The walk from her parent's cottage down to the beach was a straight road that only took Piper 2 minutes to walk. The sea air assaulted her nostrils and the breeze was comforting against her face. The heat from the sun radiated straight through her body and warmed her from the inside. The sand gently caressed her feet like that of a lover.
Nothing could ever compare to this beautiful gem of a town.
Piper laid out her towel and sat watching the waves gently stroke the shore. A sense of calm enveloped her that she hadn't felt in such a long time. It was so reassuring to just sit and take in her surroundings. Families were swimming in the sea, making the same memories Piper had as a young girl. The laughter of the children made her smile - this was what life was all about.
Piper was disturbed by the loud ringing of her mobile. When she looked it was a private number which she thought was strange. "Hello?". No answer - just breathing."Hello?" again Piper was met with breathing. Piper disconnected the call immediately and muted her phone.
Worry ebbed across her face - deep down she knew who it was. But how had they gotten her number? When she had left London she had ensured her provider changed her number. This was a new start and Piper intended to begin her life again, with the people she loved the most.
Piper reached into her bag, pulled out her book, and decided to get lost in the pages of Daphne Du Maurier's, Rebecca.
That was the last thing Piper remembered before she fell into a deep slumber.
Seb finished his second boat trip of the day. His customers seemed happy so he was happy, and getting paid was always a bonus as the boat wasn't cheap to run. He'd been doing fishing trips and coastal cruises since he'd left the Army 3 years ago. When he was medically discharged, he knew immediately what he'd wanted to do. For the 6 years, he was in the Army he'd thought of nothing but home. Being out on the open sea made him feel free and helped him to forget the atrocities he'd seen whilst enlisted. The injury he sustained whilst actively serving was a blessing in disguise as the decision was taken out of his hands as to whether he should continue serving. And now here he was, sitting on his own boat that he'd called Pip, making a living doing what he loved. Sometimes the hours were long, but they kept him busy and out of trouble. Seb kept his honey blonde hair short and unlike his brother Will, he was 4inches shorter and muscular. The Army had made s
The Harbour Inn was full of Cornish character and charm and also provided a bed & breakfast service. It was right on the harbour of Porthleven and was another firm favourite amongst the locals and tourists who flocked there. Seb decided on the cheddar cheese and chutney sandwich with a flat white. He ordered at the bar and then went and found a seat by the pool table where he could watch customers come and go. From his years in the Army, he always made sure he never had his back to the room and knew where all the exits were located. To others, this would be a tad over the top, but to Seb, it had become a way of life. Gone was the naive 18-year-old and in its place a careful and cautious man. Seb's food arrived and he ate in silence, enjoying his own company whilst still listening to the conversations around him. He found the gentle hum of voices comforting when he wasn't having to take part in idle chit-chat. He wasn't rude, he just didn't find speaking n
Piper was suddenly winded at the piercing green eyes staring back at her - Seb Clemens as she lived and breathed. Standing in front of her oozing a quiet sex appeal just like his brother Will.He was so muscular and looked to be hard in all the right places. As she scanned him, he chose that moment to lick his lips. Oh god, she thought, what luscious lips he had. But, she shouldn't be looking at him like that, he was her friend.What should she say to him? Should she hug him? No, best not as he didn't look happy to see her. It was agony as they stood there in silence, so Piper decided to bite the bullet and speak first."Hi Seb, how are you?".It felt like forever until he replied "I'm well, thanks, Piper. When did you get back?".Even his tone was cold, or was she misreading him? Seb had always been hard to read as kids and even more so as a teenager. But she could swear she felt nothing but disdain emanating from him.Seb stood roote
That wasn't how Seb thought his first meeting with Piper would go at all. He'd been so rude! God only knew how Piper was feeling now. Seb considered going back in and setting the record straight, only, he wasn't sure he wanted to. He'd felt so angry at her when they were face to face, but for what he wasn't sure? The anger had just appeared out of nowhere and had dissipated as soon as he'd left the pub. "You're such an idiot!" Seb scolded himself as he headed towards his trusted boat Pip. He knew he could be difficult and moody at times, but generally, he tried to keep a lid on it. Showing any kind of emotion was a weakness in his eyes, at least that's what being in the Army had taught him. His parents were constantly comparing him to Will, and always questioning why he couldn't be more like his brother who was outgoing, gregarious, and flirtatious. Or, in Seb's own words - a male slut! To their parents, Will was the golden goose o
Piper could feel someone touching her all over her body, fingers roaming, stroking, and teasing her. Her skin was alive and on fire at the hands caressing her - more, she wanted more!Her heart quickened, licking her lips she groaned in pleasure. It had been a long time since she'd been touched like that.She writhed on the bed in pure pleasure, a moan escaping her lips, sweat pouring out of her entire body and dripping everywhere.She clenched her thighs together to try to help the ache between her legs but it made no difference. She needed whoever it was inside of her now! But it was dark, so she couldn't see who the mysterious man was.The moonlight reflected through her bedroom window, exposing a profile. She could make out chin-length wavy hair and reached out to touch it.As she ran her fingers through it, something felt very familiar. His scent too - she would know that smell anywhere! He smelt of dove soap with a hint of spice.
Seb and Will sat drinking a pint outside The Ship Inn, overlooking the harbour. It was such a lovely day and tourists were flocking everywhere spending their cash which was helping to line the pockets of all the local businesses. "How's business brother?" Will asked Seb. As always, Seb took his time to reply " Booming which will help me get through the winter if it carries on". "Good to hear! Will paused "Listen, Piper's back in town and I'm not sure if you know? Anyway, I went to see her and she is looking HOT!". Seb could see the glint in his brother's eyes and knew exactly where this was going "Let me guess, you're already thinking of trying to get into her pants? Did it ever occur to you that she might not be interested? And, she's our childhood friend Will!". Will laughed out loud "Who said I was trying to sleep with her? You have me all wrong brother. I was simply stating that she looked good that's all. When you see her you'll kno
Piper decided to take a stroll down past the harbour towards The Ship Inn. It was only a matter of time before she ended up at her old haunt. Plus it gave her the headspace she needed to think about the awful nightmare she'd had about Dale last night. A little perspective was all she needed and the sea air would do that for her. The trained therapist in her knew that she couldn't brush how she was feeling under the carpet, but at the same time, it was hard to think about Dale again. She was naive to think moving home would solve all her issues.As Piper neared the pub she saw two familiar figures sat on the bench at the bottom of the stairs. She smiled as memories came flooding back once again of the three of them sat in that exact spot many years ago. For just a moment it felt like no time has passed until she felt two sets of eyes on her.She approached Seb and Will with a little trepidation as she hadn't expected to bump into both of them so soon, especially Seb. He
As the three of them sat reminiscing the sunset slowly crept in. It was such an honor to be able to witness the beauty of the harbour every single day. Seb listened more than he spoke, but every now and then he would utter a word to let Piper and Will know he was listening. He felt so at ease as stories were relayed from their youth. One of the funniest was when Will decided to hide a dead fish at the back of one of the drawers in the Headmasters' office back in secondary school. Mr Smyth was so livid when he finally found what was causing the terrible smell in his office that he called an emergency assembly. The only outcome was that he became redder and redder in the face to the point they all thought he was going to keel over at any moment. Good old Mr Smyth - he never did find out who the culprit was. He wasn't a bad chap, just very strict and anal about everything. "I think it's my round". Piper said getting up.
The previous day had been a welcome distraction for Seb, and spending time with Piper had solidified their friendship and got it back on track. He was still suspicious of why she was being so coy about her reasons for coming home so abruptly. But pushing the issue might inflame whatever emotions Piper was already feeling. He hadn't heard from Will either which was a good thing. No doubt Will would spit his dummy out when he found out they'd spent yesterday together and even though it was platonic Will would still act like he was hard done by. He seemed to have this misconception that every woman was in love with him and would follow him to the ends of the Earth if need be. Well, there were women out there like Piper, who wouldn't fall for his charms and he knew the kiss they'd shared had meant nothing to Piper. Seb wanted to call Piper and arrange another meet-up with her. Calling it a date brought with it expectations that neither of them wanted, especially Pi
Dale Ridgeley sat in his office staring at his computer screen like it was miraculously going to type up his student report for him. Since Piper had left he hadn't been able to focus on anything, especially work.How dare that bitch up and leave him without a word! He'd come home from work to find that all the stuff Piper kept as his flat missing, and when he'd tried to call her the number had been disconnected. When he'd contacted her work, they'd politely advised him that she no longer worked there and refused to give him a forwarding address or telephone number. He'd even gone in and tried to sweet-talk the stupid fat receptionist into giving him the information, but she wouldn't budge and hadn't even fallen for his charms. He wondered what Piper had told them about him before she up and did a moonlight flit?Well, it was all lies! Whatever she'd said, she was a liar!When he'd realised her mobile had been disconnected, he'd tried calling everyone she k
When Seb called and asked Piper if she fancied lunch, she'd jumped at the chance. She'd spent all morning researching her options about starting work but was still none the wiser. She still couldn't decide whether or not being self-employed was the best way to go. "What's the situation with work?" Seb asked, "Have you made a decision on what you want to do?". "Nope, I feel like I'm just waiting for the penny to drop. I never thought it would be so hard just to make a decision. I'll have to do something soon as my savings are starting to dwindle. Are you glad you're self-employed?". "I like not having anyone to answer to and being my own boss is always a positive. It does have its disadvantages though; work is practically non-existent through the winter months so I have to always make sure I've saved enough money to see me through". Seb answered honestly. "But if you were to go self-employed your work wouldn't be seasonal, so straight away you have an advantag
Will was starting to get annoyed at Piper giving him the silent treatment, anyone would've thought he'd cheated or something with the way she was carrying on. So he told a little white lie? It was for a good reason and with the best of intentions. He just wanted time alone with her. Well, enough was enough - today he was going to go and confront her, and bring her a nice bunch of flowers to help sweeten her up. Flowers bought, he made his way up to her parent's house and rang the bell. Hopefully, Piper would answer the door as he didn't feel like trying to explain to her parents why he'd turned up bearing flowers. They weren't naive enough to believe he was just being kind. For all, he knew she might've already told them of the events of that night. A shadow came into view and as the door opened Will held his breath but put on the biggest smile he could muster. Piper stood there with a look of complete annoyance "What do you want? Generally when someone
By the time Piper got home, it was past 11 pm and both her parents were asleep. She carefully crept up to her bedroom and quietly got changed into her pajamas. Easing into bed she reminisced over the night and how perfect it was. Seb had walked ger home, said goodnight, and left. He was a true gentleman and Piper loved him even more for it.When she checked her phone she realised there was a text message on her phone. Opening it she stared in horror "You can't keep ignoring me you BITCH! Hiding won't protect you! Escaping London won't protect you either!".It was from an unknown number and she knew enough to know that they'd used an online text service in order to remain anonymous. She started shaking and her heart rate quickened. All she wanted was to be left alone, to forget her past and look forward to her future. There were times she wished she'd just stayed in Porthleven where she was safe and then none of this would've happened.Telling her parents w
Seb and Piper sat and talked well into the evening just like old friends. There was no awkwardness, no expectations and he seemed so relaxed which he hadn't been in all the time she'd been home. She noticed he was still guarded whenever she tried to turn the topic onto his time in the Army. He wasn't hostile, he would just start looking uncomfortable and then start directing the conversation elsewhere. She also noticed his face would light up whenever he talked about working on his boat and he talked endlessly about it. She loved listening to him and watching him smile so naturally. His skin was gently sun-kissed, but not enough that he looked too tanned and the hairs that were poking through his top were just the right shade of blonde. These were things that Piper was just observing without any kind of hidden agenda or lustful thought. She was done with men for the time being - it was time to finally focus on herself. Her thoughts were broken by Seb "Fancy s
Piper was still reeling from the news that Will had tricked her. After Dale she had sworn to herself that she would never let another man manipulate her again. By the end of their relationship Dale had left her a shadow of her former self. The term 'gaslighting' was the perfect way to describe how Dale had made her feel while they were together. London held so many awful memories and now Will had tainted her time back home.Instead of going to the pub for a drink, Seb had suggested that they go back to his cottage which was walking distance from the harbour with a quick stop on the way to grab some beers and wine from Porthleven supermarket. Seb knew enough to know that Piper didn't want to be around people and who was he to judge?As Piper walked into Seb's living room she realised how minimalistic it was, but then again that was his nature so why should it surprise her. There was a simple grey sofa with a white coffee table in the centre of the room and the wal
The look on Seb's face said it all - he was completely dumbfounded. Piper felt so bad! She didn't mean to blurt that out! What was she thinking? No doubt he thought she was a hussy now! If he was rude and standoffish before this then he was going to be even worse now. "I don't understand?" Seb now looked confused, "What do you mean you kissed? How on earth did that happen? And when exactly?". "Last week after we saw you at the pub. Will walked me home and one thing just led to another. I'm not actually sure how it happened, but I know too much drink was involved". Piper exhaled guiltily. "Oh, you mean after your date in Helston?". Seb asked sarcastically. "What?" Piper asked shocked, "It wasn't a date! Will asked if I wanted to go for drinks in Helston so I said yes. And anyway, it was you who was on a date that night!". Now Seb looked really confused as he started shaking his head "Whoa, I don't think I was. Where the hell did you get that fr
Seb was mooring his boat when he looked up to see a familiar face standing looking out at the harbour. Piper looked so lost and forlorn that it made Seb curious and sad at the same time. It looked like she needed a friend right about now. "Piper". Seb shouted waving in her direction and ushering her to come over. "You look like someone with a lot on their mind? Fancy coming for a boat ride?". Piper was completely taken aback - Seb offering her a ride on his boat without any kind of hostility directed at her? "Erm... if you're sure? I thought you were too busy though?". "I think I can make time on this occasion". Seb replied seriously. "Hop up, and we can sail the seven seas!" Looking at Piper's face his attempt at a joke had fallen flat. Then again, he wasn't known for being a joker. Piper climbed aboard and took a seat without saying a word. Seb could sense that she just needed some quiet time for now so he started the boat and exited