"I can't believe this! What are you doing in London?"

His voice was exactly how Kayleigh remembered it. Smooth and easy, like her father's good whiskey. 

"I'm... doing an internship for the summer," Kayleigh mumbled, her eyes roaming over the people pouring out of Marylebone Station like a restless river. Every single one of them looked rushed, set on their destination, while she hovered uncertainly in the middle of the street.

"An internship? In fashion design? That's great, Kay! That's the dream!" she heard Marcus reply. "How's your family? Not Leon, of course. I know how that son of a gun is."

"They're good," Kayleigh answered after a beat, suppressing the sudden wave of jealousy that shot through her stomach. 

Was Marcus still in touch with her brother? Why didn't Leon ever say anything? And why wasn't he still in touch with her? She'd spent whole summers with them. With him. Wasn't she worthy of the occasional Hey, how are you? 

Kayleigh was so deep in her sulking that she didn't realize she was tapping her fingers against the strap of her bag until she felt Marcus's hand wrap around hers. He applied gentle pressure until her fingers quieted.

"Kay, it's me," he said steadily leaning so close to her face that she had no choice but to look at him. "It's just me."

The racket around her slowed down. His low voice blocked out all the noise and Kayleigh closed her eyes as his familiar scent hit her nostrils. She wasn't sure if she wanted to block it out or drown in it. There was something different about it though.

Was he wearing cologne? Did she like it?

It was nice, but it didn't suit him, Kay decided. It was cool and spicy. Marcus was warm and tangy. She didn't know if it was because they'd spent so many early hours by the beach, waiting for the sun to come up, but everything about him reminded her of a warm, summer morning. Anything different from that was just not him.

He smiled softly as he took both of her hands in his and said, "It's alright, Kay Kay."

Kay Kay. No one had called her that in a very long time.

"Do you want to get some coffee? We can catch up."

Kayleigh Moore was dying for coffee, but the thought of sitting down and catching up with Marcus Burrows made her stomach turn. She took in his designer coat and leather briefcase. Hugo Boss. Ralph Lauren.

The Marcus Kayleigh remembered owned one nice pair of Air Jordans. It took him ages to save up for them and he completely lost it when Rosemary Nicholson, the awkward girl from their neighbourhood who later became her best friend, accidentally rode her bicycle over his toes. His feet were unharmed, but the sneakers had a sweet skid mark Kayleigh scrubbed for nearly an hour to remove.

The Marcus in front of her seemed very different from that young man. Except for his eyes. They were warm, inviting and mysterious at the same time.

"Weren't you going somewhere?" she asked, her fingers trembling in his hands despite his steady hold on them.

But Marcus merely shrugged and caressed her knuckles with his thumbs absentmindedly. "It can wait. Come on, I'll treat you to a London scone."

The corners of Kayleigh's mouth lifted involuntarily. Her grandmother always said the best scones were in London, even though her uncle Louis always assured her that they were no better than the scones she baked herself, right there in her tiny kitchen.

So, Kayleigh followed Marcus down the road from whence she came, through streets she hadn't studied, until they came to a small coffee shop she hadn't marked on her map or even heard of. It was small, pink and not very busy.

They walked in and she sat at the table on which Marcus placed his work bag.

"Black, one sugar?" he asked with a frown.

She nodded and he shot her a disapproving look.

"You're hopeless. You know it's not good for you. I should just get you a latte."

But Kayleigh glared at him. "It would still have the same amount of caffeine, genius."

"Well, yes," he conceded, slowly moving his head from side to side. "But it's more gentle on your stomach and you can leave out the sugar because it won't-"

"Just get the coffee, Marcus!" Kayleigh gritted.

His irritated expression transformed into one of amusement. He winked at her and walked over to the counter.

Kayleigh flexed her restless fingers before she allowed them to drum freely on the wooden table top. Marcus came back with a tray loaded with one black coffee, one herbal tea and two scones.

"Best scones in London. Just like the ones Nana Bitsy loved so much."

Kayleigh raised a sceptical brow at him as he sat beside her.

"The best scones in London are conveniently sat two corners away from where we bumped into each other?"

Marcus laughed as blew on his tea. "Aren't you lucky?"

"Indeed, I am," she replied digging into her scone. She considered the taste, the texture and the feelings that came with it. Uncle Louis was right. It was good. But not better than the ones Nana Bitsy baked.

Marcus studied her carefully. "I can't believe you're sitting across from me right now. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Kayleigh reached for her cup. The look he was giving her was making her uncomfortable.

"I don't know, Marcus. We kind of lost touch, didn't we?"

"Leon didn't mention anything either," he went on with a frown. "Did you ask him not to?"

Kayleigh's heart picked up its pace. "Why would I ask him not to tell you? I didn't even know you guys were still in contact."

Marcus Burrows narrowed his eyes suspiciously. There was no shame in his expression. Her subtle accusation did not affect him in the slightest. But there was curiosity. He was reading between the lines and Kayleigh knew he would understand the true meaning of her words.

She had wondered, of course. She wondered all the time if he was still in London and if maybe her brother would know. But she didn't dare ask Leon about it because she knew he'd reach out to him and ask him to keep an eye on her, even if he hadn't talked to him in years. And that was the last thing she wanted. 

In fact, had she thought that there was even the slightest chance of running into Marcus Burrows she would have done her research and steared clear of any street he ever strolled through. 

But her thoughts were preoccupied with moving away from her family to work with her favourite fashion house for three whole months. Her main concerns for the past few weeks were having to survive on her own, the possibility of being robbed or kidnapped or failing majestically in front of Maxwell Kilton and his associates. She had been studying his designs since she turned twelve, wishing she would someday create a piece for his line. 

So the few times Marcus Burrows crossed her mind, she pushed the thought of him away. She was already out of her comfort zone. She didn't need an extra anxiety trigger on her plate.

"You changed your teeth," she heard herself say after a while.

The heat rose to her cheeks but Marcus didn't seem offended. On the contrary, he grinned wide as if to show her what a great job his dentist did.

"I couldn't be a celebrity dentist with crooked front teeth, could I?"

Kayleigh felt her lips ease into a soft smile. She remembered how he hated his smile when they were children. He even asked Leon to punch him hard in the mouth once, hoping his uneven, gapped teeth would fall out. Needless to say, the plan didn't go too well and the two boys were in a lot of trouble.

"No, I guess not. I'm glad you're doing well, Marcus," she said after a while. And she was. He had always wanted to become a successful dental practitioner after all. He worked very hard for it. Then, perhaps because she wanted to know if anything about the man was still the same apart from his eyes and his voice, she asked, "Do you still do photography?"

Her voice wavered a little so, she lifted her cup to her lips again.

"Not much," he replied, eyes still on her, studying her. "There isn't much to inspire me here."

Now it was her turn to be suspicious. "Really?" she mused, unable to keep the scepticism out of her voice. "The Heart of Europe is not enough to inspire the great Marcus Burrows?"

But as his hazel irises darkened, she knew he wasn't talking about the city.

A sinking feeling greeted her like an old friend. Her heart was pounding again, rising from her chest quickly up to her throat.

"I have to go," she gulped, placing her empty cup back on the tray and gripping her bag tightly. But Marcus's hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist.

"What? Come on, it's still early. I haven't seen you or talked to you in forever."

"And whose fault is that?"

The words came out sure and angry, but Kayleigh quickly retreated into her shell when she saw the hurt in his eyes.

Marcus clicked his tongue impatiently, but then he broke too. "You didn't call either, you know?"

Kayleigh knew he was right. But she also knew she wasn't the one who was supposed to call.

"You're the one who left," she mumbled pettily, suddenly feeling like she was sixteen again.

"I had to."

Marcus's gaze was akin to fire, but Kay matched it without having to try. "No, you didn't have to. But seeing you now, I'm glad you did."

She stopped there, but as she boldly looked her old friend in the eye, Kayleigh knew he understood exactly what she meant.

"It's still early," Marcus said, his tone returning to the warm softness she was used to. "Why don't we go for a drink?"

It was tempting. She so wanted to go. But she couldn't. Goodness knows she couldn't.

"It's my first day tomorrow and I won't be able to sleep if I drink."

"Just one glass of red wine. Red wine is good for the heart!"

Kayleigh took in his straight teeth, full beard and long hair tied back. Adulthood suited him. How she wished she could say the same thing when she looked at her own reflection. Would London do the same thing to her?

"Just one glass," she heard herself agree.

But one glass turned into a bottle. And a bottle turned into dinner. And four hours later she was pressed up against the front door of her building as Marcus Burrows kissed her with a fiery passion she had only felt once before. There was no mistaking the lust in his eyes when he pulled away just enough to let her get some air.

"I uh... I shouldn't have done that, should I?"

His words took Kayleigh back to a day she was not likely to forget any time soon. She had managed to keep it at the back of her mind well enough to function for the past six years, but all pretences came crashing down the moment his lips touched hers. She couldn't possibly let him walk away from her again.

Her heart throbbed. Her brain spun and her palms sweated. Her lungs were struggling for oxygen but Marcus was still standing there, watching her, holding her as if he couldn't tell she was imploding right in front of him.

He held the sides of her head, fingers reaching into her hair and thumbs massaging her temples. She closed her eyes and let the gentle motions soothe her. Maybe he could tell...

When she opened her eyes again, her head was clear.

"Do you want to come in?"

👒👗👜

Looks like Kayleigh's past and future have her right in the middle of a passionate storm.

What do you think of our dear Marcus?

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