There were no tall buildings around her here; rather, there were ancient dry-stone walls that crisscrossed the landscape and told stories from ages before. And the sounds. London seemed to have a continual soundtrack, day and night; but here, well it was silent, apart from the bleating of sheep, the rustling of leaves, and the soft babble of some secret streams.
Lily thought about her return, and if she and Nick turned into something more. No, there was no point thinking about that when she was going back to London and he didn’t like it. Friends they would have to be, she decided.
As they drove through countryside, Lily felt a sense of belonging that she hadn’t experienced in years as they travelled through lovely villages. She turned to gaze at Nick, whose profile was highlighted by the warm sunlight. She pondered the possibility that she had been pursuing the wrong goal the entire time. Lily had always considered London to be a symbol of success; however, while she was in this location, with this man, she’d started to wonder if she had been wrong all along.
As soon as they turned off the main road, Nick led the vehicle down a short lane that appeared to disappear into the countryside.
‘So, where are we going?’ she asked, hoping to relieve the gnawing feeling inside her of doubt and worry.
‘We were almost there.’ he said. The car bumped gently off the narrow country road and into a small roadside parking area near the entrance to Lathkill Dale. A simple wooden gate led to the footpath.
'Right, short work but it's worth it.' Nick said as he stopped the car. They got out of the car and Nick went around to the boot and opened it, pulling out a picnic basket.
‘Wow, I can’t believe you have an actual picnic basket.’ She laughed as they walked. ‘Or did you buy it for this occasion?’
‘That’s for me to know,’ he said, 'It's actually my mum's.'
They settled on a little grassy area that was tucked away between limestone cliffs and was hidden from view by ash and hazel trees.
‘Oh this is lovely. I haven’t been here in years,’ Lily cried, looking around. ‘And there’s no one here.’
‘It’s a Thursday, not a popular day for picnics,’ Nick laughed as he opened the large basket, took out a rug and shook it out for them to sit on.
Their quiet hideaway was accompanied by the calming sound of the River Lathkill’s gentle gurgle.
Lily felt her anxiety subside as she sat on the rug and looked around.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been on a picnic where the man did everything,’ she said. She could see some wildflowers scattered across the grass and remembered their names from Gran’s lessons. Bluebells, cowslips and harebells that were nodding in the gentle breeze, as though offering their approvals to Nick and Lily’s plans.
‘It’s very beautiful.’ Lily exhaled as she lay down, her hands over her eyes. The sun was warm on her body and she sat up and took off her denim jacket and folded it and put it under her head for a pillow.
Nick stretched out beside her on the blanket and she became acutely aware of him.
She put her hand down next to her and put her little finger out and felt his hand and he took hers in his. The electricity between them, even holding hands, was powerful and she leaned up on her side to face him.
‘You know we’re supposed to be friends,’ she said.
‘Friends hold hands,’ he said rolling over to face her, lying in the same position.
‘Oh? And what else do friends do?’ she teased, feeling the butterflies back. This was a bad idea, she told herself, but she couldn’t seem to stop; she was so drawn to him.
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
‘They do that,’ he said in a low voice.
She nodded slowly, as though considering what he had just done.
‘And what else?’ she asked, biting her lip briefly, as her eyes searched his face.
‘They do this,’ he said, his voice low, and he leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth.
She wasn’t sure if it was the outdoors, or the sound of his voice, or the isolation, but she had never felt as much desire as she felt on that blanket with the sound of the water and the birds surrounding them.
‘We shouldn’t be doing this, but don’t stop,’ Lily said as they kissed on the blanket. He had pulled her on top of him and she felt his desire as she ran her hand under his T-shirt, her finger tracing over his stomach.
‘Jesus,’ he moaned and he flipped her onto her back, pulling the straps of her sundress down and kissing her skin.
‘God, you’re so sexy,’ he said to her and she laughed.
