Belonging: Two hearts, two continents, one all-consuming passion. (Victoria in Love Book 1)

by Isabella Wiles

  “Look!” she says pointing to the sky above us, pulling away from our kiss, “…a shooting star. Quick, Chris. Make a wish.” Holding each other tightly, frozen in time, we both make our silent wishes. I know what my greatest wish is, but sadly turning the clock back a few months to make everything right again rather than just repaired is simply not possible. We have to move forward, what other choice do we have? I would love to know what Vicky wished for, but before I have the opportunity to quiz her she turns to look at me, smiling warmly and says, “You know they don’t come true if you tell,” placing her index finger over my closed lips, as if to shhh me, before I can ask.

  “Come. Let’s eat,’ I say instead, breaking the spell. “It’s getting cold. Let’s go warm up.” I grab our hot toddies from the patio with one hand as I reach for her hand with my other and lead us back indoors. Back into the warmth of the kitchen. “We’ll finish this later,” I say giving her a cheeky wink.

  “I assume you mean the whiskey, Chris?” she teases, knowing full well I’m not referring to our warm winter drinks.

  “Yeah right,” I reply, giving her playful slap on the bum as we walk back into the house through the back door.

  ***

  The downforce pins us into our seats as the plane banks a hard right continuing its rapid descent. Vicky’s eyes widen as she looks out of the window beside her, to ascertain the remaining altitude. Her hand reaches across my lap as she searches for mine to hold.

  “Whoa, this is incredible,” I say across to her, as I too look out of the plane window at the lines of washing that appear within touching distance. “I’d heard that it feels as if you’re landing on the rooftops, but I didn’t think the buildings would appear this close,” I say, straining my neck to be able to see more.

  “I know. Amazing, huh,” she agrees, squeezing my hand as we mentally brace ourselves for the touchdown at Hong Kong International Airport. We’re making good use of the two free flights she’s won in a work competition and we’re using this quick week’s holiday with no work or family distractions as the perfect opportunity to spend quality time together before I must leave her.

  Neither of us have been to Hong Kong before, and as the territory is due to transfer back in a few years’ time to Chinese sovereignty from British rule, no one knows how easy it will be to visit after that happens, so it was an easy decision to take the opportunity to visit now. We only have five full days on the ground here, so plan to see as much as we can in that time. I also think after everything that has happened, having a week together without any disruptions is also going to be really important for us, to rebuild that foundation of trust before I go off again and Vicky agreed.

  “It’ll be good for us, Chris,” she said at the time. “It’ll be good to spend time together just you and I, after everything that’s happened.”

  Mike kindly dropped us off at the airport on Saturday morning as we flew from Manchester airport, only a 45-minute drive from his house. It was great to see him and Fiona again, even if only for the one evening which we spent all together eating and drinking in their local pub. Vicky and I have visited them two or three times over the past six months, enjoying their kind hospitality, and a strong friendship between the four of us has since formed. Mike and I share the same dry sense of humour and a passion for fast cars, and Fiona and Vicky have the same taste in lots of things, starting with wine!

  Once we clear customs we head over to Hong Kong Island and our hotel in the North Point area. Both of us stare out of the taxi window taking in all of the architecture and landmarks that speed past. Even at first glance Hong Kong appears to be a city of contrasts. The height of the buildings in Central, visible from Kowloon as we approach the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, the modernity of the skyscrapers contrasting sharply with the traditional bamboo scaffolding that wraps around those still under construction as they grow ever skywards. People seemingly stacked on top of each other. Those with wealth, the office workers and those in Finance rushing along in their expensive tailored pinstripe suits carrying their leather briefcases, contrasting against those sitting on the pavements in their grubby clothes simply watching the world go by. The frenetic mix of neon signs and illuminated billboards covered in branded logos and Chinese lettering plastered everywhere like the biggest uncoordinated Christmas light display, contrasting against the looming grey sky and thick clouds that hang from the heavens above.

  Once we reach our hotel, we quickly dump our bags in the room, not allowing ourselves to sit down for fear jet lag will take hold, before jumping on the MTR to Wan Chai in the hunt for somewhere to eat. It’s lunchtime here and even though we’ve had virtually no sleep on the flight over we know we need to keep moving. Falling asleep now, no matter how knackered we feel will guarantee to have us awake at two or three am. After a leisurely wander around the streets of Wan Chai we find what looks like a nice typical restaurant on Ship Street and order dishes from the picture menu that don’t look too strange for our western tastes. (Only later do we discover that one of the dishes which we’d assumed to be chicken turned out to be diced pigeon, even if it was delicious!)

  We arrive back at our hotel in the middle of the afternoon and there is a message waiting for us from Timothy to call him at his hotel. He’s over here on business for the week and has offered to show us around. I’m not that keen. I’d rather have Vicky all to my myself for the full week, but I know Vicky values his friendship and for some reason feels obliged to be nice to him. I know she’s indebted to him for giving her a roof over her head when she needed it once, but I also know that Jeremy is still Tim’s friend and it is through Tim that Jeremy and Vicky originally met. So even though Tim has given me no reason to think otherwise, the fact is I don’t trust him. Vicky just doesn’t appreciate how attractive she is, and I simply can’t believe that any other red-blooded males are not as equally attracted to her as I am, or that he might try and persuade her to dump me and reconcile with Jeremy. I head to the bathroom as I hear Vicky on the telephone calling him back.

  “Hi, Tim, it’s Victoria. I got your message.”

  “Yes, yes it was fine. Long and a bit tiring, but fairly straightforward. I tried to blag an upgrade but all we were offered was a free glass of bubbles. I know business class is often full on this route, as you well know.” She’s obviously filling him in on the details of our flight over. “Well, that sounds like fun. We’d love to. I think we’re just going to chill out tonight, we’re both a bit knackered and fighting jet lag. Hopefully we can stay awake long enough to sleep through tonight. Anyway, that all sounds great and we’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  I come out of the bathroom just as Vicky is putting the phone down.

  “Who will we see tomorrow night?” I ask, buttoning up my flies as I walk into the middle of the room.

  “Tim, silly. Who else did you think I was talking to? He’s booked us a table at Planet Hollywood. He’s going to meet us there. Should be good fun. I haven’t seen him since before Christmas, so it’ll be nice to catch up.”

  “And what makes you think I want to spend an evening with him at Planet Hollywood?” my tone confrontational. It’s intended to be. Vicky walks towards me, throwing her slender arms round my neck, pouting her lips, attempting to draw me into her.

  “Don’t be like that, Chris. Don’t sulk. You knew we planned to hook up at some point over the week. What have you got against Tim anyway? You used to like him.”

  “Yeah well, things change. People change.” I peel her arms away from my neck, as I turn my back to her and flop onto the bed.

  “Well you’d better get your glad-rags on tomorrow night, as we’re planning to go for cocktails at the Peninsula Hotel afterwards. Then on Wednesday night he’s offered to take us to Happy Valley. I think his bank have got some sort of corporate hospitality deal there, so look grateful when we go,” her words sounding more like a warning than an invitation.

  “We’ll see,” is all I offer in return, still sulking. I really don’t want t
o share Vicky with anybody while we’re on this trip. Doesn’t she appreciate how precious our time together is? Why would she not want to spend every available minute just with me? She’s looking over at me, her arms folded watching my body language. I don’t want a row. We’re both tired. It’s been a long 24 hours but I really, really don’t want to meet up with Tim.

  “Budge over, I can’t keep my eyes open. I think I’m going to have a little nana-nap to keep me going.” She uncrosses her arms, coming to lie next to me.

  The closeness of her instantly alerts my senses. I can’t help but inhale her scent, a mix of pheromones and perfume which smells of exotic spices and jasmine, as I feel the familiar pressure in my groin as I grow hard. I’m annoyed that my body betrays me. I’m trying desperately to stay cross with her, so I close my eyes as I attempt to detach myself from her alluring powers, but I can still feel the intensity of her stare as she continues to look at me, mischief written all over face. She clearly has no intention of going to sleep for a ‘nana-nap’, rather she knows the easiest and fastest way to win me over and draw me out of my grumpiness.

  Lying on her side, she reaches up with her free hand seductively unbuttoning my shirt before allowing her fingers to creep inside the linen. My body comes alive instantly. My skin charged with electricity, every nerve ending on fire as her slender fingers expertly trace the definition of my chest. She playfully tweaks a nipple making me inhale sharply. Before I have a chance to exhale and catch my next breath, her fingertips glide purposefully down my torso, lightly tracing the soft down of dark hair that leads an inviting trail south from my navel. Expertly she unbuttons my Levi’s as her hand reaches further south still. I let out a deep moan as I feel the strain in my groin harden further. She has me in her grasp, my desire now entirely in her hands as she takes complete control.

  The next morning, we decide to explore on foot, ticking off some of the major attractions as we go. Not surprisingly we’re awake early, jet lag waking us up long before dawn, so we grab an early breakfast, before catching the MTR to Central, wandering around the main business district and craning our necks as we stare in awe at the skyscrapers. From there we catch the famous Star Ferry across to Kowloon before browsing the shops that line the length of Nathan Road. We have an errand to run whilst we’re here. The pearls that Vicky was given by her mum and stepdad for her 21st birthday need repairing, the safety clasp on the necklace having broken. As her mum and stepdad originally purchased them from a store on Nathan Road, Vicky has brought the necklace with her in the hope we can find the original store and they can repair it. It doesn’t take us long to find the right jewellery store and as she’s discussing what needs repairing with the store manager, I drift over to where the diamond rings are located. Looking through the glass counter-tops, hundreds of diamonds sparkle back at me, enticing me with their clarity and beauty and I find myself wondering which one would suit Vicky’s slender fourth finger.

  “Oh... what are you up to, mister?” Having finished with the store owner and depositing her pearls for repair, she has come over to where I’m standing, wrapping her arms around me from behind, her chin looking over my shoulder at the glittering display.

  “Nothing,” I say, a little bit too quickly, as if I’ve just been caught with my hand in the cookie jar, turning around swiftly so that I’m facing her. “I was just imagining which diamond would look best on your finger.” I smile warmly registering the shock in her face, her eyes widening as she ponders the meaning of my words.

  “Now don’t be getting ahead of yourself,” I add quickly, kissing the end of her nose, “I’m not suggesting I buy you a ring right now… but I intend to one day,” I say, gazing into the deep pools of her green eyes.

  “I think I’d like that,” she says tentatively, a small smile on her lips. “One day Chris… just not quite yet.”

  “Understood,” I reply calmly. “So I suppose there’s no harm in looking, is there?” I reach for her hand, holding it tight as we both turn back towards the glass counter, giggling like teenagers, eager to explore the different cuts and clarity of diamonds and for her to try on a couple of rings.

  After such a blissful afternoon, I decide quite firmly that I do not want to go out with Tim tonight, instead I’d much rather find a nice romantic restaurant with a good view of the harbour and spend the evening relaxing with Vicky, drinking wine, eating fine food and soaking up the view directly in front of me as well as the one of Hong Kong beyond the window.

  “But we have to go, Chris. We made a promise,” Vicky says, our row beginning to escalate. She’s showered and is almost ready, and I’m still lying on the bed in the clothes I’ve been in all day, as I refuse to get changed, making my intentions clear.

  “No, Vicky, you made a promise. You didn’t even consult me. You decided that we should go out together as a cosy three-some. Well I’m not going,” I shout back at her. I’m hoping - no, I’m expecting - that now she’s understood how strongly I feel about this, she will back down and ditch Tim tonight in favour of spending the evening with me. What I’m not expecting is for her to be as stubborn as a mule and to dig her heels in further.

  “Fine. If that’s how you feel, Chris. Stay. Don’t come. But I’m damn well going. I made a commitment to Tim and I’m not standing him up. Stay here and sulk if you want to. I really don’t care.” And with that, she picks up her bag and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her, her scent still hanging in the air. Hot anger pulses through my veins as I’m still partly in shock that she didn’t stay. It’s ridiculous really. I know I’ve got nothing to worry about, especially with Tim, but my jealousy consumes me. It doesn’t help that she looked stunningly beautiful tonight. Dressed in a classic but tight little black dress, her gorgeous long legs encased in black stockings and spiky high heels. She has the power to stop traffic looking like that, even though she doesn’t realise it.

  Every time we’ve been out together, she seems oblivious to the attention or glances that she attracts. It’s almost like she has an undeveloped understanding of the male species, like she was brought up in a world completely devoid of men. Her blindness to her own attraction is one of the qualities I love the most, but it also makes me question her judgement of men and her ability to read their intentions.

  I rub the side of my temples in anger and frustration. Anger that she chose to go without me, frustration that I’ve let my woman go on a night out in a strange city and unchaperoned. God, what if something happens to her? I would never forgive myself. Why is she so bloody stubborn? It infuriates me!

  The hours tick slowly by as I wait for her to return. With each passing minute my jealousy and paranoia intensify. I can’t stop the images that whirr through my mind of every possible horrific scenario. She’s been hurt. She’s got lost, robbed, or been kidnapped. Tim has devoured her and despite her initial protests, eventually her resistance wanes and she sleeps with him. Or even the potential that she doesn’t come home at all, either because she’s still so angry with me, or because she can’t because she physically can’t. I can’t stop my mind conjuring all the worst case ‘what ifs’ which only magnify my own insecurities. I know I’m driving myself crazy focusing on these thoughts, but I can’t help it and although I’m aware that I’m rocking uncontrollably as I continue to sit in the dark and wait, I can’t stop. The tension, fear and rage increasing with every passing second.

  Eventually at 1am, I hear the click of the hotel door unlocking as she walks back into our room, casually throwing her bag down as she walks towards me, a warm smile on her face. Although my heart wants me to leap up and hug her tightly, relief that she’s returned safely, instead I allow my head to rule, and I hear a voice I don’t recognise shout venomously,

  “Where the fuck have you been, Victoria?”

  The shock on her face is evident, her eyebrows rising in response to the accusing tone of my voice. I watch her take a long slow controlled deep breath, her eyes locking with mine in a steely stare, challenging
me.

  “You know where I’ve been, Chris,” her tone resolute. “Look I’ve had a lovely evening with Tim - he passes on his regards by the way, I told him you weren’t well - so don’t go spoiling it by being a twat. I’m tired. My feet hurt, and I just want to go to sleep.” Having made her point, she kicks off her high heels and flops down onto the bed next to me.

  I instantly stand up, so that I tower over her. I’m so angry my body is shaking. I can feel my right hand instinctively clenching into a fist by the side of my body as I grapple with my primal fight or flight response. How can she be so flippant? So dismissive of my needs? So dismissive of me? I needed her with me tonight and instead she chose someone else over me.

  “Well if you enjoyed his company so much, then why don’t you spend the whole fucking week with him?” My arms shudder by the sides of my body as I remain rooted to the spot. “I’ve called Cathay Pacific and changed my flight to go home tomorrow, so you can do what the fuck you want for the rest of the week. Spend it all with your precious Tim if you want. I don’t care.” I’m bluffing, but that gets her attention.

  “You’ve done what?” she looks at me sharply, taking in not only my words but how severely my body is shaking with uncontrollable rage. I’m aware I’m towering over her, yet still I maintain my threatening stance. I also notice her eyes travel down my arms noticing the clenched fist by my right side.

  “I’ve called Cathay and changed my flight. I’m going home tomorrow, so you can spend the rest of the week with your precious Tim if you damn well want to.” I’m not sure what reaction I was expecting by threatening her with a non-existent ultimatum. I’m not sure if I want to make her cry, force her into an apology, or for her to stand and fight. I think what I really need, is for her to beg me to stay. To show me that she really does need me and would always choose me, despite everything. She stands up now so that we are facing each other, the anger rising in her cheeks as she glares back at me, pointing her finger in my face as she speaks.