Leap of Faith Ch. 02

Nicole's slept fitfully, her dreams filled with confusing images of Rob and Sean. When she awoke, she felt the lingering sensation of arousal and her body tingled with unfulfilled desire as the dreams hovered at the edge of her periphery and continued to torment her with lustful pictures only half realised.

She lay in the dark, mulling over what had happened in the kitchen. Despite what Sean had done to her, she felt incredibly guilty about kissing Rob. It felt like a betrayal although her body was still firmly convinced that it wasn't. Oh god, how was she going to face Rob again?

Restlessly she tossed and turned, further sleep continuing to elude her. Eventually the light began to filter through the curtains and she reluctantly climbed out from under the duvet and padded into the bathroom to use the toilet. There seemed very little point in staying in bed – she may as well go and make a cup of tea and get dressed.

Yawning heavily she walked out of the bathroom, rubbing her tired eyes and wishing she was still asleep. She jumped in shock when she met a hard wall of chest with a thud.

"Morning," said Rob with a half smile. His eye was purple and angry looking, the bruised lid still swollen.

Nicole was struck dumb, her head reeling with half remembered dreams and lust fuelled images.

"Hi," she managed to spit out, horribly aware of everything that had gone before and totally unable to look him in the eye.

"About last night..." said Rob carefully.

Nicole's heart fell at least ten miles with that well worn statement. It was a classic method of digging oneself out of a very big hole.

"Hey, it's okay – I know it didn't mean anything," she replied hurriedly. Still wishing yesterday evening could be miraculously erased she moved to pass Rob in a bid for escape.

He grasped her arm and held on tightly. "Well it meant something to me."

Nicole looked up, startled. This wasn't exactly what she expected to hear. She had assumed that Rob would be dashing round to try and make amends with Lizzie and she, Nicole, was just a ship passing in the night.

"Did it?" she said dumbly. Her heart thudded in her chest painfully.

"Yes," he said softly. He gazed at her intently, seeing the way her hair was all mussed from sleep and how her cheeks still bore the crease marks from the pillow. She looked adorable; so sweet and vulnerable. She was everything Lizzie had never been and he realised it was about time he broke the habit of unhealthy relationships with psycho bitches from hell.

Before Nicole grasped what was happening, Rob dropped his lips to hers and kissed her softly. She sighed and opened her mouth to his questing tongue, subconsciously tilting her pelvis towards him in an unspoken invitation. It was an invite that did not go un-noticed.

He struggled to keep his passion in check. The last thing he wanted was to frighten her off. As yet he still didn't know exactly what she was running from, but Danni had hinted it was because of a man and he had no desire to do anything that might hurt her.

Her arms wrapped around his neck and he deepened the kiss, feeling how soft and responsive her body was against him. His cock was hard and he tried not to press against her. Oh god she felt wonderful. Not even his sore and swollen eye could put a dampener on this moment.

Suddenly his mobile rang loudly from the shelf by the front door. He tried to ignore it, not wantng to interrupt the kiss with Nicole, but the ringing was all too insistent. The trouble was he had a nasty suspicion that he knew who caller might be.

Nicole pulled away, her eyes dark and her lips swollen. "Is that your phone?" she asked.

Rob rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I better answer it." He stepped away, still keeping hold of Nicole's hand. As he grabbed the offending phone, it rang off. The display said it was Lizzie and he frowned in annoyance. If that bitch thought he was going to come crawling around again, she had another thing coming.

"For god's sake – who the hell is ringing you at this time of the morning?" growled Danni as she swung open her bedroom door crossly. "It's barely six am!"

Rob abruptly dropped Nicole's hand and turned away from her to face his sister. "It's only Lizzie – go back to bed, Danni."

Nicole felt her heart contract painfully. What a fool she was, she thought miserably. Rob and Lizzie would be back together before the end of the day so she may as well forget about him. He was clearly no better than all the rest, the bastard.

She dashed into the bathroom and locked the door while Danni grumbled at Rob, annoyed because she'd been woken up prematurely.

"Can't you switch your phone off like any normal person? You know I need my sleep!" she said crossly.

"I forgot okay! Anyway, it's not my fault you're so fucking ugly and seven hours sleep aint enough..."

"Oh piss off, Roberto!" Danni only used his full name when she was really mad. He ducked as she tried to throw a punch at him. He had had more than enough of punches for one lifetime. As he turned he saw that Nicole had vanished into the bathroom and he inwardly cursed. Bloody Lizzie...

With his head beginning to ache, he decided to cut this spat short. "Quit it Danni – I said I was sorry for waking you up. I'm off out for a run so go back to bed and try and wake up in a better mood for all our sakes."

She glared at him venomously before slamming her bedroom door in his face with a bang. Rob took several deep breaths and went to pull his running gear on. He left the flat with half his brain still playing re-runs of the kiss with Nicole. He just hoped he hadn't blown it before it had even begun.

* * *

Nicole took her break and decided to sit out in the back yard with a cup of tea and the local paper. The sun was shining warmly and it was surprisingly pleasant for the time of year. Sipping her tea slowly, she scanned the 'accommodation offered' column near the back of the paper.

"Had enough of the arguments then?" asked Sue with a grin.

Nicole turned round in surprise; she hadn't realised Sue was there.

"Kind of," she replied cagily. It had more to do with Rob than anything else, but she could hardly tell Sue that.

"They always did fight like cat and dog. Danni has too much of a temper on her," said Sue with a wry grin. "But she has a heart of gold."

Nicole smiled and said, "Yeah, I know. I can't thank her enough for helping me out as she did. I don't know what I would've done without her..." Her voice trailed off as she relived that horrible bus journey. She shuddered despite the warmth of the spring sunshine.

Sue dropped down next to her on the step and lit a cigarette. "If you want to move out, I may know somewhere," she commented casually.

"Really?"

"A friend of mine is looking for a lodger. She's a little cantankerous at times, but she won't bother you all that much. You won't need to pay a bond either which I imagine might be awkward for you."

Nicole wasn't certain that it sounded all that great, but it had to be an improvement on the current arrangement of sleeping on Danni's sofa bed and being tortured by a man she couldn't have.

"That sounds fine to me," she said in a bright voice.

"Great, I'll have a word with Angela and let you know tomorrow - if she says yes, I'll take you round there for a look, okay?"

"Thanks, Sue, that's very kind of you."

Sue stubbed out her cigarette and stood up wearily. "See you back inside in five minutes," she said before disappearing back into the fray.

Nicole finished her cup of tea with her eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face. She hoped that Danni didn't take offence when she told her she was planning on moving out. It wasn't as if she hated living there – it was just too uncomfortable in so many ways. No, moving out and finding other accommodation was the right thing to do. She had no great desire to watch Rob get back with Lizzie again.

"Nicole!" Sue was shouting for her from the kitchen and she stood up, pouring the dregs of her tea onto the patch of weeds by the wall. It sounded like a coach load had just dropped in for cream teas all round – oh joy. Back to work...

* * *

Nicole followed Sue up an overgrown pathway to a large Victorian town house. It stood on a quiet street with several others, all of them slightly faded and genteel looking. She felt like she had stepped back into another era and any moment now a horse and carriage was going to rumble past.

Sue's friend Angela had agreed to meet her and she was hopeful that the old woman would like her and therefore offer her a room. Sue seemed to think it was a dead cert, but Nicole was less optimistic. Besides, she still hadn't broken the news to Danni yet and she was not looking forward to that. It felt like she was sticking two fingers up at her to be moving out so soon after everything her friend had done for her.

Luckily Danni and Rob had both been out when she nipped home after her shift in the café. She had managed to grab a shower, change into some clean clothes and dash back out again. The thought of seeing Rob made her stomach churn. She still felt a total idiot for kissing him this morning. She really should have known better after her recent experiences. Oh well, one day she might learn from her mistakes.

Sue rang the doorbell and from deep within the house a loud chiming sounded. They waited a while and Nicole began to wonder if maybe the old woman had gone out. Eventually the door creaked open to reveal a small stooped figure with a shock of blue-white hair.

"Angela, this is Nicole – the girl I told you about," announced Sue briskly.

"Hello, dear," said Angela, scrutinising Nicole carefully.

Nicole felt like she was under a microscope as the old woman's beady eyes assessed her from head to toe. Then Angela stepped to one side and Nicole followed Sue inside the house.

The first thing that struck Nicole was the silence. As soon as the large front door closed, all the sounds from the street outside vanished. The cool air was thick with the scent of violets and from somewhere a distant clock ticked rhythmically. The black and white floor tiles were smooth and polished beneath Nicole's feet and she found herself fascinated by the symmetrical pattern.

It reminded her of Nan's old house back in Cornwall. That house had been sold; probably converted into a guest house or some such monstrosity by now. Nan would have turned in her grave if she'd known, but fortunately she passed away before she was forced to move out of her beloved house and into a nursing home.

Nicole still missed her. The holidays the family had spent there had been wonderful; endless days playing on the golden sands. She and Kate had been inseparable back then. With only a year between them, they had been as close as two sisters could be. Apart from the occasional fall outs of course.

All through their teenage years and beyond, they had stayed close. Not even boyfriends had come between them. They had always been attracted to different type's right from the early days. Nicole had gone for the clean cut sporty boys and Kate had preferred the scruffy bikers.

Until Sean.

"This would be your room if you're interested," said Angela loudly. Nicole jumped when she realised she was supposed to be looking at the attic bedroom. She glanced round and saw immediately that it was a large sunny room at the top of the house with an en suite bathroom in the corner.

"It's lovely," she commented sincerely.

"It used to be my daughters room, years ago," Angela said. "She lives in New Zealand now and I haven't seen her for a long time.

"I'm sorry," Nicole said sympathetically. "That must be hard for you."

Angela shrugged philosophically. "I'm an old lady and my daughter has her own life to live."

Nicole caught the sad expression on the woman's face and knew immediately that it hurt more than she was letting on.

"If it's okay with you, I'll take the room," she said. It was big enough and not too far from the café. She'd miss Danni but they would still see each other. It was about time she made a fresh start and kick-started her life again. It was hardly convenient to go on sleeping on Danni's sofa bed forever. Now all she had to do was break the news to Danni and Rob...

* * *

"Why?" asked Danni in astonishment.

Nicole looked out of the kitchen window and wondered how on earth she could explain her motives for leaving. It seemed a bad idea to mention Rob's involvement, but it was the main reason if she was honest.

"I can't sleep on your sofa for ever," she said instead. That was the truth too, so she felt a little better.

"Yeah, I guess it isn't all that comfortable is it?" Danni conceded. "Can you afford this room though?"

"Yes. And she didn't want a deposit so that's even better."

"Well I know we haven't exactly been mates forever and a day – but I'm missing you already," Danni grinned. "I've kinda got used to you being here and it was good to have another woman around the flat. Got to be better than that dickhead brother of mine..."

"Saying nice things about me again?" said Rob as he stuck his head around the kitchen door. He glanced at Nicole but she turned away and examined the peeling wallpaper with great interest. It was too embarrassing being in the same room as him especially when she knew he was not really interested in her. She still cringed when she thought about the way she had reacted – god how stupid he must think she was.

Danni stuck her middle finger up at him and he scowled. "Anyway, I'll see you both later; I'm meeting Jonny for a drink down the Red Lion. Bye," he said to the pair of them. Then he disappeared before Danni could tell him Nicole was moving out. She heaved a sigh of relief. Now she could just pack her meagre belongings and go without any awkward moments.

"Need a hand moving?" Danni asked.

Nicole burst out laughing. "I think I can manage my one bag thanks!" she chuckled wryly. "But thanks anyway. You are more than welcome to come and see it you know?"

"Hey, don't tempt me. I'll be round every night!"

"I do appreciate everything you've done to help me. I can't thank you enough Danni – you've been wonderful to me in the last few weeks." For a moment Nicole felt like crying. It was strange - she thought she had put all the anguish behind her, but just when she figured she had moved on, it crept back and bit her again. Like a bad tempered dog with a grudge.

"What can I say?" Danni smiled, "I'm just amazing."

"Modest too..." added Rob as he stuck his head round the door again.

"I thought you were meeting Jonny?" said Danni in surprise.

"I was...until he had a better offer from that girl's he's been after for weeks. She finally agreed to a date so I was dumped via text message." He rolled his eyes and Danni sniggered.

"Never mind, Bro, you should be used to that by now!"

"Oh fuck off, Danni," he growled and she stuck her tongue out at him defiantly.

Nicole realised suddenly that she was going to miss the endless bickering between them. As annoying as it was, it had kept her amused and provided her with a distraction that was sorely needed.

She took the opportunity to slip out of the room and finish collecting her stuff together as they continued to trade insults. The only thing she wouldn't miss was the hideously uncomfortable sofa bed. Casting a baleful glance at the lumpy cushions, she tidied it up and folded the duvet in a neat pile. Once a few items of washing had been retrieved from the dryer, she was ready to go.

For a moment she looked around the small room and felt almost nostalgic. It wasn't terribly pretty, but it had been home for a while. Even the tacky ornaments felt like family heirlooms now. But it was time to move on again. Eventually she would find a more permanent residence. Maybe then she could settle down.

Rob was nowhere in sight when Nicole cautiously peered into the kitchen. Danni was stood by the cooker extractor fan smoking one of her foul smelling herbal cigarettes. The pale smoke wafted up into the filtered hood, thus avoiding polluting the kitchen with an evil stench.

"I'm off, Danni," Nicole announced brightly. "Don't want to be late for my dinner..." She edged towards the hallway, her bag grasped tightly in her hand. The last thing she wanted was to see Rob before she left and she anxiously listened for his footsteps.


"Okay, let me come and wave you off. I can think about the meal I won't be eating while you abandon me to my arse of a brother."

She stubbed her cigarette out in an ash tray and hopped down off the worktop. They walked down the dingy hall and Nicole opened the front door. "Thanks again, Danni," she said, her voice almost cracking with a sudden surge of emotion.

Danni pulled her close and hugged her tightly. "It was my pleasure," she whispered in Nicole's ear. "I'll see you at the café tomorrow anyway, and you can make me jealous with tales of cooked breakfast in bed!"

"Yeah right!" sniffed Nicole.

"Hey, are you leaving us?" Rob's voice startled them and both girls turned to face him as he reappeared in the hallway.

"Yeah, hasn't she told you? She's found a nicer place to live with meals and polite folk who don't smell of body odour like you!"

Rob ignored his sister's jibe and stared at Nicole in surprise. "Are you really leaving?" he asked with a fathomless expression on his bruised face.

"Yep," she confirmed. She looked down at the floor and willed herself to maintain a bland smile.

"Oh," Rob said. For an awkward moment there was a strained silence and Nicole felt terrible. He seemed really offended by the fact she was going.

"I thought it was about time I stopped taking advantage of your hospitality," she said in a rush. "You've both been too kind to me."

"No problem," said Rob with a faint smile. "We enjoyed having you." He looked at her hard and Nicole was immediately reminded of the heated kiss in the hallway. She felt her cheeks begin to flame in embarrassment and she almost fell through the doorway in her rush to escape the claustrophobia that suddenly enveloped her.

"I gotta go," she apologised hurriedly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Danni. Bye, Rob."

"Bye, Nic, take care!" Danni's voice followed her down the stairs.

Nicole practically ran out into the street, the memory of Rob's parting words bouncing around in her fevered brain. She had imagined that she would feel relieved to be away from him, but now she found that she was sorry to have left. The thought of not seeing him again made her feel quite desolate as she walked quickly down the cobbled street towards the harbour.

* * *

Rob was stretched out on the settee watching television when he heard the faint knock on the front door. Scowling with irritation, he reluctantly hauled his body up and padded down the hall to see who the hell was there. It better not be that bloody annoying neighbour again, he thought venomously. She seemed to think any noise above the level of a whisper was grounds for complaint.

With a grimace he pasted a plastic smile on his face and unlocked the door. The smile faltered slightly when he saw who was standing there and he felt a sudden rush of pleasure despite his earlier annoyance.

"Hi, sorry to bug you, but I think I left my hair brush here. Rather than fork out for another one, I figured I would drop by and pick it up..." Nicole's voice trailed off as Rob stood there in the doorway, his bruised purple eye in no way diminishing his sex appeal.

"You best come in then," he said levelly. "Danni has gone out so I'm here alone if that isn't too scary." There was a slight edge to his voice and Nicole stopped dead in the hallway.

His words had stung her and she turned to face him defiantly. "I'm not scared of you."

"No?" He looked less than convinced.