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There is an invisible pull between us. I can feel it, and I’m sure Lucian can too. But he doesn’t attempt to step closer. It’s like finally I’ve spoken and he’s not only listened, he’s heard me loud and clear.
Lucian clears his throat. “I trust you have sufficient funds to open your salon? If you need more you only need to—”
I raise my hand. “No, I have everything I need. So I guess this is goodbye?” I keep my gaze trained on the ground.
“For now,” Lucian says, and when I look back up, he is gone.
Chelsea
“Grovers Hotel is down there. You’re going the wrong way,” I tell Tyler as he continues down the motorway.
“Trust me, darlin’, I know where I’m going.”
I don’t say anything else, because Tyler is going to look very silly when he pulls up outside a random hotel in the middle of nowhere.
I look out of the window and watch long stretches of field pass by. The last two weeks have gone by in a flash. One week in Paris to forget, accompanied by a week at home to remember. A week of daily appointments with my therapist, a week to explain to everyone why I’ve been ignoring their calls and, more importantly, why I missed my best friend’s wedding.
I feel like a hypocrite having a leaving party and expecting people to turn up when I missed Lizzie’s big day. But Tyler, being Tyler, was most insistent we leave in style, and a leaving party would give us the opportunity to say goodbye to everyone in one evening before we leave for Southampton to board our cruise ship in the morning.
My gaze connects with a brown road sign, and I point. “You can still make it in time if you take the next exit.”
“Shush.” Tyler waves his hand in the air. I can’t help but laugh at the beret on his head. Although we’re back in England, it feels as though we brought Paris back with us.
Since returning, Tyler has been pining over Jean-Paul, though the two have been in touch daily, and the French chef is keen to come to England to be with Tyler when we are back from our cruise. A year is a long time to wait for someone you’ve only spent seven days with, but if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.
My shoulders slump as my mind takes me back to the last conversation I had with Lucian. I was so sure I was doing the right thing for him, for both of us, but regret has never been far away.
Paris was amazing, though Lucian was always in my thoughts. He messaged me every day and left voicemail updates. The last message he left was to tell me he was still in Swansea. I’m not sure if he’ll be back in time for my leaving party, but I can’t help thinking that him not being in attendance may be for the best.
I sit in silence and watch as signpost after signpost pass by. “Wake me up when you realise we’re lost,” I say, and close my eyes for the remainder of the journey.
“Darlin’, we are here.”
I’m shaken awake. I sit bolt upright in my seat and peer out of the window. I frown because the car park is bigger than I remember, a lot bigger. My gaze shifts up to the large four-story white building and I read the words that sit proudly on top. Calloway Hotel.
My body tenses. “Tyler, why are we here?”
“Trust me, it’ll all make sense.” Tyler unfastens his seat belt and walks around the car to let me out.
He leans forward, holds one hand behind his back, and the other he holds out for me. I shuffle awkwardly in the seat because this is the last place I want to be.
I shake my head. “Tyler, I can’t.”
The smile on his face dissolves, and he lowers his hand to his side. “Okay. You wait here while I go inside and tell everybody who turned up today that the guests of honour are leaving before their leaving party has even begun.”
The irony of his statement is not lost on me. Tyler turns his back on me and heads toward the hotel.
“Wait,” I call after him.
Tyler stops walking and I gather up the ruches of my gown and slide out of the car. Side by side we enter through the turnstile door, and I lower my head as we approach the main reception area.
“Make it quick,” I say to Tyler, who places his elbows on the polished marble counter. I know it’s highly unlikely that I’ll bump into Duncan or one of Lucian’s brothers, but the thought of them randomly appearing has me on high alert.
“The alabaster gold suite,” Tyler says, and the receptionist directs us.
My hair bounces off my shoulders as I hurry to keep up with Tyler, whose pace seems to quicken with each step he takes.
“What’s the rush?” I call after him as he enters the suite. The heels of my stilettos slip on the floor as I reach the large doorway.
