Across The Sea

The next morning Carl woke in the big double bed alone. He went into the living room. Chrissie was nowhere to be seen but Pete and Staci were snuggled up together on the sofa under a blanket. They looked very peaceful.

Carl went back to the bedroom and started to pack. He heard a noise at the door and looked up. It was Staci.

"Carl. I ..."

For once, she was lost for words.

He just smiled at her.

"It's OK. You don't need to say anything."

She looked at his half packed bags.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes. I think it's for the best. I can't stay here forever. I need to face the music back home sometime."

She nodded sadly.

"What will you do?"

"I'm not sure. Try not to waste the rest of my life."

"You should go see Melissa."

"Maybe."

"And write that book."

He smiled, "Maybe that too."

She was naked with a sheet wrapped around her. She watched him finish packing.

"Thank you Carl."

"What for?"

"For everything. For taking me here. Being such a sweetheart. For being so understanding and for showing me that sex could be more than just ... well you know. For treating me like a human being."

He stood and faced her and kissed her on the forehead.

She opened the sheet showing him her naked body.

"One for the road?"

He looked her up and down, taking his last view of her long legs, her dark bush, her smooth tummy, her perky tits. He wrapped the sheet around her again.

"Better not. I think we've had our fun. I'm not sure Pete would understand."

She smiled at him gratefully.

"No. Maybe not."

"I like him. He'll treat you right."

"I hope so."

"He will. I can tell. And he's got a big dick."

She laughed but she looked like she was about to cry.

"Yes. Yes, he does. Not as big as yours, though."

He laughed back, "Well, you can't have everything."

He finished packing. He didn't have much. Just one suitcase. He picked it up and turned to look at her.

"Right. That's me."

He kissed her again on the forehead.

"Thank you too, Staci. I think you might have kinda saved my life."

He kissed her again. On the lips, properly, his arms around her. She kissed him back."

He looked her in the eyes.

"I love you. Have a good life. You deserve it. "

"I love you too," she said through her tears as he turned and left the flat. Pete came into the room and just put his arms around her.

....

He drove all that day, stopping the night at Clermont Ferrond. He drove the next day too and stopped over at Calais.

As he waited in his car the next morning to roll onto the ferry, he took his phone out. He found a piece of paper in his wallet where he'd hastily written down Staci's bank details, fished out of her purse when she wasn't paying attention.

He transferred five thousand pounds into her account and put "With Love" in the comments section. He couldn't really afford it but he wanted to anyway.

Then he texted Melissa.

"Hi. I know we parted on bad terms but I want you to know I never stopped loving you. I'd understand if you never want to see me again but I would so love to see you. Even if you don't want to see me. at least know that I love you.x"

The signal came to board the ferry and he rolled on. It was the same boat he'd taken with Staci and he walked up the stairwell where they'd had their quickie on the way out.

Once on board he got a coffee and went on deck watching France recede into the distance. The bad weather that had hung around for weeks had finally cleared and it was a hot sunny day under blue skies. A proper June morning.

As the ferry got close to England, he left his seat to move to the front of the boat to see the White Cliffs approaching. As they were almost at the shore, his phone chirped as he reconnected to the UK signal.

It was a message from Melissa:

"What took you so long, Carl? Of course I want to see you."

He smiled and looked up at the cliffs. His phone chirped again.

"I love you too.x"

The sun was shining over Dover. Suddenly the old place didn't look so bad. It looked like being a glorious summer.

The End