‘I missed this place so much when I left.’
‘Where are you staying?’
He flicks back his golden hair. ‘I’m renting a tiny cottage in the town. It’s just off the high street.’
‘Why are you back, Noah?’
His summer blue sky eyes lock onto mine. ‘I had a succession of bad relationships in Ireland, and I started to think about why love was so hard for me.’
‘Did you come to any conclusions?’ I can’t drag my eyes away from his.
The atmosphere between us has changed. Our friendly banter has been replaced with intense stares. ‘I never forgot about you, Alice.’
We’ve been staring at each other for what feels like an eternity. A wave of emotion is rising inside of me. On the white crested tip, it carries the words I have been trying to say since he returned. The wave is stronger. After a deep breath the words whoosh out of my mouth. ‘What happened to us, Noah?’
He reaches out and touches my hand, sending a surge of electricity through my arm. ‘I never wanted us to end.’ Leaning back, he breaks our trance and throws a pebble out to sea. ‘Did you really write to me?’
I nod. ‘Every week. I couldn’t post them in the box on our street as I was scared Dad would see me.’ I smile. ‘Looking back now I don’t know why I was worried Dad would see me. Anyway, Pete took my letters and posted them for me.’
Noah is looking at me. ‘You asked Pete to post your letters?’
‘He was your best mate and I trusted him. He was nice to me when you left.’
Noah looks out to sea. ‘When I first came back and I learned about Lucas, I was angry.’ He runs a hand through his hair. ‘I thought you and Pete had got together because all along you’d…’ He stops. ‘Oh God, this is silly. Why are we raking up the past?’
A concoction of twenty years of frustration and anger is bubbling inside of me. ‘You thought I’d secretly fancied Pete while we were going out with each other – is that what you thought?’
Noah has found another pebble and is turning it over in his hand. ‘Did you?’
‘No, I did not. I started dating Pete because…’
Noah is now staring at me. ‘Why, Alice?’
‘To make you jealous.’ I hang my head. ‘Noah, I was so angry you never contacted me. It was a bad decision. Probably one of my worst.’
He puts a hand on my arm. ‘You had Lucas together. He’s great.’
‘Yes, he is.’
‘Did you love Pete?’
I let out a heavy sigh. ‘I feel guilty for what happened with Pete. For years I was waiting for him to lead me back to you but when that didn’t happen, I waited to fall in love with him.’
‘And?’
I shake my head. ‘I never loved Pete.’ Noah’s intense stare is making me feel light-headed. Our eyes have locked in. We’re inching closer. His mouth is hovering over mine. I can feel his warm breath on my chilly lips. In a flash I am whisked back to when we were teenagers, we’re on this same rock and Noah is about to kiss me. Just like he used to all those years ago, he presses his soft lips against mine and as we kiss, I plunge my hands deep into his blond hair. His hand brushes against my thigh as our kissing intensifies. A familiar feeling of warmth is emanating from between my legs and making me press myself against him. Parts of me which have been in a deep sleep for years are waking up.
Noah sits up abruptly. ‘I need to go.’ His tone has changed. It’s tinged with a coolness to it. He checks his watch. ‘I have got to sort my laundry out.’
I place my hand on his arm. ‘Are you all right?’
He nods and sits up straighter. ‘Look, I made a mistake kissing you. I’m sorry, Alice.’
‘What?’
Pulling himself to his feet he climbs down our rock and strides away.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
