14
Al’s mouth twisted anxiously and his eyes darkened. He was still beside Stella on the bed, but he backed away a little, as if to protect himself.
‘What?’ he asked, fixing on her features, searching for clues. ‘What do you need to ask me?’
She clenched her fists and stared hard at her lap; she couldn’t watch him while he gave her the news she so feared.
‘Are you seeing someone?’ she said quietly. Her mouth had gone dry. ‘Is Sasha your girlfriend?’
There was a sharp intake of breath, then he made a noise, like a small cry.
‘What? Oh I see!’
Stella glanced up; she couldn’t stop herself. He was staring at her steadily, determined to catch her gaze.
‘No,’ he said firmly. ‘Absolutely not. We’re just friends. She’s been a good mate to me these past few months. She invited me for coffee the day I moved in. She sat and listened to me blubbing about you for ages. It must have been really boring, but she was very patient. Since then, we’ve been out a few times for walks and to the cinema, that sort of thing. She says I need distracting.’
Stella nodded uncertainly. She’d never known him lie and desperately wanted to believe him, but couldn’t.
‘But you went on holiday together,’ she pointed out, swallowing. ‘She must be keen on you. You must like her, too, even if nothing’s happened yet…’ Her voice trailed away, leaving a question mark hanging in the air.
‘Nothing has happened, I assure you. I mentioned you were going on holiday with the kids and I was thinking of hiking in Cornwall to cheer myself up. She loves walking, too, and asked if she could come along, so I said yes. Simple as that.’
‘Do you want something to happen?’ Stella persisted. It was her turn to stare at him, now. She looked deep into his eyes and he didn’t flinch.
‘I only wantyou, Stella,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Besides, Sasha’s gay. She split up with her long-term girlfriend about a year ago. She was really cut up about it. She’s been licking her wounds ever since.’
Stella was so surprised, she was temporarily lost for words.
‘But I thought… Lily said…’ she eventually managed to splutter.
‘What did Lily say?’
She couldn’t help noticing the corners of Al’s eyes starting to crinkle. Was he finding her amusing? The cheek of it! And to make matters worse, she could feel herself blushing.
Straightening up, with her chin raised, she tried to summon as much dignity as she could.
‘She said Sasha offered to give her a makeup lesson.’
This sounded naïve and a bit foolish, even to her, and her blush deepened.
‘Yes, but that doesn’t mean we’re going out.’ He gave a teasing smile. ‘You silly goose.’
She wanted to be annoyed with him, but the funny insult made her face light up and a laugh exploded in her throat, which she choked on halfway through. As it happened, the honking noise that came out sounded remarkably like a goose. This was getting worse.
‘I, I just assumed,’ she stuttered, desperately trying to compose herself. ‘I mean, I was sure you’d find someone else really quickly because you’re such?—’
‘An irresistible hunk?’ This time, he laughed out loud. ‘I’ve had women propositioning me left, right and centre. They’ve been climbing over each other to get to me. The Swedish nymphos are the worst.’
The image of hordes of amorous women fighting over him made her giggle, but then his expression changed and he became deadly serious.
‘Honestly, Star, there’s no one but you. There never has been, not since we met. You’re the one who went off me, remember? It’s you who wanted us to split.’
At this, tears pooled in Stella’s eyes and trickled down her cheeks. In a flash, all merriment had vanished. Her emotions were in uproar, see-sawing wildly, and she felt stupid and cursed herself for causing so much pain.
‘I know it’s all my fault,’ she said miserably. Her nose was dribbling, too. She was an utter mess. ‘I was horrible to you. I’m not surprised you couldn’t take any more. I regret it so much.’
‘Do you?’ He shuffled closer before reaching out and using his thumbs to gently wipe away her tears.
