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Chapter 11

Nick arrived at the Coach & Horses before Elena and so he went to the bar and ordered drinks and then found a table in the busy pub. He took a few sips of his beer as he waited and looked around nervously, hoping she’d show up. His heart began to beat a little faster when he saw her walking towards him, her brown curls bouncing as she walked and a smile slowly spreading across her face when she realised he’d spotted her.

“Sorry I’m a bit late, mother was giving me a lecture about how wrong it is to be going for a drink with another man when I’m engaged” she said. Nick didn’t need that little reminder; he preferred to forget that Jeremy even existed.

“No worries, I haven’t been here long myself. I got you a sweet white wine, is that alright?” he asked, hoping he’d made the right choice.

“Thanks Nick, that’s perfect” she replied and sat down next to him. They began to chat, conversation coming easily, and before long they were laughing at something silly he’d said.

“You have a beautiful smile, y’know” he told her.

“Thank you” she smiled shyly, not used to such compliments.

“You ought to smile more often”

“Are you going back to work for your dad after the war?” Elena asked, changing the subject to something more appropriate. Although she liked the compliments and enjoyed his company, she knew it was wrong to encourage anything more than a platonic relationship.

“Not a chance! When I get home I’d love to be able to set up on my own in a new place. I’ve been saving up for quite a while already, so we’ll see” he said. He smiled at the thought of home with its good weather and beautiful sandy beaches, a far cry from the unpredictable English climate, but then a frown settled on his face when he thought of Emily. He wondered if she was married now. He was slowly getting over her…in fact he was over her, she was history now as far as Nick was concerned. Howie how told him that these things happen for a reason and they obviously weren’t meant to be. He looked down into his beer and knew that Howie had been right.

“I’m sorry, I hope I haven’t upset you mentioning your family and home” she said with genuine concern, placing her hand on his. He placed his other hand over hers and looked up. Elena felt the buzz of electricity course through her body at his touch and wondered if he felt it too.

“Do you wanna get out of here? Go for a walk? It’s a lovely evening” he asked, hoping she’d say yes.

“I’d like that” she said and they finished what was left of their drinks and made their way out of the now over crowded pub.

It was a lovely warm summer evening, one of those perfect nights for a walk, away from the crowds, out in the open. Before they knew it, they’d left town and were walking up the grassy hills which from the top, provided stunning views for miles around.

“Race you to the top” Nick teased, never thinking Elena would accept the challenge.

“That’s not fair, I’ve got heels on” Elena protested just a little.

“Well take them off!” he replied teasingly.

“You’re on. I must warn you though; I used to be pretty fast”

“Used to be? Well let’s see what you’ve got now then” he said. She took her shoes off and Nick offered to carry them for her, thinking he’d give her a fighting chance, but knowing she would be no match against him. He was also fast.

“Ready?”

“Too right, on three. One, two, three” he said and they began running up the hill, reaching the top at the same time, both slightly breathless.

“That was fun” Emily said and flopped down onto the grass, patting the space next to her for Nick to sit down. He sat down next to her and they looked down at the view below them, it was stunning.

“Does Jeremy bring you up here?”

“Yes, he used to” she sighed

“Do you love him?” Nick asked

“Of course, everyone loves Jeremy”

“But do you love him?” Nick asked.

“I grew up with him Nick, of course I love him. Everyone expects us to get married, it was just always going to happen” she said and began to feel the sting of tears in her eyes.

She was confused; Jeremy was everything she could want in a man. He was a lovely person and they’d been destined for each other since they were only young, her parent’s loved him like a son. Yet here she was with Nick and wondering what it would be like to feel his lips against hers, his arms around her holding her close. She began to shiver, not from the cold but at the feeling of Nick’s closeness to her. More tears flowed.

“Please don’t cry Elena” he consoled “I didn’t mean to upset you”. He put his arm around her and shuffled up closer to her. He could feel her body trembling against his so he pulled her closer and wrapped his other arm around her to warm her up. Before they knew it, their lips were crashing against each others, kissing with a fierce passion neither of them knew they possessed. He lowered her down and leaned over her, never taking his mouth from hers as they now lay down on the grass. How long they stayed like that, just kissing, neither of them knew, but it had begun to get dark when they eventually pulled away.

“We shouldn’t be doing this Nick…but I like it” Elena said and snuggled up against Nick as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

“Me too” he said

They lay there, gazing up at the stars, content in each other’s company. It was after eleven when they eventually decided they’d better make a move and go back into town, it was now pitch black and they only had their torches (which they carried everywhere they went at night) to light the way back. Elena put her shoes back on and Nick then helped her get up, taking her hand in his as they began the walk downhill. They were laughing and chatting, when they heard the unnerving sound of the air raid siren from below.

“Oh god Nick, I’m frightened, we’ll never get to the shelter in time” Elena held his hand tighter, fear sweeping over her. The town had managed to go relatively unharmed by bombers compared to other towns and cities, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen.

“It’s going to be alright, now let’s turn off these torches quickly and sit it out” he said and took the torch from her hand and switched it off then sat her down next to him and placed his arms around her protectively. Not that it would help, he knew that, but he also knew she was terrified and needed to feel reassured.

The planes flew overhead, they couldn’t see them very clearly, but they could hear them, their engines humming high above. Nick and Elena held each other tight; both scared of what may happen in the next few minutes as they sat in silence, praying that everything would be alright. The hum of the aircraft engines grew more distant but Nick and Elena didn’t move, they just remained where they were, holding each other close until eventually the siren went off to signal that all was clear.

“Thank you” she barely whispered

“I didn’t do anything”

“You were there for me” she said and kissed him softly.

They continued their walk back into town, Nick’s arm around protectively around Elena’s shoulders and Elena’s arm around his waist.

“Goodnight Nick” she said when they had reached her front door “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Definitely” he replied and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek before turning to head back to base. He hoped he’d get a lift back with someone passing, there was bound to be some traffic about after the all clear from the air raid.

Elena closed the door and leaned against it, closing her eyes and imagining Nick’s lips against hers once again, she was in love for the first time and it felt good. But it didn’t stop her feeling guilty about Jeremy, whom she’d have to tell on his next visit home.

Chapter End Notes:

Everything seems so perfect for them, but it won't be for long!  Thanks for reading even if some of it is a bit sappy, lol.