Marnie yearned for more spice in her love life – but would she ever find it with John?
She looked up into his deep blue eyes, and the feeling hit her like a bolt of lightning. Her heart raced. This was the man she had been looking for all of her life.
Marnie snapped the book shut. ‘Why is finding love always so dramatic in novels?’ she thought. ‘How can the heroines possibly know at first glance that this is the man for them?’
She went to the kitchen and put on the kettle, staring at her distorted reflection on the shiny surface while it boiled. At 28, she looked reasonably attractive, with her heart-shaped face, clear skin and thick brown hair.
As Marnie made a cup of tea, her thoughts circled back to her love life. Over the years, she’d had her fair share of romance, but she had never experienced the fireworks so common in fiction. Her relationships were always of the slow-burn variety – no drama, no excitement, just two humans getting to know each other over time and finding that life was better shared.
Her phone beeped with a text from John, the man she had been seeing for the past six months… Want to go to Mum’s for dinner tonight? I can pick you up at 7pm.
Sure. See you later, she replied, adding two kisses to the end of her message. ‘What a kind, lovely man John is,’ she thought. ‘So why don’t I experience butterflies when I see him? Where is the mad desire the books always speak of?’
Two hours later, the doorbell rang, and Marnie welcomed John into her flat. He stood in the door frame, smiling down at her with sparkles in his chestnut eyes. As usual, he wore brown trousers and his dark green T-shirt hugged his lean, tall frame. John drew a hand through his curls, tousling them in all directions.
‘Hi, love,’ he said in a melodic voice. ‘You look amazing.’ He bent to kiss her, then took her hand as they walked to his car.
Marnie smiled, hiding the dull ache in her chest. In the novels she read, men always brought flowers or jewellery when they visited their beloved. But here John stood, empty-handed. ‘I guess my life isn’t a fairy tale,’ she thought with a sigh.
The drive went smoothly for the first few minutes. Then the Mitsubishi’s engine sputtered. After a few more metres, it died.
John got out and looked under the bonnet, and tried to reanimate the lifeless car, but it wouldn’t budge. They were stuck.
‘I told you to get that flashing light on the dashboard investigated,’ Marnie said.
‘Don’t wor
