36. Fighting Dirty
FIGHTING DIRTY
ANNELISA
When I opened the door and saw Will standing at the gate, my heart had done a little flip.
I’ve been a nervous wreck all week while I wondered how things would go on our first official date.
I’d spent hours getting ready, changing outfits several times and messing up my makeup twice before finally settling on my current look.
But seeing him standing there in his dark jeans and black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows…
Let’s just say, my lady parts now deeply regret agreeing to take sex off the table.
He’s always been the most attractive guy I’ve ever seen, but it’s almost like he’s gotten hotter with age.
How the hell did I ever walk away from this man?
After that moment of vulnerability where I apologised for the hurt I’d caused him, I’m grateful for a moment to gather myself back together while I get the last of my things.
I grab the little handbag that matches my shoes out of the cupboard and throw my keys inside.
My phone lights up on the bedside table, and I pick it up, half expecting it to be a message from Tara, checking I haven’t done a runner.
Instead, it’s Sebastian, and I hesitate for a moment, wondering if I want to deal with it before going out with Will.
Curiosity gets the better of me though, and I open the message.
Sebastian
Hey, I know you asked for more time, but we really need to know what you’re doing about the room.
Annelisa
It’s only been a few days. I’m still paid up for another 2 months, and I honestly don’t know what I’m doing yet. If I was still in London, would you be giving me such a hard time about this?
Sebastian
But you’re not in London. And we need to give Maggie’s sister an answer soon.
Annelisa
I’ll get back to you in a few days, okay? I have stuff I need to work out.
Letting out a long breath, I throw my phone in my handbag before heading back into the lounge room.
Will is still standing by the TV, but at least he’s no longer looking around at my belongings like they are haunting him.
I’m grateful that my apology seems to have been accepted, but I wonder how the rest of the night is going to go.
Are we truly going to be able to put the past behind us?
I guess there’s only one way to find out.
“Ready to go?” I ask, and he nods.
“Yep, let’s do this.” He grimaces a little and runs a hand through his hair.
I laugh. “Why does that sound like you’re about to go into battle?”
He lets out a breath and gives me a little smile. “I have been stressing all week about where to take you. ”
I move to stand in front of him and touch his face. “I’ll be happy with wherever you’re taking me.”
He turns his head to kiss my palm, before taking my hand in his. “Good. And if you don’t like it, blame Kylie, because it was her idea.”
I laugh again and let him lead me out the door, pulling it closed behind me.
When Will pulls the ute up in an empty car space at the base of the Kangaroo Point Cliffs, I look over at him, confused.
“Um, what are we doing here?”
He gives me a little smile but doesn’t answer, climbing out of the car and coming around to my side to open the door.
He holds it open and reaches his hand out for me to take while I slide down from the seat.
“Seriously, where are we going?” I ask, and he chuckles, pulling me in to press a kiss to my forehead.
“You’ll see.”
He takes my hand and leads me along the path. Ahead of us, I spy a low table that has been decorated with a white table cloth, lanterns and fake candles. Two large cream cushions sit on either side, on top of a large round woven mat.
“Wow, that looks so cool,” I comment, pointing it out to Will.
He grins. “I’m glad you think so, cause that’s ours.”
I peer up at him. “What?”
He nods towards the set up, and I look back again, noticing the little chalk board beside it that says our names.
“Oh, wow,” I say, my voice a little breathless as I take it in with more interest. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“This particular company does these sort of picnics all over. I’ve seen a few of them in New Farm Park but not really paid attention, but yeah, it’s apparently a booming business,” he rambles and it’s so cute to see just how nervous he is.
“Remember what I said. If you hate this, it’s all Kylie’s fault. ”
He looks so worried that I pause for a moment to pull him back towards me, brushing my lips against his. “I love it.”
He lets out a breath and nods, relief flooding his features.
I’m not used to this side of Will. He’s always been so sure of himself.
I guess I’m not the only one who is nervous about how we’re going to be able to move forward.
I just hope the nerves he’s feeling aren’t a byproduct of how I treated him in the end.
I’d hate to think I’d caused him to doubt who he was, when really, it was me who was the problem.
When we reach the table, he urges me to take a seat before reaching into the little esky that was concealed at the end of the table, producing a little cheeseboard and a bottle of wine.
“So there’s actual dinner in here too, but I thought we could get started with some cheese and crackers,” he says, and I smile, watching as he pours us both a glass of wine and raises his glass.
I take the other one and tap the glass gently to his.
We make a little small talk while we eat the wheel of camembert, and it feels so familiar. Memories flood back of all the times we used to get cheese and wine and have an impromptu picnic on the floor of our living room.
“How was work this week?” I ask, trying to take my mind off of all the things I walked away from.
He shrugs. “It was okay, I guess.”
Something about his expression has me cocking my head to the side while I study him closely. “What’s wrong?”
He lets out a breath while he twists the wine bottle in his hand. “I’ve been feeling a little lost with work stuff lately. Not sure what to do about it.”
“In what way?” I ask, taking a sip of my wine.
“It’s just… I feel like I’ve peaked, I guess.
The business has ended up doing better than I ever imagined, and now I’ve got six guys working for me, along with two apprentices, and an admin la dy who handles all the paperwork.
The place practically runs itself, and I’m kind of feeling a bit useless now.
I hadn’t expected to feel that way so soon.
I thought it would take me years to build the company up, and now here I am, thirty-two and feeling like there has to be something more out there for me. ”
I consider his words while he picks at the label on the bottle. I can tell it’s really bothering him, but I don’t know what to tell him. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who would kill to have a successful business at thirty-two, but Will has always preferred to feel challenged.
“Is there something you can do to add extra services on to the business, or something like that? A new skill you can learn?”
He shrugs again. “Jake looked into expanding his business to add an electrical engineer into the mix a while ago, and while he didn’t end up doing it, he suggested I could. Add consulting as a service, and it would open us up to bigger projects. I don’t know, though.”
I raise an eyebrow. “That sounds like a good idea. Why aren’t you sure about it?”
He sighs. “You know how much I hated studying at school. And this would be so much harder.”
I shake my head. “No, you hated English and history. You were great at the STEM subjects. Don’t sell yourself short. I have faith you can do it.”
He regards me for a moment. “Yeah? You think it’s worth exploring?”
I nod. “I really do. You always needed to be challenged to keep yourself from getting bored. And it’s at least a three-year degree, right? So that would keep you busy for a while.”
He nods, his expression thoughtful. “Yeah… maybe you’re right… I guess I’ll look into what I’d need to do.”
I grin and take another sip of my drink.
“What about you? Still having trouble finding the words?” he asks .
Now it’s my turn to sigh. “I’ve had some stuff I’m working on, but I’m struggling to write what my publishers are asking for.”
I don’t tell him that the reason I’m struggling to write what they are asking for is because the other project I’ve been working on has consumed my every waking minute this week.
It’s the first time in months that words have just poured out of me, and I’ve written almost fifty thousand words since we got back from the camping trip.
“You’ve had writer’s block in the past. What’d you do to help when that happened before?”
I laugh. “Um… well, when we were together… I’d go climb on top of you. For some reason, that seemed to get the creative juices flowing.”
He chokes on his drink, and that makes me laugh harder.
He eventually gets the coughing under control, smirking at me as he takes a sip of water. “Well, seeing at sex is off the table, I guess you’ll just have to find another way to get those creative juices flowing,” he says.
“Yeah, I guess I will. I could always try taking care of it myself, I suppose.”
His eyebrow rises slowly, and he reaches forward to snag the last piece of cheese. “Are you trying to put the mental image in my head of you taking care of yourself so that I put sex back on the table, Annie?”
I shrug. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He shakes his head. “That’s fighting dirty.”
I grin. “I do know my audience.”
He smiles back. “Yeah… yeah you do.”
Something passes between us at that moment. A sense of understanding and comfort.
This is who we always were together. Sex was always electric between us, sure, but that was because we were able to have fun together and knew each other so well that we could help talk out any problems we faced.
I’d forgotten what it felt like to have someone I trusted so completely to turn to, and from the sounds of it, so had he.
Will reaches into the esky once more, pulling out a few plates of cold seafood, and we spend the rest of the meal discussing both our jobs. There is an undercurrent of flirtation in both our voices now. Like we’re testing the waters for that connection once more.
Once we’ve finished dinner, Will checks his watch. “Our time with the table is almost up. Wanna take a walk?” he asks.
“Sure,” I reply with a smile.
He gets to his feet and reaches his hand out to help me up.
Once I’m standing in front of him, he threads his fingers through mine, and it feels so right. Like the seven years have fallen away, and we’re back in sync once more. The memories overwhelm me, but for once, instead of pushing them aside, I allow myself to feel them instead.
We spend the next hour wandering slowly along the river. The twinkling fairy lights that line the trees and archways give it a magical feeling, and I honestly couldn’t think of a single other person I would rather be with right now.
When we start heading back towards his ute, Will pulls me to a stop next to one of the trees that is lit up like a Christmas tree and cups my cheek.
“I’m really glad that our first official date turned out to be okay,” he says, and I can see the relief in his eyes.
“I don’t think there was ever any question that you would nail this,” I reply with a smile.
“I dunno. Kylie suggested fish and chips on the beach. This could have been a very different evening.”
I tilt my head back and laugh. “But no less amazing. Honestly, you could have offered to split a sandwich with me while sitting in the back of your ute and I still would have had a great time. Because I was with you. ”
He steps forward and brings his lips to mine, and I sigh, leaning into him when he pulls me closer. While talking to him has been filling me with so much hope, it’s the feel of his mouth on mine that gives me the confidence that maybe we will find our footing once again.
Once he pulls away again, he rests his forehead against mine. “I missed you so damn much, Annie.”
I tighten my hold on him. “I missed you more.”
His lips find mine again, and he kisses me hungrily.
It’s like a dam wall has broken, and it takes all my self-control not to climb him right then and there.
I run my hands up his back while I rise as far on to my toes that my high heels will allow, erasing all distance between our bodies as I wrap myself around him.
He groans, and I feel him harden slightly against my abdomen.
“We really need to pump the brakes,” he mumbles against my lips, and I nod without breaking contact.
While I know he’s right, absolutely no part of my body is in agreeance, and it takes every ounce of my willpower to pull away. We hold each other’s gazes while we catch our breath, and he takes my hand again, kissing the back of it.
“Come on. Let me drive you home.”