Cross the Line

Naomi was in a daze as she allowed him to lead her back into the castle, “I just need to clean myself up. I’m going to go upstairs, then I’ll go and find him.”

She eventually found the hotel room and let herself in through the door, as she was rooting through her bag for her makeup she heard a noise behind her.

She turned to see Conor emerging from the bathroom, his shirt and tie undone, his face dark and sad.

                “I thought you’d left.” He barely lifted his eyes to acknowledge at her.

She shrugged, “if nothing else we have to work together next week, we need to get on. I can hardly ignore you and run away.”

                   “But you tried.” He laughed self deprecatingly.

                “Do you honestly blame me?” She marched up to him and dug her index finger furiously into his chest.

He groaned, “You have every reason to hate me. I hoped you wouldn’t see her...but she’s toxic.”

Laughing she shook her head, “you just had to trust me, warn me...instead you make another wrong choice. By doing right by everyone else you do wrong by me. Does that make you happy? Cos it doesn’t me! It makes me feel cheap, and used. I may not be the love of your life, but I thought we were friends Conor, you don’t treat friends like that!”

He came towards her, “my mother doesn’t deserve any more pain, I hoped that I could manage the situation...but that meant dancing with her, tolerating her ways...I was trying to get rid of her, but she has skin like elephant hide.”

                “Your mother is old enough to know the truth, at the end of the day, from what I hear, she knows exactly what Orla is all about. You can’t manage every situation that is thrown in your path...saying that I don’t know whether to be insulted or pleased that I was bottom of your list of things you needed to control!” As she laughed ironically, she saw his face crumple; he was barely holding things together.

She touched his hand, “Patrick explained...about Orla I mean. All that happened. It would ruin most men. I just wish you’d told me. Shared that with me yourself. I really wish you’d let me in. But anyway, you got through it, that’s the main thing. We can get over this, we can still be friends.”

He gripped her fingers earnestly, “He shouldn’t have told you that!”

She sighed, looking into his dark, stormy eyes, he wanted to resist everything, she could tell. “No he shouldn’t, YOU should have.” She placed a finger firmly on his chest again. “You owed me the truth, and you should have trusted me. You brought me into this lion’s den Conor, I had no idea of the role I was really playing, and that’s your fault. Saying that, it explains a lot, and I think I understand you a bit more now.”

                “I couldn’t tell you that...” he dropped his eyes, “I don’t talk about it.”

She sighed, “you had a baby, you lost him,” he snatched his hands free of hers and turned away from her, but she wasn’t stopping. Placing a hand on his shoulder she pulled him around to face her, “without the actions of that bitch that is more than enough for anyone to deal with. But you can’t carry that burden alone forever. Before you can trust someone, you have to let people in. This castle is full of people who love you, but you can’t see that. All you fear is that bitch hurting you or them again. And in doing that you push everyone away, friends and family. She’s winning every day that you do that! Can’t you see?”

Watching her intently it was a few long moments before he answered, “You misunderstood me earlier, when we were outside. I haven’t been this close to anyone since Orla. I swore I’d never get involved again, never want more than casual acquaintances, I’ve been happy on my own for so long that I didn’t think I’d ever open up to anyone else. But you’re different; you’re making me question everything. And it is scary, and then she was there, and she’s poison, and I wanted her to leave. ‘One dance’ that’s what she wanted, thinking that she could use her body to charm me...she can’t believe that I loathe every inch of her. I don’t want to lose you over this Naomi, but I know that I’ve done things wrong. I just hope you’ll give me chance to prove it.”

She smiled, “that’s a good thing, but we need to start over again. Get to know each other, honestly. No lies, no hiding. Friends first.” She offered, “We need that, need to trust each other, be honest. Then maybe we can see where it goes.”

As she made to walk away he grabbed her hand, “but...”

                “But what? We go back to as we were? Arguing, fighting, explosive sex, and then misunderstanding?”

                “It was?”

She nodded and grinned, “of course it was! But we can’t just drop back into that, it wasn’t real. No, we start over, from the beginning. Let me get my dress back on, and then we need to get back to the party...the last sight everyone saw was you dancing with her and me storming off. If I’m ever going to return to Ireland, you have to help me regain the respect of your family. By respecting me!”

Her words were lost as his lips landed on hers, any defence she had melted as their tongues met, and teeth grazed at each other. Her heart started to pound and warmth swept through her body. When they eventually separated they were both flushed, emotional...connected.

Finally lifting his head, Conor’s eyes met hers and seemed to penetrate her soul, “friends? I don’t think I can do that.” When her eyes widened with realisation that the old confident Conor was back, he added, “Now Miss Young, tomorrow I will prove to you how much I trust you, but for now, yes, I will accompany you back to the party.”

                “Good.” Ignoring her racing heart and jelly-like legs, she turned to make for the door but his voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

                “But we can’t be just friends. If you feel about me the way that I feel about you, then the ball is in your court, because I have every need, desire and intention of taking you back to bed, but only when you say you are ready. I know you want me, as much as I want you. It’s just a matter of time. But we CAN’T be just friends, it’s just not possible.”

He straightened his tie, his eyes never leaving hers, and when she finally tried to vocalise a reply, he silenced her with a finger placed over her lips. “You have to make the decision Naomi. All or nothing?” He opened the door out on to the corridor “come on!”

She was angry at his proposition; he’d dragged it back down to gutter level. She was more than sex. He still didn’t see that, still didn’t seem to see that she needed a commitment from him. She wasn’t talking marriage, hell no, but she needed to know that he was serious about her before she stepped back into the lion’s den.

They had been missed and a few knowing looks passed between the guests, “they think we’ve been making love!” he whispered in her ear. Her blush for a response only deepened the suspicions. “But more importantly, they need to know that her appearance has changed nothing. Come on!”

And with that he dragged her onto the dance floor. The band had long since finished, but a DJ was still playing tunes despite the lateness of the hour. The bride and groom had left for sunny climes whilst they’d been absent, so the crowds were beginning to thin as people also started to leave.

Dire Straits kicked in with Romeo and Juliet, and as he pulled her into his arms, Conor gave a wry smile then lowering his head he started to sing along to the song, the words a husky rasp against her ear.

                “A love struck Romeo, sings the streets a serenade, laying everybody low with a love song that he made...”

Naomi was fighting her inner turmoil. She was desperate for him really, her whole body quivered, from the breath at her ear to the hands splayed across her spine.

                “You’re the Romeo? Is that what you’re saying?” her voice was as husky to her own ears as his. “You’ve got a long way to go y’know!”

He waggled an eyebrow, “you think? We shall see!”

They were at the bar getting a drink when Patrick skulked over. Both of them smiled coyly.

                “So are you both speaking to me?” He asked feigning nervousness. When they nodded smiling, he added, “That’s good because Naomi I have had far too much to drink to have been able to drive you anywhere!”

She shook her head in amazement, “so it was all a calculated risk?”

He nodded, “well I didn’t want to see you walk out on an argument! Con I love you like a brother, and for the first time you seemed to be putting the past behind you...I couldn’t let her involvement ruin things again.”

                “You always were an interfering bastard! Well then meddler, let me get you a drink!”

They separated and danced with various family members and friends, and it was on seeing Naomi dancing with his elderly grandfather that Conor felt and recognised that familiar tugging sensation in his chest.  Acting on impulse he marched across the room and leaned to whisper into her ear.

                “I think I love you Naomi Young!” He walked back as quickly as he came, leaving her staring in wonder over his grandfathers’ shoulder.