“I bet you have,” she replied making them both laugh again, the tension lifting.
“There was one girl; she was seriously perfect, young, beautiful, bright, funny, a body to die for and the sex . . . it was beyond brilliant, but I didn’t really see the bigger picture and the personal turmoil she was going through and I pushed too hard, so she bolted,” he said solemnly.
Steph sipped on her own drink and smiled at him before asking, “Do you know where she is? Maybe you could make things right and correct your mistakes.” She placed a supportive hand on his bare forearm.
“I know exactly where she is.” He leaned closer. “She is sitting with her hand on my arm, so tell me, can I make things right for us, Stevie?”
Before Steph could reply, he was cupping her chin with his free hand.
“Shit! Me? I am sorry Chris, I’m not free to even consider that. I love Jon and I am very happy with him. If I gave you the impression that there was anything unfinished between us . . .” she said before he interrupted.
“No, it’s what I expected, but I let you get away once and I have regretted it ever since and I would never have forgivenmyself for not trying. Have I ruined our evening or can I get you another drink?” Chris appeared to have already recovered from her rebuttal.
“Yeah, thanks.” Relieved that any possible awkwardness had dissipated, Steph was happy to accept another drink.
Chris took off back into the bar leaving Steph to think about his revelations. He still had a thing for her and had tried his luck tonight after regretting letting her go years before. The thought that occupied her mind in more detail and for longer was the fact that Jon had threatened him and his job. How dare he, they were back to her being an acquisition that belonged to him and Chris was attempting some kind of hostile takeover. That man was controlling in the extreme while he was safely tucked away at home, wherever that was with Daddy and the little wifey. He would be seriously pissed off with her for being out with Chris, if she told him, but then he was keeping his own secrets, wasn’t he?
“Sorry, there was a queue at the bar,” said Chris in explanation of the time it had taken him to return.
They continued to reminisce, catching each other up on the missing years over their second drink and Chris shared some of the funnier stories he’d experienced or heard as a doctor while Steph told him how she’d ended up working for Jon, including the story of her putting Jack Baker on his arse.
Steph declined a third drink and explained that she intended to go into work the following morning as her dad was stable and conscious, but would visit him later in the day or evening. Chris had implied some kind of wrongdoing on Jon’s part for her going into work, but she had rightfully defended him because she knew that he would never have pressured her into working or doing anything if she didn’t want to or if Roger had needed her.
Chris excused himself with a call of nature before he intended to walk her back to the hospital car park. She watchedhim disappear into the pub and after a few minutes she got to her feet, preparing to leave and checked her phone that displayed a simple message from Jon.
Hope your dad is ok tonight. I am sorry that we parted as we did, but this afternoon was amazing, you were. If you want to stay at mine feel free. I will see you at the office tomorrow. You didn’t say whether you had opened your present, I will see tomorrow I suppose and remember, I love you. Jon x
She was considering her response when Chris emerged from the pub and seemed to skip along the path and up the two stone steps before reaching her, bowing slightly then asking, “May I?”
Steph frowned at his question until the music from the jukebox that was being broadcast outside as well as inside started and she laughed.
“Really?” she asked surprised.
“Oh yes, one last dance, Stevie, for old time’s sake as there’ll be no new times,” he said and before she could answer he had pulled her towards him and began dancing around the beer garden to the mild amusement of the other patrons.
Steph allowed herself to be led initially and then became a more willing and active participant in the slow dance toTruly Madly Deeplyby Savage Garden, their song.
The other occupants of the beer garden were obviously more amused when Chris began to sing at her or to her, or both as he spun her around.
Steph laughed loudly as he continued to sing out of tune and their spectators became increasingly amused.
At the end of the song Chris took a bow and applauded her too making her blush and laugh before her embarrassment increased a hundred fold when he announced to the rest ofthe beer garden, “We used to make love to that, but she loves somebody else now.”
Steph felt that they were all extending their sympathies with their choruses of ‘ahs’ before he took her hand again and led her from the beer garden for the short journey back to the hospital car park where Chris insisted on walking her right to her car.
“Nice car, the one you always wanted if memory serves me right,” he observed.
“Yes.”
“Don’t tell me, a little something off Mr Brooker!” A hint of bitterness crept into his voice.
“Kind of, well yes,” she admitted.
“I am back on shift tomorrow afternoon so I might see you on the ward, but if not thank you for a fabulous evening. Maybe we could do it again, as friends. Night, Stevie,” he said and gently kissed her on the cheek and held her driver’s door open for her before running across the car park, presumably to his own car.
Steph wasin bed before she replied to Jon’s text and kept it brief as she was exhausted and desperate for sleep. She considered ignoring him and just seeing him at the office the following day. The fact that she had begun a relationship with him knowing he had a wife made it rather petty to ignore him because he had dared to go and see her. After all, he had been with her almost solidly since her dad’s accident and that afternoon they had made very hot love in the bed she was now lying in. She really needed to get her head around it all and get on with it, enjoy their time together and not think of their time apart, or accept she couldn’t do this.
She sent the message and smiled as she thought of seeing Jon again.
