The Comfort Food Café

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

T here is quite a lot of doing after that, and it is so insanely good that it should be illegal. It is the Class A drug of the sex world, and my mind is truly blown.

I have only ever been with two men, my first boyfriend when I was seventeen, and then Richie. Like a lot of couples, I suppose over the years, our sex life took a back seat to the rest of life. I was always tired and busy and preoccupied. I put weight on, ran low on energy, and felt self-conscious about my flabby bits. None of that is a recipe for spectacular sex, and eventually I started seeing it as a chore rather than fun.

Part of me even has some sympathy for Richie on that front; he was a typical bloke, always up for it, but I was inhibited and reluctant, and often rejected him. If he came to bed later than me, I’d pretend to be asleep, and even when we did it, afterwards I’d think ‘Well, that’s another job ticked off the list; he should be okay for another month.’ I totally lost my mojo, and never thought I’d find it again.

Now, though, my mojo isn’t just back; it’s throwing a party. I don’t know whether I’m just at a different place in my life, or it’s down to the mystery of chemistry, or whether Gabriel is simply better at sex, but I have more orgasms in one night with him than I did with Richie in the last decade of our marriage.

We wake up several times during the night and repeat the whole thing in slightly different and crazily exciting ways, and when we drift off for the final time, I fall asleep with a satisfied smile on my face.

I know that things might look different in the morning, that the glorious simplicity of the night will fade as reality assaults it, but I just don’t care. Tomorrow is, after all, another day.

When it does arrive, though, it’s not quite how I’d imagined. I know Gabriel isn’t a good sleeper, and I haven’t shared a bed with a man for a long time. I expected that neither of us would be able to get any proper rest, that I’d wake at seven with the sky still dark outside, and Gabriel already gone.

Instead, I am shocked awake by the familiar sound of a car outside, doing the toot-toot-I’m-here horn honk. I shoot upright, completely naked, and stare around in surprise. It’s light out, and Gary is barking, and a quick glance at the bedside clock tells me it’s almost eleven.

Gabriel is next to me, his hair splayed across his face, one leg and an entire butt on display. I take a moment to appreciate the view, then shake him roughly.

‘Get up, get up!’ I say, jumping to my feet and grabbing my pyjamas. I hop around the room trying to get my legs in them, and peek through the curtains. My car is parked up outside, which means only one thing.

‘Gabriel, come on, shift yourself. Sophie’s back!’

I look outside again, and as she opens the door, Gary comes streaking out, obviously needing a wee. Poor baby. I have been a bad dog mama.

Gabriel looks as stunned as I do as he staggers out of bed, rubbing at his eyes and tracking down his jeans. He pulls them on, then adds his T-shirt, both inside out and back to front, so the label is on display. He dashes out, and I laugh as I hear him stumble and swear in the landing. I do a quick survey of the room and notice his boxers on the floor. I kick them under the bed together with my witch dress, which is now ruined because Gabriel literally ripped my bodice. Swoon.

I dash to the bathroom, and when I see myself in the mirror I almost scream. My hair is wild and tangled; last night’s make-up is smeared and crusted; my lips are swollen and I have dull red marks on my collarbone. I look like a woman who has been well and truly shagged, and quickly start splashing cold water on my face and trying to smooth down my hair.

By the time I make it into the kitchen, Sophie already has the kettle on and is giving Gary his food. He looks up at me with accusatory amber eyes, and I give him a stroke to assure him he’s still my number one guy.

Sophie leans against the counter and looks me up and down, narrowing her eyes.

‘You look like shit,’ she announces. ‘Hangover from hell?’

‘Yes. Too much punch.’

‘These things happen. I’ll make you a coffee, because I’m officially the best daughter in the world. Possibly the best human being. I called in at the café and did some clearing up, and I’m working the rest of the day. I’ve got mocks coming up in December and I’m chasing those As, baby. Then tonight I might go and hang out at Jess’s house and play video games.’

Oh God, I think, the clear-up. I need to go back to the café and help out, even though it’s the last thing I feel like doing. My body is aching in places I didn’t even know I possessed.

I chat to Sophie, and I don’t think she suspects a thing until Gabriel walks into the room. He’s looking better than I am, but not by much.

‘What’s your excuse?’ she asks, making him a coffee too. ‘I know you weren’t at the party.’

‘Had a wild night in with a six-pack of Stella.’

‘Right. And were you wearing a pirate hat while you did that, because I found one on the living room floor? Plus, FYI, you seem to have a glittery little black cat stuck to your neck. Just saying.’

She cackles as she exits the room, leaving Gabriel peeling the feline evidence from his skin. Oops.

I sit down with my mug, because I’m not sure I can rely on my legs this morning. He leans against the sink and gazes at me over the steam cloud.

‘Last night was…’ he says, then trails off. I’m convinced he’s about to say ‘a mistake’, but he surprises me by grinning and adding, ‘Amazing.’

He looks completely different when he smiles. His brown eyes sparkle, and little laughter lines appear on his face, and he seems to shed that black cloud he often has hovering around him.

‘It was, wasn’t it?’ I reply, sipping my drink. ‘I thought you were going to get up and be all mean and moody about it.’

‘Yeah. I thought I would too, to be honest. Maybe I’m still under your spell. That’s the only logical explanation. You actually are a witch, and you’ve enchanted me. I can’t be held responsible for my actions.’

I nod, and accept this. It’s been a long time since I felt like I could enchant a man, and it doesn’t feel unpleasant.

‘What do you have planned today?’ I ask.

‘I’m going to start clearing the barn, maybe give Belle’s stable a check over before winter kicks in. And then, if you had any interest in this whatsoever, I thought we might find some time alone so I can do that thing that makes you go cross-eyed.’

‘Which one?’

‘All of them.’

I feel my pulse hammer away at the thought, and blush bright red. This really isn’t going the way I’d expected. Gabriel is not a man who flirts, or engages in casual conversation, or makes plans that involve other people. It’s not unwelcome, but it is confusing.

‘I’m starting to wonder,’ I say, ‘if while I was at the party you were maybe abducted by aliens, and this is a fake Gabriel, sent to gather intelligence about our species.’

He smirks a little, and raises his eyebrow as he answers: ‘Well, if I was, I’d say I did a pretty good job of it last night. And … yeah, I know. You’re right. I’m behaving out of character, even I can see that. But I actually slept, for hours on end, for the first time in years. It made me feel almost human. And if it reassures you, I did just spend ten minutes in my room telling myself I should end this before it even begins.’

‘Okay. That sounds more like Gabriel. And?’ I reply, clamping down on the little churn in my stomach. I’m not sixteen, and this isn’t a fairytale. One night of sex, no matter how good, doesn’t change reality. We’re both battered, both cynical, both too cautious to rush into anything too serious this soon.

I shouldn’t be sitting here expecting Gabriel to be the reluctant one; I should be gathering up my own reluctance, and using it as a shield around me. I need to be careful, I know that, but something about this man simply undoes me, in all kinds of ways.

‘And I realised that I don’t want to do that. Look, Max, I have no idea what’s happening between us. But I do know that I enjoy your company. That I feel relaxed around you. You’ve kind of snuck under my skin, and after last night, I don’t want to lose all that just because it disrupts my life. Maybe my life needs a bit of disrupting.’

‘You make me sound like bad weather!’

‘Well, you did bring a storm. I’m probably not explaining myself well, because I’m not used to this.’

‘Communicating?’

‘Exactly. I know I’m bad at it, and I promise I’ll stop soon. I don’t know what you think or feel about this, but do we have to make it a big deal? Is there a way we could just … God, I can’t believe I’m about to say this—I think you might be right about the aliens—but is there a way we could just have fun? If that’s not something you’re interested in, if last night was just a one-off, then that’s totally fine. I accept it completely. Anyway. Piece said.’

I can see the tension creeping back into his body as he speaks, the way his shoulders are bunching beneath his inside out T-shirt. His face, reassembling itself into its normal distant demeanour.

‘I don’t know what I’m thinking or feeling,’ I say honestly. ‘I’m still a bit giddy, truthfully. Give me some time to think about it.’

He nods once, with his usual abrupt style, and disappears back off upstairs. I feel a bit bad about leaving him hanging, but I really can’t be expected to make decisions like this before I’ve even finished my first coffee. It’s too important.

I sit in silent contemplation for a few minutes, Gary curled up at my feet like a comforter, and let the caffeine seep into my veins. I try and weigh up what I might lose, and what I might gain. I tell myself to take my time, because this needs time. I tell myself that I must not rush this.

I wash the mug, and put it on the drainer.

I walk up the steps, and ease my way past Sophie’s room. I hear the sounds of one of her online lessons, a man discussing symbolism in A Streetcar Named Desire , as I tiptoe by. I knock once, very quietly, on Gabriel’s door, and slide inside.

I find him with his top off, and stare for a moment at his smooth, tanned skin, and the sinuous movement of muscle beneath the flesh.

‘My T-shirt was back to front,’ he murmurs, looking befuddled. ‘And inside out!’

‘I know. Look, I’ve now thought about it … and the answer’s yes. Let’s have some fun. I think we both deserve it.’