Original Sin

As she turned the corner, Tess gasped out loud. They were high up on a rocky outcrop, looking down into the most glorious cove she had ever seen. It was as if a giant had scooped out the side of a mountain, leaving the rainbow layers of sheer rock exposed, plunging down to a perfect crescent of beach protected from the pounding sea by a line of rocks jutting from the sea two hundred yards out. It was completely deserted apart from a pair of pelicans perching on a boulder.

‘Bloody hell,’ she whispered.

‘Exactly,’ said Sean.

They scrambled down the narrow ledge to the beach. The sand was bright red and the water like a flat piece of jade, the natural lagoon making it calm and clear. Tess could see a shoal of tiny fish darting about in the shimmering brine, like a translucent cloud. Whooping, they ran down the sand and splashed out into the sea. They swam to a tall wall of black volcanic rock forming the edge of the lagoon, where Sean hoisted himself out and onto the rock, while Tess floated lazily on her back, gazing up at the blue sky. For some reason she began to think about the holidays she’d had as a child. Her mother Sally had always insisted on going to the chic resorts that her posh friends were visiting: Marbella or Nice; except the Garretts could only afford to stay in the cheapest places. They’d buy things from the supermarket and eat a picnic on the beach while Sally griped about the injustice of not being able to lunch in the beach cafes only yards away.

‘Hey, you looked deep in thought back there,’ said Sean as they swam back to shore.

‘I was just thinking how much I loved travelling.’

‘Just as well, with the job Dom did, I guess.’

‘That was different,’ she said, smiling ruefully. ‘It wasn’t really about having fun.’

From this distance she could see how travel had bound Dom and her together like some sort of artificial glue, and how the mini–breaks, luxury hotels, and Caribbean beaches were just mood enhancers to disguise the fact that they didn’t really have that much in common. Tess flopped down on her towel and drank the bottled water greedily as Sean towelled his face.

‘So do you forgive me?’ he asked.

‘For what?’

‘What happened in London with Dom,’ he said quietly. ‘I was only trying to protect you, Tess, but you know that’s an uphill battle.’

She squinted up at him, shielding her eyes. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, you have this “leave me alone, I can handle it myself” vibe going on, don’t you?

‘I do not!’

‘Okay, but it was fairly obvious you hated me from the second you met me.’

‘That’s not true,’ she protested.

‘It is.’

She smiled, taking in a deep breath of sea air.

‘I have this theory that how you feel about someone stems from the time you first meet them – that “first impressions last” thing, you know?’ said Tess. ‘I remember at sixth–form college there was this kid called Big Marie. She was cuddly and lovely and a very big girl. Last year I went to a college reunion and Big Marie was there, except she wasn’t big any more. She was slim and beautiful and had just got married to a handsome City banker. No one could believe it; they were all gossiping about how this fat girl had landed a hunk; it was as if they couldn’t see what was in front of them. Their view of Marie was fixed – to them she would always be big and awkward and ugly.’

Sean looked at her. ‘Am I Big Marie in this scenario?’

Tess giggled.

‘When I first met you, or should I say when I first knew of you, you were the guy at the orgy full of drugs, remember?’

‘Hmm … I can’t deny that. But, you know, some people do think I’m an okay guy.’ He looked at her. ‘Hey, what’s that look for?’ he asked.

‘You. Today. You’re being such a gent.’

‘D’you think I’m trying to seduce you?’ he grinned.

Her cheeks flushed red and she avoided his eyes.

‘Do you want me to seduce you?’ he said more softly.

‘It doesn’t matter, does it?’ said Tess, finally looking at him. ‘It’s not going to happen.’

Leaning towards her, he took her face in his hands and his lips came down on hers. With minimal resistance she pushed him away. ‘No Sean, I’m serious, we can’t.’