Read Online Heart of Glass by Lindy Dale - Free Book Online Page A

who had a way with
girls?
    “ You know how it
is.”
    “ I don’t.
Actually.”
    “ I’ve been
busy….”
    I rose my eyebrows at him.
That was it? God. Boys were so weird.
    “ So you’re here for the
Athletics Championships tomorrow?”
    “ Yeah. I’m Captain - but
you knew that - and I’m in the sprints and relay as well as the
long jump. I hold the record.”
    I was impressed. I’d only
thought he was good at football. “Shouldn’t you be having a quiet
night?”
    “ Nah. I could do it with my
eyes shut. It’s only a school thing.”
    He shrugged again, and I
caught a glimpse of his old self-assurance.
    The music changed to the
slow reggae rhythm of Bob Marley’s “Is this Love?” Ben moved
closer.
    “ Look, I’m sorry, Bella. I
just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
    Slipping his hands to my
waist, he pulled me towards him so that the length of our bodies
touched. A sudden jolt from a dancer behind us worked to his
advantage as my body shoved against his. He grabbed my hands
helping me regain my balance.
    “ You okay?”
    His arms snaked right around
my waist capturing me in his grasp. Oh I so wanted to be captured,
forever. His arms were strong and reassuring.
    “ Fine, thanks.”
    We were dancing so close
that it was impossible to move without touching. My arms slid up
and wound themselves around Ben’s neck and he held me wrapped in
the cocoon of his body. Why did we try to deny it? It was good to
hold, and be held again. It was where I belonged. I could feel the
heat of his body as we moved and I closed my eyes and rested my
head against his firm chest. His arms cradled me and his cheek
found a comfortable place at the top of my head. He was, after all,
more than a head taller than I was. We were comfortable there in
each other’s arms, two pieces of the puzzle that locked perfectly
together. From somewhere in my bliss, I sent out a thought to Lucy.
Wherever she had sneaked off to, I hoped she was getting a good
eyeful. At the end of the song, he pulled away.
    “ It’s a nice night outside.
Do you wanna go for a walk? I think I need to explain.”
    “ Okay,” I answered, feeling
shy.
    Clutching my hand, he
steered me through the crowd towards the door.
    ***
    The music died away as we
walked out into the dark. Everything around us was silent but for
the crickets along the edge of the path. The moon was suspended
like a huge silvery globe, and stars were dotted randomly across
the sky. It looked as though someone had taken fairy lights and
sprinkled them through the heavens, just like the ‘Starry Starry
Night’ painting I had seen in art class. It was so bright I could
see the flowers that had been planted along the edges of the
garden, a kaleidoscope of colour.
    We followed the path to the
back of the convent. Walking slowly, our shoes crunched on the
stones. Ben’s hand reached for mine and I let him hold it. It felt
right with our hands wound together, fingers entwined. Finally, we
stepped through an arbour and stopped in a walled garden at the
side of the building.
    “ It’s so pretty,” I
said.
    The garden was magical. The
light from the moon cast a pearly glow over the bushes and trees.
At one end there was a rotunda partly hidden by a tall hedge, and a
willow that lay it’s branches down to scrape the ground. The other
side of the garden was filled with white rose bushes and gardenias,
their blooms glowing in the moonlight, their perfume wafted on the
breeze, filling the air around us. It was perfect, and it was
deserted.
    We walked to the rotunda and
climbed the sandstone steps. Sitting on the top step, I stared into
the plum coloured night. Ben turned to face me, his hand still
holding mine. His eyes were bright, their blue piercing and
intense. I felt as if I could drown in the depths of their
blue.
    “ I’ve thought about you and
what happened a lot, Bella. I wanted to ring you but I couldn’t. I
guess I felt guilty.”
    “ Funny that.”
    “ I heard you’ve been
getting a