Encounters With Abigail

Chapter Six

  Checking myself in the rear-view mirror, I look much more alive than when I was last here. Who knew the benefits of sleep, strolling up Anna's front garden, her infectious laugh come from the back so I make my way through the side gate following the sound. 

  She turns and scowls at me "what time do you call this? We are nearly done" I lift my wrist and realise my watch is missing –I can't even remember when I last saw it- but when our eyes meet, she breaks out in a huge grin and thunders forward hugging me. I give her a tight squeeze, finding Abigail behind her bent over a pot.

  Her full curls pulled high with a ribbon she wears a thin strapped black dress that hugs her waist beautifully, the skirt is currently puffed up as she kneels on it while digging. "She has not roped you into this as well, has she?" I call out, her eyes fly up to meet mine and I can't help but laugh at the dirt smudge high across her cheek.

 "Well, someone had to help her since you are so late" a breath-taking smile spreads across her face. Abi seems to glow briefly then way too quickly for my liking it's gone. Anna and I both just stand there stunned, when Anna shakes her head, I assume she must have forgot that she has a boyfriend.

  Turns out that I'm so late only one plant needs to be re-homed so for my tardiness I've been placed on digging duty. "You aren't from this area, are you?" Anna remarks while watering some pink roses.

  I glance up to Abi she looks nervous lightly stepping side to side chewing on her thumb nail "em, no Scotland originally" I catch her eye, but she looks away annihilating her other thumb.

"Ah yeah that's it, your accent is faint but it's totally Scottish" Anna continues to water her back to us no idea that Abi is clearly not happy with this conversation. "I've got friends in Edinburgh, it's so damn pretty and we spent Christmas in Inverness last year it was enchanting if not totally freezing" Anna softly giggles to herself.

  Yeah, she wasn't kidding Thomas' family manor was like the fucking arctic tundra, it took me weeks to be able to feel heat again but that man will do anything to make my sisters life magical even if it means us all living like some nineteenth century nobility for a week.

  Abi shakes out her hands, taking in a deep breath "I actually used to live near Edinburgh it's a beautiful city, you could get lost for weeks in there, but I like it much better down here" her voice is off, Anna doesn't seem to notice.

"I'm glad you like it here; Thomas was so worried that we would have weird neighbours, but you are wonderful" Anna skips forward wrapping her in a hug. Abi hesitates for a moment before reciprocating it, another mind blowing smile filling her face. It completely flusters me, so I quickly lock my head back down and resume my digging.

  Once we are done Anna leaves us alone at the patio table with a pitcher of her home-made lemonade between us. My heart is hammering like crazy and my mind is like cotton wool trying to think of anything to talk about. I really do suck at small talk.

 Finally saying, "I know we didn't get off to the best start but I would like for us to be friends." I'm almost positive that disappointment flashes across her face, she quickly hides it.

She leans in "OK I can deal with that" fuck her voice is doing bad things to my body.

  Leaning in closer, whispering "well as your friend can I tell you, that you have dirt on your cheek" her eyes widen and Abi wipes both cheeks while totally missing most of the dirt. I let out a chuckle "May I?" she drops her hands tilting her face toward me. Lightly running my finger under her eye sweeping the dirt flecks away.

   Her eyes fall closed and I resist temptation to touch more than just her face but the need for her to trust me is greater. "All gone" our faces level with each other, we are so damn close I could easily kiss her. Fuck I want to kiss her.

  When her eyes flit open, I start to pull back not wanting to make her uncomfortable again. Being this close to Abigail it's easy to take in that her emerald eyes are ringed with gold, that heart shaped face with high cheekbones gives her a intimidatingly beautiful quality I'm not sure I have ever seen in a woman before, but it's those goddamn full red lips that are begging me to kiss them with every little puff of air that leaves them, that is really doing a number on my heart rate.

  I grip the sides of my chair to hold my hands in place, but hers begin to raise toward me.

  "May I?" she muses hands so close to my face I can feel the heat radiating off them. Nodding not trusting my voice. When her fingers lightly stroke my cheeks, a comfort I haven't felt in years fills my chest.

   My eyes drift closed letting her freely roam my face with her hands. Two fingers slide up each side of my jaw to the corners of my eyes that twitch slightly at the sensitivity where I face planted a few weeks ago, she stills but when I relax into her touch she slowly begins to move again. A finger drifts down my nose and when her other hand joins to trace my lips I have to clench my jaw not to moan. I don't know if I have ever been this turned on and she is only touching my face.

  I want to kiss her, touch her, hold her in my arms. I want nothing more than to tangle my hands in that wild raven hair of hers. The need is roaring inside, instead I keep my tight grip on the seat and let her do what she wants with me.

"Can I kiss you" her lips brush my ear licking it with fire.

"I thought you would never ask" I say breathless amazed that my resolve to not touch her is still functioning in any capacity.

  Abigail's breath moves from my ear and her lips brush my cheek sending shock waves through my body. Her lips lightly push on one eyelid then the other and I let out a deep shaky breath. Please don't stop. 

   Then they land at the side of my eye, lighter than the others but when her lips slowly move down my other cheek my entire body feels alive and I fear that I may have a heart attack with how fast my heart is hammering in my chest. I fight down another moan when the air from her mouth begins coating mine. Abi is breathing fast too, making me kind of happy that I'm not the only one losing my shit here.

   Her lips hover for a long moment when a crash comes from the room behind us. We dive up almost headbutting each other in the process. Searching through the dining room window. I spot Anna's short blonde curls bobbing just below picking large shards of vase off the floor.

 She had been spying and got more than she bargained for. Anna obviously senses me as she looks up sheepishly and shrugs. At least I should expect no bitching now for a few months as repayment for what she has just ruined.  Sighing as Abi moves beside me. "What is it?" I sigh again.

 "My nosy sister just broke our mother's vase don't worry she is fine" I say it loud enough for Anna to hear inside and I can physically feel her flipping me off from the other side of the wall. My nerves are going haywire, if she had just waited two minutes, I would know how those lips would feel on mine. I suppress another sigh turning to Abigail, but she is gone and when my eyes make it back to the window, she is entering the dining room bending down beside my sister helping her clean up.

  She really will be the death of me.

  Collapsing back into my chair I take in multiple huge breaths, needing to calm myself down before I face her again. My entire soul finally feels alive and I'm not entirely positive that I will be able to keep my hands to myself if I go in to that house right now so I let my eyelids close and use therapist number two's method of relaxing.

   I jolt awake to something slamming in front of me. Compressing my panic and focusing on the beer bottle sitting on the table before me. My gaze follows the hand clutching it to meet Thomas' ridged body as he slowly scans me.

  Holding my breath hoping this week's preparations help me pass his assessment and when his face softens revealing that familiar huge goofy grin, I know that I'm safe. Forcing a smile on to my face and taking a drink from the bottle before me.

   The garden is in shadow and thankfully at some point while I slept my sister must have turned on the heater behind me, the warmth covers my back while I finish off the beer engaging in small talk but letting him do most of the talking.

 Thomas is a passionate talker and if I nod in the correct places I won't have to contribute much more to this conversation, at least it gives my time to try and sort out what the fuck just happened today.