Page 29 of A Sky Full of Stars
30
Panting slightly, Charlotte emerged a few minutes later onto the flat roof of the Wills Tower and drew in a deep breath of summer air. It was cooler and breezier up here: the wind blew straight off the River Avon most of the time, but it was a pleasant remedy for the sweat they’d both worked up during the sixty-eight-metre climb to the summit.
Waiting for Tristan to emerge, she gently took his hand again when he did. ‘I used to love coming up here as a tour guide,’ she said as she led him to the nearest of a series of crenelations in the top of the tower. These provided those who’d climbed the tower various points at which to see the panoramic view of Bristol that the tower afforded. From their vantage point, they could see Clifton Suspension Bridge in the distance, and the many and varied rooftops of a city sprawl that spanned centuries and generations, from the Georgian edifices that lined Park Street and its environs, to the imposing neo-Gothic spire of St Mary Redcliffe and on either side the more prosaic architecture of the Bristol Royal Infirmary and the modernised façade of the Radisson Blu Hotel on the harbourside.
At this height it was easy to see how the city had developed over time, and Charlotte always felt a combination of emotions, looking down at the patchwork of rooftops, roads and rivers below, and then up at the skyline where, when night fell, she’d spent so much time staring up at the stars. She always felt that there was a symmetry between the sky and the street: patterns, equations and symbols created by men that echoed their observations of the shape of the cosmos. It was a fanciful notion, but one she often used to ground herself.
‘Not a bad view,’ Tristan commented as they paused in front of one of the battlement openings to look out over the west side of the tower. They lingered on the sight of the Suspension Bridge spanning the majestic Avon Gorge, and the gentle curve of Whiteladies Road as it merged into the top of Park Street. ‘Almost worth the climb, I suppose.’
If Charlotte hadn’t glanced at him and seen the teasing glint in his eyes, she’d have been offended by his offhand tone, but his expression suggested that he was pulling her leg.
‘I’m glad it meets with your approval,’ she replied. She turned towards him, away from the breathtaking vista. ‘I can’t believe you’re a Somerset native and you’ve never been up here before.’
‘Perhaps I just needed the right tour guide,’ Tristan murmured. Charlotte could feel the warmth of his body, slightly hotter from the steep climb up the tower. His white T-shirt stretched tantalisingly over his torso, and she could smell a combination of a musky, cinnamon-infused cologne and a man whose heartbeat was elevated by exercise. The cooling breeze wafted gently around them, but Charlotte felt her own body responding to the signals she was picking up from Tristan. His eyes widened as she moved closer, and her hand moved up to his elbow. All she needed to do, in that moment, was tilt her head upwards…
‘Gary would be flattered,’ she murmured as their faces drew closer, all thoughts of the stunning view forgotten as their dual focus became that much more intimate.
‘Then let me rephrase that,’ Tristan said softly. ‘Gary’s been great, butyouare also a very good tour guide.’
Charlotte smiled as she stood on tiptoe to bridge the final breath between them, and she felt a low-down fizzing tingle as their lips met in a gentle, much anticipated kiss. Tristan’s mouth was warm, and she could feel his breath hitching slightly at the contact. Deepening the kiss ever so slightly, Charlotte’s hand reached up to touch his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin and the softness of the edge of his hairline under her fingertips. She was so distracted, she almost forgot to breathe, but when Tristan dipped his head so that she could step down from her tiptoes, her heels touched the ground with a bump, and she gave a gasp.
‘Everything all right?’ Tristan said quietly, with an evident trace of delight in his voice.
‘Not a bad kiss,’ Charlotte quipped to hide how jolted she was. ‘Almost worth the climb.’
Tristan’s eyes darted from Charlotte’s to her mouth and back again. ‘Would you like me to have another go?’
‘I’ll allow it,’ Charlotte replied. ‘If you make it a bit longer this time.’
‘I’ll do my best,’ Tristan said, and before she could tease him any further, he kissed her again. She could feel the hardness of the cool stone of the tower wall at her back, in marked contrast to the warmth and vitality of the man in her arms, and she tried to brace herself against the brickwork to stop her knees from buckling at the contrasting sensations. She’d had a fair few kisses before, of course she had, but kissing someone at this elevated location seemed to enhance the sensations even more.
Gasping as they moved apart again, Charlotte realised that the rest of the group was preparing to head back down the tower, and she needed a moment to come back to earth.
‘So,’ she said, still rather breathlessly, ‘what would you like to do next?’
Tristan was gazing down at her with a smile that broadened to a huge grin. ‘Well, mouth to mouth at the top of the tower was great… but I think I might need resuscitation at the bottom of it too. After that… feel free to surprise me again.’
Charlotte noticed Gary’s rather amused wink as they passed him on their way back down the narrow spiral staircase that would eventually lead them back to the ground. Once there, perhaps she should try to keep her feet on the ground, she thought. If she wasn’t careful, she could see herself falling, and falling hard for Tristan, and if she felt that on the basis of just one kiss, she didn’t dare imagine how she’d feel after more of the same.
31
Descending the steps of the tower was somewhat easier than the heart-attack-inducing climb to the top, and as Charlotte thanked Gary for the tour, and she and Tristan meandered out into the bright sunlight of historic Park Street, she smiled up at him. ‘Fancy a coffee, or do you want to do some more exploring first?’
Tristan smiled back at her. ‘Why don’t we grab a takeaway and keep walking? I’m sure there’s lots more you could show me.’
Charlotte didn’t miss the undercurrent of suggestion in his voice, and her face felt warm as she thought back to their kiss.
‘Deal,’ she said. Feeling a jolt of pleasure as Tristan reached for her hand, they’d soon stopped at Brown’s café and were making their way up Whiteladies Road towards Clifton Down.
Charlotte loved this part of Bristol, and she felt at home in the long, wide, sloping streets that led one way down to the city centre and the other to a haven of greenery that undulated towards the sheer, dark-brown stone drop of the Avon Gorge. Since coming back here as a house parent she’d been happier in Bristol than at any point in her life. That was why she was so keen to show Tristan some of the sights: she felt the need to share the happiness with him.
Tristan was looking with great interest at the buildings as they walked further, and again Charlotte wondered why he wasn’t more familiar with Bristol as a city.
‘I’d forgotten how lovely this place is,’ he said as they walked towards the downs. ‘I don’t get into town much these days, since I’m usually based either in head office or on a site somewhere. It’s nice to see buildings and not be making decisions about whether they stay or go!’
Charlotte smiled at the lightness in his tone. It was lovely to see him enjoying her tour of the city, and she was looking forward to doing more of the same.
The sun was high in the sky now and as they reached the Downs, they found themselves laughing at the antics of various dogs gambolling happily over the swathes of green space, interacting mostly amicably with other canines on their constitutionals, and sniffing around the trees and posts that marked out the space.
