by Kate Frost
Chapter Seventeen
It was a blissful afternoon away from Loabi Fushi where they never really had a chance to be alone. Admittedly there were plenty of quiet hidden spots among the trees on Loabi Fushi, but what if they got caught – nothing was worth risking her once in a lifetime opportunity for. But here...
They snorkelled together until their fingers became wrinkled. They eventually splashed their way to the shore, pulling off flippers and snorkels, and dried off in the sun. While they’d been snorkelling, Khalid had gone spear fishing, and they sat with him beneath the shade of palm trees and burnt their fingers eating the parrot fish he’d caught and grilled on a make-shift barbecue. They threw their clothes back on over their swimsuits and wandered back hand in hand. This was the stuff of dreams and it made her old life back in London seem a long way off. She had the briefest stab of guilt that she was able to experience a place like this when Amber no longer could. Deep down she knew that she needed this, to feel alive again, to be surrounded by people, to have formed new and meaningful friendships. Aaron was an antidote to all the past hurt.
They ate on the terrace in front of the house, with a view of the beach. Aaron’s mum’s guests, a young couple from Spain, told them that they’d already spent a couple of days on Malé, then were here for a week before going on to an island resort elsewhere in the Southern Atoll.
‘Wow, you work on Loabi Fushi?’ the woman said in awe. ‘We saw that one, but it is too expensive for us. Maybe for a honeymoon, no?’ She laughed as her boyfriend raised an eyebrow.
‘We dream,’ he said.
Aaron’s mum brought out plates of fried fish and a spiced tuna dish, along with a selection of salads that were a fusion of flavours. Aaron explained their background to the Spanish couple, the way his family had lived in lots of different places, his mum taking culinary inspiration from all over the world. The fried fish was divine. Subtly spiced, it melted in the mouth. His mum joined them at the table and chatted about island life. Even though she obviously worked hard, and ran the guest house on her own, Freya couldn’t help but envy the simplicity of her life.
With empty plates and full stomachs, Aaron’s mum disappeared inside with the dishes insisting she was fine to clear away on her own even after Freya offered. They remained sitting outside, chatting with the Spanish couple and watching the remnants of the sun disappear on the horizon until the beach was plunged into darkness.
‘There’s not much to do in the evenings besides go to bed early,’ Aaron said, folding his hand around Freya’s. ‘I quite like it; early nights, early starts, make the most of the daylight.’
It was true, compared to the UK it got dark so early it felt much later than it really was. After a long day of travelling, walking and swimming, Freya felt exhausted – in a good way, like she’d properly relaxed in a way she couldn’t on Loabi Fushi. And instead of spending the best part of the day holed away in an office in London, she’d spent most of the day outside, soaking up the sun and swimming in the clearest, most beautiful ocean.
‘I’m going up to bed,’ Aaron’s mum said, from the shadows of the doorway.
‘We’ll be up soon; I’ll close up. Night, Mamma.’
The Spanish couple had already retreated to their guest room, so Freya and Aaron found themselves alone. A light switched on in a room above, but apart from the moon and the stars it was dark, the couple of solitary palm trees on the beach silhouetted against the night sky.
Aaron leant closer to Freya, his hand sliding along her bare thigh. ‘Mamma needs to invest in some comfy chairs out here.’
‘That would be nice...’
He pointed upwards. ‘That’s her room up there,’ he whispered. ‘At the heart of the house to keep an eye on things. Pretty sure the reason she doesn’t invest in something more comfortable is to dissuade couples from getting up to no good out here.’
They watched the moonlight catching the white surf and listened to the flap of bats in the trees for a little longer. They dragged themselves from the chairs and closed the kitchen door behind them. Every step on the way up creaked and groaned beneath their feet. They reached Aaron’s room first and paused outside his door. The house was quiet with only the sound of the ocean lapping the shore, the insects in the undergrowth and the gentle whirr of the ceiling fans. So not exactly silence, but Freya was conscious of making any noise and disturbing Aaron’s mum.
‘Thank you for an incredible day,’ she whispered. She didn’t want it to end. She stood on tiptoes and kissed him, her hands finding his muscled chest and tracing his six-pack with her fingers.
‘It’s been perfect.’
All Freya wanted to do was to slip into bed with him. They’d been getting to know each other slowly and their kiss on her birthday had left her wanting more. Today had been perfect; he was perfect, in looks, personality, so kind and thoughtful, someone she wanted to get to know better, know intimately...
His mum’s door was ajar. Was she already asleep or listening in? She assumed it was intentional that the rooms she’d given them were on either side of hers.
Aaron leant down and gave her another lingering kiss. Her heart pounded as he pulled away.
‘See you in the morning,’ she said, taking a couple of steps backwards, wincing as a floorboard creaked.
Aaron remained leaning on the edge of his open doorway, watching her with his beautiful deep brown eyes. He mouthed, ‘later,’ before closing the door to his room with a wink.
Freya sighed and crept the rest of the way along the hallway. The airy and spacious bedroom was a refreshing change to her compact room in the staff village. The chiffon curtains fluttered with the lightest of breezes bringing the sweet scent of the frangipani flowers. The sound of the ocean ebbed in too, a sound she couldn’t get enough of. She couldn’t go back to city living; she craved space and peace.
She changed into pyjama shorts and a vest top and went to the window. The sky was inky black, lit only by a smattering of silver stars and a sliver of moon. The beach was shrouded in darkness, what little light there was just catching the faint curl of the waves as they dissolved on to the shore.
The sheets were cool and had a fresh floral scent. It felt good to sprawl out on a double bed for once. She couldn’t sleep though. She lay awake for ages wondering if she should creep down the landing to Aaron’s room. Hadn’t his wink and comment about ‘later’ suggested as much? This was their chance; it would be a no-go back at the staff village. She hadn’t expected to find someone like Aaron, someone she was drawn to and wanted to spend time with. Someone she liked in that way. She’d been purposefully single and it had suited her back in London, but she felt different here. Perhaps being somewhere far removed from her life and the memories there had truly helped her to move on emotionally. She stared at the shadows of the chiffon curtains dancing on the ceiling from the breeze. It felt so different lying in a cool room, in a large and comfortable bed, the ocean the dominant sound, rather than her room at the staff village with the noise of people and doors banging, those damn fruit bats forever in the background. However much she wanted to sleep with Aaron there was an overriding sense that she was a guest. Aaron had suggested his mum would frown upon that sort of behaviour, regardless of them being consenting adults. She’d been on her own for too long. The butterflies in her stomach were as much from nerves as anticipation at the thought of a night with Aaron. She turned on her side. She hadn’t felt this way about anyone for a long time and she was at his family home with him; she hadn’t been in this situation with anyone since... well, since... She fought back tears and closed her eyes. She listened to the rhythmic sound of the waves sliding on to the beach below, while she willed herself to sleep.
~
Tap tap. Tap tap.
Freya woke with a start.
Tap tap tap.
Disorientated by the darkness she was unable to make out where the noise was coming from.
‘Freya.’
She definitely heard that time.
She rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. The curtains fluttered. She pulled them back and looked down at Aaron sitting on the branch of the tree outside the open window.
‘Can I come in?’ Aaron grinned.
‘Oh my God, Aaron, what’s wrong with using the door?’ She held back the curtain as he grabbed the window ledge and clambered in.
‘Mamma will hear the creak on the landing.’
And she won’t hear the bedsprings? Freya thought, but Aaron’s arms were around her and his lips on hers before she could say anything. He backed her away from the open window and into the room. She ran her hands across his hot bare skin and realised he was naked apart from shorts.
‘So, you’ve done this often?’ She raised her eyebrows.
‘This?’ he said pulling her vest top off over her head and dropping it on the floor.
‘I mean creeping into someone’s room in the middle of the night.’
‘No, first time. Although I’ve climbed that tree hundreds of times over the years.’
‘You climbed it in bare feet?’ She glanced down, imagining him shimmying up the tree in nothing more than a pair of shorts. She breathed deeply, her heart pounding. He lifted her chin until they were looking at each other. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. She didn’t care that his mum was asleep in the next room, or that this could complicate their friendship...
Aaron pulled a condom from his pocket. She tugged at his shorts as eagerly as he did at hers, leaving them in a pile at their feet. He sat on the edge of the bed and drew her to him. She straddled his lap, grimacing as the bed squeaked.
Aaron’s hands made her bare skin tingle. He leaned close to her ear and whispered. ‘Just try to keep the noise down...’
He kept eye contact as he slowly slid his hands up her sides and across her breasts. She already had a hard job keeping quiet as she ran her fingers through Aaron’s dark curly hair and kissed him more passionately than she had that night at the beach. As he pulled her down on to the bed with him, she briefly thought how much she hoped that his mum wasn’t a light sleeper.
Chapter Eighteen
Freya felt Aaron’s heart thumping against her chest as they lay on top of the sheets, their arms and legs still tangled together. Sweat beaded their skin. The fan above sent only a light trickle of air over them.
‘Do you have to go?’ Freya’s fingers trailed across his firm chest as the moonlight slid through the curtains, catching the contours.
‘I don’t want to, but...’ He sighed. ‘Mamma’s crazy old-fashioned. Even though I’m thirty-one; she’d frown upon this. She thinks I should be settled down and married by now... It’s not worth the headache.’ He ran his fingers along her sides, smoothing upwards as he kissed her. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
He got out of bed and pulled on his shorts. He smiled and blew her a kiss before clambering out of the window. Freya sighed. He’d left her wanting more. She was surprised his mum had never cottoned on and chopped down the trees closest to the house. She wasn’t convinced that he’d never crept into a girlfriend’s room before. Maybe she wasn’t bothered as long as it wasn’t paraded in front of her; on the outside it looked like they were maintaining decency. Girlfriend. Her heart beat faster at the thought. Is that what she was now? They’d become friends quickly and she liked the way they flirted, it felt natural and uncomplicated... Had coming here and sleeping together messed that up? And was she even ready to let someone into her life again? She forced the worry from her head. Right now, she felt at ease and happy; sex with Aaron was the last thing she regretted. She let herself slip into an easy sleep, the smell of his spiced aftershave and warmth imprinted next to her. She pulled the sheet up and hugged the pillow to her.
~
Aaron’s mum was quiet over breakfast but Freya didn’t know her well enough to understand if this was normal or if she knew that something had gone on between Freya and her son the night before. Her lips were pursed tight and the lines across her forehead had deepened from yesterday. She tutted to herself too as she bustled about, joining them briefly at the table before getting up again to pour coffee or check on something in the oven. It was only ten in the morning, but the mouth-watering smell promised something even better to eat for lunch.
As delicious as breakfast was, Freya was relieved when they’d all finished eating and could clear their plates away.
‘Thank you, Mamma,’ Aaron said, kissing the side of her head.
She huffed but Freya noticed her lean into her son a little more. It was obvious she liked having him home; it must be difficult with him spending most of his time working away and only being able to come home occasionally. But then again that was the reality with her parents, except they lived on the other side of the world.
His mum swept away, picking up a couple of plates on her way to the sink.
‘Back here for lunch at one,’ she called over her shoulder with a firmness that made it sound like an order.
‘Of course, Mamma.’
Aaron took Freya’s hand and they escaped from the kitchen to the beach.
‘Should we not have stayed to help?’ Freya asked as they ploughed into warm, soft sand.
‘God no, that’s her domain. Trust me, we leave her to it.’
They reached the edge of the shore and the awkwardness she’d been feeling sitting round the kitchen table being judged by Aaron’s mum was erased by the sound of the bubbling surf.
‘Does she know? About last night?’
‘I think she probably heard.’
Freya covered her face with her hands. ‘Oh God.’
‘I did tell you to keep it down...’
‘Hey!’ Freya playfully whacked his arm. ‘I wasn’t the only one enjoying myself.’
‘Yeah, you got me there.’ He wrapped his strong arms around her and she relaxed into him, enjoying the feeling of being held, of being safe and in that first flush of a new relationship, when everything was perfect, exciting and happy, before things had a chance to go wrong... She forced herself to stop thinking so negatively. Just because Owen had treated her badly, wouldn’t mean that Aaron would be the same, or anyone else for that matter.
They spent the rest of the morning wandering along the quiet beach. There were few people about, mostly fishermen on boats bobbing further out where the water changed to a midnight blue. They sat together in the shade of a tree and chatted and kissed, and kissed some more, enjoying the freedom of being able to be together without restriction. Wrapped in Aaron’s arms, Freya leant back against his firm chest, mesmerised by the ocean sliding on to the shore and his hands gliding across her skin. Like last night, she didn’t want the moment to end. His mum was getting lunch ready and then they’d be heading back to Loabi Fushi, a dream island and a dream job, and it made her wonder how they could build on the last couple of days. The excitement and spark of attraction she felt with Aaron, thrilled and scared her at the same time.
The morning slipped away and soon enough they were heading hand-in-hand back along the beach. The sunshine yellow of Aaron’s mum’s house was a welcoming sight through the trees and Freya had a stab of envy that Aaron had a place he could call home and return to that wasn’t thousands of miles away. Even if his mum was a bit of a dragon, she obviously loved and cared for him. Freya fought back tears. Since when had she pined for her parents? But she knew deep down it wasn’t them she was yearning for. They were nearly back at the house so there was no time to dwell. Voices drifted over the garden wall, along with children’s laughter and shrieks.
Aaron’s hand briefly tensed in hers and a frown crossed his face. They went through the archway and rounded the corner. The courtyard garden was filled with people. Four young children were running after each other, weaving round the trees and the adults standing in their way. There was a young man and an older one, along with two young women, one a taller, slimmer, younger version of Aaron’s mum. She saw them and immediately walked over.
‘Hello, Aaron.’
They nodded to each other and it felt rather formal and awkward.
The woman turned to her. ‘And you must be Freya.’ She smiled warmly but there was no offer of a handshake. ‘I’m Aaron’s sister, Tasha.’
Aaron stalked over to his mum.
‘Mamma, why didn’t you tell me they were coming?’
‘Because if I had, I knew you wouldn’t stay.’
Aaron’s face said it all. His jaw clenched, his teeth gritted and Freya noticed his fists. She frowned. His happy and relaxed way had disappeared and tension had rooted in his shoulders.
‘We’ve heard a little bit about you from Mamma,’ Tasha continued, forcing Freya to concentrate on what she was saying rather than on Aaron and his mum. ‘I didn’t realise Aaron had a new girlfriend.’
‘Oh well, we’re not really...’ An image of Aaron naked in her bed last night flashed through her mind. ‘We work together and have become good friends. It’s been nice to get to know someone out here.’
Tasha’s arms were folded across her chest and she nodded but it was obvious that she didn’t believe her. Freya had no idea what she’d done to upset her, but the tension that ebbed through the garden was unsettling.
Freya decided to change tack. ‘Are these your children?’
They were still racing around, the oldest no more than about seven or eight, all of them oblivious to either the tension or her and Aaron.
