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He leaned across the table towards her. ‘Definitely not. The only opinion anyone’s going to be voicing about you is how great your paper is.’
And that was the end of it. They fell into a warm companionship, working together, eating together and snatching as many moments as they could to leave the hotel and see a little of Mumbai. It didn’t even seem to matter that it was driving her crazy, being so close to him and yet unable to touch him at night, because Thea could sense that it was driving him crazy, too.
* * *
Lucas’s resolution not to be seen anywhere near Thea’s room lasted for two full days. Then, at two in the morning, his phone woke him up.
‘Ava?’ He’d gone to bed last night thinking about Ava. He knew that she was perfectly safe and happy with his parents, but Lucas felt slightly guilty that he wasn’t there to make sure that she was safe and happy.
‘No. It’s Thea. Were you asleep?’
The strained tone of her voice removed any temptation to tell her that, of course, he’d been asleep. ‘No, I was…’ He couldn’t think of anything he might be doing at two in the morning other than sleep.
‘You were. I’m sorry…’
She was apologising again. Always a bad sign. ‘You called me at two in the morning to ask if I was asleep?’
‘No, I…’ The sound of her weeping quietly came down the line, and Lucas regretted the frustration that had crept into his voice. Tucking his phone under his chin, he pulled on his clothes.
‘Hey. None of that. Tell me what’s up.’
She gave a short, self-deprecating laugh. ‘I’m just being stupid, that’s what. Go back to sleep.’
‘Before I do, you’d better tell me what you’re being stupid about.’ Lucas noiselessly opened the door of his room, his footsteps in the corridor muffled by the thick carpets.
‘Oh, you know. Stage fright.’ She sighed. ‘I think I took on a bit more than I can handle. I’ve been lying awake, trying to think of all the ways that I can get out of tomorrow. I’ll be okay.’
No, she wouldn’t. If Lucas knew Thea at all, he knew that she wouldn’t have called in the first place if she’d thought she was going to be okay. And if she lay awake the whole night, not only would she be even more tired and distressed in the morning, she might just come up with a way to get out of presenting her paper.
‘Want some company?’
‘No, really—room service is bringing a cup of tea and I’ll drink that and then go back to bed. Hold on a minute, I think that’s them now. I just need to put some clothes on…’
Lucas closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against the door. If he’d known she wasn’t dressed, he could perhaps have dragged the conversation out a little longer and enjoyed the mental picture.
She opened the door, wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants, her phone slipping from where she’d tucked it under her chin and dropping to the floor when she saw him.
‘Are you going to let me in, then?’ She hesitated, and Lucas gave his most persuasive grin. ‘Before anyone sees me?’
She wiped her tear-stained cheek with her hand. ‘You didn’t need to…’ As soon as he closed the door behind him she gave up the seemingly gargantuan effort of pretence that she’d been making. ‘Thanks, Lucas.’
‘No trouble. I was awake anyway, my phone rang. Perhaps they’ll bring enough tea for two.’
‘I ordered a pot. Just one cup, though.’
‘I’m sure we’ll manage.’ Her room revealed her state of mind, even if her words didn’t. Papers spread out on the red and gold cover of the large bed. Three different outfits, the hangers hooked over the top of the open door of the wardrobe. There was no furrow in the carpet from where she’d paced up and down, between the window and the bed, but if Lucas knew her at all, that was exactly what she’d been doing.
‘Wondering what to wear?’ He decided to address her worries one at a time.
She nodded. ‘Yeah, I was thinking this one…’ She picked up the sleeve of a dark jacket, which went with a pair of sludge-coloured trousers.
‘Boring. And you’ll get really hot in that. What about this?’ Lucas peered into the wardrobe, pulling out a pale, silky top. ‘With this.’ He caught sight of a flash of colour and extricated one of her seemingly endless selection of wide scarves.
‘You think so?’ She looked uncertainly at the two as he held them together. ‘The colours do go.’
‘Yeah, and if you wear it with dark trousers, you’ll look great.’
She frowned at him. ‘This is a professional conference. I don’t want to look great.’
