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62
Time Heals All Things
Everyone was laughing and talking at the top of their voices. Wine was flowing, glasses clinking. The sun was setting over Cockle Bay as Christmas lights twinkled along the windows of Windross House Restaurant.
“Another year over,” my boss shouted.
“Here’s to another great year ahead,” someone shouted in reply.
We all raised our glasses and drank merrily.
Michael had his arm around my waist. He kissed me on the side of the neck frequently. Heather raised her eyebrows at me.
We hadn’t kept our relationship secret, but we also hadn’t made an issue of it either. Some of our colleagues wouldn’t have known we were dating, let alone living together. It had just seemed like the right thing to do in the beginning.
I’d been damaged. He’d been cautious. We’d both silently agreed not to make a fuss about it.
But things had obviously changed.
Michael swayed with me to the music, monopolised me, wouldn’t let anyone else near me to ask for a dance.
“Not tonight,” he’d say every time someone approached. “Kylee’s mine.”
It always made them laugh.
“What are you doing?” I whispered after the third time it had happened.
“Staking my claim,” he whispered back.
I rolled my eyes. He kissed me.
The dinner was crazy loud; everyone sang Christmas carols. Gail split a bottle of wine all over her boyfriend. Heckling and wolf whistles abounded.
The entire time, Michael held my hand, or slung his arm around my shoulder over the back of the chair, or simply kissed me.
Part of me was unsure how to take this overly gregarious form of Michael in public.
Part of me was simply thrilled that he wanted the world to see that he loved me.
I started to kiss him when he least expected it.
By the time we got home, he was whistling.
By the time he went to sleep, he’d had one of his wildest fantasies made real.
By the time I did, I knew he was the one for me.
* * *
Iwalked through the mall, checking my watch, making sure I wasn’t taking longer than my one-hour lunch slot. I grabbed some flowers. Picked up some shaving cream for Michael. And hummed along to the music playing over the speakers.
I rounded the corner and banged into Tayla.
For a second I couldn’t breathe.
Then she was hugging me, and I was hugging her, and she was talking a mile a minute about something.
Not once did she mention Sean.
