Friday 4th October 2002
June's body shook and a long deep moan of pleasure escaped from her lips. Above her, Jim, his face coated in a sheen of sweat, smiled, then leant down to capture her lips with his.
"Thank you�" She breathed, returning his kiss, then allowing him to roll away from her, to lay, naked across his side of her�their�bed. Jim turned his head to regard her, his eyes meeting hers and then running down the length of her sweat covered, glowing form.
She returned his smile, her breath which had been coming in gasps returning to something approximating normality. It was now�she glanced at her watch, 3 am, and they had had no sleep since they had risen at 7am, ready for another day at the CSU - a day which should have taken it out of them, but had instead, due to their close proximity, their flirting, conducted where they could so easily have been caught out, that delicious frisson of danger, had served only to heighten their passion and they had fallen into bed almost as soon as they had arrived home together, pausing only to call in for a takeaway, the remnants of which were now scattered on the carpet beside the bed.
"June?" Jim muttered, his hand snaking across the mattress to interweave his fingers with her own.
"Don't even think about it, Jim." June smiled, her eyes falling shut, her hand squeezing Jim's tightly.
"No, it's not that�I've got something to ask you."
June's eyes cracked open and she glanced back over to him. Against her will, her chest tightened with anxiety and she cursed silently at this defensiveness that was still now, after around three months together, causing her to hold back in ways that she knew was frustrating this beautiful man beside her.
"I'm�going away next weekend. It's been arranged for ages, but with all this I'd forgotten about it until a mate called."
"Oh?" June reached a hand over and ran her fingers through Jim's blond hair.
"It's a diving trip, to Devon. Four of us from the sub-aqua club�June, I was wondering�if you'd come with me."
"Jim, I�" She shook her head. "I don't think so. I'll be in the way."
"No you won't. Listen..." Jim shuffled up closer to her and propped his head up on his hand. "I'd say I won't go, but they're depending on me. It's just, I can't imagine spending a single day away from you."
June allowed herself to smile at this demonstration of Jim's utter adoration. "You'll live." She ran a finger down his forehead, down along his nose.
"So you won't even�consider it?" A certain tone had crept into Jim's voice and June pulled her hand away as if shocked.
"Look, it's a boys weekend away. I can spend some time with some of my friends. You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder�" She spoke quickly, nervous now, trying to salvage the situation.
"So you only feel free to see your friends when I'm not around?" Jim sat up, his eyes beginning to cloud over a little. "And you're not willing to meet mine?"
"No - Jim�you don�t understand what I'm trying to say�"
"No, no, I don't." Jim slid off the bed, slipped into his navy robe. Then he picked up the two pillows from his side of the bed. "I think I'd better sleep on the sofa."
"Oh, Jim, come on!" Frustration and fear were now creeping into her voice.
"All I wanted was for us to go away together. Somewhere where we can relax. Take walks together, look at the scenery�I thought you might find it romantic. I know I would."
"Jim, I would, but�."
"But, what? But WHAT, June?" Jim's voice was becoming louder.
"Jim, keep your voice down!"
"NO! You can't keep locking us away June, you can't keep hiding this!"
"Jim, you KNOW the kind of situation I'm in." She hissed.
"I know. You're worried about your job. I understand that. But what is more important to you, June, when it really comes down to it?"
"Jim�you know�" June slipped off the bed, crossed over to him. "You know how much I�" She stopped. She placed a hand on his bare chest. "Jim, just come back to bed�"
"No." Jim reached up, took her wrist and moved her hand away. "There needs to be more to us than this. This will end. This passion, this excitement, this lust - this will all end. And what's going to be left, June? Just what is going to be left?" Jim looked at her for a moment. She met his gaze, but was overwhelmed by the intensity of it and was forced to look away.
Jim saw this, and shook his head, sighing deeply. "Goodnight, June, sleep well." With that he turned, opened the bedroom door and disappeared into the darkness.
**
Friday 11th October 2002
It had been the longest week that June had ever experienced. Two days after their confrontation, and after more heated "discussions" which had inevitably turned into bitter arguments, Jim had moved out. He was staying in a cheap B&B near the station, yet arrived for work late every day, looking tired and unshaven. He refused to speak to her lest to reply to queries or orders regarding the CSU, and referred to her as "Sergeant" constantly.
For the first three days, June had tried, tried so hard to back him into a corner and confront him, ask him round to her place maybe, to talk things over. But each and every time he saw her approach, he would leave the office, or bury himself in paperwork, or involve himself in a discussion with Cathy or Brandon which he would not allow her to interrupt.
It was now 9:17, and Jim was nearly 20 minutes late - again. He had booked the afternoon off, as he and his friends were travelling down to Devon during the afternoon and evening, so they could have at least one full day of diving on the Saturday. Gazing out of the window, June hoped that the west country was experiencing better weather than they were in London, rain and hail lashed the windows and loud rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning were affecting her nerves, which were already on edge.
She glanced up as she heard the double doors swing open and crash shut. Jim stepped into the room, shook himself like a wet puppy, and removed a soaking blue jacket which he draped over one of the heaters. He ran a hand through his dripping hair, and then wiped it over his face.
He'd shaved today, she noticed, the four days growth of beard was gone. His dark blue jeans were so wet as to be black, and he wore a black t-shirt. She could see he was cold, he shivered involuntarily and then pulled a hanky from his pocket to wipe his nose. She felt a sudden rush of concern for him, and as if being pulled up by an invisible hand, she stood and walked over to him.
"Jim - you're soaked." She put a hand up, placed it on his bare arm which was frozen. "And you're freezing."
"I'm fine." Jim jerked his arm away.
"Jim - don�t be like this!" June snapped, frustrated now.
"I'm sorry, Sarge, but I have eight hours of work to do in three hours. Now, if you'll let me get on�." He brushed past her, and walked over to his desk. He greeted Cathy with a smile, they moaned for a moment about the weather and then Cathy stood and moved to turn the wall heater near their desk up a little higher.
June watched this, and felt a lump rise in her throat. Could she really have�had she lost him? Had she lost the beautiful, funny man she had been in�.
She placed a hand to her mouth. Shivering herself - and not due to the cold - she turned and ran towards the ladies toilets.
**
"Have a good time, Jim!" Cathy shouted as Jim slipped into his still dripping jacket.
"Yeah - but you might need your snorkel to get home!" Brandon laughed. It was still raining heavily outside.
Jim acknowledged their comments with a deep chuckle. "See you on Monday." He laughed. Then: "See you, Sarge."
"Yes - see you. Have a good time."
For a moment the harshness and coldness in Jim's eyes disappeared. They became soft, pleading, as if he was asking her one last time to give in, to come with her, to just stand up and tell them all�
It almost worked. But June forced herself to look away. It wasn't what she wanted, not in her heart, but she could feel the mental shutters going up, and was powerless to stop them.
"Yeah." Jim looked at her one last time, but she didn't respond.
And with that, he was gone.
**
Friday 11th October 2002 - 10:05 pm
With Toto the cat nestled on her knee, June watched the ten o'clock news disinterestedly. She didn't need these newsreaders telling her that the weather was dire. She thanked god it was Friday, that she didn't have to venture out at all until Monday - and they were saying this storm was going to continue for the foreseeable.
It wasn't as if she felt like going anywhere - although she had told Jim she would spend time with friends, she had to admit now that he was right. The thought of spending even a single day away from Jim now was�her eyes closed momentarily�even through the pain of this week, at least he had been there, close to her�all she wanted now was for him to come in through the door, to say sorry, to take her into his arms, to touch her, to make love to her� He had been right, she knew, about the intensity of the physical aspect of their relationship, but what he couldn't see, what she couldn�t allow herself to let him see, is that that intensity was due to the depth of feeling she had for him, the love she had for him, because she was in love�more in love than she had ever�
She wiped at her cheek, realising her face was wet with tears. She wanted him, now, she wanted to be with him�why hadn't she given in, why hadn't she gone?
The reasons had been so clear to her earlier, but now, in the loneliness of her empty house, she couldn't seem to grasp them at all.
**
Saturday 12th October 2002 10:12am
"And going back to our main headline, hurricane force storms continue to batter the south of the country. So far there have been three reported fatalities. In the south west, fears are growing for the safety of a group of scuba divers from London, who set out for a wreck dive in perfect conditions at 8am this morning off the coast of Devon.
A freak storm hit at around 9, and it is reported that coastguards received a mayday call from the "Underwater Love" at 9:17am.
Nothing has been heard from the crew since, and while the storm still rages, the RAF and coastguard are finding it impossible to launch a rescue mission."
June listened to the report, her eyes widening and her stomach twisting as she did so. The "Underwater Love" belonged to one of Jim's friends, she knew, it was berthed somewhere near Torquay.
"The crew of the boat are said to consist of members of a sub-aqua club in Canley. Chris Rogers from the coastguard made the following statement a few moments ago:
We are doing everything possible to discover the whereabouts of the vessel and it's occupants. The RAF report that the storm is clearing from the west, and believe that they should be able to launch their helicopters within the next half an hour. We can only hope that the vessel has not come to grief."
"And if it has?"
"If it has - in these conditions�.I've been told that these men are all experienced divers and respect the sea. We can only hope that this will be sufficient to ensure their survival�"
June's head span. She didn't know who she was, where she was, until the smashing of glass cut into her hearing, making her jump. She looked down, the wine glass she had been wiping lay shattered on the floor. She ducked to scoop up the pieces, and a shard dug itself into her hand.
Snapped back into reality, she knew that there were only two things she could possibly do. Sit here and wait for news bulletins on the radio, or�.
She stood, grabbed her car keys from the shelf, ran to the hall and threw on a coat.
And within ten minutes she was pulling up outside Sun Hill.
To be continued�
