Into the Dark (ORIGINAL AND UNEDITED EDITON)

Nine

God he works hard to keep that side of his life far away from the one we had together - now I fully appreciated the lengths he'd gone to before, when we were together before. Before I knew.

Aversion, subterfuge and evasion had been a skill he was a master at - rarely had I realised the extent of what he kept hidden from me.   Of course before I knew, I had  suspected another side to him, a side he didn't show to me, the side he showed to the rest of the world. But the actual reality of living both of those lives at once must have been hard for him.  

Now he was going to have to teach me how to live two lives at once like he used to.   At least now we had each other.  At least now this life was both of ours. 

As promised, we had spent most of the afternoon in bed, a naked tangle of limbs between cotton sheets as we'd made up for six weeks apart.  He was hard and rough to begin with, desperate lovemaking and coarse sexual language which sounded as erotic as ever as it dripped from his wicked tongue.  After, he was slow and tender as he'd kissed his way across my body and recited promises and words of love against my damp naked skin. 

Around 2pm he'd finally let me leave his arms.  We'd showered and dressed and then migrated downstairs, where we'd pottered around like a normal happy couple at home on a bank holiday Monday.  

He'd read the sports section of the paper until he'd dozed off on the couch, and I'd gone next door and finished washing and hanging out the rest of my holiday clothes in the garden.  I'd been pulling the ever persistent weeds up from the garden path when he'd appeared at the kitchen door, rubbing sleep from his eyes and scratching at his head.  

"Afternoon, sleeping beauty," I smiled up at him, shading the sun from my eyes with my hand.  

"Why'd you leave me sleeping so long?"

I shrugged.  "You looked peaceful,"

His mouth softened, and he stepped out into the garden in his bare feet and walked up the path towards me.   Discarding the weeds, I stood up and slid my arms around him, rising up on my tiptoes to press my mouth up to his.  He moaned softly as he pulled me into his body. 

"Your grass needs cut,"  he said as he pulled back from my mouth, casting a look around the garden.

"Is that a euphemism?" I giggled. 

He turned back to me and smirked.  "You're fucking filthy Doctor Marlowe."

"Your influence.   You know, I used to be a polite, well mannered girl before you came along?"

His eyes were full of love and warmth as he smiled down at me.  "What are you saying here?" He asked, bringing his hand up to pinch my chin softly in the way he often did.  "I've ruined you?"

"Hmmm Maybe," I smiled.   But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't enjoyed every minute of it..."

Jake had then offered to mow my back garden.  He'd seemed  quite eager about it too.  I'd given him the key to the garage and he'd disappeared to get the lawnmower - which I was worried might not actually work anymore because it had been in there rusting and unused since Ben.   Ed normally cut my grass for me when it needed done. 

I'd watched in loved-up awe as Jake had walked the lawnmower back and forth across the errant green lengths of my garden which seemed to have shot up astronomically while I'd been in France.  The noise had brought Ed to the side gate, curious at who I had doing "his job" as he'd called it, and apologising that he hadn't come over himself to do it sooner. 

When I'd introduced him to Jake it had been comfortable and friendly, and it made me feel positive and hopeful about how the meeting with my mum and dad would go when it eventually happened.  I'd almost forgotten how charming and affable Jake could be, he did it in much the same way he could be deviant and threatening - with veritable ease.