“Come on, keep up, cheeky monkey,” he said, snaking an armaround her shoulder, tugging her in for a loud smack of a kiss onher cheek.
“Where are we?” she asked, coming up for air. They had left theriverside and without warning, Crispin had whisked her into anothertaxi. The next thing she knew, they were standing on a very busyintersection with huge signs and blinking neon lights. Nightclubsand bars lined the streets they walked. Kitschy shops wereeverywhere. Then it hit her…
“Piccadilly Circus, of course!”
“That’s right.” He grabbed her hand and spun her around.“London’s not just about art galleries and museums. Besides, we’reyoung yet, we gotta leave something for when we’re old and grey.”As the words left his mouth, he hesitated for only a second,allowing that old familiar dread to take hold of his heart. Wouldthey be together that long? Could it be possible to have found alifelong love, a soulmate? Last week he wouldn’t have believed it.But after a mere glance at Gwen’s smile, he stomped his onset ofdoubt back down. She loved him… She was inlove with him!
“Hahaha, Crispin, you have a point there.” The realization thathe was even contemplating a future with her, caused her heart toleap in her chest. While he hadn’t actually said he loved her inreturn, she could sense it, and he had said he’d never felt sostrongly about anyone else. That alone gave her hope. She couldn’timagine a better way to spend her life than to be by Crispin’s sidetravelling the world.
“Come on, let’s grab something to eat. I’m famished,” Crispinsaid, leading the way.
No fancylong-winded pub dinners were on the menu tonight. No way couldCrispin sit still for long in his current mood. After grabbing acouple of kebabs to-go, they were off again. Gwen had never felt sofree or laughed so much as they ran amuck through the touristyTrocadero Centre, playing video games, and virtual reality games.Gwen couldn’t quite believe it when Crispin challenged her to abowling match.
Spilling outonto the street, still in stitches, laughing at the vision ofCrispin, in his Goth glory, bowling like a pro, Gwen barely had achance to catch her breath before they were off again. As theywalked, she watched him from the corner of her eye and noticed hissmile had not yet faded and she was glad of it. In fact, when hecaught her looking, he gave her a wink and sexy wag of hisbrow.
“What are you up to?” she asked, recognizing that look. It madeher nervous in a good way. Nervous and excited in a very goodway.
“None of your concern,” he purred, draping his long arm aroundher shoulders, leading the way, looking for something or someplaceonly he knew.
“Ohh…” Soon enough they arrived at their destination and it allbecame clear to Gwen what he’d been searching for.
“No worries, I got this,” he said, leading her into one of themany specialty sex shops in nearby Soho. “We’ll be in and out in notime.”
Yikes! Gwen did her best to hide hereyes from the multitudes of sex toys on display, yet at the sametime, she found she couldn’t look away. She was sure she had turnedas red as a sun-ripened tomato at one point but then when everyoneelse in the place acted as if it were all so run-of-the-mill, sheallowed herself to relax. Besides, she trusted Crispin to know whathe was doing. Hopefully, he would find whatever he was looking forreal quick so they could leave this place. Seeing some of thethings on display, she breathed a deep sigh of relief when Crispinwalked right by most of it without a passing glance. He did giveher hand a reassuring squeeze now and again as he browsed, whichshe appreciated. Thankfully, they soon left the shop with a littlebag of tricks, as Crispin had deemed it. She had been too entrancedby a particular display to notice he had already found and paid forwhatever it was hiding within the mysterious baggie.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked with a smile as they finallyapproached the Lemon Tree Inn.
“Oh, nothing,” she lied, still weirded-out by the visuals backin the shop in Soho.
“Hey?” He slowed his steps and instead of going in the frontdoor of the inn right away, he turned and waited until she lookedat him. He could her see her eyes darting from the bag in his hand,back and forth to her hands, to her feet, anywhere but his face.She wouldn’t look him in the eye and suddenly it hit him. He’d beenon such a euphoric high, he hadn’t considered how seeing all thatstuff back at the sex shop might have thrown her off. “You allright?”
“Yes, of course, I am,” she said too quick, but again it was alie. Her anxiety was through the roof, and she didn’t even knowwhy. No, that was a lie as well! This time she knew exactly thereason but was too upset with herself to tell him.
“Come on, let’s take this inside.” Without further ado, he ledthe way to their room. Once there, he set the bag on the nighttable and waited for Gwen to come out of the bathroom, where shehad run off to, the moment he had closed the door.
Pull yourself together! Gwen scoldedherself over and over, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Asshe undressed from her daywear and slipped on her nightie, shereminded herself she was with Crispin and that, no matter what, hewas still the same sweet lover of last night and the night before.In fact, there was nothing scary or perverse about him and she knewthat, but she still couldn’t get the images of some of the morerisqué items on display out of her head. She was an over-thinkerand she couldn’t help it. It was the way her mind worked and, nodoubt, a huge reason for her issues with anxiety came with herinability to
