Page 86 of Love Unlocked

Prunella laughs. ‘Oh, come on, do you think I haven’t noticed the lock on the bridge? MY and AC. Melody Yates. I’m guessing that’s your bridge guy, Al Collins?’

Melody glances over at the bridge where she had subtly connected the lock to the thin stem of the lily on the bridge earlier before everyone had arrived.

‘I just wanted to see if it would work,’ Melody mumbles, embarrassed.

‘You wanted to see what would happen, or you hoped? It’s not a magic spell, Melody, it’s love. The binding of a love lock is only symbolic of the binding of your souls. If you want him you have to tell him.’

‘Well it doesn’t matter, I can’t tell him anything. Because he’s not here,’ she says, folding her arms and suddenly feeling cold.

She pictures Al’s blue eyes, his smile on hers, the sound of his laughter, the look on his face when he realised he was trapped in the revolving door with her. The long walk around the city, holding hands, on their first night together. Discovering every new thing about him for the first time, loving it all from the second she met him. The nights they spent together, the pure ecstasy of being with him. It was all perfect. She tries to swallow the lump in her throat, and watch those whose dreams are coming true. At least it happened once, briefly. At least she had a taste of it.

35

AL

Al sees Melody on the bridge looking beautiful, her eyes shining as she surveys the crowd. He wants to go to her but doesn’t want to be weird, he shouldn’t even be here, so he waits, for what, he’s not sure.

He walks around, feeling a little awkward in the crowd, his stroll interrupted by random bursts of spontaneous hugging. For those who don’t find who they’re hoping for, they turn the moment into a chance to introduce themselves to each other. Hook-ups are happening. It’s getting a little cringey. Some people, he guesses, never had a love lock on the bridge and are there just to get lucky, women and men eye him up in a way that makes him feel like fresh meat at a market. And then on the other hand he feels like people think he’s prowling like a pervert. He steps out of the crowd to distance himself from the event. He is not partaking. He studies the bridge from this angle, and Caroline’s design of the Easter Lily, which he’s proud of. Something glinting on the bridge catches his eye. He steps closer.

There’s a love lock attached to the bridge.

He walks along the banks and moves closer to the bridge. Hiding behind a stack of balloons he manages to get a closer look.

He reads the initials: MY & AC.

It’s the padlock he gave to Melody. He grins, but doesn’t know what to do. He hurries back through the crowd, which feels like an obstacle course of randy people, to get to Natasha who’s standing on her tiptoes trying to find Pedro. Men are giving her a wide berth. Her face is even more swollen than it was an hour ago and she’s receiving some concerned looks.

‘I just found something,’ he says quietly to her, close to her ear.

Suddenly Natasha lets out a scream so loud, right beside his ear, it almost deafens him and the entire place goes quiet and turns to stare at them. The crowd parts in front of him and Melody from her place on the bridge can see him perfectly. His face goes beetroot red.

But his heart pounds. His body responds to seeing her. She’s so beautiful in a deep red silk dress that clings to her body. Her hair is down in waves, her lips full and plump. She is a tower of strength up there, looking so confident, yet he can see how uncertain she is to meet his eye. She’s surprised that he’s here. But the love lock on the bridge tells him that she wanted him to be here.

‘Pedro!’ Natasha screams.

She runs through the crowd and leaps into his arms.

The crowd laughs and returns to business and Al ducks down to hide behind the crush of bodies so that Melody loses sight of him. He moves away from the embarrassment of Natasha, and passes the dancing old couple. He approaches Melody from the side, blocked by the enormous arch of heart-shaped balloons, and stands just off her shoulder.

‘I wasn’t going to come,’ he says suddenly, and she peeks her head around the balloons and sees him. ‘But then I felt some uncontrollable force take over me. It was like I was magnetically pulled to this bridge. Now I know why,’ he says, pointing at the lone love lock she connected to the bridge.

Melody grins immediately, embarrassed. ‘Shut up.’

He’s trying to keep it light, but his heart is pounding. He feels self-conscious and slightly breathless to be back in her company. ‘Nice to see you too, Melody.’

‘I understand if you have to take it off, I just wanted to see …’

She goes quiet. He doesn’t want to lose her attention, he doesn’t want to lose this moment. Around them is busy, everyone is vying for Prunella and Melody’s attention, they’re the grand hosts, but he wants to keep her to himself.

‘You just wanted to see what?’ he urges her, tries to win back her gaze. Which he does. She faces him head on.

‘You,’ she says, simply. ‘I wanted to see you.’

He feels drawn to her as he was from the first day he met her, trapped in the revolving door. ‘I think I can make an exception for this one lock. Though it looks a little lonely. But maybe it wants to be alone.’

‘It doesn’t,’ she says, gazing up at him. ‘Can we talk? Away from here?’

He places his hand at the small of her back, and guides her away from the crowd. The energy that fizzes between them at their touch gives him goosebumps. They find a quiet place away from the party.