Chapter Text
Richard was still subdued and withdrawn as he and Camille drove towards his shack. Camille realised that it had been a difficult couple of days for him and that dealing with Doug Anderson again had opened up old wounds. She pulled the jeep up to a stop and turned to face him, ‘Will you be ok?’
‘I’m fine,’ he said, exasperated. She rolled her eyes at him in response but decided to bite her tongue; she really didn’t want to argue with him.
‘Would you like to come and have a beer?’ he asked, softly, surprising her.
‘Sure,’ she agreed. Richard nodded once and jumped out of the jeep, leaving her to follow him up on to the veranda. She leant over the balustrade watching the waves crash against the sand as he disappeared inside and collected their drinks. When he returned she noticed he had ditched his jacket and tie inside; it was a look she approved of but chose not to comment on in case he put them back on should she draw attention to it. She took the proffered beer from him and was content to feel him settle alongside her as they both looked out across the ocean.
‘I’m not a virgin you know,’ he said, quietly, not looking at her.
Camille set her beer down and angled her body towards him; she could see the emotions flitting across his features and her heart constricted at the sadness that suddenly radiated off him. She made a mental note of all the things she would do to Doug Anderson if she ever got the chance. ‘I never thought you were, Richard,’ she replied, meeting his surprised gaze. ‘It wouldn’t matter to me if you were, anyway.’
‘Oh,’ he said, ineloquently, ‘right.’
‘Is that what’s upsetting you? You think that I would listen to what Doug Anderson said about you and make judgements?’
Richard ran a frustrated hand over his face as he answered, ‘No! Yes! Maybe...’ he sighed, heavily, ‘I don’t know.’
Camille reached across and squeezed his bicep reassuringly, ‘You have nothing to worry about, Richard, I am long past judging you. I like and respect you too much to ever listen to someone like Doug Anderson.’
‘Oh,’ he said, again, but she could hear the happier inflection in his tone this time. The lopsided smile he offered her pleased her much more than she would ever like to admit to. ‘That’s, um, you know, that’s good to know.’
She smiled encouragingly as he turned towards her, mirroring her. ‘I think that you are someone who feels very deeply and you don’t trust that with just anyone. I imagine that the ones lucky enough to share your bed have been women who you’ve had an emotional connection with first. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.’
He stared at her, speechless for a long moment, whilst his brain fired rapidly to process everything she had just said. She was right, of course; his romantic partners were few and far between but those he’d had all meant something to him; just not as much as the woman in front of him. Richard had known for some time now that his feelings towards her were less than platonic, ‘I’ve never met anyone quite like you,’ he said, the words spilling out unchecked and surprising them both.
Richard watched the astonishment flash across her face, closely followed by the coy smile she offered him. ‘That’s good I hope?’
‘Yes!’ he laughed, ‘I am capable of a compliment!’
‘So, you do like me then?’ she teased, enjoying the flush that rose in his cheeks.
‘Yes, even though you are half French, I do like you,’ he teased back, enjoying the back and forth that was so familiar and dear to him.
She punched his arm lightly and graced him with a smile, ‘And I like you even though you are so English!’
Her words stirred something in his gut; a mixture of longing and hope causing him to swallow hard against the sudden swell of emotion. His heart told him to trust her, to be brave and take a leap in to the unknown. He had a sneaking suspicion that she would catch him if he did. He screwed up every last ounce of courage within him and said, quickly, ‘Actually, I take that back.’ The slight drop in her shoulders was enough to have him press up close to her and reach a hand up to her cheek, keeping her in place as he murmured, ‘I don’t just like you, Camille, I love you.’
His analytical mind captured the sight of the smile which blossomed across her face as she registered what he had said. ‘I love you too, Richard,’ she whispered, closing the gap completely and pressing her mouth against his greedily. He kissed her back with a hunger that pleasantly surprised her, and she happily lost herself in the haze of desire which was rapidly growing between them. Several long minutes later Richard eased them apart and rested his forehead against hers. He tried not to show how pleased he was at the slightly dazed look that graced her features.
‘Best stop before I get carried away,’ he murmured, feeling his heart skip a beat as she sighed appreciatively and whispered that she wouldn’t complain if he did.
‘I’d like to do it properly’ he explained, ‘Not it, as in, you know, sex. I meant- Oh God, stop laughing!’ he complained as Camille failed to contain her amusement at his foot in mouth moment.
She kissed him, briefly, and then cupped his cheek in her hand. ‘You want to be a gentleman. Take me out to dinner first?’
‘Yes! I’m not very eloquent, am I?’ he asked, self-deprecation in full swing.
She shrugged and smiled at him lovingly, ‘Eloquence is overrated. I like it when you ramble, I find it very sweet.’
‘Lucky for me then,’ he told her, gracing her with one of his rare smiles. ‘Do you know what courting is?’
She scrunched up her face, slightly puzzled. ‘Dating? I think?’
‘Yes, I suppose it’s a bit of an old fashioned thing but I always imagined that, should I ever pluck up the courage, we would spend some time dating before…before anything else.’
Camille gazed at him softly, enjoying the chance to stare in to his expressive eyes, ‘I am so very happy you did pluck up the courage, Mon Coeur, and I will happily be courted by you.’
‘Thank you.’ ‘Just don’t keep me waiting too long!’
‘I won’t,’ he vowed, sealing his promise with a warm, gentle kiss.