She looked at Daniel, but he seemed to be charmed by the place, and Ted’s no-nonsense attitude. The background Welsh lilt of the locals added to the ambience, and the pie was delicious and the pub toasty, with that lovely intimate feeling created by the warmth of a real fire, and the rain beating against the windowpane. Out of London, Cherry felt more relaxed. She was easily more sophisticated than these surroundings and there was no need to be on constant guard or check she was maintaining Kensington standards. Daniel raised his glass and she clinked it.
‘To a wonderful weekend,’ he said, then paused and looked at her with something deeper than fondness, something more meaningful than affection. ‘To us. I’m very happy to have met you, Cherry.’
She met his eyes and smiled. That was exactly the sort of look she had hoped this trip would elicit. ‘Likewise,’ she said softly.
The rain stopped sometime in the night. Cherry had been aware of it stopping, as she’d woken feeling uncomfortable and irritated by the mattress that sank in the middle. It was pitch-black in the room, and utterly quiet outside, and the silence seemed to seep in and lie thick in the room, watching her. She got a sudden longing for home, for bright street lights and the sound of sirens. She felt like she didn’t belong there. She had no idea of the time or how long until the alarm would wake them at seven. She lay there for what seemed like ages, staring into the darkness, listening to Daniel’s soft breathing beside her. She felt very alone in that dark room for a moment and almost nudged him awake so she could snuggle in close, feel his arms around her. But just thinking about it made it seem silly, childish, and she didn’t quite know what she’d say if she woke him. She closed her eyes and willed herself back to sleep, and at some point it must have happened, as the next thing she knew, an increasingly loud beeping was coming from Daniel’s phone.
Breakfast was eggs, toast and marmalade, the pub this time only populated by the half-dozen or so of the younger clientele from the night before. Then they drove the short distance to the rafting company’s HQ, where a purpose-built stone building housed the equipment, changing rooms and a small cafe. As they walked through the muddy car park, awash with puddles from the rain, to register and find their guide, they saw a large sign outside the HQ building. ‘Today’s water: Grade 4.’
‘That’s pretty fast,’ said Daniel, and Cherry felt a stab of nerves. She, unlike Daniel, who’d taken on rapids in Colorado, had never been white-water rafting before.
A young man with sun-bleached hair and a clipboard was standing outside the building, welcoming people. He was dressed in a wetsuit, one that looked like it was expensive and professional, and together with his outdoorsy hair, speaking of months on the river, it emphasized her own ineptitude. She didn’t like the feeling of the unknown, of doing something she had no control over and had been unable to research or test first. They were ticked off and then went into separate changing rooms to get fitted for wetsuits, buoyancy aids and helmets. Cherry didn’t talk to the giggling girls who were in there, squeezing their bodies into neoprene. She got dressed and locked her things away and then went outside, carrying her helmet. Daniel was already there, with another couple and the outdoorsy-hair guy, who’d ditched the clipboard. Once she arrived, their group was complete.
‘Hi,’ said their guide. ‘Now we’re all together, we’ll do some introductions, and then I’ll go through the safety briefing. I’m Gareth . . .’ He smiled through his beard and indicated that Cherry should go next.
‘Cherry,’ she said with a wave, and then it was Daniel, and the couple were Jane and Paul, from Bristol. She looked like an accounts clerk, thought Cherry, safe and slightly dowdy, and he like someone who worked for the local council.
‘Right,’ said Gareth, ‘here’s what you need to know. I will be at the back of the raft and will control it, but you will be required to paddle as well or we will fall in. At no point do you stand up on the boat or you will fall in. When you do paddle, listen for my instructions on which side of the raft needs to do the work or . . .’ he paused for impact, ‘yes, you got it, you will fall in.’
Idiot, thought Cherry. Does he think he’s funny? She caught Daniel’s eye and bit the inside of her cheek as she saw him trying not to smile.
‘If you do fall in, you will have your buoyancy aid on and your helmet, which is the type with holes in so the water can drain out quickly. The best thing to do if you go into the water and you can’t get back on the raft is swim for the bank. I will radio for someone to come and get you, and depending on how far you are down the river, you’ll either be minibussed or will walk back up to the start. When we get to the bottom of the run, there is a quieter patch that we will need to paddle out of quickly so we don’t get caught in the rapids further downstream, as these lead to a series of small waterfalls that are too fast-flowing for today’s trip. Once we’re out, we get the boat on the trailer and then everyone gets in the minibus and you get a ride back up to the top. Then we do it all again! Any questions?’
Everyone looked at each other, but no one had any.
‘Great. Can everybody swim?’