Rebound

Chapter 8

Chapter 8What to do next?

That question would have to remain unanswered for now as the Harley rumbled into the car park of a beautifully quaint country pub and rolled to a stop.

Before they even removed their helmets they could smell the aromas of roasted meats and potatoes wafting out through the open door and their mouths began to water.

They spent a pleasant couple of hours drinking ginger beer and eating wonderfully succulent roast beef with fiery horseradish and crispy roast potatoes, while talking about everything under the sun.

Sometimes their hands would touch, or an arm would be stroked, or their feet would touch and often they found themselves gazing into each other’s eyes and Kate couldn’t help thinking that this was the most gentle courtship she had ever been part of.

What are your plans for the rest of the day?’

‘Absolutely nothing’ replied Kate with a satisfied smile ‘usually on Sundays I’d have to spend the evening watching films with Debs but I’m a free agent now so I can do what I like!’

‘Surely you didn’t have to watch films every Sunday?’

‘I did if I wanted to see Debs, she can be strangely set in her ways about some things, in fact some of her routines are downright bizarre!’

‘Hmmm I remember. Does she still do that thing in the shower where she has to get washed in a particular order?’

‘Yes she still does that!’ Kate laughed ‘and did she used to do that thing with the car wing mirrors?’

‘Oh yes -- has to reposition them every time she gets in the car, even though they haven’t moved since the last time she drove it!’

They spent some time laughing at Debs’ idiosyncrasies and it made Kate feel good to be able to talk to someone who understood and also found them funny.

‘So Miss Turner, what strange habits do you have that I should know about?’

‘Oh you’ll have to decide if I have any of those, but I do have a couple of obsessions and I’d love to share them with you if you fancy coming back to my place?’

Kate was surprised when Lex pulled the bike off the road onto a dirt track and had to hold on tight as they bumped over the uneven surface. When they pulled up outside of a barn Kate was beginning to think that Lex had some very strange living arrangements until she swung the door open to reveal her obsessions.

‘These are my babies, if you’re really nice to me I’ll let you play sometime.’

Kate stared in awe at the beautiful machines parked in the barn. There was a Norton Commando, a Triumph Tiger 100, an Indian and a couple of old WW2 army bikes -- all in pristine condition. There was also a modern Honda Pan European that Lex used on a daily basis but it paled into insignificance beside the others.

‘Oh my god Lex, these are beautiful!’

‘They were all in a bad way when I bought them; restored lovingly with my own 2 hands’ stated Lex with immense pride.

They spent a few minutes touring the bikes before Kate remembered there was another obsession, so Lex took her hand and showed her to the farm cottage she lived in on the other side of the barn.

‘This is my home. I bought this in a pretty run down state too and I’ve been restoring it for 2 years. In fact it was only ready to move into just after Sandra walked out on me, so it was kind of nice to move in on my own -- a clean break you could say. Come on, let me show you around.’

The gardens were large and overgrown as Lex hadn’t started on these yet but when she opened the front door the interior was amazing. The original features of the cottage, such as the broad oak beams and fireplace had been retained and restored to their original beauty and all of the modern items had been sympathetically chosen to fit in with their surroundings, or hidden in heavy oak cabinets.

Lex beamed with pride as Kate expressed how lovely she thought the cottage was, and when she took her upstairs and showed her the view over rolling fields from the master bedroom window Kate was in awe.

‘Oh Lex it’s truly wonderful, I can’t imaging ever getting used to views like these! It’s strange to think that all of this natural beauty is so close to the town.’

‘I’ve not lived here long and it still takes my breath away every time I open the curtains -- I can’t wait to see what it’s like in the winter, I hope we get some snow!’

It wasn’t until Kate reluctantly turned from the views that she noticed the bed ‘OH MY GOD!’ she squealed ‘that’s the biggest bed I’ve ever seen in my life!’

The bed frame was an intricate wrought iron construction and was indeed massive ‘Don’t you get lost in there all on your own?’

‘Yeah well, it was my one major luxury and when I had it made I didn’t know I’d be sleeping on my own’ and she sighed painfully.

‘Oh Lex I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put my foot in it. Can I try it out?’ Lex looked at her curiously, not sure of what Kate was suggesting but soon relaxed when Kate through herself on the bed and started bouncing up and down.

‘Mmm it’s wonderfully comfy and it doesn’t squeak or creak -- there’s nothing worse than a noisy bed!’

Lex found herself blushing at the idea of making a bed creak with Kate, and turned and left the room with the excuse of putting the kettle on. If she stayed there a moment longer she was likely to pounce on her and unleash all of her pent up s****l frustration there and then.