Where did your heart go? (The Heart Trilogy Book 1) (16 page)

“I love you” I gasped, a huge smile breaking over my face at the feelings still coursing through my body, it was spectacular, wonderful and everything that I had read and dreamed about but more than that it was ours.

“I love you too” James grinned back at me “You were fantastic up there” he breathed as we stayed joined together, reluctant to part after what we had shared.

That evening we wandered through the town and found an Italian Restaurant and decided to eat there, the food was excellent and I couldn’t help grinning all the way through it as I remembered our earlier moment together. On the way back we stopped to watch the sunset and taking our shoes off we walked along the beach together. I found a stick and drew a heart in the sand and inside it SM 4 JC just like the heart we had left on the bench in Ross. We left it there for the world to see before the tide gently swept it away.

Monday 4
th
July, 1988

It is James’ 21st birthday today so I made sure I was awake before he was as I unpacked my case and found his present hidden at the bottom.

I placed it on the bedside cabinet and snuggled back into bed and started to gently kiss him until he woke up and joined in.

“Happy Birthday James” I murmured

“I could get used to this” James replied as we moved together, gently at first but then with more urgency until we both cried out in ecstasy. It was definitely true that the more we made love the better it felt.

When we eventually paused I saw him look over at this present and card
.

“Go on, open them” I implored, eager to see his reaction

“Ok” he replied, picking up the card. He loved it, especially as I had written the words from Take my Breath Away inside

“On this endless ocean finally lovers know no shame

Turning and returning to some secret place inside

Watching in slow motion as you turn around and say

Take my breath away”

He knew they were from his favourite film, as he kissed me with such longing that he did literally take my breath away.

Then he opened his present to find some black silk boxer shorts and a tiny box wrapped inside them. Opening this I watched him pull out the small St Christopher that I had saved up for and even had engraved with the words
“JC until the end of time, SM”
.

“It’s perfect” he r
eplied as I helped him with the clasp “I will never take it off as it will be a constant reminder of you when we are apart”

I grinned at him, full of so much love that I thought I would burst with all the joy and happiness that having James in my life bought.

Charlotte
sighed, as she scanned through the next few entries and then feeling tired put the diary aside. This is what she longed for, to feel what her Mum had felt all those years ago. Pulling out her phone she replayed the video clip of Mitch dancing, she would gladly dance until the end of time with him, if he wanted her? She quickly typed him a short goodnight text and then drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Mitchell.

Ch
apter 20

Charlotte was pleased that the weekend seemed to come round really quickly. At her dance practice on Thursday night her teacher had agreed with her and they were going to be dancing to ‘Take my Breath Away’ for the finals in London. She had showed the other girls the video for the song and they had decided they would try and copy the tattered jumpsuit and hairstyle from the video. Julia suggested that they asked the art department to do them a backdrop and for the students that did their lighting to recreate a war torn feel to this. If only they had a guy in the group as it would have been good to have a huge lift at the end, but they would manage, somehow.

As the sunshine shone through the window Charlie pulled open her wardrobe and scanned through her clothes and after an hour of trying different things on she plumped for her favourite dress and flat ballet pumps. With her hair pined up and a minimal amount of make up on she eventually appeared for breakfast, although her stomach was so full of butterflies she could hardly eat.

After picking up Aunt Sarah they parked at Ledbury station and then as her Mum and Sarah chatted she texted Mitch to say she was on her way. He replied saying that he would be standing outside Top Shop.

As they all walked into the Bullring Charlie felt her temperature rise and the nerves started to make her hands shake

“Are you ok?” I asked, as we all walked towards the map to find out where Top Shop was located.

“Yes, Mum” Charlie replied, smiling nervously.

Then she spotted him and as he scanned the crowds in her direction she waved her hand and he waved back and started to walk towards them.

“He looks lovely” her Aunt Sarah said, giving her shoulder a squeeze as they got closer.

“Hi Charlie” he said, standing nervously in front of them all.

“Hi Mitch” she breathed, almost unable to get the words out with him standing so close to her “This is my Mum Stephanie and my Aunt Sarah” she finished.

She watched closely as he shook hands with her Mum and Sarah
and said hello.

“What are your plans then?” he asked my Mum, “
So we can arrange to meet up later”

“
How about we meet for food outside Nando’s” I suggested

“You are mo
re than welcome to join us if you like, Mitch?”

“Thanks that would be lovely” he replied

“Good, well look after her and we’ll see you later at around five” I finished as I watched the two of them walk away and I noticed that he reached out for Charlotte’s hand and she took it and smiled up at him.

“He seems like a nice guy” Sarah said, as we wandered over to the nearest coffee shop for some sustenance before we took in the shops.

“Yes, he kind of reminds me of James a bit” I replied, “but perhaps that’s just because I seem to have been thinking about him a lot lately
”

“Well, you can’t go back there, not after what he did to you” Sarah replied.

“I know but I wonder what he’s doing now and whether he still remembers me at all” I said.

“Does Chris ever hear from him?”
I finished, unconsciously rubbing my hand over my scar.

“No, he has refused to speak to him ever since that night when you…you know” Sarah replied.
I shook my head trying to clear it of all my dreams from the previous night “Come on, so many shops so little time” I finished.

As Mitch reached for her hand, as they left her Mum and Sarah, she took it and smiled up at him.

“So what do you want to do then?” he asked as they slowed and then stopped and sat down in one of the many seating areas

“I don’t mind really” Charlie responded “Perhaps a coffee would be nice first” she finished, as she gazed up into his green eyes, suddenly shy in his presence.

“That sounds like a plan” he replied “By the way you look fantastic” he finished.

“Thanks, you too” she responded, giving his hand a small squeeze, which he returned as they stood up and continued to the nearest coffee shop.

They sat and talked for over an hour about
work, school, and music and of course the dance competition.

“I know a great club, not far from here where they play music all day and we can dance” he said, suddenly “And what I really want to do is dance with you” he finished as a grin swept across his face and his eyes lit up.

“Cool”
Charlie replied, being swept up in his plans and feeling just a bit wicked that they were leaving the Shopping Centre and she hadn’t told her Mum.

They walked through the streets before turning into a small side alley and before she knew it they were walking through a door and into a Salsa Club. The music was provided by a live band and after a quick drink Mitch turned to her and said “Can I have this dance?” She grinned “Certainly sir, I would love too” and then they were in the middle of the dance floor. She marvelled at the way their bodies fitted together as they moved in time with the music. She had done some Salsa over the last few years and knowing that Mitch was training to be a dance teacher it made perfect sense that he could teach her a few moves too. This whole date was perfect she thought as he twirled her around and around and they lost themselves in the rhythms of the Latin American vibe of the club.

All too soon, it turned four and they left the dance floor for the final time, knowing they had to be back in an hour. On the way through the streets, she felt his arm around her shoulders and looking up into his eyes she smiled and before she could express how much fun she had just had his lips came down to meet hers and they kissed. Pulling her closer the intensity increased and she relaxed into his embrace, feeling as though she had known him for a lifetime already.

“You are so special” he breathed, into her ear when they eventually pulled apart.

“You are too” she mirrored, wanting to say much, much more but feeling overwhelmed by the situation and the magic they had shared on the dance floor as well as with the kiss.

“Come on” he finished as they ran back to the centre “We need to buy something so it looks like we’ve been shopping all afternoon and not dancing”

“Don’t worry, Mum won’t mind if we tell her” Charlie replied.

Sarah and I stood waiting outside Nando’s, they were late, but I soon spotted them running towards us and I smiled, fifteen minutes was not bad. I noticed the bright glow on their skin and their smiles lit up their faces, it was lovely to see my daughter like this again.

“Hungry” I asked, as we were soon seated in the restaurant.

“Famished” Charlie and Mitch said in unison, they looked at each other and laughed.

“Shopping is hungry work” Mitch said, as I spotted a secret look pass between the two of them. I didn’t say anything not wanting to spoil the happy atmosphere that surrounded all of us.

“You didn’t buy much” I replied, noticing there were no shopping bags in comparison to the stack that Sarah and I had accumulated.

“Nothing I like
d” Charlie said “Me neither” Mitch said. Then they just turned to each other and that secret smile flitted between them again.

Eventually it was time for us to catch the train back, Sarah and I headed off and let them say goodbye in relative privacy in the entrance of the centre as we waited out of sight on the corner. Mitch turned to Charlie

“I had a fantastic day with you”

“It was wonderful” she breathed as he pulled her close against his body.

“Hope we can do it again soon” he replied

“Yes, you can always come and visit me, although we don’t have any Salsa clubs in Ross-on-Wye”

“I’d like that, I’m sure we can find something other than dancing to fill the time” he respon
ded. Then he leaned down and their lips were joined together again for a final time. Before they parted he handed her a disc “It’s got some Salsa music on it, I picked it up at the club” he said “I hope it will remind you of today”

“Thanks, you didn’t have to get me anything, just spending time and dancing with you was more than enough for me”

“Same here” he finished, as he spotted my Mum peering round the corner

“Text me later” he said “I’ll be waiting”

“I will” Charlie breathed, as she reluctantly pulled her self away from him and then headed back home. She turned once, when she reached the corner and saw that he was still watching her, as they waved and he was gone.

On the train journey back I noticed my daughter’s dreamy far off look.

“So what did you do all day” I asked

“Well, we actually went to this Salsa club and danced for hours, did I tell you he’s training to be a dance instructor”

“So that’s why you didn’t end up with any shopping” I laughed.

“Is he a good dancer?” Sarah butted in.

“The best” Charlie replied, sighing.
“He says he wants to come and visit me in Ross”

“Well I can’t see any reason why not, you did tell him there were no Salsa clubs here” I responded.

“Yes, of course I did” Charlotte retorted.

“So what song from the eighties are his group dancing too?” I asked

“Thriller” by Michael Jackson, he said it’s great. Apparently he’s never heard our song so he’s going home to look it up on the internet but I might just send him it online later”

“An interesting choice as the dance in the video if so well known, it will be good to see something completely different to it” Sarah contemplated. “Any chance I can come with Uncle Chris?”

“
Yes, everyone in the group has four tickets for family so that will be three of mine filled, instead of just the one” Charlotte grinned “I’d like you both to come”

Once I had dropped Sarah off at home we drove the short distance and once in the house we made Hot Chocolate.

“I’m off to bed” yawned Charlie

“Ok, but don’t stay up too late” I winked back at her, knowing full well that she needed to chat to Julia and also probably to Mitch again.

“Night Mum”

“Night Charlie”