Rosie Glow

I decided to give romance another try. This story is a little different for me, as I have included a sex scene for the first time.

This is the first year in over a decade that I have not been able to go on my annual campervan journey, so I decided to let the main character go in my place.

Please note this work is copyrighted, and I do not give permission for any part of it to be used elsewhere. I think that the stealing of work to monetize from this website, which is given freely by authors, is abhorrent. ©Corny1974

Rosie Glow

I handed over the bag with a smile. If the lady behind the counter noticed the tightness of my smile, she didn't show it. That was the last of Jade's clothes to the charity shop, the last wardrobe emptied.

Her sisters and friends had claimed some of her things. They wanted something tangible of hers to remember her by. I'd let the nieces pick a piece of her jewellery to wear and think of her. Her two nephews were tiny, but they had money to buy something for themselves when they turned 18. She would have liked that, knowing she would be remembered in the future.

As for me, I was left with memories as well as her wedding, engagement ring and satin dressing gown. They say there are stages of grief, but there is no time limit to travel through each one. I stayed at the anger station longer than I should have. Now, it seemed the grief train had rolled into the acceptance station.

In grief therapy, I learned that you can accept what has happened without having to like it. You can accept what has happened while still missing your loved one. That's OK then, as I knew I would always miss Jade. She was my person, best friend, lover, wife. She was the one.

We had hoped to have children, but she had become ill before that happened. There were highs and lows; she rang that bell, and we thought it was over, only for it to return twice as bad.

We were lucky to find each other and lucky to have been able to have the chance to say all that really needed to be said. We parted with no words unsaid between us. Some people don't get that chance. My Aunt lost her husband in an accident. Once she overcame the shock, she worried endlessly that he hadn't known how much she loved him. At least we didn't have that; Jade knew, and I knew.

She had such a big personality that she filled a room; she was a real force of nature, my Jade. That was why it was so hard to see her wither away. She left a huge hole in the lives of everyone who knew her.

Jade and I both worked at the same school. She was in the office, and I was a teacher. It all happened very quickly. A few secret smiles and a slow dance at the Christmas party, and we were an item. We got married quite quickly, and the children did a guard of honour outside the church. They hadn't even minded wearing their school uniforms on a Saturday in August when the school had long been shut for the summer holidays. That picture made the local newspaper.

We were married for five years before she was ill, so seven in all. So, now, at 32, I had to make a new life for myself. I didn't want to. I wanted the life we had planned. The children we would have together. I realised I was still doing things we would have done together. I decided to take that a stage further. I would live for Jade. I would do all the things that she never got to do. Jade had dreamed of us buying a campervan and spending entire summers driving around the country during the break from school. Meeting new people, seeing new sights. We had never managed that. Money had always been a bit too tight as we paid the huge mortgage on our first home. Well, I no longer had a mortgage to pay, as Jade's insurance had paid that off. With her death in service benefits, I bought her dream. It seemed only fair to use her money for something she would have loved.

Jade's Dream was painted on the back in scrolled text of the VW campervan with the pop-up roof. It wasn't a vintage campervan; it was almost new. I picked it because it was metallic green. It sparkled in the sun the day I saw it, but it looked just as good in the dull light of a winter's morning. More importantly, green was always Jade's favourite colour, and not just because of her name.

I knew it would be a long summer holiday rattling around in our house. The neighbours were kind, but they had their own lives to live. We had picked a new build on a leafy estate full of other young couples and families. Now, as kind as they were, I was just a reminder of their biggest fear -- losing their partner.

So, I planned to be away for most of the holidays. I had no family of my own, an only child and now an orphan. Of course, Jade's family still loved me as one of their own, and I was grateful to have her parents to rely on. I called to see them as I set off on my adventure.

We got a little tearful as I said my goodbyes.

"Just remember, Alex, whatever happens in your life from now on, we always want to be a part of it. You are the son we never had, and we love you," said her mother, Laura.

Her dad, David, just hugged me and then said,

"Take care, son. Stay safe, and remember that Jade wanted you to be happy--go and find some happiness for yourself and for her."

Happiness? I pondered that as I pulled away from the curb outside their house. I was honest enough to know that the past 18 months had been about survival and pretending--pretending that I was coping at work, pretending that I was OK when I really wasn't. It was time to live Jade's dream and maybe find some new dreams of my own.

My first stop was Derbyshire. I visited Matlock and travelled on cable cars to the heights of Abraham. I had to share with an elderly lady, Mavis, who was frightened of heights and insisted on holding my hand rather tightly. I still managed to enjoy the stunning views despite rapidly losing the feeling in my hand. Her friends from her coach trip were waiting at the top for her, and I was greeted with whoops and hollers as I helped her get out. Consequently, for the rest of the day, I was called her toyboy whenever I bumped into them. I took it all good-naturedly, and I got the feeling that Mavis enjoyed her new notoriety amongst her travel companions.

I chuckled as I thought about it that night as I settled into the campsite. It had a mixture of people. It was unusual as the tents, campervans, motorhomes and caravans were together rather than separated. I popped the top of Jade's Dream and enjoyed a glass of wine as the cool night breeze entered the van. Opposite was a tent, and I spotted the young lady who occupied it, going in and out as she unpacked her tiny Fiat. I was amazed that she had managed to fit that tent and that so much equipment was inside that little car. She must have excellent spatial awareness.

I decided to sleep in the pop top as it was cooler up there, and the air came through the side vents. I woke up feeling the moisture on my face. It was raining heavily, and the wind blew the rain onto my pillow. I stared through the mesh screen, and the heat from the summer evening had turned into a storm. I heard a crack of thunder and then forks of lightning, lighting the sky. It was beautiful in its own way. As I started to zip up the flap, I saw another flash of lightning, and the wind rolled over the campsite, completely flattening the little tent opposite. I saw the young lady crawl out, barely able to stand as the wind lashed her little tent. She made her way to her little car, but I managed to jump down, slide the door back, and rushed to help her into my van, slamming the door behind us.

"Hi, I'm Alex," I told her, "Don't worry, you're safe with me now. I'm not a serial killer or anything."

"I doubt serial killers introduce themselves to their victims," she shivered, and I looked away; I didn't want her to think I had noticed that her nipples were hard. I wasn't a creep, but it was hard not to notice. I passed her my spare towel.

"Here," I said, "Dry yourself off. I'll put the kettle on and disappear back up top so you can put these dry things on," passing her a clean T-shirt and shorts.

I hid in the top bed, waiting for her to get changed.

"I'm decent, Alex," she shouted, and I jumped down to find her pouring hot water into two mugs. I found some hot chocolate; I hope that's OK."

I stared at her, wearing my oversized t-shirt and shorts. She looked cute. I suddenly felt guilty. I shouldn't be finding anyone attractive -- I was a married man. Only I wasn't, was I? I finally found my voice,

"You can't go back out in that, but you are welcome to sleep in the lower bed. I just need to pull it out. I've even got some spare covers. It's better than sleeping in your car."

"I'm not sure; I don't even know you."

"Well then, I'll have to give you my CV."

So, I told her all about me, even briefly about Jade, without embarrassing myself by crying.

"Right. Now it's your turn -- what's your story?"

She told me she was Rosie and had just graduated. She was newly qualified as a teacher and was having a summer of adventure before her new flat became available and she took up her first position in the autumn.

"Looks like my adventure has come to a quick end -- I've only lasted two nights."

"Don't give up just yet; we will have a think in the morning."

With that, I said goodnight and climbed back into the van's roof, suddenly self-conscious as my legs dangled before disappearing from view. God, please don't let me snore.

When I finally awoke, all was calm. The sun was out again, and the only remnants of the storm were the puddles and the remnants of poor Rosie's tent.

"Rosie," I called down, "Are you awake?"

I put my head down into the lower part of the van to see her stretching as she sat up in bed.

"Yes, thank you. This bed is very comfy. Thank you for rescuing me. I was more scared than I cared to admit last night. I felt safe in here."

"Even with a serial killer?" I asked as I climbed into the van's passenger seat.

"Don't be mad, but I did a little Internet search on you before I went to sleep. I checked your school website and read some other things."

"Jade's obituary?" I asked. She nodded, unable to reach my gaze.

"Don't worry; it's fine. I was going to suggest that you do that anyway. The whole idea was to keep you safe from the storm so you didn't have to worry. I didn't want you to have to worry about me, too."

"Thank you for understanding. Feel free to check up on my social media, too."

"No, I'm fine, I trust you."

"That makes me feel even worse about checking on you."

"Well, I survived a night with you, so I'm OK. Now, why don't you go and use the bathroom first, and I'll put your bed away, set the table up, and make us breakfast?"

When she came back from the shower, breakfast was ready. I took the opportunity to really look at her for the first time. She was lovely, even with her damp hair and well-scrubbed face. Her red hair was curling into waves, and I could see the freckles that covered her pale skin--the complete opposite of my darker skin and hair.

"So, tell me more about your wife?"

This time, I opened up more and got upset as I told her more about the end of Jade's life. Rosie reached out and placed her hand on top of mine. She didn't squeeze it; she just left it there. I didn't flinch or pull away; it felt good, natural.

"So," I said, "We better go and buy you a new tent this morning so you can continue your adventures."

"I think I'll just see if I can find a friend with a spare sofa. I can't afford a new tent--well, not one like the one I had. To be honest, I didn't really enjoy being in the tent. It was something I thought I could suffer to have the travel adventure. I'm not sure that I ever want to go in a tent again after last night."

"Well, it was pretty extreme last night. I think I can understand that." Then, I heard myself making a suggestion before my brain engaged, "Why don't you just continue your adventure and meet up with me at the campsite every night and sleep here? That way, you're safe, but we can each do our own thing during the day. I realise we will have to coordinate where we want to go, but honestly, I'm not bothered as long as I am not at home for the summer."

"You'd do that for me? But we're strangers?"

"What's that stupid inspirational quote that I keep reading on pieces of driftwood in homeware shops? Strangers are friends that just haven't met yet?"

She laughed at that, "Or live, laugh, love."

"All things are difficult before they are easy."

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."

We laughed before I said, "Right, enough, let's do this. Well, we'll give it a try--but if either of us decides it's not working out, we'll be honest about it. Deal?"

"Deal," she said as she shook my hand. I pretended I didn't feel the spark, and so did she.

So that's how things carried on, but that first day, we both wanted to go to the Tramway Museum at Crich, so we went together. There was no awkwardness; it was just an easy friendship. We were giggling about something silly on an open Blackpool tram -- a gondola; I think they called it. It was then that I spotted Mavis with her cronies. I quickly explained to Rosie what had happened the previous day.

"Hello, toyboy. It looks like I'm dumped again. Thanks for letting me borrow your boyfriend yesterday," she said to Rosie. "He made an old lady very happy."

I expected Rosie to explain that we were just friends -- instead, she joined in the banter and said, "Well, thank you for giving him back. Thankfully, you didn't wear him out too much!"

With that, she took my hand and buried her head into my shoulder. I should have pulled away but realised I didn't want to. This seemed to please Mavis, and she waved as she got off the tram.

"You two will make gorgeous babies," she cackled as the tram pulled away to its final stop before its return journey.

Even Rosie coloured in a blush at that.

"You're blushing, Rosie -- you have a real glow about you."

"Sorry, I thought it was just better to play along."

"It's alright, Rosie Glow. I'll let you off." I tried not to show my disappointment as she let go of my hand and reached inside her bag for her sunhat. After that, I often called her Rosie Glow, mainly because it wound her up, and I discovered that I liked teasing her as much as she teased me.

We did spend some days apart, but we always spent the nights together, cooking in the van or sometimes going out for a pub meal. I loved spending time with her; it was so lovely to laugh and not feel guilty.

She teased me constantly, mostly about my age, as I was ten years older than her 22. However, I was not the old man she referred to, and she knew it. I saw her checking me out when we went swimming -- I was still in good shape, and to be honest, working out had been a good distraction from my grief and any other frustrations that I might have been feeling. Yes, I'm talking about sex. I had been used to a frequent sex life, and now it had been over 18 months since I'd held someone in my arms. It didn't help that I spent the nights with a cute little redheaded pixie dressed in little vest tops and shorts. She wasn't doing it on purpose; I was sure she had no idea of the effect she was having on me. I knew that Jade would have laughed at me as I ensured that I always had a strategic cushion to hand when she bent over to make the bed at night. I hid my arousal quite effectively on the whole. I did feel guilty about perving on my friend, as that is what we were now. I felt guilty about getting aroused by a woman that wasn't Jade. However, I also knew that I couldn't help it. I was a man, and she was a very beautiful young woman. It was just nature.

However, I was also intent on preventing nature from taking its course. I didn't want to risk losing her friendship. She had become important to me, and I didn't want to risk either her friendship or her respect. I had to admit that I missed her when we had our days apart. The days spent with her were definitely the best.

One night, during a pub meal in Pateley Bridge, Rosie admitted that she missed me on our days apart, so she suggested leaving her car at the campsite during the day and travelling with me. I couldn't keep the smile off my face when she suggested that, as I felt the same. When I went to pay, I found that an elderly couple from another table had already paid for our meal.

"I don't understand," I said, turning to them at the bar.

"It was our pleasure," the lady replied. It made our evening listening to you talk and laugh with each other. It reminded us of our younger days when we were young and in love."

"Now, we're just old and in love," laughed the man, smiling down fondly at his wife.

"No, let this be our treat; it will make us happy. Perhaps you and your young lady will do the same in the future when you are fossils, too."

"Well, that's very kind of you, but you don't understand. We're not in love; we're just friends."

"No, son. I think it's you who doesn't understand. Trust me, after 53 years of marriage, we know love when we see it, don't we?"

His wife nodded, "You look after each other -- cling to each other -- I know special when I see it."

With that, I thanked them again for their kindness, and they were gone. I was quiet as we made our way back to the van. I had told Rosie about the couple's generosity but not what they had said about us. As I climbed up into my bed, Rosie called out.

"What's wrong, Alex? You've gone all broody on me?"

"Oh, ignore me. I'm just tired, that's all," I replied.

"Well, you are quite old, so you will get tired quickly. Sleep tight, Grandad."

I laid awake for a while that night. I was starting to develop real feelings for Rosie. It must be obvious as even that couple had spotted it. It scared me. I was going to get hurt. I was falling for her. When we were planning our days, I realised that I was planning things to make her happy. To make her smile. I thought of silly things to do and say to hear her laugh. I was acting like a kid with a crush, but I couldn't help it. I knew what I felt about her, but what about Rosie? She just thought I was her daft friend. She was starting her career and her life, and she wouldn't want me and all my problems, would she?

The following day, we set off for the Yorkshire coast. About three weeks into our strange road trip, we found ourselves in Scarborough. This was a place that I hadn't been to since childhood, and I was anxious to revisit it. I had a craving for one of the lemon-top ice creams I'd had as a child. I got the biggest one I could find, but it was so big I had to share it with Rosie. We walked along the harbour and then along the promenade towards the Spa. We sat outside with a gin and tonic, planning to get a cab back to the campsite and return for her little car tomorrow.

I was looking out to sea, watching the waves roll towards the sea wall when I suddenly realised she was watching me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, I was just watching you. I like looking at you. It is currently one of my favourite things to do."

"Are you sure that's not the double gin talking?"

"No, it's true. You have no idea how handsome you are, do you? That's one of the things I like most about you."

"Really? What else do you like about me."

"That you never fish for compliments?" she snorted with laughter. "Why don't you tell me what you like about me?"

The feeling around us changed then. I sipped my drink then before I spoke.

"I don't think I could possibly pick just one thing I like about you, Rosie Glow. There are far too many. The fact that you make me laugh, your smile, your kindness, empathy, and I think you are beautiful inside and out."

"No one has ever said I was beautiful before."

"Well, they should -- because you are."