head to one side.
"Who knows..."
She murmured, turning back to retrieve her own coffee. She raised it to her lips and blew across the surface so that the steam curled before her.
"Well, you know what they say, the grass is always greener on the other side..."
He asked.
"You're certainly very forward."
She took a second sip of her coffee, the warmth of it seemed to soothe her throat and she was able to speak just a little bit more easily.
"Another of my qualities..."
He said with a quirk of his lips, and he lowered his cup, never once taking his eyes from her.
"You are clearly a man of many qualities, even if they are mostly bad ones."
She said quickly, and he laughed out loud, taking himself by surprise.
"And anyway..."
She continued.
"If the grass is greener on the other side, you can bet the water bill is higher."
He drew in a breath, regarding her with a look she couldn't quite place.
"So, how did you end up with my little sister?"
He asked, changing the subject abruptly. She pursed her lips against a smile, glancing down to the coffee she held between her hands. She could feel it's warmth, could smell the nuttiness of it despite her cold.
"Oh we just sort of...happened..."
She touched the fingers of her left hand to her lips and glanced up at him. The laughter behind his eyes had faded.
"Now I know you're serious."
He said quietly.
"Why's that?"
She frowned.
"When you spoke about her just then you lit up. I only had to mention her and your whole demeanour changed – like you'd been lit from within, you can see it in your eyes...in the flush of your cheeks and the smile that you're keeping from your lips..."
He drew in a long breath, his expression seemed to change, and he smiled at her.
"Come on, lets go through, I'm looking forward to the watching my parents make Rita squirm..."
-.-
More tomorrow! xxx