* * *
‘What if we keep on getting distracted by… the views… and miss the plane?’ I ask a bit later after we emerge very dishevelled from a cluster of trees that offered some handy screening from passers-by to get up to things that should definitely not be done in public.
‘On it.’ Dominic sets an alarm on his phone, and then puts his arm round me and hugs me against his side as we walk.
We do not make it to the point. I’m not even sure it is a point, actually. And I do not care.
Dominic’s alarm goes off while we’re gasping together against a tree trunk in another handy group of trees, having done a lot more al fresco stuff than I ever believed I would do.
‘We have to turn round and go back, and I think that’s a good thing,’ he says, still panting a little. ‘Otherwise you might actually kill me. I might be too old for all this… activity.’
‘Never too old.’ I run my hand over his chest and then kiss him, and then we get distracted again.
Eventually, we make ourselves fully decent and leave the shelter of the trees.
‘What if this happensagain on the way back and we do actually miss the bus?’ I worry.
‘I’m going to set a series of alarms.’
We get distracted aloton the way back, and make it to the hotel by the skin of our teeth, in time to see Maxim looking at his watch and pacing, but still there, thank goodness.
‘Sorry, sorry, sorry,’ I say breathlessly as we skid to a halt in the hotel foyer. ‘We got distracted by the amazing views.’
Maxim looks at me long and hard and then says, ‘Did you fall asleep?’
‘Erm?’ I ask.
‘You have leaves and twigs in your hair,’ he tells me.
‘I did sit down for a rest,’ I say with great dignity. ‘I was a little tired from last night’s wonderful festivities so I may have nodded off briefly and rested my head against a tree.’
Dominic rescues me from mean Maxim. ‘It wasgreaton the beach last night. The whole trip’s been amazing in fact. Thank you so much, Maxim.’ He looks at his watch. ‘We should go, shouldn’t we? So sorry if we held you up.’
Once we’re seated on the minibus, he says in a low voice, just for me, ‘You’re having a terrible effect on me. I amneverlate. And here I am, late. And, worse: I did not mind atall. In fact, I positively relished it. Like you have literally turned me into a different person.’
I smile.
We sit with our thighs comfortably resting against each other’s for the journey. I fall into a deep sleep almost as soon as we set off, and wake only when we arrive at the airport, to find that I’ve been nestled in the crook of Dominic’s arm the whole time.
‘Thank you.’ I smile up at him. ‘You make a very good pillow.’
He returns my smile. ‘I’ll take that compliment.’
By unspoken agreement, we separate from the rest of the group once we’re through security and wander off together. We do a little bit of shopping. (Well, I do; Dominic, in his words, does not see the need to buy stuff that might seem like a good idea now but will in fact turn out to be complete tat that he will never use again.) We eat some biltong. We marvel at the Lego-creating skills of whoever built the enormous models in the Lego shop. We’re just…together. Like very close friends. Or lovers.
Lovers.
Love.
My heart lurches as I stare blindly at an enormous Lego creation of Table Mountain.
I love him. I have fallen in love with him.
I think I did fall in actual love at first adult sight with him all those years ago. I think I just buried it for a few years. And now the love has resurfaced.
Fuck.
16
