Lily leaned against the steel barriers of the arrivals area in terminal one of Heathrow airport. Amid the incessant hum of air conditioning, thrumming neon lights and the chatter of airport staff on grossly oversized and outmoded walkie-talkies there was the hum of people being re-united. Loved ones running into each others' arms, tearful grandparents embracing grandchildren not seen since birth, lonely business men looking drawn and tired, and their baggage trolleys loaded with nothing more than an overnight bag and a laptop carry case. Lily stood amongst the children pulling at parents’ arms to be left to roam around the bustling new world they’d been introduced to, babies screaming and burly looking armed police offers, the smell of fresh ground coffee and a hundred different perfumes mixed together into a choking funk. And in amongst it all Lily felt the first inkling of doubt.

She glanced at her watch and sighed. Nathan’s flight had been delayed by three hours. With nothing else to do, Lily had resorted to the only thing you can do in an airport. Shop. She’d browsed through the paltry offerings in the music and video section of W H Smiths, in the end settling on a cheesy crime thriller, the cover depicting a rugged looking gumshoe standing in a dirty alley, his trench coat-clad arm slung around a full-chested damsel. She’d given up on it about an hour ago and had left it on a coffee stained table in a Starbucks next to her half finished latte and pastry. So, instead she stood, waiting at the barrier drumming her fingers idly, wondering if she was mad.

That was the funny thing about doubt; it crept up on you like something out of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and beat you clean up the side of the head. When she had set out to the airport some 4 hours ago, it had all made an abundance of sense. She’d arrive, wait for Nathan, he’d get off the plane, on time, looking perfectly coiffed, he’d fancy the pants off her, and they’d fall madly in love and have dozens of plump children.

Unhelpfully, reality suddenly showed up to give doubt a hand and panic began to grip her stomach, and squeeze.

She dug into her pocket and looked at the picture of Nathan he’d sent a week ago. It was taken at a family barbecue last year. He was wearing a silly apron which had “kiss the chef” emblazoned on it. His face was plastered with a boyish grin. She smiled back at it, then stuffed it her pocket again.

A nasal voice gurgled from the overhead speakers, made all the more unintelligible by static, announcing that Nathan’s flight had finally arrived, followed by an emotionless apology. She leaned forward on the barriers, listening with half an ear at the excited chatter of other friends and relatives around her. She pressed a hand to her stomach, as doubt and reality gripped tighter still. The half-eaten pastry was not sitting well inside her.

People began to trickle out of the arrivals gate, and Lily watched them all. The surge of excitement rippled through the crowd as family members frantically waved at returning relatives, well meaning parents flashed cameras at travel weary children who were carrying bulging and decidedly unsanitary backpacks. As the gaps between passengers got steadily bigger Lily felt stupid. She felt she was standing in an ever shrinking crowd of people waiting for someone who might not ever show up.

What if he’d changed his mind? As the crowd thinned, a passing old lady gave Lily a sympathetic look. Poor girl, whoever she’s waiting for isn’t coming.

Between an arguing couple clearly returning from a less than blissful honeymoon, Lily spotted a familiar face. The smile began at the corner of her mouth and spread across her face like a tidal wave, and all the doubt that had frosted around her heart melted away, unnoticed.

Nathan wore a smart black shirt and a fitted jacket over jeans. His hair, that lovely caramel shade, was messy and sticking up a little at front. He looked tired, his face serious as he pushed his luggage trolley out into arrivals.

Nathan’s tired eyes scanned the line of expectant people, his eyes finally locking with Lily’s, the fatigue of the flight lifting in an instant. A smile spread out over his face. The left side of his mouth lifted first, then the rest followed, and pretty soon his grin matched the cheeky one she’d seen in the photos. Her heart did a little flop in her chest.

She began to walk towards the end of the barrier, her eyes not once leaving him. Nathan wheeled his luggage trolley towards her, his excitement betrayed in the quickening of his pace. Then, suddenly, they were face to face. They stood, drinking each other in, neither of them willing to move nor speak, in case they should reveal this meeting as a cruel dream.

“How was your journey?” She managed at last, with a weak smile, heat burning a path to her cheeks. She looked away, abashed.

Nathan reached out and gently turned her face back to his. “Not bad,” he answered, suddenly aware that his thumb was stroking her cheek. He pulled his hand away, embarrassed. “Long, and I didn’t even get my complimentary peanuts,” he added with a half laugh. Lily giggled like she was a teenager and inwardly reprimanded herself.

“Have you eaten?” she asked as they turned and began to walk through the airport and towards the car park.

“Kinda.” He said with a lopsided grin, “Although I’m pretty sure cardboard and plastic ain’t part of the basic food groups. So yeah, I could eat.”

“Great.” Trying to suppress her huge grin, Lily directed him out of the airport and towards her car. They unloaded Nathan’s bags and locked them into the car boot. “We’ll stop somewhere on the way home. I was thinking of cooking, but my place is more than two hours from here. That’s a lot of hungry time.”

She unlocked the doors and couldn’t resist letting her eyes slide down Nathan’s body as he climbed into the passenger seat. He had a great body – something she admitted inwardly to having serious doubts about before he had arrived. But the fantastic physique and cheeky grin added up to a man she was finding very attractive. Her cheek still felt warm where he had rubbed his thumb over it. She wondered when he might touch her again, and secretly hoped that it might be soon.

Nathan rested his head against the cushioned car seat, watching the airport terminals and built-up areas give way to lush green hills and valleys, all cloaked by the kiss of an early twilight. He checked his watch. One in the afternoon at home, closer to six here. He was tired and hungry and grumpy from travelling. But all of that faded away when he turned to look at the woman next to him.

Lily’s beautiful, delicate face was caught in an expression of deep concentration as she drove, which he found incredibly adorable. She was wearing a short black skirt, slouch boots which were a dark chocolate shade and which looked very soft, and a thin yellow jumper. The jumper clung to the curves of her breasts and he suddenly found himself wondering what she might look like driving naked.

He’d pictured her naked before, of course. During their phone conversations, and sometimes when he was alone in the mornings, stuck with the inescapable after-sleep hard on. But seeing her here, next to him, talking to him in the English accent he found very sexy, was something different entirely.

He’d been plagued with doubts when he’d left New York. More so when he’d boarded the plane. Then there’d been the departing one plane and getting an airport shuttle to another. As soon as he’d fought his way through the crowds and seen the expression of delight on her face, that was all he’d needed to know about flying here.

Lily started the car, scowling as it sputtered into life. “You’ll have to excuse my car. It’s a piece of shit.” She blanched at the profanity. She hardly ever swore, only when it came to her car. And her mutual vendetta against Katie’s dog.

“No problem.” Nathan stretched out his long legs, just happy to not be crammed into a plane seat. And to not be sitting next to an old man who smelled weirdly of fruit roll-ups. For some reason it had really creeped him out. He pushed the thought from his mind and let his gaze wander to the expanse of stocking-clad leg that the gap between Lily’s skirt and boots exposed.

He gazed out of the window with sleep eyes, watching the built-up airport area give way to green hills and valleys, all of it wrapped lushly around the darkening sky, which was blanketed by the approaching twilight. The car moved along steadily, with only the occasional splutter.

It occurred to him that neither of them had said anything for a long while, Lily focusing on driving and him happy to relax after the tiring flight.

“I’ll turn off here,” Lily told him. “There’s a service station about ten miles along, and we can get something to eat.”

“I can get behind that.” The thought of food perked him up.

Lily had also realized that neither of them had spoken for a fairly long time, and her hand unconsciously flicked on the CD played in the dashboard. Too late, she realized that her CD player contained her Electric Six Gay Bar single. As the first few chords blasted out, she couldn’t help but giggle at Nathan’s expression of surprise, and then disbelief.

“Gay Bar?”

“It’s what I bop along to when no-one else is around,” she said on a laugh, faintly embarrassed.

“Well, I’m around! This is totally different to the music you said you liked in your emails.” He snuck a look at her. “I don’t know you anymore”
The offended air of his tone might’ve made her concerned if she hadn’t seen the smile that was ghosting around his mouth. It made her laugh harder. “I bet you’ve got a few CDs you hide away when you have people round.”

He scoffed. “All my CDs are cool.”

She laughed so hard her stomach hurt. “Yes, to you.” She turned off towards the service station, absurdly pleased at their banter. After the excitement at their initial meeting, Lily had fought hard to quell fears that they might drive home around an awkward silence. She was glad she’d played the CD now. “I bet if I had a good rummage I’d find a throwback from your misguided youth.”

Nathan laughed at that, and tension in his stomach that had poked and prodded since take-off finally eased away. For so long he had worried over sense of humour. He had made some (admittedly lame) attempts at humour in his emails, but in her replies she had never commented on whether or not she had appreciated them. Now he was pretty sure they were going to be on the same wavelength.

“OK, fine.” Seeing the look of abject disgust on his face, Lily laughed and switched her player to the second CD in line, Regina Spector warbled her kooky way into the car and Nathan sat back, satisfied.

“Now, this is more like it. I may be able to overlook your earlier betrayal.”

She snorted out a laugh as she parked, her heart lifting at the way in which he smiled over at her. In front of them, the entrance to the service station was bustling with hungry, full and frazzled people, crying children, and charity collectors shaking their little round tins. The smell of freshly cooked food swirled out of the door, warm and inviting in the cold night air.

Lily stepped out of the car and walked around to Nathan’s side. Her gaze followed him appreciatively as he unfolded his long body out of the seat. She pressed a button on her key fob to lock the car, and lifted her gaze as he came to stand in front of her. He really was very tall. A lock of his caramel brown hair flopped on to his forehead, and Lily’s hand itched to smooth it back into place.

"It's so good to see you," she murmured.

"You, too." His arm jerked slightly, as if he wanted to touch her. Instead, he said; “Let’s eat.”

“You might be left hungry,” Lily replied as they made their way towards the bright, institution light of the service station entrance. “Portions here are nothing compared to the ones in the US, or so I’ve heard. Are the rumours true?”

He shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket to ward off the cold bite of the winter wind. Lily was rubbing her palms together, clearly cold, but he wasn’t sure if he should take her hand or not.

“Portion sizes over there seem normal to me. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what they serve here.”

Lily cast an approving eye over him as they boarded the escalator towards the little food court that the service station provided. “If the portions are huge, they clearly haven’t done you any damage.”

“Thanks.” Nathan smiled to himself. He always loved to be complimented - who didn’t? - but a compliment from an attractive woman was always great. He studied her as they ascended on the escalator. One of her hands held her bag strap in place on her shoulder, the other hung by her side, between their bodies. Again, he thought about holding it. His mind flitted back to the moment he’d stroked her cheek in the airport. Her skin had been flushed with cold and excitement, and soft to the touch. He wondered when he might touch her again.

They entered the food court, and were assaulted by the smells of a multitude of food. Tuna, potatoes, chocolate, coffee, hamburgers, chips, carrots. Lily’s stomach suddenly came to life and she pressed a hand to it to quell its demands for sustenance.

They sat at one of the booths and Lily placed a menu on the table between them. Nathan’s hand brushed hers when she pointed out what she wanted, and instead of moving back, his fingers stayed on hers, warm and steady. She looked at his short, neat nails and tanned hand, big against her pale, small one. Her short nails were painted a deep plum shade and stood out in stark contrast against the white Formica table in the little booth.

“What do you want?” Lily asked as the waitress made her way over. She was young, probably about seventeen. The obligatory service station t shirt hung off her small frame. Most of her hair had been shaved away to leave an impressive auburn mohican.

“I’ll have the steak,” Nathan said, and ordered a beer to go with it. Lily chose the fish in white sauce with a pot of tea. The waitress sauntered away. Lily saw that she was wearing black trainers with little white bats on them. Under the black skirt of the uniform, her legs were encased in purple and yellow striped tights. She certainly did stand out in the clean white-ness of the eating area.

“Ain’t never seen a waitress like that in a service station,” Nathan said, and let out a low breath. “Nice hair, though.”

Lily giggled and settled back in her seat, inwardly telling herself to stop laughing like a flirtatious, hormone-fuelled teenager. She was already eight years younger than him, and she didn’t want him to see her as being immature.

She enjoyed the sensation of his hand covering hers as they talked a little more about music, Nathan still playfully ribbing her about the Gay Bar CD.

The same waitress sauntered back over, bringing their food, which smelled delicious. Eagerly, Nathan cute a bit of steak. The look on his face made Lily laugh out loud as she poured her tea.

“What’s the matter? You look as if you just sucked on a lemon.”

“I don’t think this is food,” he whispered to her across the table. “How’s your fish?”

She sampled. It tasted of tofu, and slightly of cabbage. She made a face which she suspected mirrored Nathan’s earlier expression. “I think you’re right. It looks like food, it smells like food, but it tastes like solidified air.”

Nathan started to plough through the food, trying to look as if he was enjoying it. Food was food, after all, and his stomach was achingly empty. The waitress was hovering nearby, looking at them suspiciously. “It’s fine,” he managed, taking frequent pulls on his bottle of beer. “Anything is better than airplane crap. Although,” he added quietly as he fought to finish the steak, “If beige were a food, it would be this.”

Lily pushed away her unfinished fish. “Do we feel we can risk dessert? I’m still hungry.” She looked at the fish with disgust, and felt sad. What was Nathan thinking? His first meal with her, and it was horrible. Well. She felt a little better when she realised that they had at least laughed about it.

“I feel we should at least risk it.” He looked into the dark pools of her eyes. They were sad. He lifted a hand over the half-eaten food and stroked the soft skin under her chin with his thumb. “It’s not so bad,” he reassured her, reading her thoughts. “We can order one and share. Two forks.”

He waited until the waitress came over again to order a slice of apple pie with vanilla ice cream, and, as advertised, two forks. Lily felt stupidly giddy as he took her hand, cradling it in his in top of the chipped white table. She wondered if she’d ever stop feeling fourteen around him.

“Let’s hope the dessert is better than the main courses were,” he said. The table that separated them wasn’t very wide, and Lily could see the swirls of grey in his green eyes when he looked at her. She was suddenly very aware that he was going to be staying in her spare bedroom for the next six nights, with only a thin wall separating them from each other.

“Desserts can never be bad.” Lily moistened her lips and concentrated very hard on the little chips on her side of the table, hoping he couldn’t hear her thoughts. The thoughts about how much she’d like to have him for dessert.

“Oh, shit. Please, not again.” Lily stamped her boot down hard on the gas pedal, causing the car to lurch, the engine guttering throatily. The car juddered, lurching forwards as the engine fought to stay running. They were only five or so miles from the service station, where she‘d filled it up. It couldn‘t be petrol.

“I’ve been to the mechanic three times with this bloody thing. I’d buy a new one if I could find the cash.” As if sensing Lily’s displeasure, the car gave a final spine-jarring lurch and stopped, the engine slowly ticking as it cooled in the crisp night air.

Nathan smiled politely, a little surprised, but mildly impressed by Lily’s willingness to let fly with the odd curse word. It made him feel markedly better about his own potty mouth. He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “I wish I could do the manly thing and take a look under the hood, but my knowledge of cars is limited to pointing it in the direction I need to go in and trying not to hit stuff on the way.”

Lily’s frown-creased face softened and was gradually replaced by an abashed grin. She was suddenly acutely aware of the handsome man sat next to her and the unsanitary state of her tirade. Mentally chastising herself, she reached into her pocket and dug out her mobile phone, keying in the number for the RAC. “A tow truck will be here in a jiffy, then we can get on with our night,” She said with a smile.

“Jiffy?” Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow. His mouth was set into a serious expression but the repressed ripple of laughter in his voice betrayed his amusement.

“Oh shit, did I really say that?” Lily groaned.

“Yeah, you did. It was great! I didn’t think you Brits really said stuff like that. Now I can go tell all my American friends my new-found knowledge.”

“I bet you will.” She sighed. "Sadly, it seems I have fulfilled an old British stereotype.” She turned her head as the mobile connected, and she hurriedly gave their rough location and a vague, fumbled description of the problem. She scowled as she hung up. “The little man will be here in an hour or so. He dared to suggest that I had done something to make the car pack up.”

Nathan grinned widely. It was clear that he was desperately holding in the urge to laugh.

“Just shut up,” Lily said, suppressing her own grin. “We’re a quaint country full of equally quaint little sayings so get used to it.” She poked her tongue out for good measure. Nathan mimicked her before casting an eye out of the window.

“It’s a clear night,” he said at length. “Don’t get to see much of the night sky in New York.

“We can take a proper look if you’d like?”

“How’s that? It’s pretty cold out.”

“Well, we can lie on the bonnet, and I’ve got a blanket in the boot that we can use to keep warm. Might smell a bit of wet dog though.”

Nathan gave her a quizzical look. Lily smiled and shrugged, embarrassment reddening the apples of her cheeks. “From the last time I used it; I did a favour for a friend and took her dog to the vet. I didn’t much like the dog then, and after it emptied its bladder all over me, and several other people, in the waiting room, I fucking hate him now.” Her cheeks flushed red again, both at her unintentional profanity and the memory of the dog story. “You must think I’m awful, the way I carry on.”

Nathan just shook his head and gave her hand a squeeze. The contact made her skin shiver deliciously.

“Shall we?” He asked. She beamed at him and opened the car door, the wall of cold air smacking her across the cheeks. As she walked to the rear of the car she watched Nathan as he stared skywards, a childish look of wonderment on his face.