Charlie's Dream (12 page)

They got off on the West Bank, in an area that Peter called the artists' enclave. They found a tiny restaurant with tables set up outside in an alleyway where they stopped for lunch. Marie couldn't believe how open she was when she talked about her relationship with Charlie. He was genuinely upset when Marie told him about Charlie's accident and particularly, when he heard what had happened between them just before it.

"Whoa, that kind of puts my grievances in their place. It makes me feel self-absorbed," he said, as Marie finished telling him about her time in the hospital.

"No, don't think that," said Marie. "The wrong things often motivate the decisions we make. It seems to me that as we get older we lose our intrinsic love and appreciation of being alive and so we hide amongst the things we manage to possess. Of course ultimately this is unfulfilling to our hearts and we become inflexible and intolerant," she blurted out in one huge breath.

"Whoa, where did that come from?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say anything to upset you, it just comes out sometimes. I get so angry with myself," said Marie, blushing.

"No, don't, what you say is true. I've had a lot of time to think while I've been living here in Paris and, quite frankly, I've been pretty lonely. I've had the money, the glamorous girlfriends and expensive suits, you know, the whole bit, but I haven't felt anything in my heart for ages. Nothing really matters to me anymore, it's just a blank. Then, you come along at the time when I'm in the very depths of depression, and you touch me with your vibrant nature. You're so alive, you care so much about everything and I don't know whether that makes me feel worse about myself or better about life. But thank you," he said, holding her hands across the table.

"I don't know what to say," said Marie, timidly.

"BRIINNG, BRIINNG," interrupted Peter's mobile that was in one of his pockets.

"Damn it, damn it," he muttered, trying to find which pocket it was in.

"Hello, Peter Allbrush," he said, somewhat sharply into the receiver. "Oh, hello Gemma. Yes, yes she's here, I'll put her right on," he continued, handing Marie the phone, somewhat sheepishly.

"Hi Gemma," said Marie cheerfully.

"So, how are you going, are you having fun?" said Gemma, in a slightly distracted tone.

"Yes, everything's fine, but what's the matter? You sound rather strained," said Marie.

"Ah well, things are a bit bigger here than I first thought. I've been asked to stay on for the afternoon session and an evening meal. I wouldn't normally bother, but everyone's here. Old Geoffrey has done quite an impressive job, so I think I should stay and support what he's doing. Would you be okay with that? I do feel awful about it."

"Gemma, that's fine. When I said we were having a good time, I really meant it. He's lovely," she said, turning away from Peter as she talked about him.

"Oh, tell me, tell me, what's going on."

"Okay thank you that's fine, so don't you worry about us. I'm sure Peter can get me home okay, so I'll see you back at the house," said Marie, completely ignoring her. "I'd better go though, good luck with your dinner," she said, before Gemma could respond.

"We'll get it out of you tonight, don't you worry about that, every detail," said Gemma, laughing.

"Okay, bye," said Marie clicking the off button on the handset and handing it to Peter. "Ooh, she's a tricky one," she said with a knowing smile. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me for the next few hours, if that's not too much to ask?"

"Oh, it sounds pretty awful to me," said Peter smiling. "So what would you like to do now? The options are endless." he said, going very slightly red.

"I'd like to go for a walk and just have a look around. Gemma mentioned this part of town a few times, so I think I'd like to get to know it a little bit."

"Sounds fine to me. In fact, an old girlfriend of my Dad's has a house a bit further down the river from here. She's an artist and a complete nutcase, but totally lovely too. I haven't managed to visit her since getting here, but when I was a kid, I knew her really well because she and Dad lived together. That was when he was a bit wilder and a lot less political, of course. What do you think, are you game, or would you like to do something less personal?"

"No, something personal sounds just fine," said Marie, lightly.

They made their way down a number of unmarked streets that wound along the riverbank beneath the ever-present plane trees that cast shadows on the gravel. Marie was just beginning to wonder what was going on, when Peter pointed along the riverbank.

"There it is, the old wool shed that Rachel bought in the sixties. It must be worth an absolute fortune now, it's like nothing you could buy these days. Just you wait, you'll love it," he said, rejoining their hands and picking up the pace of their walk.

"You're excited about coming here, aren't you?" said Marie, attempting to adjust her stride to match his.

"Yes, I am, she was great to me at a time when I didn't really have anyone else around. My dad was immersed in his career and my mum was on another planet, as far as I could tell. Anyway, she's great and I feel terrible that I haven't had the heart to face her until now," he said, happily.

The wool shed was enormous and as they stood beneath the large brass bell that was the only adornment on the street frontage, Marie was getting cold feet.

"Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks," whispered Peter, sensing her concern.

"BEEZZ," went a little intercom by them in reply to Peter's pull on the bell.

"QUOI," said a harsh voice out of the receiver.

"Hello, it's Peter Allbrush here. Could you tell me."

"PETER, IS THAT REALLY YOU," screamed the voice so loudly that they both recoiled slightly.

"Yes it is," said Peter calmly. The tiny door that was almost invisible in front of them made a clicking noise as it opened.

"Come in, I'll meet you at the stairs," said the voice more quietly.

Inside the innocuous door lay a garden that stretched for at least eighty metres that was all housed beneath a vast glass ceiling. The tropical theme was highlighted by a group of three fully-grown palm trees that acted a centrepiece to the madness. At their base, sat a small piece of lawn that was the only open area within the wild array of plants that threatened to overwhelm it if given a chance. The pathway ran beneath the thick canopy of jungle vines and tiny birds hopped between the mass of outstretched limbs, happy in their safe, enclosed world. Having walked through the tunnel of plants, they emerged into the open area in the middle of it all and Marie stopped to take in the scope of the whole garden. As she did so, her attention was drawn to a statuesque lady in her seventies who was gliding down some stone steps some way in front of them. She was wearing an orange caftan that was billowing behind her like a bedouin's cloak. The colour matched her wild, golden hair that was only kept decent by a tightly knotted silk scarf that struggled to keep it from springing madly free.

"Hello, my darling," she said, entering the clearing and enveloping Peter in her long, spangle-covered arms. "Oh, it's been too long," she gasped, squeezing him tightly.

"Mm, I remember your smell so well. Chanel number nineteen, if I remember correctly," sighed Peter, gently releasing himself from her grasp. "Rachel, may I introduce Marie, she's the reason I've finally had the courage to come and see you."

"How lovely to meet you, Marie, though why this numbskull has had to find courage to come here is quite beyond me. But thank you, thank you for getting him here," she said, taking Marie lightly by the hand.

"It's lovely to meet you too," said Marie quietly. "This place is absolutely amazing, did you do all of this yourself?" she asked.

"Goodness no, I knew roughly what I wanted, but I was lucky enough to have a genius who designed and built it for me back in the sixties," she said, laughing loudly.

"I think you know her Marie. You were just talking to her on the phone, you know, the tricky one," said Peter.

"What, Gemma designed this?"

"Ah, so you know Gemma do you and she's still as tricky as ever is she," laughed Rachel.

"Yes, she is," replied Marie.

"She's an incredible person. You know, Geoffrey was a student of hers don't you. After I'd bought this place, he invited her here for dinner one night and within an hour of arriving she'd offered to redesign it for me for free. It was a dream come true, as the place was an incredible mess when I moved in. But come on, I'll show you the rest of the house and then we can have a drink on the balcony. How does that sound?" she said enthusiastically.

The rest of the woolshed was a work of art as well, with stacks of Rachel's sculptures dotted around the place. The kitchen and main living area were on at the back of the house, with large, French doors opening out onto a terrace that looked over the Seine. As they sat on the comfy chairs that littered the terrace, with a Campari and tonic in their hand, they watched the city lights become bright against the darkening sky. Below them, on the ink-black river, they could see the nighttime cruisers motoring slowly up and down, with their decks lit up by long strands of gaudy fairy lights.

"This place is truly incredible," whispered Marie, while Rachel was inside getting herself a refill.

"I know, you'd never guess it from the outside would you? Do you mind that I brought you here?" he asked gently.

"I'm very happy," said Marie, touching his hand. He looked at her as she did so and something passed between them. Before Marie knew it, she was kissing him and enjoying the feelings it released in her. It wasn't sloppy, like snogging a boy on New Year's eve, but sensual and passionate with a sense of anticipation in it. They only just managed to stop as they heard the returning footsteps of their host.

"So, tell me, Marie," said Rachel, re-emerging from the kitchen with her refreshed drink in hand. "What do you think of my Peter?" she asked, breaking them out of their trance.

"Err. err. umm, well, I only met him today, but so far it's been fun," said Marie.

" Gemma is helping my old man out with some work and I said that I'd escort Marie around for the day," said Peter, trying to make everything sound normal, but flashing a look at Marie that made her melt.

"Well, for what it's worth, I think you look very natural together and it's good to see you looking so happy. Now, I have a problem in that I am due at a gallery opening this evening, for which I'm already slightly late. I'm so sorry to have to dash off, but I'm committed to this now I'm afraid. However, you're most welcome to stay here longer if you like. Just make yourselves at home. You can stay the night if you want and we'll all have breakfast together. There are plenty of spare beds. Anyway, it's up to you, I'll be home quite late."

"Uh, thank you, we haven't really discussed our plans for this evening," said Peter, still trying to gather himself.

"I think it sounds great," said Marie, before she could stop herself. "We've been busy all day, so it would be nice to hang out here for a while. I can't stay the night, because Gemma will be expecting me back sometime, but I'd love to stay a little longer, if that's okay," she continued, looking for support from Peter with her emboldened words.

"Yes, that sounds good, as long as you're sure it's okay by you, Rachel. I mean, we've hardly had a chance to catch up or anything. I feel a bit bad about taking you up on your hospitality like this having failed so miserably to contact you."

"Oh, nonsense, Peter, we'll have plenty of time to catch up now that you've done it once, won't we?" said Rachel. Peter just nodded and smiled. "Now, there's plenty of food in the fridge and wine in the cupboard. So make yourselves at home," she said, as she stood up and went to kiss them both.

"We'll get to know each other better I'm sure. Any close friend of Gemma's is bound to be interesting." she said, giving Marie a hug.

With that statement, she was gone, leaving the two of them slightly shaken by the cyclone of activity. Suddenly, they were alone and the tension between them was only broken by the sound of the little front door slamming as their host finally left the building. They came together and Marie wasn't certain whether it was the Campari she had just finished, or the madness of the moment, but she felt comfortable enough to initiate their kissing again without saying a word. It seemed like speaking would only confuse things, and the very first touch of his lips confirmed it. He held her around the waist and caressed her breast through her blouse and instead of recoiling from the intimacy of such a touch, she felt her body welcoming it like a woman, not a girl. She could feel his hardness against her stomach and it sent a current of electricity tingling through her.

"Peter," she said, pulling away reluctantly.

"I've only done this once before, so I might not be very good," she said awkwardly.

"That's okay, we don't have to make love. I'm amazed that you want to be as affectionate towards me as you are. I wouldn't ask you to jump into bed with me right now, I don't want to spoil such an incredible day by being that insensitive," he said, touching her cheek.

"But I want to. I want to jump into bed with you right now and I don't want to think about it too much. I think you' re gorgeous and I think you'll look after me. You will, won't you?"

"But, I, err." he stammered.

"You do want to, don't you?" she said quietly.

He answered her not in words but in the caress of his hand that traced its way up her leg and created a feeling through the silk that made her tremble with excitement. This time, when they kissed, it carried an urgency within it that moved them out of the realm of words and into a course of action that flowed quite naturally. Marie gave no thought to stopping it and allowed herself the complete freedom to follow the passion that had been ignited between them. He was gentle and patient with her as she had hoped he would be. They undressed each other slowly and then lay on a cashmere blanket in the moonlight that bathed them with its sylvan caress. Peter kissed and touched Marie in a way that gave her a powerful orgasm without having him inside of her. As the orgasm subsided, he moved on top of her and she felt his hardness fill her completely. Her body started shaking as she pulled him into her and a deep groan shook through her body as another orgasm swept over her.