Member-only story
Going Out Together
A tale of love and tragedy
When the downpour started, James and Heather ran from the beach towards one of several steel shelters on the promenade. They laughed as a peal of thunder rumbled at length. James slid his arm around Heather’s waist and the pair looked out to sea to watch the storm.
“You know, you’re pretty fit for your age,” Heather said, still panting from the exertion of the run. James smiled.
“There’s life in the old dog yet,” he said.
James was sixty-one, and Heather thirty-nine. With his grey hair, James looked his age, while Heather retained a youthful look, her pretty face framed by long dark hair. On several occasions they had been taken for father and daughter, rather than the passionate lovers they were.
They had met at a gig in a bar, and they hit it off. Heather had a thing for older men, and James, well, James just couldn’t believe his luck. Casual dating progressed into a full-on relationship as, over time, they went from cinema to restaurant to bedroom. After six weeks of courtship, Heather moved in with James.
Prior to moving, Heather had lived with her mother some thirty miles inland of James’s home. When she arrived, it had been ten years since she’d seen the sea. On their first visit to the beach, Heather had kicked off her boots and…
