Twelve Days The Beginning - By Jade Reyner Page 0,49
that she had just cried more tears into his expensive shirt in one night than she had cried into cheap tissues her entire lifetime. She sighed and turned back to look out of the window. Everything was such a mess.
After another few minutes, they pulled up outside a small but fairly exclusive looking block of flats. From what she could see in the dark, the building formed a U shape around a central courtyard, the open end of the U being gated. Vaughn pulled into a dedicated space out the front and came around to open her door, helping her out.
As they approached the gates, she could see that the building was two storeys high. Each side of the U appeared to have two flats on the ground floor and one larger one across the whole of the first floor. She quickly calculated there must be nine flats in total, which corresponded with the numbers on the entryway intercom. Vaughn pressed a code into the keypad beside the intercom and the gates swung open allowing them access into the courtyard.
She walked forward and stopped in her tracks; even at night she could see that the courtyard was absolutely beautiful. The centrepiece was a large waterfall which ended in a sizeable pond, all contained within a low walled area. Surrounding this were several raised beds with large oriental looking plants and concealed lighting giving the entire courtyard an ethereal quality. The whole centrepiece was encompassed in a stunning pergola which had roses, honeysuckle and clematis climbing all over it. Whoever had designed this courtyard had been clever with their planting; the choice of the three climbers ensured that there were flowers and fragrance most of the year round. At present the clematis was flowering but Elise knew that, come early spring, the honeysuckle would take over to be swiftly followed by the roses in the summer.
A number of benches were situated at various points in the courtyard and she had to stifle a sudden urge to go and sit on one and just take in the whole ambience. She could imagine that this would be a quiet and peaceful place at any time of the day and really hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time she would ever see it. In her heart though, she knew that it probably would be.
Vaughn lived at number eight; the first floor flat directly opposite the entrance and he rested his hand lightly on her back as he guided her to the stairwell that led to his front door. Taking a key out of his pocket, he opened the door and stepped aside to allow her to enter.
The flat consisted of a long hallway that covered approximately two thirds of the length; the first door on the left led to a room that looked like a study. This room didn’t have a window but light was provided by the most stunning roof light, which allowed dappled moonlight to filter through. It gave the room a romantic hue and Elise found herself hurrying back out of the room before she became hypnotised by the imagery.
The next door on the left of the hallway led to a modern kitchen that appeared to have all the mod cons. There was a large central window which overlooked the courtyard and an island in the middle with a slate worktop over a farmhouse-style cream suite. The remainder of the floor and eye-level cabinets co-ordinated, giving the room an overall cosy feel which Elise really admired.
Aware that Vaughn was following her on her exploratory tour of his domain, wry smile firmly on his lips, she continued along, determined to see what was hidden behind each doorway. Her fascination with this man knew no bounds and she was shocked at how forward she was being in a total stranger’s home – pushing open doors, walking wherever she chose. Her manners had completely deserted her but Vaughn made no comment, silently following wherever she went.
There were three doors on the right of the hallway which led to two bedrooms and the bathroom. The bedrooms both had internal connecting doors to the bathroom in the centre, giving the illusion of each having their own en-suite. The larger of these two bedrooms was clearly Vaughn’s and almost as soon as she entered she backed out, a flush of embarrassment creeping through her body at the thought of being caught in his most private space. She heard a low laugh from behind her and realised