This London Love

by Clare Lydon

  Meg shrugged. “You know — a certain swagger, cool hair, hands in pockets.” She paused, putting her mouth close to Kate’s ear. “And also, when you nearly kissed me on Friday, that was a bit of a giveaway, too.”

  Kate closed her eyes and blushed.

  Meg straightened up and took a step backwards, sizing Kate up. “Why did you run away after the customer came in? I thought you might have stuck around.”

  Kate took a moment to answer. “Because I thought there was a Jamie.”

  Meg gave her a slow smile. “Jamie will love this when I tell him.”

  “Don’t make me sound like a loser before I’ve even met him.”

  Meg’s mouth dropped open. “You’re planning to meet him?”

  Kate blushed fire engine red this time, before regaining some of her composure. “So to save any further misunderstandings, let’s get this straight—”

  “—So to speak.”

  Kate grinned. “So to speak. Jamie is your brother and not your boyfriend, correct?”

  “Correct.”

  “And you’re gay and single? I really hope that last part is true by the way.”

  Meg reflected Kate’s grin and stepped towards her. When she answered, she was close enough that Kate could feel Meg’s breath on her face. “Yes to all three. Not an only child, 100 per cent gay and no girlfriend.”

  “So if I went to kiss you now, as on Friday, you wouldn’t back away?” Kate dropped her gaze to Meg’s lips.

  They were now inches apart, the gap aching to be closed. Meg could smell Kate’s citrus-like perfume, and the gentle breeze tickled her skin.

  “No backing away. I’d stay right here.” Meg tilted her head. “Is this a hypothetical question?”

  Kate opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Adele yelling over to Meg.

  “You want to do the warm-up run, Meg? Just to get the blood flowing?”

  Meg looked from Adele to Kate and back, then nodded. She took Kate’s hand in hers as she breezed past her, kissing her on the cheek.

  “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back and we’ll continue this conversation where we left it. Okay?”

  Kate smiled. “I’m staying right here. Now go get all sweaty.”

  ***

  Kate watched Meg run towards the group, then as one, they all jogged off together, Adele shouting instructions as they went. She was entertaining thoughts of all the various shots they could do when she made Meg her cover star next to Princess Emily, when Hannah nudged her.

  When Kate turned, Hannah raised both eyebrows. “What are the chances?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “The famous florist, running into your life. It’s like a film, isn’t it?”

  Kate crinkled her forehead. “If you say so. But less of the famous florist, thank you. I nearly killed you when you said that earlier.”

  Hannah smirked. “Oh shuddup. I saw the way she looked at you. I could have called her anything and you two wouldn’t have noticed. Talk about swoon.”

  Kate ran her hand through her hair. “Yeah, yeah,” she replied. “Let’s get everyone’s details when they get back, then get some group shots when Paul gets here before they get too sweaty.” Kate jogged from foot to foot. “I don’t really fancy hanging around too long.”

  Even in the half hour they’d been at the park, the air had grown damp and heavy. Kate shivered.

  Hannah gave her a look. “Not even for your famous florist?”

  Kate wagged an index finger at Hannah. “If that name sticks and becomes an office fixture, I know who to blame, don’t I?”

  Ten minutes later, the group returned, all ruddy of cheek and out of breath. In the time it had taken them to get in some running time, the photographer Paul had turned up with his kit and the group were now ready to shoot. Luckily, the rain was still holding off, so the realism was there for all to see. Of course, they had to wait for 15 minutes while the runners gathered round somebody’s compact to check their hair and make-up, but within a relatively short time they were ready to roll.

  Paul spoke to them about poses, group shots, and singles, and Kate got to work helping to set them up and getting the backgrounds right. But all the while, as shots were snapped and the other members posed and looked as athletic as they possibly could, Kate only saw one member smiling back at her. Meg. Gorgeous Meg. Gorgeous, single, gay Meg.

  If the gods hadn’t been smiling on her previously, it looked like her fortunes were about to take an upward turn.

  ***

  Despite her protestations and the cold, Kate did stick around longer than she’d intended. Something meant she found it hard to leave. Or rather, someone.

  By 9pm the group had disbanded, but Adele and Meg had hung back chatting to Hannah, and the photographer had just packed up and left. Eventually, Hannah shook hands with the running duo and announced she was leaving.

  “You coming?” she asked Kate, even though she knew the answer.

  “You go ahead, I’ll see you in the morning,” Kate replied.

  Hannah bid them farewell with a cheeky grin. Within minutes, Adele had gone too and it was just Kate and Meg. They walked through the park side by side in the Monday night twilight.

  “So that was a nice surprise tonight.” Kate’s feet were crunching over twigs and gravel, while the air around them creaked and coughed.

  “It was,” Meg agreed, shivering.

  “You cold?” Kate asked. “You want my jacket?”

  Meg shook her head. “It’s fine.”

  They walked on for a while longer in heated silence.

  “But you’re definitely still single? Just to confirm?” Kate turned her head to Meg as she asked.

  Meg smiled. “Last time I checked.”

  Kate cleared her throat. “How’s that even possible? Not that I’m complaining… But I mean, you’re beautiful, you’ve got your own business and have all your own teeth, too.”

  Kate waited for Meg to respond, but she just smiled.

  “They are your own teeth, right?”

  Meg gave Kate a toothy grin. “Own teeth, all present and correct.”

  “So why then? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

  Meg stopped walking, then started again. “You ask a lot of questions.”

  “Sorry — just curious.”

  “It’s okay.” Meg kicked a stone and it bounced along the path in front of them. “It’s just how it is sometimes, isn’t it? I was with someone for a long time — longer than I ever should have been. And I suppose, since then, I’ve been a bit wary. Wary of going out and dating. Wary of opening my heart up again to something that might not work out — you know how it is.” She gave Kate a rueful smile.

  “I know what you mean with the dating scene,” Kate said. “Like that woman I told you I was set up with. I mean, good-looking, great job, but social skills of a gnat. She was just a bit too full-on.” Kate made a face like she’d just eaten something unpleasant — remembering Tanya and that evening was not a pleasant task. However, Meg was as far away from that as could possibly be.

  “I hate women like that,” Meg said. “Pushy. Sounds a bit like my ex — she knew what she wanted and she wasn’t going to let anything get in her way. She wasn’t like that in the beginning, but by the end, she’d turned into someone I didn’t recognise. So we split up and here I am, over a year later.” Meg smiled shyly at Kate. “Putting myself back out there, maybe.”

  “Maybe?” Kate took Meg’s hand and stroked her thumb up and down her smooth skin. They’d stopped walking now and were facing each other, subtly sizing each other up. “Can I change that to a definitely maybe?”

  “Maybe,” Meg said.

  They stared at each other for a beat and Kate’s breath hitched in her throat. Meg was putting herself back out there, just like she was. Meg was right in front of her and open to offers. Kate slid her gaze down Meg’s face, from her eyes to her mouth. Time wound down as Kate made her decisive move.

  The kiss, when it arrived two seconds
later, was soft, gentle and electric. Neither Meg or Kate had time to assess its impact fully as they both sunk into it as one, bodies moving forward, lips locked, eyes closed. The world around Kate became more vibrant, brighter as she melted into the scene, every fibre of her being standing to attention, all the blood racing down her body until she assumed she was lit up for all to see, with the epicentre somewhere between her belt and her thighs. Kate’s body was humming Meg’s tune, and she knew just where she wanted this to go.

  Kate could vaguely hear the traffic noise from outside the park, was minimally aware of a cyclist whizzing by. But mainly, she was aware of her body, of being anchored in this moment, her feet firmly on the ground even though her heart was soaring.

  Moments later, when Meg’s tongue pushed against Kate’s parted lips, Kate’s pulse threatened to expire. What if she fainted with desire? Seriously uncool, and Meg would really think she had a fainting issue. Instead, she went with the kiss, opening herself up, exploring with her tongue too, thrilling to the rush of excitement coursing through her veins. She was so easy.

  When Kate slowly pulled back a few minutes later, everything else was a blur — her only focus was Meg.

  Meg looked drunk with emotion, her pupils swollen, her eyes watching Kate’s lips. Then she flicked her gaze back and let a slow, seductive smile creep onto her face. Meg leaned forward and pressed an open-mouthed, inviting kiss onto Kate’s lips, slipping her tongue slowly in and out for added impact.

  It worked its magic as Kate gasped and felt the after-effects all over her body.

  Meg turned up one corner of her mouth in triumph. “Well,” she began. “I think that was worth the wait.” Meg then licked her lips, which did nothing to calm down Kate’s libido, which was already hanging off the bannisters and singing Calypso songs; now it wanted to know if they were going to drop down on the ground and go at it right here, right now.

  “We should have stopped talking and started doing that the moment I came into your shop,” Kate said. “All this wasted time.” She kissed Meg’s lips once more.

  “It wasn’t wasted,” Meg said, rubbing a hand up and down Kate’s back. “It’s called build-up. Foreplay.” She kissed her again, before taking a small step back. “But I’m afraid that’s where it stays today as I’ve got an early start tomorrow, so I have to get home.”

  Kate pouted in response. “Tease.”

  Meg grinned. “That’s me.” She pressed a final, definite kiss on Kate’s lips, then stepped back and pulled on Kate’s hand, dragging her back along the path and towards the gate. Kate stumbled after her, still bewitched.

  When they arrived there, the hum of traffic noise got louder, and a blue Audi passed by with its stereo blaring at full volume. Both Meg and Kate flinched.

  Meg cleared her throat. “Well, I guess this is where I get off. But maybe we can meet again soon?”

  “I’d like that a lot,” Kate replied.

  Meg’s smile lit up her face. “Great. I’ll call you.” She paused. “And it was really great bumping into you today. Made my night, in fact.”

  “Mine, too.”

  Meg kissed Kate lightly on the lips, stole a second kiss, and then pulled away abruptly. “If I don’t stop now, it could get dangerous,” she said. “I’ll call you.” Then she kissed Kate’s hand and was gone.

  Kate watched her go, feeling along her lips with the tips of her fingers. They were still burning.

  18

  “What’s got into you today?” Olivia was staring at Meg as she fiddled unsuccessfully with her latest bouquet of flowers, trying to fulfil the morning orders before their new delivery driver Stan came back for the next batch. “Yesterday you were Mrs Morose, today you’re Mrs Crackpot.” Olivia put her hand to her chin. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”

  Meg gave her a look. “Yes Mum, I’m pregnant. That’s the obvious conclusion to jump to for your lesbian daughter. I just slipped up, had sex with a magic lesbian and now I’m pregnant with twins. Hence the mood swings.”

  Olivia laughed and nudged her daughter with her hip. “Got you smiling at least.” She paired some dahlia and astrantia with some hypericum berries — a classic seasonal birthday bouquet. “Is it Tanya?”

  Meg said nothing, which just invited more questioning.

  “It’s Tanya, isn’t it? With her size two brain and her size ten mouth? I wish you’d let me come round and sort it out. Have you put the house on the market yet?”

  Olivia licked her finger, selected two sheets of wrapping paper from the pile and put the finishing touches to the bouquet, slicing some Sellotape from the roller on the counter to fix the wrapping securely. Then she consulted the order book again, and walked across the shop to begin the next bunch. She stopped at a bucket of freesias and looked over at Meg, who was deep in thought.

  “Meg?”

  Meg looked up startled. “Sorry, miles away.” She smiled apologetically.

  “I can tell. There I was going on about Tanya, and you said nothing. It’s a first for you, not defending the situation. I almost think that might be progress. So has there been progress?” Olivia raised an eyebrow.

  Meg chewed the end of a biro and shrugged, but Olivia saw the grin that had crept onto her face.

  “You’ve put the house on the market finally?”

  Meg shook her head. “No, but I will. Soon. You’re right — it’s time.” Meg raised her eyes and looked her mum square in the eye.

  Olivia’s cheeks flushed. “It certainly is.”

  “Especially now,” Meg whispered.

  Olivia walked back to the counter and arranged some lilies on the cellophane sheet. “Especially now?”

  This time when she looked at her daughter, Meg was grinning in a way that Olivia hadn’t seen in quite some time. Not that she wasn’t thrilled to see her daughter crack a genuine, honest-to-goodness smile that lit up her whole face. It was just she hadn’t seen it for ages, so it took her by surprise.

  “What’s going on?”

  Meg was still smiling. “Do you remember that woman who was in here a couple of weeks ago? I did the flowers for her uncle’s funeral?”

  Olivia squinted. “Maybe.”

  “Well, I liked her. And then last night, she came to our running club to do a feature on us. She works for a fitness magazine.” Meg paused. “So now she knows I’m a lesbian.”

  “Platinum hair, the one that fell over?”

  Meg nodded.

  Olivia smiled. “Yes, I remember her.” She wagged a finger at Meg. “I also remember the look you were giving her. So are you going on a date?”

  Meg glanced at her. “We haven’t got that far yet. We only just established we were both gay and single last night. I was thinking coffee. I don’t want to scare her off. What do you think?”

  Olivia rubbed her daughter’s back in slow, thoughtful strokes. “Coffee sounds perfect. It’s casual, and then if you get on you can invite her for something more. Candlelit dinner. Wine. Romance.” She shook her head. “Oh, you’re making an old woman pine for what she hasn’t had in quite a long time.”

  Meg nudged her mum with her elbow. “Stop it. You’ve been out on more dates than me in the past few years. So even a coffee is a step in the right direction.”

  “She might even buy it for you. And a cake.”

  Meg grinned. “She already did that the other day.”

  Olivia raised her eyebrows. “Then it’s only a short step to romance and wine for you.” She put her arm around her daughter and squeezed her tight. “I’m so pleased sweetheart. You’ve had a tough year. Let’s hope — what’s her name?”

  “Kate.”

  “Let’s hope Kate can bring a smile back to your sad face.”

  “Mum…”

  Olivia laughed, and went to get more flowers to flesh out the bouquet she was making. “Some eucalyptus and palm with the lilies?” She held up the flowers to Meg.

  Meg looked at the semi-done bouquet on the counter and nodded her head. “Should work we
ll.”

  ***

  Later that day, when her mum had gone on an errand, Meg took her courage in her hands and sat on it before it could escape. It wasn’t like her to make the first move, to go after what she wanted. However, although she loved her mum dearly, Meg didn’t want to end up like her — alone.

  She took Kate’s business card from her counter draw and spun it between her thumb and index fingers. Art Editor — it sounded official, grand. Meg grabbed her phone before she could change her mind and plugged in the number.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi Kate — it’s Meg.”

  There was a slight pause, then Kate cleared her throat. “Oh, hi.” She sounded nervous. “How are you?”

  “Good. You?”

  “Very good. Particularly now you’ve called.”

  Meg laughed — she couldn’t help it. “Smooth.”

  Meg heard movement, rustling down the phone. “Is this a bad time?”

  “Nope, not at all. Just taking you into a meeting room for a bit of privacy.”

  Meg heard a door slam, then Kate’s breathing evened out.

  “Okay?”

  “Yep.” Kate paused. “It was great to see you last night.”

  “You too.” Meg had a flashback to the kiss, which caused a flush down her whole body. She cleared her throat. “And I was wondering if you wanted to do it again? But maybe this time without me in Lycra.”

  Kate chuckled. “I quite liked you in Lycra.”

  Meg laughed too. “We can talk about your fetishes another time,” she said. “But for now, I was thinking a coffee after work. Either round here, or I could meet you halfway?”

  “A coffee,” Kate said. “Sure, I could do a coffee, and happy to come to you.”

  “Great.” Meg smiled down the phone. “Tomorrow night — about sixish?”

  “I can make it for 6.15.”

  Meg nodded and then realised she was on the phone. “Perfect. Pick me up at the shop?”

  “It’s a date,” Kate said.

  “This one certainly is,” Meg replied. “See you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.”