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I hated it when he called my bluff. I jerked my head toward the window. “I thought I saw someone out there.”
“Yeah?” He moved to stand behind me. Once upon a time he would have wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. Now, he simply stood there, close enough for me to feel his body heat but without making contact. The absence of his touch felt more noticeable than it should have.
When had we lost that intimacy? Before or after my mother’s death. I wanted to say after, but if I were being honest, I suspected the answer was before. Long-term relationships were like that, though. We’d been together for two years. We couldn’t expect to spend the rest of our lives tearing each other’s clothes off every time we were alone together.
“Probably just someone out for a walk,” he said.
“In the middle of nowhere?”
He shrugged. “There are people who like nature, you know.”
“Weirdos,” I muttered.
He rolled his eyes. “What are you going to do without Pret, the Tube, and Deliveroo?”
“Struggle,” I said, only half-joking. At least he hadn’t added alcohol or drugs to the list. “I can’t believe they took my phone.”
“Standard protocol,” Tyler said, looking supremely unconcerned.
“What if I need to call someone?”
“Then you use the payphone that we passed on the way in.”
“Did we?”
He nodded. “Yes, Mr. Observant.” He leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. It was the sort of kiss you might give your grandmother. When he pulled away, I caught hold of him and turned it into a proper kiss, clinging to him like… well, like he was about to abandon me in a strange place where I knew no one and terrified women screamed about things watching them from dark corners.
“I’m going to miss you,” I said when he finally eased himself out of my grasp.
“Are you sure? I saw that doctor.”
“What doctor?”
The slight twitch of his lips said he didn’t buy my feigned ignorance. “The extremely handsome one.”
“I didn’t notice,” I lied. “I’ll have to look out for him.”
He took one last look around the room and headed for the door. “I should let you get settled in.”
“We should go on holiday after this,” I blurted, more to say something that would keep him here for a few more moments than a strong desire to go anywhere.
“Maybe.”
“Not some party place. Somewhere quiet. Just the two of us.”
“Maybe.”
It wasn’t quite the enthusiasm I’d hoped for. “You can pick the place.”
He checked his watch. “I should go. I’ve got a long drive back to London.”
“Yeah, of course.”
He gave me one last smile and left, closing the door quietly behind him. The silence that followed seemed to fill every part of the room.
If I’d ever felt more alone, I couldn’t remember it.
Chapter Three
