Moving over to one side of the patio, he took his phone out of his inside pocket. He hadn’t even turned it on yet after charging it up. He’d just grabbed it, his keys and the scrap of paper Romesh had written the address of the hotel down on and got in his car before he changed his mind.
As it booted up he saw he’d missed some text messages from his papa, one voicemail and…one missed call from Ashleigh. She’d tried to call him? When?
He scrolled through. Last night. She’d called him last night. Was it her who’d left the message? He dialled his voicemail and put his phone to his ear. Surely it was a good thing if she’d tried to call him? Unless she’d been drunk and decided to give him a further piece of her mind.
He crossed his fingers and then he heard her voice, coming through his earpiece, so soft, like she’d been trying to keep the noise down because it was late.
‘Hi, Olivier, it’s me, Ashleigh. You probably know that from your caller ID. Sorry, I’ll start again. Actually,thatis what I wanted to start with. Sorry. I’m sorry for reacting the way I did to you having to go home. I panicked because I felt like you were leaving me. And you weren’t – you haven’tleftme. You just went back to where you live.’
She gave a little laugh and he pressed his free hand to his other ear to try and block out all the other noise.
‘I overreacted. Because, the thing is, I’d really started to hope and I had been planning to ask you to come with me to Beth’s wedding. But I never got the chance because your dad called you and you suddenly had to go back. And I wassodisappointed. I’ve really got to learn to deal with disappointment a bit better. I just would’ve loved to have you here with me, somewhere that’s all about celebrating love and Christmas. And I so wanted you to see the dress, all completed. Beth loves it. I feel…I don’t know…shocked and just really proud of myself for doing it and I’m not sure I would have even offered to do it for her if you hadn’t come back this Christmas. You just… Look, Iknowthese things are possible, I know I’m capable. But when you’re with me? It all gets even better. It’s easier. Or if it’s not easy, it’s fun. And if it’s not fun, that’s okay. Even if you’re not with me physically, you’re with me because of what we’ve shared and how it’s made me feel and I can carry that inside me. I’ve realised that now because it’s been happening to me at this wedding. I’m missing you. But it’s only because we have such an amazing time when we’re together, and that’s something to be grateful for and to look forward to having again. If you want to, that is.’
She paused to take a deep breath. ‘I’m so sorry for saying those things about not being able to trust you because you’re under your dad’s thumb. It was mean and thoughtless. I know it’s not easy to move on from the patterns we’ve got stuck in with our parents. Or anyone really. But I think I’ve turned a corner with this long-distance hang-up, so…well, I’ll stop rambling now. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry if I hurt you and I don’t want this to be it for us.’
The epic voicemail cut off and Olivier blinked, trying to process all the things she’d said. He put his phone back in his pocket, completely forgetting that he was supposed to be trying to call her on it, so he could find her more easily. But then it didn’t even matter, because there she was, standing at the edge of the dance floor as though she’d appeared from nowhere.
In truth all he could really see of her was the tip of her shoulder and her head but he just knew it was her. He started down the steps, heart pounding, like her words had been injected straight into it. He could see her more clearly now. She’d pulled her hair up into a high ponytail so it hung in a straight line down to her back and the blue outfit she’d chosen was a jump suit, the V of it cutting down to the midpoint of her back.
As though she felt his eyes on her, even from the distance of a tennis pitch, she turned and looked straight over at him, her mouth opening in shock.
And then the music changed and the leader singer of the band called out: ‘Can I have your attention, everyone! The bride is going to toss the bouquet, so let’s have all you single ladies – and men if you like – on the dance floor.’
The women beside Ashleigh cheered and dragged her out onto the dance floor. She looked back at him, but more people surged around them and she was swallowed up into the middle.
