Christmas Lights

by Amelia Andrews

  The door opened and, just her luck, Kay entered.

  Kay stopped in the doorway and stared at her. “Oh. I’m sorry, I’ll… come back.”

  “It’s a public bathroom,” Millie pointed out.

  Kay stopped halfway in the midst of leaving. She turned back to face Millie, nodded, and entered the bathroom.

  She went to the sink and started to wash her hands, a large splash of blue ink on her palm.

  “My pen decided to explode,” Kay explained as she scrubbed the ink from her skin.

  “Why are you here?” Millie asked. She winced as she realised how it sounded. “I mean… I didn’t know… like, are you…”

  Kay chuckled. It was a warm, rich sound that Millie felt she could get used to hearing.

  “I’m looking around and then I’m going to put some bags together, volunteering. Like you.”

  “Are the press here?” Millie asked.

  Kay looked at her in the mirror. “I don’t believe so.”

  “So this isn’t a tacky publicity stunt?” Millie asked.

  Kay sighed. “Well, if it got to the paper that I was here… I wouldn’t be upset. Stunt is a bit of a strong word. Put it this way, I need some good publicity right now, but I also agree with the work the food bank does and I like to support it.”

  Millie appreciated the honesty. “Okay, fair enough. Stay away from Jimmy.”

  Kay frowned. “Jimmy?”

  “He’s a little creep in quality control. Just… you know, avoid him.” She shivered to emphasis her point.

  Kay nodded. “I will, thank you for the heads up.”

  “Us women have to stick together, right?” Millie said.

  “I suppose we do, Miss Yates.” Kay looked at her hands and seemed satisfied with her cleaning job. She turned off the tap and pulled a couple of paper towels out of the metal box on the wall. “Thank you, for your note by the way.”

  “You read it?” Millie couldn’t help but smile.

  “I did.”

  “Good. I meant what I said.”

  “About the apology? Or about the Christmas tree?” Kay grinned at her.

  Millie smiled back. “Both.”

  Kay chuckled. “Well, I’m afraid I will have to continue to disappoint you.” She dried her hands and threw the towels in the bin.

  She looked at Millie apologetically. “I’d like nothing more than to celebrate this season with a tree, but I stand by the decision.”

  “I get it. I don’t like it. But I get it,” Millie said. And for the first time, she did. Hearing what Steve had said had shone a new light on Kay. Millie had already gotten a good feeling about her in the car that morning, and now she was hearing from a third party that maybe she wasn’t the devil she was painted to be.

  “Thank you again, for the lift this morning, you didn’t have to do that,” Millie said. “And… the…”

  Kay frowned. “The?”

  Millie knew she shouldn’t say anything. But she had to know. She couldn’t just wonder about it.

  “There was a large donation at work today. Not many people around here can afford that kind of money. Was… was it you?” Millie already knew the answer, but she wanted Kay to admit to it. And explain it. Had it been in the pipeline for weeks? Or was it a spur of the moment decision? And did it have anything to do with Millie?

  “I’m sure a great many people donated to your worthy charity today,” Kay said, ever the politician. But the way her cheeks reddened gave Millie all the answer she needed.

  “They did,” Millie agreed. “If only someone would donate a Christmas tree,” she added to lighten the situation.

  Kay laughed. “Yes, and the insurance, and lights, etc etc.”

  “You ask for a lot,” Millie joked.

  “I do. I want the world for Bromford and its citizens,” Kay admitted, her tone a little more serious than before.

  Millie didn’t know what to say to that. Silence fell between them. They both stared at one another. Millie honestly didn’t know who moved first, but they both took a step forward which resulted in their bodies pressing up against one another. Lips locked together smoothly and like they had done it a hundred times before.

  Millie was reeling. She had no idea what was happening, she was kissing Kay Nightingale. And Kay Nightingale was kissing her back. Whatever was happening, Millie wasn’t about to let it stop too soon. She held Kay’s face with one hand and ran the other around her side and up her back. She could feel the muscles flexing beneath her fingers and itched to see Kay’s naked back. She was older but she obviously looked after herself.

  Kay’s hands held Millie’s sides tightly, holding her in place and gently caressing her.

  A nearby door slammed and they jumped apart. Both breathing erratically and staring at the other in confusion.

  “I… I have to go,” Kay announced. She spun on her heel and practically ran from the room.

  Millie licked her lips and watched the door close behind her. Wondering what on earth had just happened.

  Chapter 20

  Kay rushed past Steven, out of the front door of the food bank, and into the cold night air. She couldn’t believe she had pounced on some poor young woman like that.

  In a public bathroom, no less. What on earth had gotten into her?

  She leaned against her Mercedes and took a couple of deep breaths, grateful that no one was around to see her.

  This was it. Her career was over. She’d be up on sexual harassment charges by the morning. She swallowed. It was more than harassment, it was… assault.

  The thought sickened her.

  Not that she’d meant to do it. Something had come over her and pushed her towards Millie. Pushed her lips towards Millie’s.

  She shook her head. It was no defence. None whatsoever. If every predator could get away with their actions by saying that, society would be in tatters. No one would be safe.

  She’d never thought of herself in those terms. Never reacted in the way she just had. In fact, she was struggling to pinpoint exactly what had happened. What had made her react in the way she had.

  It had been a blur. She’d been thinking how kind Millie’s letter had been, and how sweet the young woman was. It had been a shock to see her in the food bank, on the very day that her mind had been filled with nothing more than Millie Yates.

  She’d tried all day to pretend that it was a stray thought, nothing to worry about. Nothing that needed any further thought. But her actions a few minutes ago proved once and for all that it was attraction, pure and simple. Attraction that had tipped over into reality in the worse possible way.

  She’d quit, she decided. And hand herself into the police, explain what had happened and let them deal with her as was appropriate.

  “Hey.”

  She jumped, her hand flying to her chest, and fell against her car. Millie was beside her, having somehow crept up to her. She was holding out a piece of paper.

  Kay blinked and took a step away. “What’s that?” She stared at the paper.

  “My number,” Millie said.

  “Your number?” Kay could feel her heart slamming against her ribs.

  “Yeah, my number.” Millie chuckled. “You know, so you can call me. We can talk about things other than politics.”

  Kay slumped against the car again, still confused.

  “Are you okay?” Millie asked.

  “I… I’m sorry, for…” Kay didn’t know how to phrase it. She wanted to be sensitive, but not sound like she was brushing a serious incident to one side.

  “For making out with me in the bathroom?” Millie quizzed, a cheeky smile on her face.

  Kay felt herself frown. Millie wasn’t upset, or angry. She seemed… happy? And she was giving Kay her phone number. Maybe she’d misread the situation.

  But she had to be sure.

  “For…” she scrunched her eyes tightly closed as she said the words, “for assaulting you like that.”

  She wasn’t sure what reaction she’
d expected, but laughter was not it. Her eyes snapped open to see Millie almost breathless with laughter. When Millie noticed that Kay was most definitely not laughing, she stopped.

  “You didn’t assault me,” Millie explained, her tone suddenly serious. “It was mutual. I kissed you, you kissed me. Oh my god, did you actually think that? Kay, no, you… you absolutely didn’t. That was consensual. More than consensual. Mutual. It was really fucking enjoyable. That’s why I wanted to give you my number. I’d like to do it again.”

  “A-again?” Kay stammered. She wasn’t at all used to being lost for words but this incident had shaken her to the core. Her emotions were all over the place.

  “Kay?”

  Kay and Millie turned around. Steven was walking towards her, her winter coat in his hand.

  “You’ll freeze to death out here without this,” he chided.

  She took the coat. “Thank you, Steven.”

  Steven looked at Millie inquisitively. He positioned himself beside Kay, a show of solidarity in case Millie was hostile.

  Millie saw the move and thrust out her hand. “I’m Millie Yates.”

  Steven shook her hand. “Steven Lawrence, Kay’s PA.” He turned back to Kay. “Are you coming back in?”

  She nodded. “In a moment. Please, give us a minute.”

  Steven inclined his head. “I’ll be just inside if you need me.”

  Once he was gone, Millie spoke, “he’s protective.”

  “He is,” Kay agreed. She wasn’t about to explain why he had good reason to be.

  “Will you call?” Millie asked. “Or am I being silly? I mean, I thought we had something back there. And I have to admit, I’ve been thinking about you all day. I didn’t think you’d look twice at me… but recent events make me think you might.” She winked and Kay giggled in a way she hadn’t done for many years.

  “I’ll consider it,” was all Kay said. She’d been a politician long enough to know not to make decisions on the spur of the moment.

  “I hope you do,” Millie said, she turned away and started to walk back towards the food bank. She paused and looked at Kay, her eyes running up and down Kay for a couple of seconds before she turned and went back into the building.

  Kay swallowed hard. It had been a long time since she’d been on the receiving end of one of those looks. She took a couple of deep breaths to clear her mind and calm her racing heart. As she calmed down, a smile took over her face. It looked like she still had it.

  Chapter 21

  Millie didn’t see Kay for the rest of the evening. She had a lot of work to do, and had focused on keeping Jimmy away from bothering Kay. She’d overheard from other people that Kay had been picking food for crates and had even helped with some spilt milk.

  Everyone was gossiping about how nice she was, really. The ‘really’ suggesting that they had originally thought she wasn’t. How quickly people changed their minds.

  Millie was guilty of the same. At first, she’d been swayed by Kay’s kindness in offering her a lift to work. The large donation revealed a generous spirit and the kiss… well, the kiss had been mind blowing.

  Unexpected, passionate, and yet gentle and warm. Millie hadn’t experienced a waterfall of feeling like that in a long time. Kay’s sudden departure had spurred Millie into panic. She worried that she’d not see her again, not get the chance to experience another kiss like it.

  She suspected that Kay wasn’t the type of person to randomly kiss an almost-stranger in a bathroom, the panicked look and the dashed exit from the building had prompted Millie to act quickly. She wanted to reassure Kay that she wasn’t alone in whatever feelings she’d experienced.

  By the time Millie’s voluntary shift had ended, Kay had also left for the evening. Leaving a crowd of smiling faces and goodwill in her wake. Millie had snagged a lift home from Roberto, who told her more about the food bank and tried to secure her assistance in the future. A reassurance which Millie had happily given.

  Now she was home and she had to do something she hated; lie to Claire. If she told Claire that she had snogged Nightmare Nightingale in the bathroom at the food bank, she knew it would be everywhere in no time. Claire was one of her closest friends, but she had a huge mouth. And this was huge news. There was literally no way at all that Claire would be able to keep it under wraps. To even ask her would be unfair to Claire.

  So, Millie had to lie. Or at least, not share. Which amounted to the same thing.

  Thankfully, Claire was in the middle of a major work project which seemed to involve a lot of telephone calls with other disgruntled employees, all of whom complained endlessly about the way the company was being run. The distraction meant that Millie could drift around the apartment with a cheesy grin on her face as she relived the kiss over, and over again.

  She couldn’t put her finger on what was so good about it. Part was the unexpectedness, certainly. But also the possessiveness, the way Kay held her still and seemed to press all her feelings into the one action. The soft lips, the urgency.

  Millie’s phone beeped, pulling her away from her analysis.

  It was a text from Kay; asking if she could call her.

  Millie bit her lip and dashed into her room, closing the door. She paced for a few seconds, expended the nervous energy, before she text back with a simple ‘yes’.

  Soon after the screen lit up and Millie took a deep breath before answering.

  “Hey,” she greeted, trying to sound calm and casual.

  “Hello,” Kay replied, her tone was serious.

  “Uh-oh, that doesn’t sound good,” Millie said.

  “I only said hello.”

  “It was the way you said it,” Millie pointed out.

  “I…” Kay paused. “I’m wondering if I’m being played.”

  “Played?”

  “Yes, if all of this is some kind of joke. Or a way to embarrass me somehow. I… I’ve been the target of these kind of tactics once before. Although that was a man and it obviously missed the mark.”

  Millie sat on the edge of her bed. She was sad that Kay had been wondering if it was joke, but positively heartbroken that someone had been so cruel as to mess with her feelings before.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Millie confessed. “I’m sincere. And I’m disgusted that he did that. But I can understand your hesitation. I… I don’t want anything from you, just to spend some time with you. Get to know you.”

  “But we’re so different,” Kay said.

  “We are, but there’s something that is pulling me towards you. And I think you feel it too,” Millie said. “How about a drink? Just a drink? Can even just be a coffee if you like.”

  Kay exhaled and Millie waited, hoping that she could talk Kay around. Of course she wanted another kiss like the one she had experienced a few short hours ago, but she’d happily accept a causal friendship instead. Against her better judgement, there was something about Kay Nightingale and Millie wasn’t about to let it go easily.

  “You want to get to know me?” Kay sounded surprised.

  “Yeah,” Millie said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Hasn’t that ever happened before?”

  “Not for a long time,” Kay admitted.

  “Well… it’s happening now. What do you say?” Millie asked.

  Kay was silent for a moment and Millie wondered if she’d pushed too hard and ruined everything.

  “How about a quick drink, after work?” Kay suggested.

  “Tomorrow?” Millie asked, eagerly.

  Kay chuckled. “Yes, I suppose I can make tomorrow.”

  “Great. You’ll have to suggest somewhere, I’m new in town,” Millie said.

  “I can text you with an address. Is six o’clock okay?”

  “Sounds perfect.” Millie got to her feet and started pacing again, this time it was with excitement and not nerves. Though she knew they would come later.

  “Right, well, I’ll… I’ll let you go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

&nb
sp; “See you tomorrow,” Millie said before she hung up the call. She let out a sigh of happiness and looked up at the ceiling. “Yes!”

  The door swung open and Claire stared at her with wide eyes.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Claire started. “But did I just hear that you have a date tomorrow?”

  Millie nodded. “Yep. Drinks tomorrow!”

  Claire looked impressed. “Wow, that’s fast moving, Yates!”

  Millie curtsied. “I know.”

  “Who is it?” Claire asked.

  Millie hesitated a second. “Someone at work,” she lied.

  “Ooo, a workplace romance, nice.” Claire nodded.

  A text came in and Millie glanced at the screen. It was from Kay, it simply contained an address.

  “Where’s Juliet’s Wine Bar?” Millie asked.

  Claire raised her eyebrows. “Juliet’s? Nice. Classy. It’s up by the cinema, pretty quiet.”

  “Expensive?” Millie asked, a little worried about her bank balance.

  Claire shook her head. “No, it’s just elegant. Average prices. Good food, but mainly snacks and stuff. Sounds like you’ve got yourself a real lady.”

  Millie nodded. “Yeah.”

  “She’s older, isn’t she?” Claire guessed. “You’ve always liked them older.”

  Millie chuckled and nodded again. “Yeah, she’s… much older.”

  Claire smiled. “Well, looks like I don’t need to set you up after all. You’ve only been here a couple of days and you’ve already found yourself a Christmas date.”

  “I don’t know if it will get serious,” Millie admitted. “We’re pretty different. There’s just an attraction, you know? We’re seeing how things go.”

  Claire was beaming. “Good, I’m proud of you, honey. Sorry again for eavesdropping, I was just passing. Can I get you some tea?”

  Millie nodded. “Yeah, please. I’m going to get changed, I’ll be out in a moment.”

  Claire headed off to get the tea and Millie let out a sigh. She didn’t want to lie to Claire, but she needed to. And she needed to be careful with what she said with the thin walls in the apartment.