AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The doors opened again and more exhausted people spilled through, followed by a laden trolley being pushed by... ‘Raphael.’ The shout was accompanied by a small body hurtling through the crowd, aimed directly for him.
‘Izzy.’
Oof. Oui. Definitely tornado.
His lungs huffed out every last molecule of oxygen they were holding as Isabella plastered herself against him. His arms wound around her like they never intended letting go. She smelt of travel and tiredness and excitement and—
Mais oui, Isabella. Soft, tough.
Careful. Friends, nothing else.
‘Hello, Rafe. Good to see you.’
The relief expanded. Isabella was here. Izzy. He inhaled deeper, hugged harder and kissed her on both cheeks French style. Friendly style. Then, without letting go of her, he leaned back to gaze down at her fine features with dark shadows staining her upper cheeks. There was strain in her eyes, negating her usual go-get-’em attitude. Anger lodged behind his ribs. This was Darren’s fault. The man had hurt her. But apparently it took two to tango, so had Isabella done something wrong too? He’d leave off the big questions until she’d got some sleep and was looking more like her normal self. Since the flat she’d arranged had fallen through she was staying with him for a little while—until they had their first row at least. Something not uncommon between them. ‘Great to see you, mon amie.’
The familiar cheeky twinkle was back in her gaze, though the corners of her mouth were still drawn. ‘You see me every other week.’
He relaxed enough to go with the change. ‘Usually your chin is huge and your eyes somewhere above the screen. This way I get to see you properly. I can read your expressions,’ he added to wind her up for the hell of it. Because that’s how they’d always been with each other, and until now he hadn’t realised how important it was. It kept him on track, especially at the times Cassie’s betrayal got to him too much. He hadn’t shared the details, but Izzy had always been at the end of a phone. They knew each other better than anyone, and had often relied on that to get through the upheavals life threw at them, yet there’d been apprehension in his veins since Isabella had agreed to come to London and take up the job he’d suggested. He didn’t understand his apprehension, unless it was to do with the uncomfortable, almost painful, feeling that overcame him at her marriage ceremony where he’d stood beside her as she said her vows to Darren. A sense that he’d found out something important when it was too late.
‘Next time I’ll focus the camera on my slipper-covered feet.’
‘Not the ones the neighbour’s dog chewed.’ Next time. Reality check. This wasn’t a long-term move. Was that disappointment rapping his knuckles? And if so, why? He was used to her coming and going as it suited, or, when they were young, as her parents had decreed. Could be that his need to see her happy wasn’t going to be satisfied. Could also be that his hope of spending more time with her wasn’t going to be fulfilled. He looked around. ‘We’d better rescue that trolley before someone crashes into it and the bags topple off.’ This was going to be interesting. His car wasn’t made for organising a complete house move. ‘Did you leave anything behind?’
Her tight laugh had him wondering just what was going on. ‘This is only the beginning. I’m shipping more belongings across. The container’s due to arrive sometime in May.’
Raphael dived right in. ‘So you’re looking for somewhere to unpack properly? As in lock, stock and clothes?’ This was nothing like her usual style of one backpack and the laptop.
Her laughter died. ‘Don’t be so shocked. Just because it didn’t work in Wellington doesn’t mean it won’t here with all my friends around me.’
He reached for her, needing to hug a smile back onto her face. ‘You’re right, and I’m one of them.’
‘I hope so,’ she murmured against his chest before pulling away, still without a smile. She’d never doubted him before. But before he could question her, she continued. ‘There’s a couple of pieces of furniture, some kitchenware and lots of books coming.’
He stared at her, a knot of unease tightening in his belly. She was serious about this move. He was thrilled for her, and him, and would help make it work, but... But he’d have to be careful about keeping his distance. Risking their friendship was not happening over some out of kilter emotions he’d felt on and off since her marriage. ‘Truly?’
She nodded, her mouth twisted into a wry smile. ‘Truly.’ A sigh trickled over her lips. ‘I’ll add to them as soon as I find my own place.’
‘Your own place?’ The relief should be flooding in. It wasn’t.
‘A place to rent for a start.’
He sighed. Stop being disgruntled. His friend was back in town. Someone to talk the talk with, have a beer at the pub or take a ride out in the countryside. One day at a time and see how they went getting back to that easy relationship they’d always shared until she’d got married.
It goes back further than that, mon ami. You’ve never shared much about your time with Cassie. Or the devastation she caused.
‘Thanks for putting a roof over my head until I find somewhere.’
‘It’ll be better than squatting under London Bridge.’ Suddenly there was a bounce in his step. He’d been looking forward to this moment, and now Izzy was here. Right beside him. Recently his life had become all about work, and very little play. All too often he cancelled going to rugby with the guys, the only excuse being his patients needed him. But he needed to be more rounded, balance his lifestyle. Izzy was good at shaking him up, would take no nonsense about how he was a doctor before all else. Well, he was, but she always reckoned that didn’t mean his work should fill twenty-four hours every day of the week. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
‘Let’s.’ Isabella smothered a yawn with her hand. ‘That was one hell of a trip. Crying babies, and an enormous man in the seat next to me who kept falling asleep and sprawling in every direction, mostly mine.’
‘Sounds fairly normal.’ Long-haul flights were hell on wings.
‘One day I’m going to fly first class just to see what it’s like. I did get some sleep though, which is a change. Probably because I had so little in the nights leading up to getting on the plane.’
‘You done anything about that insomnia?’
Untidy auburn hair flicked across her shoulders as she shook her head. ‘What’s the point? I’ve tried everything except sleeping pills and I’m never resorting to them. Seen too many patients who’ve become addicted, and then any gains in the sleep department are lost. Besides, I’m used to getting by on a couple of hours at a time.’
This had gone on for almost as long as he’d known her, sometimes minor sleep deprivation, sometimes quite major, and in recent years it had cranked up a few more notches. Guess a pe
rson could get used to anything given enough time, though it wasn’t good for her. ‘Still, I think you should see one of my colleagues. He’s good at helping people get to the bottom of what’s causing the problem and might even be able to give you some practical advice.’
‘Let me get unpacked before you start organising my life.’ Isabella gave him a lopsided smile, with a warning behind it. ‘Okay, what’ve you got planned for tonight?’
Whatever she was trying to tell him, he’d leave it for now. ‘Running three laps of the neighbourhood before digging up the back garden and putting in some plants.’
‘Cool. Nothing for me to worry about. I can sit down and watch a movie on my phone, dial out for pizza.’
Raphael laughed, and it was like pushing Play on an old CD player, bringing back memories of fun times when his heart hadn’t been ripped out of his chest. He halted the trolley to sling an arm over Isabella’s shoulders and hug her against him again. ‘You’re on to it.’ This was more like it. Cheeky Izzy not taking any of his nonsense seriously. It was one of the things he missed the most. Not even the overloaded, heavy trolley could put a dent in the sense of fun ahead now spreading through him. A familiar feeling he’d known the very first time they’d met, stronger than the pain in his thigh where her snowboard had struck hard. She’d been embarrassed at losing control, and tried blaming him for being in the way. They’d argued and laughed and shared hot chocolates and swapped phone numbers, and afterwards met up every weekend in Geneva when they could get away from school activities. ‘I’ve missed you.’ It hadn’t been so easy to have two-hour conversations when there was a husband in the background, and he’d been very aware of how he might’ve felt if the situation had been reversed. He mightn’t have liked Darren, but he understood the boundaries. And afterwards, Izzy had been a bit withdrawn with him.
