Chapter Twenty-One
Ren
The text came through as I pulled into the carpark of Glenhaven Lodge. My stomach fizzed, and my shaking hand swiped at the notification.
I’d spent most of the beautiful drive up to the Highlands of Scotland wondering if I was making a mistake coming here.
Lydia clearly wanted space. But when I pictured missing out on the final trip – not feeling Gen’s eyes narrow when I opened my mouth, not seeing Amy beam with pride after finishing her final challenge, or not eating one of Claire’s homemade flapjacks, still warm from her backpack – I felt something tighten in my chest. I realised I’d started these trips with Lydia in mind, but slowly, quietly, they’d become something for me too.
And if anything could soothe my bruised heart right now, it was Scotland.
Because, fuck me, it was beautiful.
The kind of beauty you couldn’t imagine from pictures or videos.
You had to see it. The roads, winding and rural, revealed a new, breathtaking beauty at each turn.
Mountains pierced the clouds, casting scattered patches of sunlight over the land below.
It was so beautiful that it looked like those pristine screensavers from the 90s.
By the time I pulled up to the wood-cladded hotel the sun was setting.
Mandy had mentioned it was a bit of an institution with hikers and climbers in the region.
The hotel was only two storeys high and nestled down a remote road, surrounded by mountains and a picturesque loch.
Mandy said that we would travel to Ben Nevis on the first day to tackle the most challenging ascent.
Then we’d come back here and spend the rest of the trip walking more manageable summits and walks around Glencoe and Ballachulish.
But now, as I stared at my phone, I wasn’t thinking of the hike tomorrow.
I was thinking about the fact we hadn’t spoken since our argument at the social club.
I’d received a fair few sad, sympathetic glances from locals as I’d walked down the high street yesterday to get some last-minute supplies from Ravi’s hardware store.
I had accepted that when she answered that phone call, I was essentially dismissed, and wanted to give her the space she clearly needed.
I spent the rest of my evening regretting listening to Kat and Liam’s advice.
It was bogus. Just because they were sickeningly in love, didn’t mean they knew shit.
But now Lydia had sent me a pinned location.
No message, no explanation. Just a pin about 500 feet from the carpark.
I unpacked, checked in, and dumped my bag in my modest, tartan-patterned room, then jogged through a gate, eyes on my phone, following the flickering blue dot that told me where she was.
Past some trees, into a clearing, then down a grassy path that opened on to a small loch.
And there she was – a blonde head by the water, her knees pulled tight to her chest, staring out at the view.
It was dead quiet, no one but us and the sounds of the water gently lapping against the loch’s bank.
I sat next to her. We stayed silent for a moment before she opened her mouth first.
‘I don’t think I’ve seen anything more beautiful.’
She was partly right – as the sun was setting, the sky of oranges and pinks reflected on the water below, bracketed in by the dark, broody mountains.
‘I have,’ I said, eyes on her instead of the view. ‘Seen something more beautiful, that is.’
She turned, finally looking at me, her head resting on her knees. She gave me a soft, shy smile that I wasn’t sure I’d earned.
‘I—’
‘Ren—’
I chuckled. ‘You go.’
Lydia took a breath in, and began, ‘I’m not going to apologise for what I said the other night.
It was a long time coming and it felt good getting all that off my chest. I’d been keeping it locked up for so long.
So I’m not going to apologise. Even if it was public and messy and not usually how I do things. I feel lighter for it.’
I nodded. ‘Fair enough. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be honest. And to be yourself. Your true self, underneath all the smiles and people-pleasing. And I hurt you, so you should tell me how you feel. Shout at me. Whatever you want, Lyds.’
‘But I don’t want to hurt you too.’
‘You didn’t say anything I didn’t already know, Sunshine. And about Lexi—’
Her shoulder tensed. A telling sign that she was still thinking about this.
‘Lexi is married.’ I pulled out my phone, showing the smiling faces of a couple – Lexi, with her platinum-blonde, poker-straight hair, and next to her a man with a wild, dark mullet – ‘That is Lexi and Tim. Odd couple, but it works. She’s a posh Londoner, he’s a typical Aussie.
They met travelling a couple of years ago, eloped in Peru.
Now they have a place in Mexico City, but travel all around the world.
I met them on my first day at Nocturne. They ordered my favourite drink and we hit it off. ’
I put away my phone and glanced at Lydia, her face unreadable.
‘Lexi was texting about you. Yes. Because she knows about you – I confessed it all drunk one night. That I had a best friend I had hurt and I missed her so much.’ I chuckled, remembering the way Lexi had recoiled when I told her what I did and who I left at home.
‘She smacked me on the arm. Girl code, she called it. Then, after a few weeks, she said I had a sadness in my eyes. She made me realise I wasn’t happy.
Then, she suggested I come home and make it up to you. ’
Lydia exhaled. ‘Well, I feel fucking stupid.’
I ran a hand down her ponytail. ‘You’re not stupid.
If I’d read that on your phone, from Casey or someone – I would have thought the same.
’ I clasped her chin, making her look at me.
‘But there is no one else, Lydia. No one but you. And I know it doesn’t erase the fact that I left in the first place, but I was in the airport, boarding a flight back to you when Liam called and asked if I would come back. ’
Lydia inhaled sharply.
‘I came home for you. Not for Liam. Not for Lily’s. I would have got a job at a drive-thru if it meant I could be with you.’
Lydia’s eyes caught on my lips, then she stood and held out a hand for me to follow. Then she kicked off her trainers and socks and pulled her baggy gym tee over her head. Heat and desire rocketed right through me. Followed shortly by confusion.
‘What are you doing?’
She pulled down her leggings, slowly, like I’ve imagined doing again and again since our night in that tent.
‘What do you think?’ She smiled mischievously. ‘Skinny-dipping.’
A laugh stuttered out of me. ‘Lyds, this is Scotland. It’s going to be—’ my voice died when she pulled her bra off, then her thong and she was standing naked before me.
Blood rushed to my cock as I stared at the defined lines of her stomach, and her strong legs, up to her breasts, that were small, but perfectly shaped, her dusky pink nipples hardening as the spring breeze caressed her.
God, she was a goddess. I wanted to trace the dusting of freckles on her thighs with my tongue.
I wanted to sink my fingers into her soft hips. I wanted to make her mine.
‘Come on, Ren,’ she said, humour in her voice, even as I could hear the gravelly desire there too. She turned towards the water, then shot me a sexy smirk over her shoulder. ‘Don’t go mute on me now. You said you were so good with that mouth.’
I choked a laugh. God, I wanted to wipe that smugness off her face with my mouth.
But all I could do was stare at her beautiful, round arse as she walked into the loch, her shoulders tensing as the cold hit her legs.
She didn’t hesitate, only gave a graceful dive before coming up, and smoothing her wet hair off her face.
I stared in awe, as she grinned at me, looking all the part of a water nymph or siren, destined to drag me to a watery grave.
‘Ren.’ God, her voice was… seductive. ‘We don’t have all night.’
In a flurry, I pulled off my jumper and jeans, followed by socks and boxers, leaving them in a dishevelled pile next to Lydia’s, and made my way into the water, half hard. Although, I was sure the cold water would do something about that.
I watched Lydia eye me as I stepped into the loch, her blue eyes fiery and intense. I did my best not to show how chilly the water was. The sun was gone now, and the water was a dark blue, and surprisingly clear.
I swam closer to Lydia, as she treaded water.
‘You should have told me about Nocturne.’
‘I know.’
‘What was it like? Living out there? Working there? I always wanted to ask your dad or Liam how you were doing, but I chickened out. I was worried you were blissfully happy, travelling the globe. I wish you’d told me about the job. It’s really impressive, Ren.’
I swam closer, and our legs grazed. I wanted to grab her, and wrap those legs around mine. But I wanted to let Lydia lead.
‘I was miserable. The owner, Andrea, had approached me at the Worlds.’
The competition brought together all the best bartenders in the world, to compete for the world title. As I had won the UK title, I competed and lost. But Andrea had seen my cocktail and the recipe, and had been impressed.
‘She asked if I wanted a job. At the time, I’d said no, because Liam and I were already planning to open Lily’s.
She accepted, but then I called her again once I could see Liam was wavering.
She set me up in a little apartment in Mexico City.
It was beautiful. It was chaos and colour all at once, like a living mural.
It was loud and bright and alive… but in the best way.
’ I hesitated. ‘I’d – I’d love to take you one day, if you wanted. ’
Lydia gave me a soft smile. ‘I’d love to. I’d love to see where you were building this life, making friends—’
‘It wasn’t a life, Lydia,’ I said, floating closer to her.
My hand grazed her waist. I allowed myself that little touch. Her eyes heated.