-- EIGHT --
Watching television in the living room together, John and Sarah were watching Road Wars, a programme that follows an elite unit from the Thames Valley Police. Sarah had been at John's place ever since the questioning, a week ago.
John's home was huge and roomy, with four large size rooms, an enormous kitchen, dining area and outdoor swimming pool. The living room was huge, with a long leather sofa against the far wall. A large red lounge chair by the patio doors and a black sheep skin rug laid out in front of the fire and a medium sized wooden oak coffee table.
The dining room was equip with a long wooden table, with four seats positioned around it and place mats and coasters neatly laid out on the table, ready for use. The sink draining board was clean, all the cups and plates were neatly put away in there correct cupboards. The floor was spotless, it gleamed in the sun light from the window.
The main bathroom was gorgeous. With its gleaming white tiles around the bath and in the shower cubical. The bright clean white bathroom floor mats sat neatly by the side of the bath and outside the shower and around the bottom of the toilet on the floor. They looked brand new, like they'd never been used. It was a amazing to see a mans house so clean and tidy.
Each bedroom had its own double bed, free view TV and otter man where each rooms bedding and sheets were stored. They each had there own dressing table with mirror and a rug laid out under the window. The beds were always immaculate, like they had never been slept it. It was like a hotel, everything was away in its place.
John lived alone on Cardiff bay with his dogs, Captain Jack, Charlie and Harris. People would come up to him in the street and say good morning. People out walking there dogs would stop and chat to him. Everyone knew him and everyone got a long with him, he was a kind man with a heart of gold. John never said no to a chat and a photo with people. He always took time out of his busy schedule to make time for people. John was finally happy and content, he had what he wanted. A loving relationship a great family unit and of course, amazing friends.
John sat watching the televison with Sarah, his arm gently over her shoulder. She was leaning against him with her head on his chest, engrossed in the programme they were watching when John's phone rang. 'I have to get that, its Gavin.' John smiled leaning over to the coffee table as has phone violently vibrated and flashed. 'No problem.' She replied sitting up so he was able to reach.
'Hey John, hope you're OK. Listen, I had an email back from that guy we had a meeting with last week and he wants to do a pilot for Tonight's The Night' Gavin beamed. 'Oh fantastic!' John exclaimed. 'I'll be delighted to do it.' John continued. 'He wants Barrowman Barker Productions to produce it and the BBC to air it.' Gavin explained. 'Oh wonderful' John smiled. 'Just wanted to ring and let you know. See you tomorrow.' And he hung up.
'What did he want?' Sarah asked politely. 'Oh a few people we had a meeting with last week want us to do a pilot for a programme I want to do called 'Tonight's The Night' John replied. 'What's that going to be?' She asked. 'An entertainment show for Saturday nights, where I surprise people and make they're entertainment dreams come true.' John explained. 'Oh that sounds like a great show.' She smiled. 'I know. I thought it was about time I made others dreams come true. I've got my dream, so its time for others to have a chance to live thiers.' John smiled.
'Have you managed to book the holiday yet?' Sarah asked. 'Yes I have, but I wasn't sure if you still wanted to go after last weeks fiasco and everything. But yes, its been booked and sorted. We're away for three weeks.' John replied. 'Where we going?' She asked. 'I thought we'd go to Antigua. Its a lovely country and I go every year if I can' John smiled. 'I've never been there before' Sarah smiled. 'Oh I'm sure you'll love it.' John smiled. 'I'm sure I will' She smiled.
'I need to go home soon, I can't stay here to long' She replied looking down at the floor. 'Why not? You're more than welcome to stay here for as long as you like.' John smiled. 'You're a busy man and I don't want to get under your feet and in your way' She replied. 'Nonsense, that would never happen' He smiled getting up from the sofa. 'Want to sit in the garden with me for a while?' John asked opening the patio doors. 'Yeah sure.' She smiled and followed him outside onto the decking.
The garden was big and spacious, you could see the sea from the decking. The sun was shining down on the pool, it was a lovely day. The water in the pool was still. By the side of the pool sat a small wooden table, with two chairs and a parasol sat in the middle of the table slotted into the small round hole. There was also three white sun loungers sat side by side at the side if the pool. The garden was clear, like it had recently been mowed, there were light green and dark green strips on the grass.
'I'm going to put on some shorts, its warm out here. Might put on my swimming shorts in case I want to go for a swim.' John smiled standing up from the table. 'OK' Sarah smiled. 'If you want a drink or anything, help yourself. I'll take you back to your place to collect some stuff if you want later.' John replied as he walked into the house. 'Thanks.' She shouted as he disappeared out of sight.
Sarah sat quietly looking out at the sea from the decking. There was a couple out walking there dog on the sand, throwing a ball and the dog was sprinting after it. She sat and throught about what she wanted to collect from the flat. 'I need more clothes to wear and some toiletries' She thought to herself. As she got up from the chair, John appeared in the door way in a white t-shirt and a white pair of swimming shorts and flops. He looked amazing, his t-shirt was tight across his chest and was outlining his abs and torso.
'Someone's ready for summer' Sarah smiled she was eyeing him up and down, taking in his muscles on his arms. The t-shirt was tight, but she didn't mind. He looked hot standing there in the doorway. 'I found some sun cream, thought you might want to wear it. Wouldn't want you getting sun burnt now would we?' John smiled giving her the bottle. 'Oh thanks.' She smiled. 'You can put some on me if you like' He smirked. 'Oh yes please' She thought to herself. 'When you want to go collect your stuff, let me know. He replied laying out a towel on one of the sun loungers by the pool.
Removing his t-shirt and putting it on the sun lounger, John took off his sun glasses and sat on the small chair in front of Sarah. 'You want to do the honours? Only I can't do my back - I can't reach.' John replied turning around on the chair. Her mind was now doing overtime as she began rubbing sun cream onto his back. His soft skin gleaming in the sunlight as she applied sun cream to his shoulders and the back of his neck. 'I should get you to do this more often.' John replied, his head tiled down towards the floor.
As John stood by the side of the pool, Sarah watched as he dove into the water like an olympic swimmer and rose again to the surface and swam from one end of the pool to the other four times before stopping at the side and wiping away the water from his eyes. 'Pitty you can't join me' John smiled placing his arms on the side of the pool and rest his head on his hands. 'I don't have my swimming gear with me' She replied. 'We'll get them if you want when we go back, I'd like to swim with you.' John smiled. 'OK then.' She smiled.
Deep down she was blushing at the thought of him seeing her in her swimming gear. She hated her body, she thought she was fat. She didn't like going swimming in public because of the way she looked, she didn't have very much self confidence. She was worried about what he'd say to her, would he be put off by the way she looked? Would he make a comment about her swim wear, she didn't know and she was dreading the time she'd find out.
Spotting a small stereo just inside the door, Sarah asked John if she could put some music on. 'Yeah sure, make yourself at home. Whats mine is yours.' John replied getting out of the pool via the metal steps. As she knelt down to the stereo, John placed his hands on her shoulders. 'Holding you steady so you don't fall.' John replied so not to make her jump.
As the stereo came to life, 'Fill Me In' by Craig David was just finishing. 'Grenade' by Bruno Mars came on the radio. Sarah stood up and sang a long with it. 'I would go through all this pain. Take a bullet straight through my brain. Yes, I would die for ya baby; But you won't do the same' She sang. 'Yes I would.' John whispered and kissed her softly on the cheek. She smiled softly and sat back down on the chair. 'You can sit on one of the loungers if you want.' John smiled. 'I know, I'm OK here for the moment thanks.' She replied.
John dove back into the water in the pool and swam up and down the pool a few more times before finally stepping out of the pool and wiping himself down with the towel and sitting on the sun lounger. His hair was ruffled up after he'd been rubbing his head with the towel a few times. Slipping on his flip flops and standing up from the chair John walked indoors and made himself a large glass of lemonade and a sandwich. 'Want anything while I'm here?' John asked. 'No I'm OK thanks.' Sarah replied. 'You haven't eaten yet today, are you alright?' John asked. 'I'm fine, I'm just not hungry at the moment' She replied.
Walking back out onto the decking in the garden, John took a seat at the table and began eating his sandwich. Seagulls were flying over head as the sun continued beaming down. One seagull landed on the roof of a neighbours house before taking off again towards the beach. Sarah stood up from the chair and walked indoors before sprawling out on the sofa with the TV mag. 'Are you sure you're OK?' John asked walking through the patio doors. 'I'm fine, just hot, that's all. I'll be OK' Sarah smiled.
Sarah was begining to feel ill, the sun had gotten to her and she wasn't feeling to good. Her stomach was doing turns and making her feel like she was about to be sick. After a few moments sitting indoors, she sat up on the sofa and put the TV mag back on the table. 'I want to go and get my stuff soon, if you don't mind' She shouted. 'OK, give me a few minutes and we'll go.' John replied from the kitchen.
***
Arriving at the flat it was quiet, there was nobody home. Collecting a few things from her room, John appeared at the door way. 'I know this sounds crazy, but.. I want you to stay with me. That way, you're away from here and you can make a fresh start. This place is only going to bring back bad memories.' John replied. 'I don't know.. I mean, is that what you want? But, wont I get in the way of things?' Sarah replied. 'No. Besides, I'm away quite a bit with work and you'll be learning the PA role with Rhys, we wont be in each others way.' John smiled. 'You don't have to get all your stuff now, do it a bit at a time.' He continued.
Leaving the flat and making there way down the path, John stopped her at the gate. 'I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you to live with me.. I just feel its better if you got a fresh start. You know, start again?' John replied. 'Oh, its OK, its not you.. Its me.' Sarah replied. 'What do you mean, its you?' John replied. 'I'm not sure if me living with you is truly what you want..' She replied. 'Of course it is, I love you and I'd do anything to make you feel more comfortable.' John replied taking hold of her hand. 'I don't want you being reminded of that scum bag of an ex boyfriend of yours.' John smiled.
***
Arriving back at John's place Sarah went and changed into something a bit more cooling and put on her swimwear underneath in case she was offered for a swim. John sat on the sun lounger waiting for her to reappear in the door way. He took off his t shirt, and his flip flops and lay on the sun lounger sunbathing with his sun glasses on. He hadn't been lying there long where Sarah reappeared in the doorway in her shorts and the top of her swimming costume.
'You coming for a swim this time?' John asked still sunbathing. 'Yeah, I guess so.' Sarah replied. 'Great.' John replied a he stood up from the sun lounger with the sun cream in hand. 'Want some of this on your back?' John asked. 'I'll do it for you if you can't reach.' John smiled. John gently applied sun cream to her shoulders, the back of her neck and the back of her arms. He was being gentle so not to hurt her in any way. As he finished, he placed the bottle down on the table. 'Don't be shy, I wont say anything. I know you're worried about the way you look, but from what I've seen you look fine to me' John reasurred her.
Walking down the stairs of the pool one step at a time, John held out his hand as she stepped off the stairs so she wouldn't slip. As she took hold of his hand, the water danced around her. At first it was cold and she screeched but she soon got used to the temperature change and was swimming around with John in no time. As she did two laps of the pool, John pulled her in towards him and kissed her softly on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. John pulled away from her for a moment and smiled. 'I love you, you know that?' He said looking at her softly. 'I love you too' She replied and they came together again.
Later that afternoon as the temperature dropped, John wrapped his towel around Sarah as she stepped out of the pool and onto the decking. The sun had gone in and the wind was out, it was breezy, it made Sarah cold as she was wet from head to toe from the pool. 'Here, I made you a warm drink, thought you might of needed it.' John smiled handing her a mug of fresh coffee. 'Oh, fantastic.' She replied taking the hot beverage. Sitting on the sun lounger, the towel wrapped around her and both hands on her hot mug, Sarah sat back and relaxed before going to get changed.
Standing in John's bathroom, the taps running, Sarah sat waiting for the bath to fill up before getting in. Steam was evaporating into the air and the room was getting warm. Condensation was forming on the mirror and the window began to steam up. Sarah placed her glasses on the bathroom cabinet and took her hair out of the side and it fell down past her shoulders. Turning the taps off, she slowly stepped in and sat down in the warm water soaking.
***
Footsteps were coming up the stairs 'Just getting you a towel out, will leave it outside the door for you when you're ready.' John replied walking across the landing. Reaching up in the cupbaord, John put his hand on a large blue bath towel and pulled out of the cupboard. Placing it on the floor outside the bathroom door, John made his way back downstairs to wait for her to come down.
John sat quietly in the kitchen looking out of the window to the garden. The sun had moved round and was now beaming down on the grass part of the garden. There were birds bathing in the bird bath and there was a bird perched on the bird feeder eating the seeds and nuts. John sat thinkinhg about that afternoon in the pool, it was magical, it felt right - it was love. He had fallen deeply in love with her and he felt great. He'd spend every moment of every day thinking about her, even though she was there - right in front of him. It was like a dream, his dream come true.
A few moments later John heard footsteps across the landing, one of the guest rooms was above the kitchen where he sat. John sat listening to her walking back and to in the room above him. Downstairs was quiet, there was no tv on and no radio. It was like he was living alone again, the house was silent. Her footsteps had stopped and there was no noise. John gave it a few more minutes and strolled upstairs to make sure Sarah was OK.
John quietly made his way to the guest room where she was and peered in quietly around the door. She was sat using her laptop quietly on the bed, her towel was neatly draped over the chair. 'Oh, I didn't see you there. Hope you don't mind me using my laptop?' She asked kindly. 'Not at all, do as you wish. You may come down and sit with me if you want, you can bring your laptop.' John smiled opening the door. 'OK, I'll be down in a few moments' She replied typing on the keypad.
Sarah was sitting typing away on Twitter to friends and Facebook to family. Her status read:
'Met the man of my dreams, the star in my sky, my one and only -- love you babe! xx'
John took a quick look on his Twitter and spotted her status, he then wrote:
'There are many women out there, but none as special as the one I know. She's amazing! JB'
She replied to his message:
'@Team_Barrowman I hope you will be very happy and I hope she's everythig you ever wanted.'
He replied:
'@LFC_JFT96_YNWA I am very happy and she's everything I ever wished for. JB'
