‘Yes.’
‘Then we’re in different directions. But we could walk to the Tube station together?’
Thoughts of a cosy cab ride rather than the bright, rattling Tube disintegrated into dust and I fell into step beside Friedrich as we made our way towards the brightly lit entranceway and descended down the escalators deep into the bowels of London.
‘Goodbye then, Lizzie.’
I turned to return the goodbye and the kiss that Friedrich had been aiming at my cheek landed squarely on my lips. Surprised, I stepped back.
And then I saw him. Waiting on the platform, his body half angled towards us. Our eyes connected. It felt like a lifetime and a fraction of a second all at the same time. Then he turned away, and stepped onto the train that had just rattled into the station, brakes squealing. And once again, Finn was gone. Pain and anger bubbled through me. Pain that I thought I was finally putting to rest.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
The smile slid from Friedrich’s face. ‘I was going to peck you on the cheek.’ He gave a shrug. ‘You moved.’
‘You shouldn’t have been trying to peck anything!’
Friedrich shook his head. ‘We’re old friends, Lizzie. More than old friends. Old lovers.’
‘Less of the old, thank you! Andnoneof the lovers! All of that is well in the past where it will stay. Even if I agree to lead this dig with you, allthatstuff is forgotten. We would be colleagues, nothing more.’
He gave a shrug. ‘OK, if that’s what you want.’
‘It is what I want, Friedrich.’
‘I just thought that tonight… and you asked if I wanted to share a cab?’
‘To share the fare, Friedrich. Nothing else!’
‘Oh.’ He seemed genuinely surprised.
‘Look, send me over your proposal and in the meantime I’ll think it over. I’m not saying yes yet.’
The confidence was back now. ‘But you will.’
The whoosh of hot air and a deep rumbling sound announced the presence of the next train.
‘I need to get home. I’ll let you know when I’ve decided.’
‘OK.’
‘I’ll need to talk to Inis first too.’
He shrugged.
‘Night, Friedrich.’ I turned and hurried to the train, found a seat and stared out of the window opposite me. As the train pulled away, the lights of the station disappeared and darkness replaced the view. My reflection looked back at me as my mind bubbled with the thought that had circumstances been just a fraction different, I might have been sat opposite Finn now. We might finally have had a chance to talk. But one stupid move from my ex had ruined the moment. And, by the cold look on Finn’s face as he turned away, it was not a moment I would ever have again.
18
‘Is that really what you want?’ I’d dropped round to chat Friedrich’s offer over with Colette having spent the last few days tumbling the option over in my mind. After the third message from Friedrich asking if I’d made a decision, apologising for the misunderstanding as we’d parted and requesting another chance to get things right, I’d politely asked him to give me some space to think.
Colette looked positively horrified.
‘It’s not such a bad proposition.’
My friend’s eyebrows shot up so high, I was pretty sure the only thing actually keeping them on her face was her hairline.
‘It’s a terrible proposition!Terrible!’She reverted back to her native language for added emphasis.
