The Three Day Rule

by Emlyn Rees

  He froze, eyes wide open. His lips refused to respond to the movement of hers. His arms and back seemed rigid. He stood there, passionless, unblinking, like a guard outside Buckingham Palace until, finally, Kellie pulled away.

  ‘I think I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I met you,’ she said. ‘It’s just taken me this long to realise how much.’

  He didn’t know what he’d been expecting her to say, but it hadn’t been this. How could he ever hope to work this woman out, when each time he guessed heads she came up tails?

  She closed her eyes and tried kissing him again, but again, he failed to respond. All he could do was stare. He might as well have been a bank clerk with a robber’s gun pressed tight to his head. She stepped back.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked.

  ‘I –’

  She looked down at her shoes. ‘It’s OK,’ she said, ‘if you don’t feel the same way. I thought you did, but I understand . . .’

  ‘You . . .’ No sooner had the word left his mouth, than he forgot what it was he’d been going to say.

  ‘I’ve got no right to expect anything from you,’ she told him, but even as she spoke she took his right hand between hers and squeezed it tight. ‘I’ve messed you around and I’m so sorry, and now all I want to do is to let you know that –’

  Finally, a logical question entered his head. ‘What about him? The man, the man you said you were in love with . . .’

  ‘I’ve told him it’s over.’

  ‘Over?’ Ben wondered if he was dreaming. That’s certainly how it was beginning to feel.

  ‘I told him I didn’t love him,’ she told him, ‘and I don’t. Not any more. Because of you.’

  Because of me? Ben thought. What did she mean? Did the fact that she’d fallen out of love with this other man mean she’d fallen for him instead?

  ‘Where is he?’ Ben asked. ‘Did you call him at home?’ He trailed off. What did it matter where he was, or how she’d managed to get hold of him? It only mattered that she’d broken it off. Her being here, wanting Ben the same way he wanted her, that was all he needed to know.

  ‘There are things I’ve got to tell you, Ben. I’ve been such an idiot and I can’t even begin to –’

  ‘Don’t,’ he said. ‘Not now.’

  ‘But I need to. I want to.’

  He kissed her and then they were twisting and turning, moving through to the bedroom. She pulled off her coat and jumper, and unbuttoned her shirt. Then she backed up against him and unfastened her bra. He pushed the straps down along her arms, cupping her breasts in his hands, slowly, instinctively, caressing them, as he gently kissed her neck. She pushed back hard against him, then twisted round to face him, continuing to kiss him as she ran her hands across his chest.

  ‘You have no idea how much I want you,’ she hissed into his ear.

  As she kicked off her shoes, they both somehow lost their balance. They stumbled backwards, laughing, and collapsed on top of one another on the bed.

  He stared down at her and smiled. ‘So I guess this is my new technique for getting a girl, right?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I strand her on an island, nearly kill her in a storm, and then hang about with her until she gets concussed in the middle of the night. Then, hey presto, look, she finally throws herself into my arms.’

  ‘Maybe you should write a book about it,’ she said, ‘or even a film. You could call it –’

  ‘Or I could just kiss you again.’

  She swept her hair back from her face and grinned up at him. ‘And make all my Christmases come at once . . .’

  Pulling him gently down on her, she closed her eyes. They kissed again, lingeringly. The awkwardness, which had led them to stumble only a second before, now melted away. Their movements seemed to mesh. He savoured it all, from the touch of her lips and the rolling movement of her tongue, to the slow sensual patterns her fingertips and nails were tracing across his back.

  He then began moving slowly down her body, brushing his lips across her neck and across the ridge of her collarbone. She arched her back as she pressed herself against him, and gripped his shoulders as he continued to kiss his way along the faint undulation of her ribs and the soft skin of her stomach. He slid slowly backwards off the bed and stood. She giggled as he dropped his towel and she shuffled half out of her jeans and knickers and he pulled them off and threw them behind him.

  Then he knelt before her on the bed, stroking his hands across her thighs. Her fingers clawed through his hair, as she pulled him down. She began to gyrate herself slowly and rhythmically against him, then she began to moan.

  As she shuddered against him and gripped him like a vice, he felt as if a great wave was washing over him, sweeping away all the old stress and the misery and the uncertainties from his life. None of that mattered any more. None of it. Only this. Only her. Only now, and what might happen next.

  Chapter 27

  Down at Green Bay harbour, the wind was cold, but the sky was clear. Kellie held on to Ben’s arm as they walked with Jack towards the icy slipway. Jack had agreed to take Ben around the island to retrieve the broken boat. By tonight, Ben had promised Kellie, they’d be safely away from the island. She couldn’t wait. She wanted to get away right now, but she knew she only had to be patient for a few more hours.

  ‘Are you sure it’s going to be safe?’ Kellie checked again.

  ‘I told you. The ice is melting. Nothing can go wrong.’

  ‘He’s rubbish with boats,’ Jack said, nudging Ben and leaning forward to look at Kellie. ‘There probably isn’t anything wrong with it at all. It was all a ruse to spend Christmas with you.’

  ‘Oh really?’ Kellie said, knowing he was teasing her. She liked it. She liked feeling included like this. She liked the feeling that other people accepted her and Ben together.

  Ben rolled his eyes. ‘We’ll have it fixed and back here in no time.’

  Kellie smiled. ‘OK, but don’t be long.’

  They’d all come to a stop at the top of the slipway.

  ‘Can I have a few seconds?’ Ben said to Jack. ‘In private.’

  ‘Sure,’ Jack said with a smirk, slipping his arm around Ben and winking at Kellie, ‘but won’t Kellie get lonely?’

  ‘Very funny.’

  ‘You don’t know what you’re missing,’ Jack said, feigning rejection. ‘I’m a great kisser and an even better cook. See you later, love,’ he told Kellie, before hauling his tool kit over his shoulder and treading carefully down to his dinghy which was bobbing in the murky harbour water below.

  ‘My guess is you’re a much better kisser,’ she told Ben and, as if to prove it, she kissed him gently on the lips.

  Had she meant things to go so far with Ben so fast? She didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. It had felt wonderful. It still did.

  ‘You know what I said earlier . . . about needing to tell you something . . . about –’

  ‘There’s no rush,’ he interrupted her. ‘There’s a time and place for everything.’ He looked around them at the empty windswept village. ‘And this is neither.’

  ‘But –’

  ‘Maybe later. Once we’re back in Fleet Town.’

  ‘That’ll be the last thing on my mind when you get me back there . . .’

  ‘Come on,’ Jack shouted.

  ‘Seriously,’ she said. ‘We will be able to talk about all this, won’t we?’

  ‘There’s nothing we won’t be able to talk about,’ he said and he kissed her again.

  She knew she had to tell him about Elliot. She knew more than ever that she had to come clean. There was no way she could continue even knowing Ben, let alone have any kind of relationship with him, let alone the one she hardly dared hope she might have, if he didn’t know the truth. She had to tell him why she’d come to the island in the first place, and admit the dreadful mistake she’d made in trusting Elliot.

  Would Ben hate her for deceiving him? Would he be horrified that she’d got tan
gled up with Elliot? Not if she could explain properly, surely? Not if this afternoon meant as much to Ben as it did to her. And not if, as she planned to, she could tell him more about how she felt about him.

  She wanted to tell Ben that he was wonderful. That he was more than wonderful. That this felt right. And that most of all, it felt deliciously, excitingly, fabulously real.

  ‘Look, take this torch,’ Ben said, pulling one out from his pocket, ‘and get some batteries from the pub. It’ll be dark in a bit, and if the power’s still out and I’m not back, you might need it.’

  ‘Just hurry back. Are you sure I can’t come with you?’

  ‘No. You’ve had enough excitement for one day.’ He raised his eyebrows at her and she blushed and then laughed. ‘Seriously. Just stay here and don’t go anywhere until I get back.’

  ‘But I’m going to drop these clothes off for Isabelle,’ she said, nodding to the carrier bag at her feet. ‘Then I promise, I’ll wait for you back at the pub.’

  She didn’t know how to leave it. She wanted to hold on to him and kiss him.

  ‘OK. See you,’ he said.

  ‘See you.’

  Ben walked away from her down the slipway. Then suddenly, he stopped and turned and leapt back up the ramp to kiss her again.

  ‘Be good,’ he said, holding her as if he couldn’t bear to rip himself away.

  ‘I will.’

  Kellie squeezed her lips together as he walked down towards the boat, a smile spilling on to her face. She wanted to patter her feet like an excited little girl.

  No wonder it was called Boxing Day, she thought, waving to Ben as the boat chugged out into the harbour. She felt as if she’d had several rounds in the ring already, but after this afternoon with Ben it was as if she’d won the championship.

  She wanted to put everything on pause and pinch herself, just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming this. It seemed almost impossible that she’d finished with Elliot and committed herself to Ben, all within an hour. But then, if she was being honest, she’d fancied the pants off Ben since he’d brought her here.

  She watched as the dinghy rounded the harbour wall and disappeared out of sight. Then she sighed happily to herself and yawned.

  She set off up the road. Her plan was to leave the bag containing Isabelle’s clothes by the front door of Gerald’s house. She’d already written a short note thanking Isabelle and Stephanie, which she’d left inside. If she ran up to the door and back to the road, she wouldn’t see anyone and wouldn’t have to answer any questions. It would be the last time she’d ever need go near the Thornes’ again.

  The bag seemed heavy in her hand, as if it was laden with her guilt, along with her ex-lover’s wife’s clothes. The sooner they were returned, the better she’d feel. The sooner she’d start to feel like herself again, like the honest, caring, decent person she knew she was. At least all the ridiculous subterfuge with Elliot was over for good, she comforted herself, and it was over without anyone getting hurt. All she wanted to do was put the whole, sordid episode behind her and move on. She already knew that the first thing she was going to do when she got back to London was to quit her job, and then move out of the flat. There was no way she could go back to working with Elliot, or have anything to do with him.

  She knew it was going to be tough. She would have to find somewhere else to live and she’d have to think of a plausible enough excuse to leave WDG & Partners, without jeopardising her references. Would Elliot stand in her way, she wondered?

  She couldn’t imagine where she could possibly be this time next year. Would she be working for another law firm, maybe the one who’d head-hunted her a few months ago? Or would she be doing something else entirely? For so long, her career had been mapped out that it made her feel strangely light and buoyant to have no plans.

  Who knew what the future held? She certainly couldn’t have predicted a week ago that she’d be in this situation, or feeling the way she did. Now she’d seen for herself how unpredictable things could be, and she was just going to let the future happen. All this time, she’d been waiting and waiting for Elliot to make a decision – she’d given him all the power over her life and in doing so had lost sight of what she really wanted – but meeting Ben had blasted open a world full of possibilities.

  And what about Ben? Would he want to make plans with her? It seemed to her that they were suddenly in the same situation. Could this be an opportunity to build a future together in London? Would he let her stay with him, was it crazy to assume so much, so soon? Perhaps it would be better to see if she could patch things up with Jane, and ask if she could stay with her for a couple of weeks, just until she’d found her own place.

  She was nearing the house now. She could see the lights on in the windows and her heart started beating fast. She imagined Elliot inside with Isabelle, and felt so glad that nobody was any the wiser about what had happened between them. She liked Elliot’s family. She respected them. How dare Elliot be so dismissive about them? He had no idea how lucky he was. He had no idea about anything at all, she reminded herself. Thank God she was out of it. And thank God for Ben. She sprinted for the front door, careful not to slip on the ice.

  Twenty minutes later, Kellie allowed herself to draw breath. She’d made it. She’d delivered the clothes without anyone seeing her, and now the house was far behind her. Smiling to herself, she turned down the road going back towards the annexe.

  It was only then that she heard someone calling her name. She turned to see Michael running down from the brow of the hill.

  At first, she couldn’t think why he could possibly want her, but as he ran up to her, she started to worry.

  He was panting, trying to catch his breath. ‘Quickly! There’s been an accident,’ he said.

  Kellie’s heart jolted. Despite herself, her first thought was of Elliot. He hadn’t done something stupid had he? Her mind started racing.

  ‘What? What’s happened?’

  ‘In the mine,’ Michael said. ‘Simon. He’s stuck.’

  ‘What mine? Simon? I . . . I don’t understand,’ she said. She looked around for help, but they were the only people on the road.

  ‘Come on,’ Michael said, starting to run back.

  Did he really expect her to follow, Kellie wondered. ‘Michael? Michael?’ She called after him. ‘Stop. Wait. We should get your parents. Or Simon’s parents.’

  ‘Now!’ he shouted back over his shoulder. ‘There’s no time. It’s just over here.’

  This was ridiculous. And crazy. What could she possibly do to help? But the genuine panic in Michael’s face frightened her. What if something really bad had happened? She thought of Stephanie this morning and how kind she’d been and pictured her quiet little boy.

  She looked back at the harbour, remembering her promise to Ben that she would be good. She mustn’t get involved again with the Thorne family. It was too dangerous. She had other priorities now.

  ‘Come on!’ Michael shouted.

  ‘OK, OK, I’m coming,’ she said, promising herself that she would see if she could help and then come straight back.

  By the time they reached the mine ten minutes later, Kellie was feeling sick. She stopped and flopped forward, trying to catch her breath. She was splattered in mud from trailing after him through the dank, slushy puddles where the ice had already started to thaw. She was furious that Michael hadn’t stopped when she’d repeatedly asked him to, but by now she was convinced that whatever had happened to Simon must be very serious. She was terrified that they’d be too late, which was why she’d run after him until her pulse was pounding in her throat. As he scrambled down a slope ahead of her, fear gripped her racing heart.

  They were in a small canyon. The wind howled through it.

  ‘This way,’ Michael said. Where the hell was he going? She could only see the top half of him now, as he traced his way through sodden scrub.

  ‘Michael. Stop. Wait!’

  She followed him, pushing through the bushes,
flinching as soaking wet lumps of slushy snow soaked her jeans. Then, out of nowhere, a tunnel entrance appeared. Michael ran on and disappeared inside. She followed.

  As she stepped into the darkness, adrenaline coursed through her body. In here the sound of the wind vanished, as if the outside world had been switched off. The air was freezing. She felt as if she’d been swallowed by the cliff. Her mouth filled with saliva in the stagnant air.

  This place was horrible.

  There was something else, too. Something wrong about all this. She felt goosebumps prickle all over her body.

  ‘Michael,’ she said. ‘Where are you?’ Her voice sounded strange. She couldn’t see where he’d gone as her eyes tried to adjust to the gloom.

  Then Michael was back with Simon, holding Simon’s arm.

  ‘But you’re OK!’ Kellie said to the boy. He didn’t look at her. She didn’t understand.

  ‘What the hell is going on?’ Even as she said it, she already knew that her instincts had been right. Something was very wrong indeed. Then Michael pushed her hard and she fell. He ran for the tunnel entrance, dragging Simon after him.

  ‘Wait,’ Kellie shouted, scrambling to her feet, but it was too late. They were too fast for her.

  She heard something clank shut up ahead, and she arrived just in time to see Taylor snapping the padlock shut on a closed gate.

  ‘What the hell are you doing?’ Kellie shouted, shaking the grille, like a caged animal, but Taylor, Michael and Simon were already backing away from her.

  Simon looked terrified.

  ‘Taylor?’ Kellie yelled. ‘Stop!’

  Taylor stared back, calm and cold.

  ‘You need to be taught a lesson,’ she said.

  ‘What? I don’t understand.’

  ‘Don’t lie.’

  Kellie was terrified by the look on Taylor’s face.

  ‘I’m not lying. Why are you doing this? Let me out. Now. Please. This isn’t funny.’

  ‘It’s not meant to be funny. The same as you having an affair with my dad isn’t funny.’

  Kellie felt as if cold blood was plummeting down to her feet. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could Taylor possibly know? A thought hit her: had Elliot gone through with his original threat, after all? Had he gone back to the house and confessed all? To everyone? Was that why Taylor and Michael had lured her here?