Summer Night Dreams

by Alison May

  ‘You’re writing plans for next term’s teaching practice?’

  ‘No. This is the last one for last term’s teaching practice. It’s a lot easier to know what’s in the lesson after you’ve taught it.’

  She walked around the table and wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to work.’

  ‘Okay. Okay. I’m stopping.’ He clicked save and shutdown the computer. ‘I’m officially off for Christmas then. We have about fifteen hours together before we have to go to my mother’s.’

  Helen raised her fist in a gesture of faux celebration.

  ‘Are you sure you don’t mind going to Mum’s?’

  ‘It’s fine. I think she’s warming up a bit. I’m sure she smiled while we were there last time.’

  ‘I think that was wind.’ Dominic swung his legs round so she could perch on his lap. ‘I heard you swearing at the door.’

  ‘It’s a stupid lock.’

  ‘You have to sort of lift and wiggle the key a bit.’

  ‘If you moved in with me ...’

  He closed his eyes. ‘We agreed that it was too soon to live together. We agreed that having separate places was sensible.’

  It was true. They had. ‘And how many nights have we actually spent apart since we agreed that?’

  He glanced at the floor. ‘Two.’

  ‘Yeah. And that was because I went to stay with my baby niece while my sister was in hospital, wasn’t it?’

  He nodded. Sensible was proving expensive. ‘I’ve got two more months on the tenancy.’

  ‘And after that?’

  He smiled. ‘I don’t know. I’m not sure I want to live in sin.’

  ‘I live in Didsbury. It’s a very nice class of sin.’ Helen laughed again. ‘Anyway, sin’s all you’re being offered. Make the best of it.’

  He wrapped his arms around her. ‘Sin sounds good.’

  ‘Excellent.’ She leant in and kissed him for a long time. When she pulled back she glanced at the clock. ‘Hey. It’s ten to eight.’

  Dominic frowned. ‘So?’

  Helen rolled her eyes. ‘Alex and Emily’s big date.’ Alex had banged on about their promise to meet up again in six months’ time every time she’d spoken to him since Theo and Tania’s wedding, until their last conversation a couple of weeks ago. Then he’d been strangely muted on the subject. Nerves, or cold feet? It had been impossible to tell. ‘Do you think they’ll both turn up?’

  Dominic sighed. ‘I don’t know.’

  Helen reached into her pocket and pulled out a fiver, which she placed on the table. ‘Five pounds says they’re both there.’

  Dominic shook his head. ‘I’ll take that.’

  Helen bit her bottom lip. ‘Does it bother you?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘The idea of Emily with somebody else.’

  He laughed. ‘No. It’s just weird thinking back to where I might have ended up. Married to Emily. Still in the same job. Perfect house. Perfect job.’

  ‘And instead you’re here?’ Helen looked around his rather brown and dated kitchen.

  Dominic was only looking at her. ‘Exactly where I’m supposed to be.’

  Emily

  I glance at the clock on the dashboard. 7.55 p.m. I’m only doing this out of curiosity. I don’t care whether he’s there or not. Of course he won’t be there. It was a stupid joke six months ago. He won’t be there. I’m simply curious to check. And if he’s not, I’ll just drive on to Birmingham and catch the last flight up to Newcastle, and spend Christmas with Dad, and Tania and the bump. Six months ago I had a fiancé and I was planning a brood of my own. Now I’m freaking out about being a big sister for the first time.

  I pull onto the long gravel entrance road, and drive up to the manor. The building’s in darkness apart from the lamps either side of the door. I guess people don’t book big country weddings this close to Christmas. I get out of the car and sit on the low wall next to the entrance. I’m still early. The fact that he’s not here now doesn’t mean anything. I flick through the messages on my phone. There are two from work, even though it’s three hours past finishing time on Christmas Eve. The new head of history takes workaholic to a whole new level. At least he took my instruction to contact me instead of his departmental assistant seriously. I don’t want my replacement scared off in her first month.

  This place is completely different in winter. The trees that were full of life in June are bare and grey now. I remember the noise and the magic and the costumes. It feels like a dream, something fleeting that disappears when you wake up. Only not all dreams are fleeting, and not all nightmares end when you open your eyes. Some of them have to be examined until they lose their sting, but they do lose their sting eventually. I count back in my head. Three and a half weeks since my last nightmare. Even longer since my last panic attack. Three weeks since my last counselling session. I wouldn’t say I was fixed, but I’m a lot less broken than before.

  I take another look at my watch. 8.13 p.m. He’s not coming, is he? The realisation hurts more than I expect it too. It’s such a tiny little moment, in a year of huge changes. I’ve been engaged, cheated on my fiancé, broken off an engagement, changed jobs and moved house. My eyes start to sting and water. I try to swallow back the tears, but it’s already too late. This tiny little insignificant moment is going to be one that stays with me. I find my legs carrying me to the top of the steps. I press one hand against the wooden door. It’s locked. Of course it’s locked. It was through that door, maybe ten feet from where I’m standing now, that he promised to be here. I lean my head against the wood and let the tears fall. It’s crazy. He was one stupid mistake. Only he wasn’t a mistake, was he? He was the moment that changed everything. He was the one who believed I could be something more than someone’s daughter and someone’s wife. He just didn’t believe it enough to remember.

  I force a deep gulp of air into my lungs and wipe my gloved hand across my eyes. There’s a noise behind me on the gravel. ‘Em?’

  I turn around. ‘You came.’

  Alex looks up at me with those stupid dark eyes. ‘Of course.’

  I can feel a smile fighting against the tears. I remind myself that I’m entitled to be cross with him. My lips purse. ‘You’re late.’

  Alex

  She was right. He was late, and he’d been running. He took deep breath. What was it about this car park that seemed to compel him to do physical exercise? Six months ago he’d almost given himself a heart attack trying to run Dominic Collins through. ‘My car broke down.’ He pointed back towards the road. ‘Had to walk. And then I was late. Had to run.’

  Emily laughed. ‘You broke down?’

  Alex scuffed his toe against the floor. ‘I ran out of petrol.’

  ‘But you’re here.’

  He nodded. ‘But I’m here.’ A thought struck him. ‘How did you get here?’

  Emily pointed towards the silver hatchback at the end of the car park.

  ‘You passed your test?’

  ‘Yep.’

  He raised his hands in a tiny round of applause. ‘Miss Independent.’

  ‘That’s the idea.’

  They fell into silence. Emily was still standing at the top of the stairs. Alex was eight feet away on the gravel. This wasn’t how he’s pictured the scene. He’d imagined there would be romance and spontaneous leaping into one another’s arms. He’d also imagined that he’d manage to get here without ending up with burning lungs and a scarlet face from the unscheduled run up the driveway.

  ‘So what are you up to these days?’

  ‘Sorry?’ Alex was surprised by the segue into chit-chat.

  ‘I’ve not seen you at the university. Did you finish your PhD?’

  Alex shrugged. Finished was probably too strong a word. ‘I stopped. I’m drawing now.’

  Emily beamed. ‘As a job? That’s fantastic.’

  ‘Illustrations. I’m doing a children’s book about medieval peasants. It’s a
ll fighting and pooing in woods.’

  She smiled. ‘I’m pleased. You’re a fantastic artist.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Alex found himself tongue-tied. He was proud of his new career but still nervous of telling people, as if they might spot him as an interloper in amongst the proper artists. ‘So how about you? Still at the university?’

  She nodded. ‘I got promoted.’

  ‘Really?’ Alex heard the disbelief in his voice. ‘I mean, not that I’m surprised.’

  She held up a hand. ‘It’s okay. I didn’t know I was good at my job until dad left. I never really had to try before. Anyway Faculty Manager now.’

  Alex nodded. So it sounded like they’d both moved on. What if she’d moved on too far? What if the reason she was still at the top of those stairs was that she’d come here out of politeness to let him down gently? He’d spent the last six months working towards this moment, alternately telling himself he was crazy and pushing himself to be a better man. A man a girl like Emily might want to be with. Six months. One new career. One new home, admittedly still a room in a shared flat, but the new career was in its fledgling stages, and he was up to date with his rent and on top of his share of the cleaning rota. Zero one night stands. He’d almost had one a few weeks after the last time he’d been here with Emily. He’d met a girl. He’d talked to the girl. He’d got as far climbing into a taxi with her, and then he’d felt grubby. He’d stopped the cab, given the driver twice the fare he needed to get the girl home, and walked. And that had been that. He raised his gaze towards the woman at the top of the steps. ‘So ...’

  She smiled. ‘So ...’

  Alex paused. What would be the right thing to say? He didn’t want to dress things up. He didn’t want to lie. Something honest. Something simple. ‘Come here.’

  Emily took the three steps back down to the car park. ‘I’m glad you came.’

  Two paces forward to meet her. ‘I’m glad you came.’

  She tipped her chin up towards him and leant forward slightly. This was more like what Alex had been picturing. He bent his lips towards hers, and stopped. He stepped backwards. ‘Wait.’

  ‘What?’ Her face started to crumple.

  ‘No. Just wait.’ Alex took a deep breath. He was being crazy again. He was also trying to be a better man. ‘I lied to you.’

  ‘When?’

  ‘Six months ago.’ The words were seared in his memory. ‘I told you I could be the guy with the nice safe car, and the family house and the child seats.’ Alex shook his head. ‘I’m not that guy. I can’t promise you those things. At least not yet. One day, but not yet.’

  Emily stepped back. ‘So what can you promise?’

  That was the big question. Alex closed his eyes for a second. He needed to be honest. Above anything else, he wanted to tell her the truth. Maybe he could start there. He opened his eyes. ‘I’ll always tell you the truth, even if it’s not what you want to hear. I will love ...’ He listened to himself use the word. It was true. He’d fallen in love with her months ago. ‘I will love you even when you annoy me, and even when we fall out. I can promise you that we’ll have so much fun together, and I can promise you that I will be there when you need me.’

  She stepped back towards him. He held out a hand. ‘I will probably be late. I might be broke. I will definitely be disorganised, and I can’t promise that I’ll be able to fix the things that make you sad, but when you need me I will be there. So is that enough? Am I enough?’

  Emily paused. ‘I don’t need anyone to save me.’

  He nodded. He knew that. He’d known that before she did. ‘So?’

  ‘You love me?’

  He nodded.

  She took a deep breath. ‘I think I love you too.’ She smiled, her beautiful radiant smile. ‘Did you bring the mistletoe?’

  Alex patted his jacket pockets. He groaned. ‘It’s in the car.’

  Emily laughed. She bent down, flicked open her bag, and pulled out a sprig covered in soft green leaves and white berries.

  Alex folded his arms. ‘You thought I’d forget.’

  ‘You did forget. I, on the other hand, am very organised.’

  ‘So you saved me?’

  She nodded. ‘Absolutely.’

  He reached forward, took the mistletoe from her hand and held it above her head.

  Did you love Summer Night Dreams? Then you should read Much Ado About Loving by Alison May!

  Would you take a second chance at first love?

  Trix Allen never would. She's been hurt before, and she has no interest in hearts or flowers anymore.

  Mathematician, Ben Messina, agrees Unfortunately that's the only thing Ben and Trix agree on. Most of their time together is spent bickering and sparring. Romance is not part of their plan.

  But Ben's brother, Claudio, and Trix's best friend, Henrietta, are in love, and determined to see their closest friends happy as well. Can they trick Ben and Trix into acknowledging their true feelings? And when Claudio and Henri's perfect romance falls apart will anyone be able to keep hold of their belief in love, or will all their hopes come to nothing once again?

  Previously published as Much Ado About Sweet Nothing and Sweet Nothing

  Read more at Alison May’s site.

  Also by Alison May

  Much Ado About Loving

  Summer Night Dreams (Coming Soon)

  Watch for more at Alison May’s site.

  About the Author

  Alison May is a novelist, short story writer, blogger and creative writing tutor who grew up in North Yorkshire, and now lives in Worcester. She has worked as a waitress, a shop assistant, a learning adviser, an advice centre manager, a freelance trainer, and now a maker-upper of stories. Alison is also a former Chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

  She won the RNA’s Elizabeth Goudge trophy in 2012, and has been shortlisted in the Love Stories and RoNA Awards. Alison writes emotional book club fiction and romantic comedies.

  She also writes modern retellings of misunderstood classics, in collaboration with Janet Gover, under the penname Juliet Bell.

  Read more at Alison May’s site.