Page 81 of You Were Always the One

‘It is a shame…’ she says innocently, gazing into my eyes.

‘What is?’ I frown.

‘That you will be leaving soon.’ She shrugs. ‘We could have had quite a nice time together.’

I can’t believe my luck, that Sophie actually thinks of me that way. But then I think of Holly. In my heart, I still can’t completely give up on her.

She places a hand decisively on my chest. ‘But I don’t think it would work. In any case, why would we spoil a beautiful friendship?’

After she leaves, I wonder why she thinks it wouldn’t work. And then my mind is racing with all kinds of things, while it’s become abundantly obvious that what I most need to do right now is finish my book. And at last, I know how to.

It’s almost dark outside as I open my laptop. Taking it out to the terrace, I swat away the mozzies, then pour myself another glass of wine and take a sip. If this is what it takes to get the words flowing, so be it.

That’s how the next few hours pass. With no view and no sounds around me, apart from the weird noises coming from the frog pond, I write uninhibitedly until, at some point, I fall asleep.

SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO

The longest afternoon of my life passed. It also turned out to be the most significant one. Because it was only faced with losing Skye forever that my brain did something useful and I worked out where I’d been going wrong. I wasn’t going to find happiness travelling around the world – glorious though that would have been. And that’s what I’d been chasing when I met Skye. Had been chasing, for years. I’d thought happiness was those short-lived bursts of excitement that came from discovering a different beach, or an evening watching sunsets from yet another beach bar. From being constantly on the move. And lovely though it all was, the reality was that it was a distraction, because real happiness wasn’t something you find out there. It came from somewhere deep inside you. And if you hit the jackpot, you got to share it with someone special.

And I’d just gone and fucked up the best thing that ever happened to me. Suddenly in a panic, I grabbed my keys, then ran outside to my car.

When I came back, the lights were on in the house and I breathed a tentative sigh of relief that Skye was home. I gathered my shopping from the back seat, my heart thumping in my chest as I made my way up the path. Opening the door, I went inside, glancing over the top of the flowers I was carrying to find Skye sitting on the sofa.

I went over to her. ‘These are for you.’

She didn’t move. ‘I don’t want flowers.’

Still holding them, I sat down next to her. ‘I need to tell you something.’

She shrugged wordlessly, which I took to mean she was at least going to listen.

‘When you walked out earlier and I thought I was going to lose you, something happened, Skye,’ I said earnestly. ‘And I know it’s going to sound ridiculous, but I finally worked out what happiness is. I thought it was something waiting to be discovered. I think that’s what travelling was about. Chasing that elusive something, which I never found.’ I took a deep breath. ‘But I found you. And it’s in here.’ I put a hand on my chest. ‘And I know what it is now. It’s you. It’s how I feel about you. It’s sharing this life and this little cottage with you. And that’s the truth. I could be on the most beautiful beach in the world, but it wouldn’t mean anything if you weren’t with me. You see, Skye, it doesn’t matter where we are. What matters is being with you.’

She turned to look at me. ‘That’s lovely. Really it is,’ she said. ‘But the thing is, it’s just words.’

‘It really isn’t.’ Putting down the flowers, I got up, then took her hands. ‘Let me show you.’

I led her out into the garden. It was a wild tangle of a place. But it was ours. It was also gorgeous and vibrantly alive, and everything that Skye was. We walked over to this delicate pink rose that was in flower, and that’s when I summoned my courage to ask her the biggest question of my life.

‘You’re the love of my life, Skye.’ Going down on one knee, I gazed into her beautiful eyes. ‘Will you marry me?’

It took me a while. It also took an almost-disaster. But finally I knew what was important. It was being honest – and not just with Skye, but with myself. Accepting that life wasn’t perfect, and it wouldn’t always be easy, but we would get through those times because we accepted who each other was, we wanted to be together, and we loved each other.

Fortunately, Skye forgave me, enough to say ‘yes’. And then we had that most magical of occasions to plan. Our wedding. And I had an idea about that, too.

‘Let’s have another adventure,’ I said. ‘We can run away – only for a few days. Anywhere you want to go. Get married on a beach. Then come back here and start the rest of our lives,’ I added, just to make sure.

A smile slowly spread across her face. There was love there, too, as that part of Skye who was a free spirit was back. ‘Yes,’ she whispered.

29

RIGGS

I wake the following morning to an aching neck and the sound of deafening birdsong. Opening my eyes, I find myself sprawled across the table, my laptop still open in front of me, the bottle of wine three-quarters empty. Sitting up, I flinch as my neck stretches. Then I glance at my laptop, a sense of wonder coming over me because somehow, overnight, my word count has shot up.

It lifts my spirits as I shower, whistling to myself – and the birds, and anyone else who happens to be listening. Then, getting dressed, I make myself an extra-strong coffee. Going out to my laptop, I read through what I wrote last night, before typing the two most momentous words known to every writer.

The End