Page 72 of Never Tear Us Apart

Chapter Sixty-Nine

‘Come with me.’ I think he’s leading me back to the dance floor, but instead he takes me to the staircase.

‘Oh?’ I question.

‘I’m not . . . I mean to say, I don’t expect anything. I just want to be alone with you. Pretty moon tonight, and the stars are out. We can see the star you’re named for.’

‘Oh, I’m not named after a star after all,’ I tell him. ‘Turns out I’m named after me.’

‘You are a strange one, Maia Borg,’ Danny chuckles.

‘Not strange, just nervous.’

‘Well, that makes two of us.’ He glances back at me with a rueful smile.

How can I tell this man something so unbelievable. I have no answer to that; I only know that I have to. I must honour him with the truth.

He leads me up one floor, then another, and finally up a narrow wooden staircase that is more like a ladder than anything.

It leads onto the flat roof terrace of the building, which is surrounded by a wide stone wall.

When he closes the door to the roof behind him, the muffled sounds of the party cease and are replaced with the hum of insects singing as they always have.

There are a few metal chairs scattered across the surface, as if a conversation has been abruptly interrupted.

It’s empty of any other revellers looking for a little privacy, and I’m glad.

The perfect dark embraces us fondly as we stroll over to the edge of the building and look out over the city.

The inky night is painted from a hundred different shades of deep, dark blue, each subtle gradient delineating a city in blackout.

I can just about see the dark shapes of what remains of Valletta hiding beneath the starry sky.

The water in the harbour cannot help but reflect the moonlight, and all is perfectly still.

Danny takes my hand and pulls me closer to him.

We kiss then, long and languorous, easy and peaceful.

The material of my gown rubs against the roughness of his uniform, and all I can think is how I want to search beneath his jacket and shirt, to touch and explore every contour and crevice of him, this beautiful creature that I’ve somehow found.

How I want to luxuriate in his body, in his desire and mine, travelling endlessly together just like this.

My hunger for him intensifies, and, pushing onto my toes, I kiss him harder, almost desperate.

My arms wind around his neck: his encircle my waist. Our kisses deepen with promises made.

Long gorgeous minutes pass as I revel in the feel of his firm, lean body melded to me.

I feel the race of his heart matching mine beat for beat and hear the low moan in my own throat.

We part for a moment, eyes dwelling on each other’s faces in the dark.

‘Maia.’ Danny whispers my name, stroking a loose curl back from my forehead. ‘Where did you come from, Maia Borg?’

‘I fell through time,’ I tell him. ‘From more than eighty years in the future. One day, I was just suddenly here. And on that day, I met you and you saved my life.’

‘You know, if you are a secret agent, you could just come up with a better cover.’

‘I’m not a secret agent,’ I say. ‘And of course, that story sounds crazy, but it’s true. And I want you to remember it, because one day it might matter that you believe me.’

‘What do you mean, Stitches?’ Danny has begun to lay light kisses on my neck. It takes effort to stop him and make him look at me.

‘If we lose each other,’ I tell him, ‘if anything happens to part us . . .’

‘Nothing will,’ he assures me. ‘I won’t let it.’

‘But if it does, I want you to know that it isn’t the end of us. No matter what it looks like, no matter what you think. Just remember that I will find you. Wherever, whenever you are, I will find you. Swear to remember that.’

‘I swear.’ He smiles. ‘I don’t understand fully what you are talking about, but I don’t think I need to either.

I know, in the here and now, that I love you and I trust you enough to leave it at that.

But I do swear to you that I will do everything in my power to make sure you stay my guiding light.

Wherever you shine in that great sky, that’s where I’m heading. ’

‘Then stay alive for me,’ I tell him. ‘No matter what occurs, stay alive, Danny. Stay alive.’

Our lips meet again, hungry. Our bodies lean into one another. My breasts press hard against his chest; my arms wind tight around his neck. I want him, all of him, in and around me. I want to be lost in his body.

Danny breaks away. Tipping his head back, he takes in a deep breath. He whispers my name, leaning his forehead against mine. ‘Kissing you is like flying into fire. I think I might burn up, and I don’t really care if I do.’

‘Why did you stop? Don’t stop,’ I whisper.

‘Because of where we are heading . . .’ he begins.

‘Take me there.’

‘I want to treat you right,’ he says, breathless, as my hand fumbles with the buckle of his belt.

‘I want you,’ I whisper. ‘Now.’

His eyes widen. ‘Here?’

‘Here.’

He surrenders to me then. Lifting me onto the wall, his hands find their way inside the bodice of my dress, revealing my breasts to his lips. He groans as he buries his face in me; I tangle my fingers through his hair, leaning back into the night without any fear. I know he will never let me go.

Then I feel his palms slide up and under my skirt. Tulle rustles and silk glides up my thighs as I pull urgently at the waist of his trousers. For one moment more, we look at each other, our gazes full of wonder and discovery. This is what it’s meant to be like.

Encircling him with my legs, I pull him hard into me, and our eyes meet, wide with delight.

It’s fast and hectic. Every touch and kiss is filled with excruciating pleasure that brings swift hits of delight, one after the other. Danny takes hold of the hair at the nape of my neck, kissing me hard as he comes. I feel him shudder against me.

We fold into one another. Holding hard against the next moment, minute and hour, all we ever want is now. His light kisses cover my face, neck and shoulders. My fingers take flight up and down the planes of his back.

Then a thought occurs to me and a giggle bubbles upwards.

‘Don’t laugh at the man who has just made love to you,’ Danny says with a grin. ‘Might give him a complex.’

Stepping back, he starts to redress himself, and I pour myself back into the gown I’ve spilt out of in so many delightful places.

When he’s decent, Danny sits next to me, taking my hand.

‘What’s so funny?’ he asks.

‘It’s just that this is the dress my grandmother got engaged in. I feel very naughty.’

Danny laughs, catching hold of me and kissing me again. He doesn’t question where I might have got my grandmother’s dress from, although I’m sure he understands it’s a long story.

‘What would she say if she knew?’ he says instead.

‘I don’t know, honestly,’ I tell him. ‘I don’t think she would mind too much.’

‘Maia, I need you to know,’ he says, suddenly serious, ‘I intend to marry you first chance I get.’

‘That would be lovely,’ I say, simply. It doesn’t feel like I need to say any more – he already knows exactly how I feel.

His words are delivered lightly and full of sweet sincerity. I never want to let him go. Before, in that other world, I never once believed that there was anyone, anywhere meant just for me. But now, I know it’s Danny, and to imagine life without him, even for a second, tears me apart.

Because I know that if I don’t find a way to prevent it, the love of my life will be taken from me, alongside my grandmother, and so much love will never be given or felt.

Gripped by sudden terror, I fling myself into his arms and burst into uncontrollable tears.

‘Hey, now, hey,’ Danny says. ‘Don’t carry on so. What is it? Do you have regrets?’

‘No, no, no,’ I say, kissing his face in between each word. ‘I’m just afraid, Danny.’

‘Me too,’ he nods. ‘Never wanted to live so much as I do now.’

The door to the roof opens and another couple appears in silhouette, accompanied by a burst of applause and cheering as the band strikes up another tune.

‘Want to go back and dance some more?’ Danny asks, glancing at the other couple living out their own love story in another shadowy corner. ‘Forget about all this until dawn?’

‘We could , or . . . Christina gave me the key to her flat,’ I say. ‘She said it was ours for tonight if we want it.’

‘Oh, we want it,’ Danny says. ‘We want it more than anything in this world. Let’s get outta here.’

Slipping off my shoes, I follow him, and we run as quickly and as quietly as we can.

Danny stops me on one side of the entrance to the dance floor, takes a peek inside and then races to the front door, beckoning me after him.

We escape onto the silvery streets in a burst of laughter, twirling and tumbling in one another’s arms as we revel in our victory.

Then the weight of the hour settles on our shoulders, and we become quiet and serious, feeling the time we have together slip away, no matter how we want it to stand still.

Walking hand in hand, we head to Floriana without speaking another word, not even when we let ourselves into Christina’s flat and fall into bed.

No words are needed now. Everything we have to say has already been spoken.