This London Love (13 page)

Meg shook her head mutely. She was still staring at Kate, who had a bemused smile on her face. Kate still looked totally edible, but it was odd seeing her in these surroundings and Meg was suddenly aware she was dressed in far less clothing than usual, with no make-up at all. She saw Kate’s eyes flick up and down her body, before returning to Adele.

“Didn’t I? I was sure I did. Well anyway, Hannah’s a mate of Laura.” Adele pointed over at Laura who was warming up with her partner Debra.

Hannah smiled at Meg and offered a hand. “Hannah, good to meet you.”

Meg shook the offered hand. “Meg.” Then she paused, before smiling at Kate. “And you must be Kate,” Meg said, playing it cool.

“Good to see you again.” Kate shook Meg’s hand warmly and held her gaze invitingly.

Meg resisted the urge to flip Kate into a Hollywood-style embrace and silver-screen kiss her in the evening gloom. “You too,” she replied.

“You two know each other?” Hannah seemed inordinately excited by this turn of events. “This is good — perhaps we can focus on you for the article?” Hannah pointed her pen at Meg.

Meg’s eyes widened. “Me?”

Adele nodded. “We were just talking about interviewing a couple of members, chatting about our experiences of the group. I was going to suggest you and me anyhow, but seeing as you know Kate already, it’s perfect.” Adele paused. “How do you know each other by the way, or shouldn’t I ask?” An amused smirk played on her lips.

Meg’s cheeks reddened.

Kate looked down at the ground.

Adele’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, God,” she began, jigging about on the balls of her feet. “Me and my big mouth. Pretend I never said anything.”

“No, it’s fine,” Meg said. “Nothing like
that
. We just met recently — Kate ordered some flowers from me for a funeral she was organising.”

Kate nodded. “And Meg was more than helpful. I mean, really. She went out of her way.”

Meg could see Kate was blushing too, and that she was doing all she could to avoid her gaze.

Hannah’s eyes widened. “You’re the famous florist?”

The look Kate flashed Hannah told Meg this was something they’d revisit later.

“Famous?” Meg shot Kate a quizzical look. “I wasn’t aware I was famous,” she said, with a smirk.

Kate’s cheeks turned the colour of beetroot.

Adele looked over to the rest of the women, then back to Meg. “I’ll just go and tell them to warm up. Back in a minute.”

They watched Adele go, then a noise startled the three of them. It was Hannah’s phone. She plucked it from her pocket, grinned at the screen, then looked shyly over at Kate.

“I gotta take this. It’s Sophie — from the other night.” She let out a little shriek, then scuttled off, phone pressed to her cheek.

Which left Meg and Kate, side by side.

“So, hello again,” Kate began. She smiled broadly at Meg.

“Hi.”

“It really is good to see you.”

“You too,” Meg said. “How’s your hand?”

Kate held it up. “Sore, but still there, thanks to your efforts.” She smiled. “I might have lost it otherwise, it was touch and go.”

“I can imagine.”

“But meeting you here,” Kate said. “It’s also illuminating.”

Meg stuck her tongue into the side of her cheek. “Really?”

Kate nodded. “Yup. I mean, you’re…
Here
. At a lesbian running club. You do know it’s a lesbian running club, right?”

“Lesbians?” Meg paused. “You know, I thought it was weird there were no men here.” Then she raised an eyebrow at Kate.

Kate laughed nervously. “But in your shop on Friday… I mean, I thought I wasn’t misreading the signals, I thought there was
something
. But then your mum told you to bring Jamie to lunch and it confused me. Who’s Jamie? I’m guessing he’s not your boyfriend?”

Meg shook her head, laughter lighting up her face. “No, Jamie is not my boyfriend — Jamie is my brother. Which is why my mum was suggesting bringing him.” Meg smiled and shook her head at Kate. “You have worse gaydar than me — and why didn’t you just ask me who Jamie was?” She paused. “I knew you were a lesbian right away.”

Kate raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yup.”

“Am I that obvious?” Kate said.

“Kinda,” Meg laughed, before quickly adding. “I’m joking! You’re not. You’ve just… Got a lesbian air about you.”

“A lesbian air?” Kate was laughing now. “And what exactly is a lesbian air?” she asked, putting the last two words in air quotes with her fingers.

Meg shrugged. “You know — a certain swagger, cool hair, hands in pockets.” She paused, putting her mouth close to Kate’s ear. “And also, when you nearly kissed me on Friday, that was a bit of a giveaway, too.”

Kate closed her eyes and blushed.

Meg straightened up and took a step backwards, sizing Kate up. “Why did you run away after the customer came in? I thought you might have stuck around.”

Kate took a moment to answer. “Because I thought there was a Jamie.”

Meg gave her a slow smile. “Jamie will love this when I tell him.”

“Don’t make me sound like a loser before I’ve even met him.”

Meg’s mouth dropped open. “You’re planning to meet him?”

Kate blushed fire engine red this time, before regaining some of her composure. “So to save any further misunderstandings, let’s get this straight—”

“—So to speak.”

Kate grinned. “So to speak. Jamie is your brother and not your boyfriend, correct?”

“Correct.”

“And you’re gay and single? I really hope that last part is true by the way.”

Meg reflected Kate’s grin and stepped towards her. When she answered, she was close enough that Kate could feel Meg’s breath on her face. “Yes to all three. Not an only child, 100 per cent gay and no girlfriend.”

“So if I went to kiss you now, as on Friday, you wouldn’t back away?” Kate dropped her gaze to Meg’s lips.

They were now inches apart, the gap aching to be closed. Meg could smell Kate’s citrus-like perfume, and the gentle breeze tickled her skin.

“No backing away. I’d stay right here.” Meg tilted her head. “Is this a hypothetical question?”

Kate opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Adele yelling over to Meg.

“You want to do the warm-up run, Meg? Just to get the blood flowing?”

Meg looked from Adele to Kate and back, then nodded. She took Kate’s hand in hers as she breezed past her, kissing her on the cheek.

“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back and we’ll continue this conversation where we left it. Okay?”

Kate smiled. “I’m staying right here. Now go get all sweaty.”

***

Kate watched Meg run towards the group, then as one, they all jogged off together, Adele shouting instructions as they went. She was entertaining thoughts of all the various shots they could do when she made Meg her cover star next to Princess Emily, when Hannah nudged her.

When Kate turned, Hannah raised both eyebrows. “What are the chances?”

“Hmmm?”

“The famous florist, running into your life. It’s like a film, isn’t it?”

Kate crinkled her forehead. “If you say so. But less of the famous florist, thank you. I nearly killed you when you said that earlier.”

Hannah smirked. “Oh shuddup. I saw the way she looked at you. I could have called her anything and you two wouldn’t have noticed. Talk about
swoon
.”

Kate ran her hand through her hair. “Yeah, yeah,” she replied. “Let’s get everyone’s details when they get back, then get some group shots when Paul gets here before they get too sweaty.” Kate jogged from foot to foot. “I don’t really fancy hanging around too long.”

Even in the half hour they’d been at the park, the air had grown damp and heavy. Kate shivered.

Hannah gave her a look. “Not even for your famous florist?”

Kate wagged an index finger at Hannah. “If that name sticks and becomes an office fixture, I know who to blame, don’t I?”

Ten minutes later, the group returned, all ruddy of cheek and out of breath. In the time it had taken them to get in some running time, the photographer Paul had turned up with his kit and the group were now ready to shoot. Luckily, the rain was still holding off, so the realism was there for all to see. Of course, they had to wait for 15 minutes while the runners gathered round somebody’s compact to check their hair and make-up, but within a relatively short time they were ready to roll.

Paul spoke to them about poses, group shots, and singles, and Kate got to work helping to set them up and getting the backgrounds right. But all the while, as shots were snapped and the other members posed and looked as athletic as they possibly could, Kate only saw one member smiling back at her. Meg. Gorgeous Meg. Gorgeous, single, gay Meg.

If the gods hadn’t been smiling on her previously, it looked like her fortunes were about to take an upward turn.

***

Despite her protestations and the cold, Kate did stick around longer than she’d intended. Something meant she found it hard to leave. Or rather,
someone
.

By 9pm the group had disbanded, but Adele and Meg had hung back chatting to Hannah, and the photographer had just packed up and left. Eventually, Hannah shook hands with the running duo and announced she was leaving.

“You coming?” she asked Kate, even though she knew the answer.

“You go ahead, I’ll see you in the morning,” Kate replied.

Hannah bid them farewell with a cheeky grin. Within minutes, Adele had gone too and it was just Kate and Meg. They walked through the park side by side in the Monday night twilight.

“So that was a nice surprise tonight.” Kate’s feet were crunching over twigs and gravel, while the air around them creaked and coughed.

“It was,” Meg agreed, shivering.

“You cold?” Kate asked. “You want my jacket?”

Meg shook her head. “It’s fine.”

They walked on for a while longer in heated silence.

“But you’re definitely still single? Just to confirm?” Kate turned her head to Meg as she asked.

Meg smiled. “Last time I checked.”

Kate cleared her throat. “How’s that even possible? Not that I’m complaining… But I mean, you’re beautiful, you’ve got your own business and have all your own teeth, too.”

Kate waited for Meg to respond, but she just smiled.

“They are your own teeth, right?”

Meg gave Kate a toothy grin. “Own teeth, all present and correct.”

“So why then? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Meg stopped walking, then started again. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“Sorry — just curious.”

“It’s okay.” Meg kicked a stone and it bounced along the path in front of them. “It’s just how it is sometimes, isn’t it? I was with someone for a long time — longer than I ever should have been. And I suppose, since then, I’ve been a bit wary. Wary of going out and dating. Wary of opening my heart up again to something that might not work out — you know how it is.” She gave Kate a rueful smile.

“I know what you mean with the dating scene,” Kate said. “Like that woman I told you I was set up with. I mean, good-looking, great job, but social skills of a gnat. She was just a bit too full-on.” Kate made a face like she’d just eaten something unpleasant — remembering Tanya and
that
evening was not a pleasant task. However, Meg was as far away from that as could possibly be.

“I hate women like that,” Meg said. “Pushy. Sounds a bit like my ex — she knew what she wanted and she wasn’t going to let anything get in her way. She wasn’t like that in the beginning, but by the end, she’d turned into someone I didn’t recognise. So we split up and here I am, over a year later.” Meg smiled shyly at Kate. “Putting myself back out there, maybe.”

“Maybe?” Kate took Meg’s hand and stroked her thumb up and down her smooth skin. They’d stopped walking now and were facing each other, subtly sizing each other up. “Can I change that to a definitely maybe?”

“Maybe,” Meg said.

They stared at each other for a beat and Kate’s breath hitched in her throat. Meg was putting herself back out there, just like she was. Meg was right in front of her and open to offers. Kate slid her gaze down Meg’s face, from her eyes to her mouth. Time wound down as Kate made her decisive move.

The kiss, when it arrived two seconds later, was soft, gentle and electric. Neither Meg or Kate had time to assess its impact fully as they both sunk into it as one, bodies moving forward, lips locked, eyes closed. The world around Kate became more vibrant, brighter as she melted into the scene, every fibre of her being standing to attention, all the blood racing down her body until she assumed she was lit up for all to see, with the epicentre somewhere between her belt and her thighs. Kate’s body was humming Meg’s tune, and she knew just where she wanted this to go.

Kate could vaguely hear the traffic noise from outside the park, was minimally aware of a cyclist whizzing by. But mainly, she was aware of her body, of being anchored in this moment, her feet firmly on the ground even though her heart was soaring.