Forget Me Never

by M J Rutter

  “Yes,” I smiled again gazing into his chocolate eyes. He stared for a while and seemed to be moving in closer, heaving a breath, he then stepped back.

  “Goodnight, Grace.”

  “Goodnight, Alec,” I smiled and opened my door, he turned around and walked away as I closed my door, heaving a huge relieved sigh myself as it clicked behind my back, wow!

  It didn’t take me long to fall asleep at all, the wine must have been just what I needed. I remember thinking about Alec and his incredible body, his soft looking lips and the way his eyes seem to gaze right into my soul, then nothing as I drifted off to sleep.

  The following morning, I rose with the sun and headed to the pool to swim, I wanted to make sure I was refreshed and energized for the day. After swimming I had a small and light breakfast in my room, showered and dressed for the day. I decided on wearing blue linen shorts and a white top, it was hot and muggy, but the sun was hidden behind a layer of light grey and certainly not the weather for a dress of shorts. I painted my toenails, pinned up the sides of my hair and then I waited.

  At a quarter to twelve the phone in my room rang,

  “Hello?”

  “Miss Matthews?”

  “Yes,” I swallowed, was he cancelling on me?

  “This is the main desk; Mr Richards’ chauffeur is waiting in the lobby for you. He is apparently running a little late, so thought it best to collect you first then you can go on your date.”

  “It’s not a date,” I frowned.

  “Oh, I am I just relaying the message, ma’am.”

  “Okay, I’ll be down shortly.” I muttered. I heaved a deep breath or two, I must have got the wrong idea, or maybe the right idea, either way, we were, in his words, going on a date.

  I took the lift down to the foyer, or the lobby as they called it and as I stepped out of the lift, a man with short cut, blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a grey suit walked towards me.

  “I’m Daniel, Mr Richards’ driver, you must be Miss Matthews.”

  “Grace,” I frowned, “please call me Grace.”

  “No problem, if you could follow me please, Grace.”

  I nodded and silently followed him through the lobby. The receptionist smiled as I passed, I smiled politely back and hurried outside. The sun was desperately trying to pierce the clouds and the temperature had risen considerably since I had gone swimming that morning. He stopped at a silver BMW,

  “Is there a reason Alec doesn’t drive himself?” I asked.

  “He doesn’t have to,” Daniel replied opening the door for me.

  “Thank you,” I muttered and climbed into the back.

  He drove us downtown through the busy streets, bustling with cars, motorbikes and buses. The pavements were just as busy, only with people rather than vehicles. We stopped on the road outside of a high rise building with windows up as far as I could see.

  “Is this where he is?” I asked.

  “Yes, he… here he is now.” He climbed out of the car and opened the other back door. Alec, dressed in a white shirt and chinos, smiled as he climbed in.

  “Sorry about that, I knew I’d be late if I had waited for them to stop rattling on.” He explained, “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, confused, but I am okay.”

  “Why are you confused?” he frowned.

  “Well, this, chauffeurs and what not.”

  “Oh, well, Daniel has been my driver for the last five years, ever since I have made annual visit to L.A., I hate driving here. The roads are crazy, so it’s easier to have Daniel drive me.”

  “Right, so it’s not because you are a billionaire business tycoon then?”

  He smiled slightly, “No,” he answered, but I was not convinced he was being completely honest with me. I just stared out of the window as Daniel started the engine and pulled out into the traffic. The car was silent, except for the sound of the engine, but that was barely there, I could hear him breathing and it sounded like he was getting upset. “Would it bother you if I was?” he asked suddenly. I turned my head to look at him. “It’s just you seem upset about my response.”

  “No, it wouldn’t bother me at all, but I was just wondering a couple of things.”

  “Okay, I will play this game, what were you wondering?” I sighed and shook my head. “Sorry, Grace,” he frowned, “I just don’t know what’s going on.”

  “You and me both.” I huffed.

  “Okay, I am not a billionaire, not even close, but I am not poor either. I have a driver here because, like I said, I don’t like driving in L.A. Does that tell you what you want to know?” he asked impatiently.

  “Yes, and no.” I frowned. “I think you should just take me back to the hotel.”

  “Why?”

  “I just need to go back; I should have said no.”

  “Grace?”

  “Alec?” I retorted, I just felt like I shouldn’t have been there.

  “I am taking you sight-seeing, like we agreed, you have no reason to be concerned or confused. Tell me what is wrong?”

  “The receptionist at the hotel said that this was a date and, I mean, that’s not a problem or anything. I am just…”

  “That’s my fault, I thought that after last night I could consider this as a date. I am sorry if I got the wrong end of the stick.”

  “I would just have liked to be asked,” I muttered.

  “Okay, Grace, would you like to go on a date with me this afternoon?”

  “Actually,” I smiled, “I am busy.”

  “My friend Camilla would like you,” he grinned. He had mentioned Camilla at dinner. I knew one thing though, I had to let down my guard or I would scare him away completely.

  “So, where are we going first?” I asked.

  He smiled again almost looking relieved, “Up to Hollywood, I thought we could go and see the sign, then down to the Hollywood Boulevard. Then I thought we could go to Malibu Beach and have a late lunch on the pier.” He answered.

  “Fantastic,” I gleamed.

  I decided to keep my mouth shut unless I had something nice to say. I had only met the man a couple of times, why did I feel so defensive around him? I wanted him to like me I suppose, he had complimented me on everything and asking me on a date was definitely a good start.

  After the long walk up to the sign, which, I might add, is up a dirt and rubble track on the side of a hill overlooking a valley. I took hundreds of pictures, making use of my camera and Alec didn’t seem to mind me taking pictures of him. When we returned to the car, hot and flustered, Daniel gave us each an iced cold bottle of water. By the time we got to ‘the walk of fame’, my insides were beginning to gnaw at themselves, I was ravenous and with the many stars on the pavement being surrounded by different food venders, I found it extremely difficult to concentrate.

  At the Chinese Mann Theatre, I discovered how tiny Doris Day’s feet were and how big Arnold Schwarzenegger’s hands were. Alec placed his hand inside the print and I took pictures. The place was heaving with tourists though; we could barely move.

  “Shall we go to Malibu?” I asked after deciding I’d had enough of being shoved around.

  “Yes, I am starving.” He smiled. I followed him back to the car and we climbed in. Daniel put on the air con during our drive and after a while it caused goose bumps to cover my uncovered arms. At least is was cooler though, I never imagined it would have been so hot, so early in the Spring.

  I watched the streets of L.A. whizz by as we headed towards the coast. He asked to look at my pictures on my camera. I pulled it from my bag and he moved closer, leaning his shoulder against mine, I watched as his eyes danced over the screen, his eyes lighting up when he saw something he liked. Feeling him against my body made my insides warm. I didn’t want to believe that I was falling for this man, I’d only known him a short while, but there certainly was something about him, something that had me captivated.

  Daniel stopped the car at the beach and we climbed out, Alec told him to go and have
the afternoon off, that he would get us back to the hotel later. As we walked towards the pier, I gazed at the miles of golden sand edge in palm trees. The sun had finally broken through the clouds and they had cleared leaving a clear blue sky above and a turquoise ocean with waves crashing along the shoreline. The breeze felt fresh against my clammy skin and when I saw a rest room, I excused myself and hurried inside.

  I ran the cool water from the tap over my hands and dabbed it over my neck, I needed to cool down. My face had turned a tanned brown and my nose was shiny. I touched up my makeup, sprayed on a little more perfume and then returned to Alec. He was talking on his mobile phone when I returned, I stayed back, but no one could miss his sharpness with the person on the other end.

  “If that is what she want’s then fine, I can play hard too. Tell her the gloves are off. I always get what I want.” He spun around. “I’ll leave it up to you, Jake. Speak to you later.” He ended the call and smiled thinly.

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, now, let’s find a nice place to get some lunch.”

  We found a small restaurant and sat in the shade and air conditioned air inside. We ordered some sandwiches and cold soft drinks and sat by the window while we waited for our food.

  “Tell me about Camilla,” I goaded.

  He thought briefly then smiled, “She’s a nasty cow when she wants to be, but she a good friend and there if I need her. I was studying for my A-levels when my parents were killed in an accident. They were in their car when a flash flood hit the Welsh village they were driving through. They think my father lost control of the car and they skidded off the road careering over a ravine to their deaths. Camilla was there, she was a shoulder to cry on, she looked after me and I suppose it has left us quite close. I can tell her anything and know it will go no further.”

  “I am sorry about your parents,” I said resting my hand on his arm.

  “Thank you.” He nodded and gazed out of the window.

  “How old was your sister?”

  “Emily was already married by then, there are seven years between us you see, so she and her husband were already expecting their first child. It devastated us both, but I think it hit her the hardest, she was always so close to them.”

  “I can’t imagine how hard that must have been.” He flashed his brown eyes up from staring at my hand and gazed into mine.

  “You are the first person I have talk to about this is a long time.”

  “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry, I am upset for you.”

  “I am fine, honestly,” he smiled and placed his other hand on top of mine. I literally stopped my heart. He tapped it lightly and pulled his hand back. “So, I have to ask, because it’s bugging me, what is a lovely girl like you doing all the way here in America alone?”

  I pulled back my hand and shifted in my seat, “Its… complicated.” I answered evasively.

  “So, I am guessing then that it’s the same reason you got smashed the other night?”

  “I suppose,” I admitted feeling a little warm under my skin.

  “Why won’t you tell me?”

  “You are a really nice bloke and if I told you, you would probably never want to see me again.”

  “A nice bloke,” he chuckled. “Look, Grace, I’m interested in you, okay? I like you and I would like to get to know more about you.”

  “So, ask about me, not about why I am here,” I frowned.

  He just stared for a few moments, I swallowed hard, I didn’t want to talk about Kevin, not with him. “The man is an absolute idiot.”

  “What?”

  “The man who let you go for whatever reason, is an absolute idiot, a turd even. Is he the ex-finance you told me about last night, the reason you got trashed?” I bit on my lip on the inside of my mouth. “Okay, so you won’t tell me, it doesn’t matter. I just wanted to know if that’s why you seem a bit…uh….”

  “A bit what?” I stiffened.

  “Defensive, like you have been hurt badly and…” I pursed my lips and looked away as my temper began to bubble inside. “Sorry, I am just trying to read you and I have to admit, it’s a near impossible task.”

  “If I tell you, will it shut you up?” I snapped.

  “There’s no need…”

  “No, you want to know, so I will tell you. I met Kevin when I was seventeen, he was my first real boyfriend, my first everything. We got engaged when I was nineteen and then in October last year he decided he wanted a break. We were still engaged, but he wanted a time out. Me, being a stupid, deluded bimbo, believed every stupid word he told me and then just after Christmas, I found out that for the last two years of our relationship he had been cheating on me. This holiday was something we’d planned to take together and I almost didn’t come, I almost gave in to my demons and let him win. But I am here and I am going to damn well enjoy it if it’s the last thing I do.”

  He simply stared at me as the waiter brought our food and placed it in front of us, but I honestly didn’t think I could eat. My throat felt as though it had closed.

  “I am sorry, Grace, I didn’t realize how painful that would have been for you.”

  “I am trying to deal with it and I have had some really bad days,” I nodded. “Up until two months ago I wasn’t coming on this holiday, but then I decided that Kevin was a case of mind over matter. I am trying not to mind so that he will no longer matter.”

  “That’s an excellent philosophy.” He smiled.

  I smiled, “Well, what doesn’t kill you, I suppose… Oh my God, I am so sorry. I didn’t…”

  “It’s alright, Grace. My parents died and you broke up with an idiot, that’s our demons, let’s drink to them, they haven’t destroyed us, yet.” He held up his glass of soda. I lifted my glass and touched his.

  “And may they never destroy us,” I added. We sipped our drinks and set our glasses down.

  “Now, then, let’s eat.”

  After our food we walked the length of the pier to the end, and watched the rolling waves. The breeze felt refreshing and the salt from the sea seeped through my lips. I could feel Alec watching me as the wind moved my hair, I couldn’t stop myself smiling,

  “I meant what I said,” he said suddenly, I turned to look at him, the sun danced in his brown eyes and his aftershave called to my soul.

  “About?”

  “That he was an idiot for letting you go.”

  “Well, he didn’t really, I let him go.”

  He seemed surprised by my comment. “You fascinate me, I have never met anyone I can just open up to like that and I think I know why.”

  “Go on,” I smiled.

  “Don’t freak out or anything, I know we have only just met, but I think I found what I have been looking for.” He turned to face me and pushed his hand into my hair, pressing it against the side of my head. “I have waited a long time to meet someone like you,” he declared gazing into my eyes.

  I looked down, unsure of what I was meant to say or do, he made my knees shake and my lips twitch. He placed his other hand under my chin and lifted my head so that I could meet his eyes. As he moved towards me, I began to quiver, was this what I wanted? Was this too soon? I couldn’t think about anything anymore, his soft and succulent lips gently caressed mine briefly, I think my feet lifted off the pier and my heart, my dormant, barely beating heart, sparked to life.

  Three

  He kissed, me, he actually kissed me and I am not sure, but I think the moment our lips touched, the world melted away. A warmth flooded my body and warmed my soul, his fingers had reached in and set every single nerve in my body alight. I liked him, but until he kissed me, I had no idea of just how much I liked him.

  As he pulled back from my hungry lips, he gazed deeply into my eyes and smiled,

  “Wow,” he muttered. I was about to reply as his phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it to his ear, not letting me go, his hand still against the side of my head, “Yes?” I broke our gaze and looked at the ocean. “Alright,
but can’t it wait?” I looked back at him, “Fine, I’ll be there in half an hour.,. Tough, you disturb me on a very important date, you can wait for me to get there.” He ended the call. The ‘date’, I guessed, was over, “I have to go,” he explained, “Something has happened at the office we’re working in and I can’t get out of it.” I nodded and pulled away from his hand. “I’ll be an hour, if that. I want to take you out tonight, so don’t make any plans.”

  “Sure, if you have to go…”

  “I’m sorry, Grace.”

  “I know,” I tried to smile, but what could I do about it. His job meant a lot to him, I knew that from the start. Wait, start of what, talk about jumping the gun. “I’ll go back to the hotel and wait for you to call.” He handed me his I-phone.

  “Put your number in there,” he told me. I nervously tapped in my number and handed his phone back to him. “I’ll get you a car to take you back to the hotel,” and before I could retort that I was quite capable of finding a cab, he called for a car.

  We walked quickly back towards the road at the end of the pier, as we got there a black car stopped at the curb side,

  “I’ll call you from the car once we are finished, okay?”

  “Okay,” I smiled slightly. He pecked my lips again and opened the door for me as Daniel pulled up behind us.

  “Thank you for an amazing date,” he said as I climbed into the car.

  “You too,” I nodded a little shell shocked and bewildered. See, in my mind all I could do was think about all that had happened. My body responded to his embraces, but my brain just couldn’t get around the fact that, dare I say it, that I was falling for him.

  As we drove away my head began to catch up, this was too soon, way too soon. Kevin still had some sort of hold on my heart, or at least it was frozen, so how was it that I actually thought that Alec could be something more than an afternoon date? He certainly didn’t waste time in telling me how he felt after all and he kissed me. He said he liked me and he thought I was beautiful; Alec had told me more in two days than Kevin told me in the last three months we were together.