Chapter 13 #3
Elena was still submerged, the water’s surface as still as the surrounding rocks.
He was just getting concerned about her safety when she broke the surface, smiling and looking like some kind of sea goddess.
She pushed her wet hair away from her face and floated effortlessly in front of him, perfectly at home in the water.
‘You like swimming?’ He balanced himself against the smooth rock face.
‘I do,’ she said, her arms moving slowly to keep afloat. ‘We spent a lot of time at the beach in Cartagena when I was young. Papi travelled there for business, so he’d take us with him and we’d spend the days on the beach. I’m guessing you haven’t been there?’
He shook his head.
‘It’s such a beautiful place, nestled inside an ancient walled city. Peaceful by day, pulsating club scene by night. New Year is something to experience. I’ve never seen such colour and life, it’s intoxicating.’
‘I thought you were young when you lived there?’
She swam over to him. ‘Age isn’t so relevant in Cartagena, everyone parties the same.
The streets are filled with tables outside the restaurants circling the city square, ready for the nightly entertainment.
Early evening it would be dance troupes and magicians, followed by singers and folk dancing, and then by midnight it would switch to salsa and merengue. ’
‘That explains why you looked so comfortable dancing last night,’ he said, alarmed when her hands dipped under the water and rested on his hips.
‘It’s part of Colombian life, everyone dances, young and old. No one’s allowed to sit out. If you try someone will pull you onto the dance floor. Ease your leg up for me.’
He let her lift his leg, recognising the stretch they did in his physio sessions. It felt easier to do in the warm water. ‘Do you miss living there?’
She held the stretch, allowing the muscles around his joint to soften.
‘I miss the warm weather, even though where we lived wasn’t that hot.
Bogotá is nearly nine thousand feet above sea level, so it’s cooler than the rest of the country.
But they don’t have seasons like we do over here, it’s the same pretty much all year around.
It’s still warmer than London most days.
’ She repeated the stretch, her hands slippery on his skin.
‘I miss horse riding in the mountains, and the friendliness of the people. There’s none of this silence on the trains with people staring at their feet.
In Colombia everyone chats to everyone, with lots of animation and hugging. I miss that.’
‘Sounds idyllic.’
‘It wasn’t all perfect,’ she said, with a sigh.
‘There’s lots of poverty in the country, and no welfare system or national health service.
Seeing homeless kids on the streets was never easy.
There’s still a drug smuggling problem, although it’s pushed more to the rural areas these days, and crime is high in certain places.
Politically it’s quite unstable, but I love the place and it’s where my roots are. ’
‘Will you go back to live there one day?’
‘Nope, the UK is home now, and Luisa’s very much a Brit. She’d never cope with the culture, she’s a proper Londoner,’ she said, exaggerating the accent. ‘What about you, would you ever live in the US?’ Without warning, she lifted his foot and began massaging it.
He tried to concentrate, but it was tricky when his foot kept nudging against her breast. ‘No, for the same reason as you. Connor was five when he left, and like Luisa, he’s very much British.
I was never happy in the US, and although that had nothing to do with the country, the UK is home now.
I fit here, and I’d miss Hugh too much.’
Her fingers circled his ankles, running over his soles in such a way it felt as though she was reaching every part of him. Unlike him, she showed no awkwardness at touching him in such an intimate way. ‘Why weren’t you happy in the US? Was it because of the rift with your parents?’
‘That was part of it. They weren’t a lot of fun.’
Her fingers dug deeper, spreading the joints in his toes. ‘Did you ever have fun?’
‘I did at school, I guess. But my home life was very serious. Not much laughter.’
‘I couldn’t cope without laughter in my life.’ Her hands slid up his shins, a sensation completely unlike the torture of their physio sessions. ‘Did things change when you came to the UK?’
‘From the moment I met Hugh,’ he said, glad to focus on the past and not on the current sensation of Elena’s hands sending shock waves up his legs. ‘That first year at uni was crazy. Hugh and I partied all the time, joined every organisation we could, and barely had time to study.’
It seemed like a lifetime ago now, a different version of himself.
‘Hugh’s family are titled, so we’d go to polo matches and horse racing at weekends, getting drunk and causing mayhem. I spent the whole time wondering when someone was going to bollock me for misbehaving. But Hugh’s parents behaved even more shockingly.’
He remembered their antics fondly, the eccentric purchases, and random guests staying overnight, from politicians to famous musicians. Everyone was treated equally and welcomed with kindness and acceptance, including him. No wonder Hugh was such a rounded individual, he’d had great role models.
‘And then it stopped when Connor came along,’ he said, with a sigh.
Elena switched to massaging his other foot. ‘No more laughter?’
He let his head rest against the rock face behind.
‘Not for a while. Thanks to Hugh and his family things were better than they would’ve been.
After a while we found our rhythm. Weekends became about Legoland and football matches, Pizza Express and early nights.
I thought it would be the death of my friendship with Hugh, but it wasn’t.
He joined in, dressed up as a pirate for Connor’s birthday, organised days out, and became part of our family. ’
Elena smiled. ‘If I didn’t love Hugh before, I do now.’
‘I know, he’s a special guy.’ Danny smiled, partly at the memory of Hugh, but mostly because having your feet massaged was oddly arousing.
Was she being deliberately seductive? Her body language gave nothing away, she massaged his feet as though she was doing a chore, like the washing up. Just as well really.
His thoughts returned to Hugh. ‘The year we graduated uni he arranged a road trip around Europe for the three of us during the summer holidays. Six weeks spent inside a cramped camper van. Connor never stopped smiling. We snorkelled, visited museums, and camped on beaches. It was a turning point for us, looking back. Things became less challenging after that. When we returned, Hugh headed off to be a stock broker in the City, and Connor and I moved into our first home.’
She lifted his feet into her lap and massaged them simultaneously. ‘Do you feel you’ve missed out?’
‘Not really. I mean, I had my party days at uni, and although I wouldn’t have chosen to become a parent at nineteen, I haven’t been unhappy.
I’ve enjoyed looking after Connor, I’ve got a good career.
I’m sad about certain things that’ve happened, but I have no regrets.
It’s only this last year that things have been difficult.
Prior to that we had a great life. At least, I think we did. ’
‘Hey, don’t doubt it.’ She squeezed his feet, making his eyes widen.
‘Watching you and Connor together is gorgeous. You have a solid relationship, and things will improve, I promise. Like I said before, enjoying the good moments will help you cope with the shitty ones. So today is about self-care. No parental worries, or dwelling on injuries, just a day to let go and indulge in something pleasurable. Are you enjoying your massage?’
‘It’s okay.’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘Just okay?’
He wasn’t about to admit it was the best thing he’d experienced in a very long time. ‘It’s unexpected.’
‘I’ll take that as a positive.’ She resumed massaging. ‘See what can happen when you stop being resistant? You discover a new pleasure. And you were so certain you didn’t like being touched.’ She wiggled an eyebrow. ‘Kind of nice, isn’t it?’
He relented with a nod. ‘You’re not a stranger.’
‘Not anymore.’ She grinned, as if knowing how much he was enjoying it. ‘It’s even better if you close your eyes.’
‘I’m okay as I am.’
‘Still don’t trust me?’
‘I’m trying,’ he said through gritted teeth.
‘Try harder.’
She tugged on his legs and the next thing he knew he was underwater, sinking into the warm water and losing his hearing as the muffled sounds of the waterfall drifted away.
Elena’s hands slid up his torso and encircled his waist, taking his weight and allowing him to float to the surface.
Her body was underneath his like a human airbed, her head resting next to his, her arms around his chest. The sky above was obscured by mist and steam, and as the sound of the waterfall returned, he succumbed to the moment, unwilling to fight it.
As his eyes closed, and his fingers intertwined with hers, he found himself drifting into a state of utter contentment.
For the first time in as long as he could remember, he felt … relaxed.