After the Rain (The Twisted Fate Series Book 1) (21 page)

30

Are you a mermaid?

“FUCK!” Marcus screamed when he saw the time on his phone. “We’re late. We’re going to be late.”

“Huh,” Stormy blinked against the bright morning sunshine streaming through the windows, and untangled herself from Marcus. They’d slept intertwined in each other the whole night. It had been the best sleep of her life; but even wrapped in his arms, she’d dreamed about him non-stop.

Stormy stretched luxuriously against the white cotton sheets, sleepily noticing that Marcus had started to speak like Yoda. “
Airport… must go….
Plane… so late…. miss flight… Prague!
”

“Mmmmm,” Stormy mumbled, still not fully awake. Marcus climbed on top of her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and looked her square in the eyes. She blinked up at him and smiled, arching her body under his invitingly.

“Beautiful…” He smiled down at her. “Beautiful, sleepy creature… your sister’s wedding? My cousin’s wedding? Today!”

“What!” Stormy wrenched herself out from under Marcus and flung herself out of bed, running around in panicked circles. She’d actually forgotten all about the wedding. She hadn’t thought about it since arriving in Mombasa, to be perfectly honest. Instead, she’d disappeared into a Marcus world, where only they existed.

“We have to go,
now
,” Marcus said. “The plane takes off in less than an hour. I bet they’ve even started boarding!”

“Nuts, nuts, nuts,” Stormy felt panic grip her. “My clothes are in the other room.”

“No time to fetch them, wear what you have here, leave the rest.”

“But I’ll have nothing to wear when we get there!”

Marcus grabbed her shoulders again and kissed her this time. “Stormy,” –
kiss –
“Just get over it,” –
kiss –
“I’m going to take you clothes shopping,” –
kiss –
“In,” –
kiss –
“Prague.”

Before she could protest, he slapped his hand across her mouth, looked her in the eye and said, “Run!”

Marcus took her hand and they sprinted out together. The hotel transfer Marcus had organized the night before to drive them to the airport was ready and waiting, and when they got there, they jumped out and sprinted some more. The airport was busy, teeming with passengers catching flights that had been rescheduled and re-directed and re-everythinged. People were thick on the ground and they maneuvered urgently through the crowds.

But Stormy didn’t do exercise, and sprinting was not a good look for her. She felt like she was going to faint from the exertion. “Wait!” she called after Marcus, bent over and gasping for air. “I taste blood!”

Marcus turned and ran back to her. “You and I are going to have to go jogging together sometime,” he said, picking her up in his arms as if it was no effort for him at all. “I also think I need to start feeding you more. I better buy a vegan cookbook to fatten you up a bit.”

Stormy’s stomach was churning with butterflies. Everything he’d said to her today had been so caring and sweet, and he was talking as if they were a real couple with a real future together, six weeks and many more days. Maybe they
were
a real couple,
boyfriend and girlfriend
– the thought made her heart beat so fast that it almost shot out of her chest and took off like a plane. Stormy-Rain, official girlfriend of Marcus! She liked the sound of that.

Finally, they skidded up to the boarding gate just as it was about to close, and Marcus set her on her feet again. And that’s when Stormy suddenly realized the reality of what they were about to do. Again, her mind had been occupied with other thoughts…

PLANE!

“No, no Marcus, I can’t do this, remember what happened last time we flew…” She started backing away from the boarding gate as if it was a man-eating monster, feeling the tears start welling again.

But in a move that totally surprised her and made her instantly forget about everything else, Marcus kissed her. With the airport staff staring, he dragged her towards the plane, kissing her the whole time. His plan worked, because before she knew it, he was sitting her down and buckling her in.

But more panic ensued when Stormy realized that she and Marcus were not seated anywhere near each other. The tickets had been booked at the last minute, and they only realized now that they hadn’t managed to get seats together. Marcus also didn’t look terribly thrilled by the idea of sitting in economy class. Stormy felt the uncomfortably tight grip of panic again.

“You’ll be fine,” Marcus reassured her, planting a loving kiss on her forehead. “I’m just down there,” he pointed towards the back of the plane. “Remember, cylinder, you can’t get lost,” He smiled at her – they already had little couple-y in-jokes. They were so cute!

“Okay,” Stormy nodded, before closing her eyes and going to her happy place: bunnies and rainbows and unicorns… But thoughts of Marcus soon started penetrating her regular happy place, just as he’d wormed his way into her dreams as well. Marcus riding a unicorn, Marcus sliding down a rainbow. She chuckled to herself. Seeing Marcus in her happy place was amusing, particularly since he was completely naked…

And when they were in the air at cruising altitude, her nerves subsided somewhat, especially when the little girl sitting next to her asked, “Are you a mermaid?” She reached out and touched Stormy’s hair.

“What makes you think that?” Stormy asked, happy for the distraction.

“Mermaids have colorful hair.”

“Oh, I didn’t know what. Well in that case, maybe I am…” She gave the little girl a wink, and the girl’s face lit up. Stormy placed her finger over her lips and whispered conspiratorially, “Ssshhh. Our secret.”

The little girl smiled and nodded, her eyes wide.

Stormy was reminded how much she loved kids – their outlook on life, their belief in the magical and wondrous and the possibility that mermaids might be sitting next to them in an airplane. And – she couldn’t help it – she wondered what it would be like to have kids with Marcus.

Yes
, jumping the cannon here, she knew. Big time.

He’d make a great dad, though, especially to a little girl. Stormy would’ve loved to have had a man like him as a father – even though that would actually be really weird and totally unnatural. She leaned back in her seat, caught up in a happy daydream involving Marcus and a fair-haired little girl with his eyes…

But then, at the first sign of slight turbulence, her nerves were back with vengeance. When the drinks cart came round, she ordered a glass of wine. Very unlike her – she hardly ever drank. But she didn’t care; normal people always had a drink to calm their nerves; her step-mother practically wrote the book on that practice. So she would too.

She sipped it. She hated the taste, but drank it like a tonic.

About ten minutes into the flight, Marcus watched as Stormy meandered down the aisle towards him and draped herself across Marcus’s seat. She had the goofiest smile on her face and silliest look in her eyes.

“Oh my God,” Marcus said, amused. “You’re tipsy!” He burst out laughing as she shrugged it off, making a tsk-ing sound. He didn’t think it was possible for her to get any damn cuter, but with that silly smile plastered across her face and the flushed pink cheeks, Marcus knew it was possible. Alcohol plus Stormy equaled curtness like nothing he’d ever seen.

“I didn’t have my chamomile tea,” she explained, leaning in to kiss his cheek. Her face smooshed against his as she lost her balance.

“Has anyone told you how adorable you are?” Marcus asked, cradling her face.

She nodded. “Yip. You did, last night.” She tried to wink at him – unsuccessfully – and pranced off back to her seat. She was wearing the shorts from yesterday and one of Marcus’s t-shirts, which was way too big for her, so she’d tied it in a knot that sat at her midriff. The neck gaped so much that it looked like one of those off-the-shoulder numbers. She looked like some kind of vagrant from the 1980s with those terrible sandals, but despite that, he still thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen – especially with that silly grin.

Still, he was looking foreword to clothes shopping with her. A few people stared at her as she passed; in typical Stormy fashion, she greeted all of them with a giant smile and friendly wave. She even helped pick up someone’s bag that had fallen into the aisle.

He suddenly felt like he’d won the lottery. He’d been searching for the right woman, and when he’d least expected it, she had stormed into his life completely unannounced, catching him off guard. He put his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. Immediately, thoughts of her rushed in, thoughts that perhaps he should’nt indulge in at this point in time…
but he did.

He wondered what it would be like to live with her; she was undoubtedly messy as hell. The house would probably be in a perpetual state of Stormy chaos. But it wouldn’t bother him, because he imagined what it would be like to come home to her every day, from that clinical, cold gray office. She was a literal ray of sunshine. There would never be a dull moment.

He took the thought a little further; he almost stopped himself, but decided to let the happy thoughts roll through his mind.

Stormy as his wife.

Stormy as the mother to his kids.

Logically, he knew he shouldn’t be entertaining these kinds of thoughts right now. It was ludicrous. Totally mad: he just needed to focus on making sure he got his six weeks and one day.

Some hours later, they landed in bustling Dubai, and had to catch their connecting flight to Prague. But the airport was designed to confuse, and it was so enormous, they actually had to catch a train to their boarding gate. They eventually arrived with only an hour to spare. Marcus looked at his watch. Damien and Lilly were having an evening wedding – thank God. So if all went as planned, they would make it there with a little time to spare.

But Fate also
has a sick sense of humor! And She thought it
might be a fun idea to separate the young couple
for a while, making them realize just how in love
they really were – in case they still weren’t 100%
convinced!

31

Like a scene from a bad Hollywood
rom-com

“
What?
” Marcus was doing a lot of shouting today.

“I’m sorry, somehow you’re just not booked on this flight. We have a Miss…” The flight attendant looked up at Stormy, slightly confused, “Stormy-Rain booked on this flight, but you are booked for the next flight out, which leaves in two hours’ time. I’m sorry.”

Marcus turned to Stormy and noticed that she’d gone a pale shade of white. He reached over to her and stroked her cheek gently.
Wow,
he could get used to touching her like this, whenever he wanted to.

“It’s not the end of the world, I’m sure Lilly and Damien can push the wedding by an hour or so. He’s not going to start without his best man, and even if they do, I’ll be there for the reception. And you’ll get there on time and be there for Lilly,” he said soothingly.

But Stormy shook her head. “I don’t want to leave without you.”

“I’ll be right behind you,” Marcus tried to reassure her. He hated seeing her frightened.

“I don’t think I can fly on my own.”

“I disagree,” Marcus countered. “I think you’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, and you can do anything,”

“You think so?” Stormy said, perking up a little. Her reaction instantly made Marcus sad; he wondered just how many people in her life believed in her and bolstered her. Her friends did, but he knew her family hadn’t. He would make sure he did it at every opportunity possible – he would make her see what an amazing, strong woman she was.

“I know so,” he told her firmly.

Their goodbye was probably the most dramatic that the airport, the entire United Arab Emirates, and everyone living in it, had ever seen. It was like a scene from a bad Hollywood rom-com. They clung onto each other and then separated for a few seconds, only to run back into each other’s arms, kissing feverishly. Again and again they tried to separate themselves.

“I love you.”

“No, I love you.”

“Goodbye. I love you.”

“I love you, too…”

Run back for another kiss…

“Okay, this time I’m really going.”

“Okay… I love you.”

“Me too. So much.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

“Love you…”

Run back for another kiss
…

And so it went on like this, until someone actually stepped in and intervened.

“The gates are closing, do you think we can get this over with?” the guy from boarding gate desk said with a smile, and Stormy and Marcus were finally separated. The airline guy practically marched Stormy onto the flight, with her neck craned back as she shouted to Marcus.

“Love yooooou!”

“Love yooooou!”

“See you sooooon!”

It was quite something to see.

Stormy had never felt so relaxed on a flight before. Marcus’s words had done more for her than she thought they would. His belief in her made her believe in herself. As she sat there alone, gazing absently out of the small airplane window at the endless expanse of sky, she started to wonder about the things she hadn’t quite finished – like school. She would say it was for financial reasons, but that wasn’t entirely true. The more time she’d spent away from her studies, the less and less she believed she could actually complete them – and do well. It’s that typical procrastination trap, she mused: put something off for long enough, and you eventually can’t do it at all.

But now, she was starting to wonder if maybe she
could
. She knew it all sounded cheesy cheese-balls as hell, but with Marcus by her side, believing in her as he did, she felt like she might be able to do anything. For some strange reason, one she couldn’t quite fathom, he just inspired confidence in her. He was that type of guy.

WhenStormy finally landed in Prague, it was with enough time to spare to get ready for the wedding with all the girls. But Marcus would be cutting it fine. Thankfully, Prague was a few hours behind Dubai, so they gained time on the flight. But the flight had been painful, and not because she had been anxious about flying this time – she’d had no idea she could miss a person so much. She had basically pined for him the entire way. She’d even started talking about him to the random stranger sitting next to her, and when the man had gotten tired of it and physically turned away, she told the passing stewardess about him. Her urge to talk about him, to bring his name up in conversation whenever possible, was overwhelming.

Lilly’s brother Adam and his wife were there to fetch her once she landed. Even though they were not related at all, she considered them family. She considered all of Lilly’s family to be her family, too. And in turn, they had kind of adopted her as an honorary sister.

“Storm,” Adam threw his arms around her. “So glad you made it on time. Can I take your ba –” He looked down, clearly confused that all she had with her was her guitar case. “Where are you bags?”

“Um… long story.”

“Storm,” his wife Mel, demon-lawyer-woman and wearer of high, expensive heels, hugged her too. She quickly looked Stormy up and down a few times. “You know we love you… but what the hell are you wearing?”

Stormy could tell that the fashion-conscious woman was even more appalled than usual by Stormy’s apparel. This was a regular joke they shared – she’d been determined to give Stormy a makeover from the day they’d met

Stormy smiled. She’d been sniffing Marcus’s shirt on the flight, and was actually very happy to be wearing it. His scent lingered.

“That’s kind of a long story too,” she told Mel.

“Well I think it’s very… creative,” Adam piped up, although his voice gave his real feelings away. Mel put her arm around Stormy’s shoulders and they started walking out. “Do I need to sue someone for dressing you like that?” she asked with mock concern.

Stormy laughed; she’d missed them all so much. Mel was always trying to sue people – it was her favorite thing in the world. She’d probably sue her own children for messiness, if she had any.

Driving from the airport to the hotel, Stormy was literally speechless. Prague was the most beautiful city she’d ever seen. She thought it might be the most beautiful place in the entire world. Before coming here, she’d gone to the library (yes, those actually still exist, with real books, that have paper in them) and taken out a book on Prague. There had been pictures in the book, but they did not do it justice.

With a history dating back almost a thousand years, the city looked frozen in time. The oldest buildings in Prague dated back to 900 AD, and it showed. It was a magical, almost fairytale city of cobbled streets and a hundred spires. Stormy felt like she was entering another world.

A river wound its way through the city, dotted with ancientstone bridges. All the buildings that lined the roads were old, covered with ornate decorations and designs. Some were also covered in golden sculptures, and all of them had terracotta-colored roofs. At the very apex of the city stood Prague Castle, an absolute wonder, with its gothic spires that were built in the ninth century. Stormy remembered reading that it was largest, oldest castle in the world, full of beautiful art, sculptures and unbelievably high vaulted ceilings. She’d been looking forward to seeing it, and even better now was the fact that she would be sharing that experience with Marcus.

And of course, the hotel was just as spectacular. Damien had spared no expense, and he could certainly afford the very best. It was a beautiful old building, and Stormy felt like she was stepping into some kind of medieval castle. A very luxurious one. It seemed eerie and almost mysterious inside. Despite that, Stormy was receiving good vibrations from it.

The temperature was a chilly at 6 degrees Celsius, which to a South African felt like the dead of winter. Still dressed in her skimpy little number, Stormy froze the second she got out of the car.

Once inside, Stormy braced herself for a moment or two before entering the hive of wedding buzz activity that was no doubt taking place in Lilly’s room. She thought about Marcus again, and wondered how long it would be till she saw him. It felt so wrong to be apart, and the anticipation was killing her… But maybe that was a good thing.

Stormy also realized just how much she was dying to see Lilly, and to watch Lilly and Damien get married. She’d never really believed in marriage, but today she felt like a little bit of a hopeless romantic. Maybe happily ever after
was
possible. If you met the right person…