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“As it does,” he responded drily.
She narrowed her eyes. “As it obviously did with Alice’s cousin.”
“Leonie, it may have escaped you, but I am free to date who I want. You weren’t.”
“I—I told you, I didn’t.”
“But you intended to. Didn’t you? When you left you had it all planned out.”
She sat silent, rimming her glass with those manicured finger tips. Another huff. “The thing is babe, I may have made a mistake.” Ice ran down his spine. “I’m thinking of coming back to Sydney.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure if Bali is my thing, long term. Like, I miss my friends, my mum.”
“Your mum! You wanted to kill her every time she opened her mouth.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t love her.” Blue eyes rested on him in a way that used to make his heart flip. Now all that happened was a nasty gut clench. “I guess I’m proof you’re not always kind to the people you love.” Her face crumpled. “I’m so sorry, Oliver. I feel so guilty all the time. And, I—I miss you. Dreadfully.”
She started to cry. Automatically, he found the tissue box and passed it to her. Resisted his natural urge to console. He stared at the slice of lemon in his drink. Too little, too late.
Leonie flapped her hand on a hiccuppy sob. “Look, I’m not expecting anything from you. Not yet, anyhow. Like, I know we have to recalibrate. I’m still totally set on selling the apartment because you know, if we did try again… we’ll need a fresh start… maybe, I don’t know, Surry Hills, or… Tamarama maybe.”
His head jerked up. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I truly am.” She gazed back at him out of swimming eyes. “I mean, we can’t just throw away five amazing years. I’ve had lots of time to think and I’m sure it was the baby thing—you wanting kids straight away after we got married. I think that flipped me. Maybe I had a midlife crisis.”
“At twenty-eight?”
“Well, you know, I probably needed to sow some wild oats before I was thirty. We got together when I was twenty-three, Oliver. I’d only dated two other guys. But now that’s out of my system. And you know, when you toss away something really special… eventually you come to your senses.”
He shook his head.
“Babe, please—” she dabbed at her eyes. “I’m being mature about this. See, I’m not asking you loads of questions about her, because, well, we’re equal now, aren’t we? Quits.”
“What?”
“Meaning we’ve both tasted other fruit. But in the end, turns out you’re the only cherry I want to bite.”
He almost laughed. This was crazy.Shewas crazy. Delusional. Lost in her ridiculously pretty head. How come he had been so blind to it? Perhaps because he was too intent on being the guy who kept her safe.
“What’s happened to your ‘business advisor’?”
“He’s still super keen. But, he’s… kind ofold.”
The tickle in his throat got stronger. She’d obviously decided the trade-in wasn’t quite up to par.
“Was I boring?” he asked abruptly.
“What?”
“Did I bore you?”
“No.” She blinked. “No, no, never. I mean, you’re a tad OCD and pedantic about things, but no, babe. It was my fault, all me, I’m so sorry.”
Oliver found himself breathing a little easier. He hadn’t realised how that shy overweight kid still lingered behind his designer shirts, always telling him he wasn’t good enough.
And if he wasn’t boring… maybe he wouldn’t bore someone else…
