As I drove into the village, a feeling came over me. A feeling that I don’t get anywhere else that I have ever been – it was hard to describe but it was like peace transcending on me. I loved the feeling. I loved that as I came around the bend just past the village, the moors opened up to me and my grey mansion—my share of it—came into sight. It was like I could breathe again and I’m where I should be. I was home.
I pulled into the driveway and Heath’s car was there! He was home first and I was like a kid at Christmas … ridiculously excited! I parked next to him, grabbed my bag off the passenger seat and rushed up the stairs; I couldn’t wait to see him. When I opened the door he was coming towards me and I rushed into his arms. Heath picked me up and whirled me around before planting me back down and studying me.
‘Cathy, we’re home,’ he said, and I leant up to kiss him. We seemed to kiss for the longest time and all the city’s pace and the month of activities and the separation washed off us, and it was just the two of us again.
I pulled away to look at him.
‘You look gorgeous,’ I said like I was mad at him for being so handsome.
‘Okay, well that’s good isn’t it?’ And then he laughed. ‘Oh, I’m supposed to look thinner and darker and moodier because I’ve been pining for you!’
‘Yes,’ I insisted, with the hint of a smile.
He picked me up again to kiss me and looked into my eyes, he made my heart beat faster.
‘Trust me, Cathy, when you are not with me, I have to remind myself to breathe – almost to remind my heart to beat!’
He put me down as tears welled in my eyes. I wrapped my arms around him and held him so tightly that I didn’t want to let him go. After a while, Heath pulled me away.
‘I’d like to carry you into that bedroom right now—’
I looked keen but Heath closed my desire down.
‘—but there’s still an hour or so of light left, so let’s go out for a walk on our moors,’ he suggested.
‘Yes, I need the walk to leave the city behind,’ I agreed. ‘I'm sure I’ll feel like my old self once I’m out there among the heather on the hills,’ I proclaimed and breathed in, anticipating its freshness. ‘Did Lockwood come back with you?’
‘Yeah, he’s at his place. He said he’d catch up with you over the weekend.’ Heath held my coat for me as I slipped my arms into it. He pulled it around me and kissed me before releasing me. I led the way, keen to get outside and breathe in the fragrant air; so different from the London air.
It didn’t take us long to be alone with the earth. I held Heath’s hand and felt the chill from the moors seeping into my bones. The wind moaned in my ears as we walked along, close to each other.
‘I’ve missed this,’ I said.
‘God, me too and it has only been a month or so,’ Heath agreed. ‘I didn’t think you would miss it, Miss London,’ he teased me.
I grinned and gave him a shrug. ‘It’s in my blood.’
Heath cleared his throat. ‘I saw the pics on social media … from your cast party. You looked like you had a good time.’
‘How did you see them? Don’t tell me you’ve got an account at last?’ I asked him. Heath hated social media and didn’t have an account of any description.
‘Don’t be crazy. But I am surrounded by people who do nothing all day but take selfies of themselves at rehearsals and post them. Half of them follow you and the rest you follow!’
I smiled. ‘You’re going to have to come into the 21stcentury one day.’
‘Yeah, I’ll let you know when I arrive,’ he said. ‘Dan read me the piece in theEntertainment Weeklytoo,’ he added, referring to one of the cast members.
My breath hitched. ‘Well, you know that was crap about me going home with Edgar,’ I said and scoffed. ‘I went home with Nelly. I did have a drink with Edgar and a chat outside the studio, with all the smokers, but then he went back in to do the rounds and Nelly and I hit the dance floor. It was fun, but I felt like a fish out of water without you there … it took me a while to get used to standing alone,’ I said to him, glancing at his face for a reaction.
I think I handled it okay – casual, cool, the truth, and only one small omission about the pending dinner date. Heath was known to have some green in those eyes—our high school dance comes to mind—another story, another time.
‘Uh-huh, so, did you have fun? What’s your part like?’ he continued, taking me at my word.
‘The part is good,’ I said. ‘I’m the girlfriend of the lead’s brother and I’m on screen for about twenty minutes of the two hours.’ I smiled as I told him, the excitement brimming in me. He pulled me into him and kissed me on the top of the head.
‘You’ll steal the show. I can’t wait to see it.’
The remaining day and evening were wonderful. We cooked together, shared some wine, made love, talked and chilled.