Page 111 of Enchanted

With Quill happy to have company over, I shot Sam a text.

Sure, come on over. It’s just me and Quill here.

I made all of us a cup of tea, doctoring Sam’s the way he liked it and popping Quill’s through to the living room. I was just sitting back down at the table when Sam bustled in. “Thank fuck you were around. I was going out of my mind with boredom.”

“No Ez today?”

“He’s busy with a work thing.” Sam sighed, pulling his laptop out of his satchel and sitting down. “Which I don’t begrudge, obviously. It’s funny; I never used to have company while I worked, but now that I’m used to it, I hate doing it alone.”

“I’m not used to it either,” I admitted shyly. “But I’m happy to keep you company.”

“You’ll be extra happy when you see what I’ve brought with me,” Sam said, rummaging in his bag once more. He pulled out two yellow packets triumphantly. “Jelly Babies!”

“Oh my god.” I took a bag from him and immediately ripped it open and popped three in my mouth at the same time. “I haven’t had these in years! American candy has nothing on Jelly Babies.”

Sam put a hand to his chest in horror. “You poor soul. Fancy going years without the best sweet on earth. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to keep you stocked up in future.”

What I was really looking forward to was having Sam as a friend.

If that came with sweets? Even better.

We fell into a quiet rhythm as we settled in to work. Every now and then, Sam would show me a graphic he was working on, asking for my photographer’s eye to give him feedback. Meanwhile, I’d ask him to choose between two different shots of Rami.

Sam was right—working with someone else was much nicer. Before I knew it, three hours had passed, and Sam was stretching in his chair.

“Right, I don’t know about you, but I fancy fish and chips,” he said. “Shall we see if Ez and Rami want to pick them up and bring them here?”

“We can’t ask them that,” I said, flustered. “It’s fine, I can go grab them.”

Sam laughed, putting a hand on my shoulder to make me sit back down. “Trust me, Rami will be thrilled to do it. Besides, you’re not asking, I am. I’ll text Zeke now and I bet you ten pounds that Rami turns up with him.”

“If you say so,” I said, trying not to let my secret desire for Sam to be right show on my face.

Fifteen minutes later, I was handing a crisp ten-pound note over to Sam.

And I didn’t even try to keep the smile off my lips.

“Yes, Aesha, you tell her!” Quill whooped, scattering biscuit crumbs down his front. “Who does she think she is?”

I smirked at Quill over the top of my laptop screen. “Come on, Quill, she’s second stew, you’ve heard her say it often enough.”

Outside, rain pelted the windows. It was a cosy reminder that I was home, not in California. I was sat with someone who wanted my company, not someone who was merely tolerating my presence.

I was so happy.

My focus moved from the TV to my laptop screen as I adjusted the colour saturation. Rami was busy again this morning, but I’d still spent hours staring at him as I edited the many images from his photo shoots.

Sam was going to have a lot to choose from, but apparently he needed more costumed shots. He’d phoned me earlier, booking me in for another shoot with Rami next week.

Honestly, I wasn’t convinced Sam’s authors would ever need this many covers, but I wasn’t about to turn down work.

Especially work that involved Rami.

Not that I needed a shoot to see him. I joined him for breakfast every morning, and later in the day, he’d inevitably turn up with food, usually something he’d cooked. My weight was creeping up nicely, and I suspected Lily would be thrilled at my appointment this afternoon.

My gut clenched at the thought, but I ignored it. Wasn’t like I’d get any results today anyway.

Unless your markers are really bad, in which case they’ll call you in for more tests.