Beneath the Moon and the Stars (22 page)

*

Finn was attempting to read again when Joy knocked on the back door with a bottle of wine. She looked stunning in a simple green summer dress that swished and sparkled as she moved.

‘I’ve come for my date,’ she smiled shyly.

He stared at her and then remembered the arrangements they’d made the day before. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

He stood up and moved over to her. ‘It wasn’t a date. I was just going to teach you how to cook. If it was a date, there would have been candles, romantic music, great food, maybe a bit of dancing. And probably some amazing sex to finish off the perfect night.’

Joy laughed at his candour. ‘Wow, that’s some date. Could we maybe skip all of the food and music and go straight for the hot sex?’

He stared at her, all the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

‘I’m joking Finn, though I could really do with a distraction tonight and someone to talk to.’

‘Ok.’

‘We can do that, can’t we? We are friends after all.’

He thought for a moment. She needed a distraction, but it had to be something that wasn’t remotely romantic. They didn’t need any further temptation. They were friends, what did friends do?

‘Board games.’

‘What?’

He took the wine off her and pulled her into the dining room. ‘I’m a demon at Jenga.’ He opened a cupboard and pulled out a box. ‘And I’m pretty good at Cluedo too. Anything you fancy, I’ve got Monopoly, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit?’

Joy leaned round the cupboard door and looked in, clearly confused with how the evening was suddenly turning. ‘Oooh Hungry Hippos, I used to love that as a child.’

‘You do realise you’re speaking to the regional Hungry Hippo champion?’

Joy laughed. ‘That sounds like a challenge.’

*

Finn laughed as Joy tried to bounce the ball into the cup for the thirty-eighth time.

‘Stop laughing, this is really hard.’ The ball hit the rim and bounced off onto the floor. Again.

‘I’ve never seen someone play The Cube before with so much ineptitude and so much lack of skill.’

Joy disappeared under the table to retrieve the ball, grinning to herself. She hadn’t stopped laughing all night. They had played one board game after another after another. Finn had pretty much ruthlessly thrashed her at every game they’d played. The sexual tension had completely disappeared and she was just really enjoying being in his company.

‘I can’t find the ball.’

‘Oh well, I think it’s best we called it a night anyway. You can go home and lick your wounds about how truly terrible you are at playing games.’

She pulled herself up from the floor and went and sat on the sofa.

‘Thank you for my date tonight, I had a lot of fun.’

‘It wasn’t a date.’

‘That’s a shame because there’s one part of your list for an amazing date that I’d be very interested in.’

‘Oh yes?’ He was teasing her now, his face was straight but his eyes were filled with mischief.

‘I’d like to see you dance, I think that would be very amusing.’

He laughed. ‘I’m a very proficient dancer I’ll have you know.’

‘Well if you ever ask me out on a date, I’ll be the judge of that.’

He frowned slightly and she thought perhaps she might have pushed the conversation too far.

‘Well, Casey told me it was your birthday next week, Wednesday was it? I thought maybe we could go out, do something for the day, that’s if you don’t have plans?’

She stared at him.

‘It’s not a date, so you don’t need to bring your dancing shoes. Just two friends out together.’

She smiled. ‘I’d like that.’

‘Good. And as for the slur on my dancing ability…’ He got up and loaded a CD into the stereo. He hit play and the dramatic sound of the traditional waltz music filled the room. Finn came towards her and took her hand.

‘No, Finn. I trust you, you can dance, I get it.’ He pulled her to her feet. ‘Please, no, I don’t need proof.’

But he wasn’t taking no for an answer. With one hand in hers and the other at her waist, he was suddenly sweeping across the room in a seemingly faultless waltz. And although she had always thought of herself as clumsy and ungainly, she was now waltzing seamlessly too. Finn looked down at her with a huge smile on his face. It filled her heart to see it. The song went on for a good five minutes and Finn didn’t miss a step but eventually the song came to an end and as Finn released her she flopped back onto the sofa, exhausted.

‘You really can dance.’

Finn turned the stereo off. ‘I had to learn for The Darkness trilogy.’

‘I must watch these films one day. I expect your partner was some beautiful movie star.’

‘Hardly, they paired me with some six foot five woman who kept stamping on my feet through every take. I got my own back though when I ripped her throat out.’

‘What?’

He laughed. ‘I was a vampire. I danced with her and then killed her. She hated the fake blood all over her so I kept screwing up the take so we’d have to reshoot it again and again. Pissed her right off.’

‘You really have a way with women don’t you?’

‘I have my moments. Now do you want to tell me what tonight was about before you go home?’

Joy’s face fell and she sighed, her little bubble of happiness popping as she remembered what she wanted a distraction from. ‘PC Annabel French rang me earlier, asking if I wanted to meet up with her and Craig Peters tomorrow? I said I’d go but now I’m wishing I hadn’t.’

Finn took her hand. ‘You don’t have to meet him.’

‘I think I do.’

‘Then I’ll come with you.’

This time she wasn’t going to argue.

*

Joy was lying on the chair swing early the next day, watching the pink morning clouds roll lazily across the pale blue sky. Determined not to spend the night worrying about Craig Peters, she had allowed herself to think about Finn instead. How lovely he was. Although those thoughts had quickly been replaced with thoughts of that amazing passionate kiss in the garden. Regardless of the wonderful ‘friend’ night they’d had the night before, she wanted to finish that kiss and her dreams had been filled with finishing that kiss in the shower, sometimes up against a wall – and her favourite was on Finn’s huge dining table. Desire and need bubbled through her. She felt like a coke can, all shook up and waiting to explode.

‘Knock, knock?’ called Zach, as he let himself through the connecting gate.

She sat up, annoyed at the distraction. He was carrying a big bunch of flowers. Casey was right; Zach was good with the charm. He offered them to her, a collection of white roses and tiny little purple flowers interspersed between them, an artfully arranged shop bought bouquet but she didn’t take them.

His face fell when he saw she was still angry with him and that made her feel guilty. She hadn’t seen him since she accused him of being a letch and she wanted to clear the air between them. Nothing was going to happen between them, the desire she’d first had for him had well and truly passed but Casey seemed to think Zach wasn’t a bad person so maybe they could at least be friends.

‘I’m so sorry for what I did the other night, it was completely inappropriate and I’m really sorry. I just… I really like sex and you were so keen for it and… I just thought at first you were drunk and I know that’s no excuse either… God I’m sorry. I’m glad Finn was there.’

‘So am I.’

He looked distraught.

‘Look, you should know more than anyone that it’s a horrible thing to take advantage of someone when they’re drunk, like Pippa did to you.’

He nodded, sadly. ‘I’m not a bad person. I know I like to fool around with women and have a good time but I’m not bad.’

He looked so low, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

‘You’re not bad and I don’t want this to come between us anymore. We all make mistakes.’

‘We can be friends?’ Zach looked at her hopefully.

She nodded in defeat.

His face split into a grin.

‘Just friends though, Zach. Nothing is ever going to happen between us, you need to know that.’

‘Just friends, I promise.’ He grinned mischievously as he stuck out a hand to shake and she reluctantly shook it. ‘Does that mean you’re still going to come with me to the wedding tomorrow?’

‘No, it’s not appropriate. I’m sorry, but I think it would mean something different to you than it would to me.’

His mischievous grin faded slightly. He stood to leave and passed her the flowers which she duly took this time. He shoulders were slumped slightly as he walked out, but she knew he wouldn’t stay down for long. He was like a jack-in-the-box, he always seemed to bounce back.

But as Finn stepped out from the back of his house, she knew she had bigger problems facing her.

‘You ready to go?’ he asked.

‘Not really.’ She stood anyway. ‘But let’s get it over with.’

*

She sat outside the restaurant on a bench, with Finn sitting quietly next to her. Why was she here? She had asked herself that question several times on the train journey into London. She had asked herself that question several more times in the taxi on the way here from the station. What did she want to gain from meeting him today? She never wanted to see his face ever again. Why was she putting herself through this? She took a calming breath and Finn took her hand.

She needed to prove to herself and maybe to Craig that she wasn’t scared of him. It had been two years and she was a stronger person because of it. She had learned to fight and to defend herself well and she wouldn’t be scared of him. She refused to let him have any control over her and that included any subconscious fears too.

She stood up with renewed determination and walked straight into the restaurant with Finn still holding her hand.

She spotted the policewoman, Annabel, sitting quietly at the table nursing a cup of coffee, and next to her was Craig Peters. He was a lot thinner than she remembered and he’d acquired a bald patch in the last two years too. He sat biting the nails on his hand, looking sad and pathetic.

He stood up when he saw them approach.

‘Joy, thank you for meeting with me today.’ He stuck his hand out and she ignored it.

His eyes cast to Finn and he paled slightly.

‘This is Finn.’

‘Her fiancé,’ Finn said, staring down at Craig with sheer hate and loathing.

She was surprised by the sudden upgrade in their relationship but she was glad she had Finn there for support.

Craig sat down and Joy and Finn sat opposite him. Annabel smiled warmly at Joy but she didn’t say anything, that was down to Craig.

‘I wanted to say how sorry I am. What I did that night was unforgiveable and I’m going to have to live with that for the rest of my life. I have never done anything like that before and nor will I again. I was drunk, I was emotional, my wife had just told me she was cheating on me.’ He shook his head. ‘There is no excuse, no reason that I can give you that will justify my actions, but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind that night. It was never my intention to hurt anyone.’

‘You had a knife, what exactly was your intention when you left home with a knife?’ Joy spat.

‘When your world falls apart, you don’t think logically or calmly.’

Joy looked over at Finn who had lost everything the night his wife had aborted his baby and then to have it confirmed just over a week later when his wife was caught sleeping with Zach. He’d been angry and moody and determined not to let himself get hurt again, but she knew without having to ask that Finn at no point during his grieving process had ever thought about going out and raping a woman to exact some kind of sick revenge on the gender that had hurt him so spectacularly.

Craig placed his cigarette stained hands on the table. ‘I went out that night to scare the shit out of the man that had been screwing my wife. Then after a few drinks I thought I would hurt her by screwing around with someone else, only I couldn’t find anyone who was interested. This made me even angrier. I spent my whole school life being rejected by women. I went out the bar and I saw you. This beautiful woman, the type that rejected me at school and in the bar that night. I was furious.’ He looked down. ‘Everything happened so quickly.’ He closed his eyes as if it pained him to remember what he did. Joy felt anger boil through her. How dare he feel pain over what he had done? He had made that decision to rape her, to take away control from her. He deserved to feel all the pain and guilt that he was feeling. She wanted it to chew him up from the inside. If he wanted forgiveness he would have a long wait.

She was done here, she didn’t need to hear his feeble excuses anymore. She had proved to herself that she wasn’t scared of him – but also, now that she had seen him, she had also seen that he wasn’t as tall or foreboding as she had remembered. He was a small, pathetic little excuse for a man and she was so much stronger than him in many, many ways.

She stood up to leave and Finn stood too. ‘Is everything working ok down there, since I…’ She motioned squeezing with her fist and Craig swallowed.

‘It… erm, seems to be’

Joy leaned over the table and got right in his face. ‘If I ever find out that you’ve hurt another woman, I will find you and rip it off, do you understand?’

Craig stared at her in shock and then at Annabel who was busy staring at the inside of her coffee cup as if the world’s problems might be solved in there.

Joy slammed her hand on the table and Craig leapt back in shock. ‘Do you understand?’

Craig nodded and Joy walked out, followed quickly by Finn.

*

Finn watched Joy step out from the restaurant and look up, smiling at the sun on her face. She laughed to herself and then rounded on Finn with a big grin on her face.

‘Are you ok?’

‘Better than ok?’

The restaurant door opened and Annabel came out.

‘Joy, are you doing ok?’

Joy nodded, still smiling.

Anger swirled in his gut where it had been ever since they had boarded the train. It had now manifested itself into a white hot ball of rage. This not doing anything was killing him, but he had promised. But there was no way he could leave today without doing the one thing he had promised himself he’d do.