Page 104 of Brighter Together

“Obviously,” I say proudly.

“You created something amazing there.”

“I can’t take all the credit.”

“I’m not giving you all of it. Your ego doesn’t need the encouragement.”

I laugh.

“But you gave it something that makes people keep coming back year after year.”

“What?”

She hesitates. “A soul.”

For a second I can only look at her.

Her cheeks immediately colour.

“That sounded horribly cheesy.”

“A bit.”

“I’m taking it back.”

“You absolutely aren’t.” I pull her closer. “I’m keeping that forever.”

She hides her face against my chest.

I laugh and kiss the top of her head.

“What about friends? Relationships?”

“Not many close friends here. My last relationship ended about two years ago.”

“What happened?”

“It fizzled out. No scandal. No cheating. We just reached the point where neither of us really cared enough to keep trying.”

“That sounds remarkably healthy.”

“Very boring.”

“I’ll take boring over the she-devil.”

She smiles.

Then her expression grows more distant.

“There really wasn’t much keeping me in Manchester by the end.”

Again, I feel the weight behind the words.

I want to ask.

Part of me is already trying to join pieces together before letting it go, because I don’t want her first night in my bed to turn into an interrogation.

I press a kiss to her forehead.