For those who have read the previous version of this story, a few words of explanation: I have called this story 'A New Beginning,' in part because this is what it is for the two characters, but also because it is a significant re-write of 'Art in Reality' chapters 1 and 2.
I recently published 'What do I do,' and I feel that my writing has improved since my first foray into erotic fiction with 'Art in Reality'.
Several people gave positive and much appreciated encouragement in comments on the original version of this story. I wanted to return to this tale, as I felt it could be much improved, with richer detail, and hopefully, better writing. Depending on the comments for this version, I hope to continue revising this story and then continue with completely new writing when I get to where I left off at the end of the original chapter 10.
Hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 1
Alex peered through the windscreen and could just about make out the figure as it moved through the torrential rain towards him. The little Fiat 500, from which the person had emerged, had stopped about a dozen yards in front of his own car. When Alex lowered his window, the rain poured in and immediately started soaking his legs and a good portion of his shirt; but he hardly noticed. The face that peered in at him, despite grimacing against the slashing rain, was strikingly beautiful.
'Are you okay?' she cried over the howling gale.
'Yes, I'm fine. It's just the car,' Alex shouted back.
'I thought you might be hurt.'
'No, I'm okay. It's very kind of you to check. Something jumped out, a sheep I think, jumped out in front of me. It's only a shallow ditch, but the car is stuck fast.'
'Have you got someone coming to pull you out? A truck or something?' she said, swaying and catching her balance as the wind buffeted her sideways.
'No, I can't get a signal. I'll wait until the weather gives over and walk home, it's not far. I don't fancy walking along the road in this.'
'Oh right. Well as long as you're okay.'
She stood up slightly straighter, pulling away from the window.
'Thank you so much for stopping to check,' Alex said with a nod.
She smiled and nodded in return, then started back towards her own car.
After a couple of steps she paused, and then turned back.
'How far is your house then?' she yelled over the wind.
'About ten minutes drive. But I wasn't counting on this weather!'
He could not quite make out the expression on her face, through the gloom and the downpour.
'Do you want a lift?' she asked several moments later.
'No, no I wouldn't want you to go out of your way. Thank you though', he replied.
'Well we're both pointing the same direction so I assume you're going that way,' she pointed over her shoulder, in the direction both their cars were facing. 'Are you sure? I'll probably be passing your place anyway, if it's only ten minutes.'
'Well if you don't mind. That would be great,' Alex conceded.
'Are you okay leaving your car here?'
'Yeah it'll be okay. And it's not blocking the road.'
Alex waved towards her car and added, 'you go back. I'll just grab my bag out the back.'
She nodded and jogged back to her own car.
She jumped into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut. After a momentary pause she shuddered with cold.
In her rear view mirror, she could just about make out the man as he pulled out a bag and then locked his car with a flash of orange indicators. He then jogged towards her, hunched over against the rain.
'What the fuck am I thinking,' she said to herself.
He opened the door and hopped into the front seat beside her.
With the interior light of the car on, she could see him more clearly now.
He did not look like a rapist or a psycho she quickly decided. Quite handsome in fact. He looked late thirties or perhaps very early forties. Short, dark blonde hair, with some flashes of silver on the sides. Chiselled, but friendly, features and shining blue eyes.
'Oh god, you're drenched,' he said, as he glanced down at her clothes.
Her blue jeans were dark with the wetness and clearly stuck tight to her legs; and her woollen jumper looked like it had been lifted from a bucket of water.
Alex looked back up into his rescuer's hazel eyes, and again made note of her striking looks. She had dark brown hair that reached just to her shoulders, strong eyebrows, porcelain smooth skin over beautiful features; and a few dozen freckles on her cheeks that were so perfect they looked like they had been painted on.
'Bloody weather,' she shrugged her shoulders, 'and it was lovely earlier when I was painting.'
'Yes. It was nice today.'
Alex was caught up in her eyes.
'That way then,' she said, after an awkward pause, and poked her finger outwards, towards the road ahead.
'Yes. Sorry,' he snapped to the front and peered out of the windscreen. 'My house is on this road. I can give a shout when we get to my driveway.'
He looked back at her and smiled his thanks.
She gave a small smile in return and then focused on getting them going. She started the engine and then set off, slowly and cautiously, down the lane.
For the first five minutes, the only noise was the rain and wind hammering against the car and the rapid whine of the wipers as they flicked back and forth across the screen.
'I can't believe how fast the weather turns down here,' she commented.
'Yes. Cornwall has some of the best weather in the UK as a rule, but we do get hit suddenly by storms coming in fast off the sea,' Alex replied, taking the opportunity to look sidelong at her.
'It looked so nice this morning, I didn't pack a rain coat. Or an umbrella,' she added.
'I'm sorry you've gotten soaked. Thank you so much for giving me a lift.'
She flicked her eyes away from the road for just a moment and shone a dazzling smile in his direction. Alex could not think what else to say.
The lane twisted onwards whilst occasional, distant rumbles of thunder suggested the storm was not giving up any time soon.
As Alex took what he hoped were unnoticed glances at the driver, whilst she concentrated on the road, he pondered her age. He guessed around twenty eight. Certainly no more than thirty. He missed most of the landscape features that would have told him he was nearly home. Only a distinctly sharp bend on the road, brought his attention back to navigating.
'Ah, we're nearly there,' he piped up. 'You should see, a mirror, on the left, coming up. Yes there look. That's the end of my drive.'
She slowed the car right down.
'You can drop me here.'
'I can turn in if you want,' she responded, 'might as well get you as close to the door as I can.'
'Okay, thanks.'
She turned the car onto the single lane track and they started heading uphill.
'Crikey, this is one hell of a driveway,' she quipped, after a full minute of ascending, 'I'm expecting a mansion at the top, m'lord.'
They both smiled.
'It is a long driveway,' Alex responded, 'but it's just a small cottage at the top. The land on each side is not mine, it's farmland.'
After a couple more minutes uphill, they passed through an open gate and into a wider gravelled area. The car headlights revealed a few glimpses of a beautiful old cottage; single storey, timber beams with brick in-fill, and a slate roof.
She stopped the car as close as she thought polite to the front door.
'There you go,' she said, and shifted in her seat to face him.
'Thank you, again, so much.'
Not knowing quite what else to do, he held out a hand.
She shook hands and smiled at the slightly awkward formality.
'You're cold,' Alex said, just as she particularly noticed the warmth spreading from his hand to her own. 'How much further have you got to go?'
'Oh I don't know,' she scrunched up her nose, 'about forty five minutes maybe.'
'That's a long way to go soaking wet.'
'I'll be all right. I'll turn the heating up more.'
She was quite touched by the genuine frown of concern she saw on his face.
'Look, I know this is probably a bit weird, so by all means say no, but do you want to come in to dry off?'
Alex noted, as expected, the cautious look of skepticism that flickered across her face.
He was not surprised. She had, as far as he was concerned, already taken a fair sized leap of trust to offer a complete stranger a ride home.
'I can bring a towel to the door and you could at least dry your hair,' he added, 'and I can give you a dry jumper. Please, it's the least I can do with you having rescued me.'
He gave what he hoped was a non-threatening smile.
'I promise I'm not an axe murderer,' he concluded.
She sat carefully trying to gauge him, and deciding whether she was being spectacularly stupid. His concern for her appeared genuine and honest, and was helped out by his good looks.
'That's what an axe murderer would say,' she said and glared at him.