Those stern words, spoken with a calmness that made him relax, that familiar Welsh accent that blanketed him in warmth. He shrugged, resigned to the idea, locking the door behind him so that no one could disturb them. Quinn rushed to the kitchen and found a box of black bags. He took one of his own, then handed the rest to Noah.
‘Is Matty with you?’
Quinn didn’t know why he’d asked. Looking at Noah, he could see that it threw him. Noah’s mouth slightly ajar, as if thinking of what to say. Finally, Noah let his shoulders droop.
‘No. We uh …we’re definitely done.’
Quinn nodded, lips pressed together, and turned away to survey the remaining mess.
‘You know, I’m sorry for what I did.’ Noah gathered the empty bottles into the bag. They took an aisle each, losing sight of one another. ‘For leaving you in the lurch like that. I wanted to do the signing. I had every intention of doing it. But then…’
The memory of their last night together may as well have been projected onto the wall. Quinn was glad they had a bookcase between them.
‘I got scared. I got scared of all of this. Being back here in Hay, with Mum, seeing familiar faces. I realised how much I loved it here. I started questioning why I ever left. Then I saw you.’
Quinn paused, a red cup in his hand. Should he say something?
‘I saw you straight away,’ Noah said with a smile. ‘I looked out the car window when I came to Hay, and I saw you in the crowd, and then at the talk?—’
‘I didnotwet myself.’
From the other side of the bookcase came a laugh. ‘No, I know. But it was enough to intrigue me. Did you know I was meant to go home after that? But I didn’t. I wanted to stay to see you again. The closed roads were a blessing.’
Quinn was on his knees now, like he might pray. Truth was, he couldn’t stand. Noah’s words made him go weak at the knees. Curse such romantic cliches!
‘Even though I wore those hideous trousers?’
‘Even more so.’
Quinn shook his head, looking up at the rafters.
‘So I went to Mum’s, and I forced myself to go into the town, hoping I might see you.’ Noah breathed. ‘And there you were. And I wanted to say so much, ask you so much, but I knew I couldn’t. There was something I had to deal with first.’
‘Matty.’
‘Matty,’ Noah muttered. ‘But here, there was no Matty. And, I don’t know, maybe I thought I could pretend here that I was single. I had no intention of cheating on him. I want to make that clear to you. Matty and I had broken up a long time before I came here. At least in my mind we had.’
Quinn closed his eyes, trying not to dwell on Noah’s relationship. How long had he been in an unhappy relationship?
‘I don’t think I would have left him if I hadn’t met you,’ Noah continued. ‘I guess I was waiting for him to get bored and leave me. That’s what he would have done. But I saw you, spoke to you, and imagined what life would be like if there was an us. You were the one that brought home what I needed to do.’
Bloody hell.
He could hear Noah moving, and fearing he might come around the corner, Quinn clambered to his feet and tidied again, though he couldn’t focus on such a mundane task.
‘And all of that scared me.’ Noah laughed. ‘Ironic, isn’t it? I’m a romance writer and I fear falling in love.’
‘Love?’
Silence.
The apparition of Noah had gone. The spell broke.
All imagination.
‘I think so.’
Not imagination.
