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She took a step forward, her limbs loosening as she spoke.
‘I should have said it before, but I was scared. And I know you probably don’t feel the same way, and I know the world doesn’t want us to be together—’
‘It doesn’t matter what the world wants.’
Her heart jolted against her ribs as he began walking towards her, his dark eyes locked on hers.
‘It’s what we want—you and me. And I don’t want—I don’t—’ Breaking off, he breathed out unsteadily. ‘I don’t ever want to be apart from you again.’
She couldn’t breathe. Tears were filling her eyes and she could see that his face was pale and taut with the effort of holding back tears of his own.
‘Why did you leave?’
He spoke shakily and she knew that it mattered. She knew that the shake in his voice meant he cared, and that gave her strength.
‘I was scared. It was my fault they had that photo and I thought I’d messed up again.’
His hands caught her shoulders.
‘It was just a mistake, Mimi. I get papped all the time—even when I’m on my own,’ he said fiercely.
‘I know, and I can see that now, but all my life things have gone wrong—my dad leaving, Charlie and Raymond stealing from all those poor pensioners, my film getting embargoed, you and me that night...’
‘None of that was your fault.’
‘I want to believe that, but it’s hard to trust yourself when nobody else trusts you.’
‘I trust you.’
His hands tightened against her shoulders and she felt as if her heart was going to burst as he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against him so she could feel his heartbeat merge with hers.
‘And I need you.’
He pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair.
‘I’ve been so miserable without you.’
‘Why?’ Her voice faltered. ‘Why were you miserable, Basa?’
His eyes were dark and soft and unguarded. ‘Because I love you.’
He leaned in and kissed her, his hands sliding up to capture her face as her heart slipped its moorings.
‘I think I might even have loved you before we met.’ He frowned. ‘You know that night at Fairbourne...it felt so right—as though we’d been fighting our way to one another across time and space. The other day when you left I should have stopped you, but I was scared. For so long I’ve focused on other people’s lives and not on my own. I’ve used the past as a reason not to think about my present, and when you said you couldn’t stay...that was the first time in my life I’ve had to think about what I really wanted. And I panicked.’
He kissed the tears from her face.
‘But I’m not panicking now.’
Mimi swallowed. ‘And what do you want?’
‘I want you,’ he said softly. ‘Because I love you. Totally and immeasurably.’
Reaching up, she stroked his face. ‘And I love you.’
He stared at her in silence, his beautiful face showing everything he was feeling, and then he lowered his mouth and kissed her again, hungrily, kissed her until the past was forgotten and all that mattered was the two of them.
From inside her jeans pocket her phone vibrated twice. Loosening her grip, Mimi looked up into Basa’s eyes, a blush creeping across her cheeks.
