‘The dessert was free,’ Alex said.
‘Consider it a tip for looking after you.’
He took her hand and led her out to his car. He opened the door for her and she smiled at how gentlemanly he was.
‘You look lovely by the way,’ he commented. ‘That dress is gorgeous on you.’
‘Thank you. I thought I’d make a bit of effort. Looks like it was wasted.’
‘Definitely not wasted.’
They got in and Quinn drove up the hill to her house.
‘Thank you for coming to get me,’ said Alex. ‘Did you want to come in for a coffee? Immy’s out at yoga and Zara is staying at her friend’s for the night.’
‘Sure.’
They got out and he followed her into her kitchen.
‘So I take it you didn’t get your kiss?’ Quinn asked.
‘Eww, no, thankfully. Knowing how angry he was about my shellfish allergy, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ate a crab sandwich before he left home. I have one more date tomorrow with Pip but after that I’m done. I’m doomed never to have a kiss ever again.’
‘I don’t think you can judge men or the dating world based on two bad dates. There’s got to be some good men out there. But if you really want a kiss, we can kiss.’
Alex’s heart leapt as she stared at him in shock. He was so blasé about it, like he was offering to change her tyres not give her the kiss of her dreams. It clearly meant nothing to him when to her it would be everything.
‘You… want to kiss me?’
‘I’m just saying, you’re my friend, my best friend, we hug all the time and a kiss isn’t really any different to that. If you’re looking for a no-strings-attached kiss, we can have that.’
Therewouldbe strings attached, Alex thought. There was no way she could kiss him and not feel anything or not want something more.
‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea,’ she said slowly. ‘I don’t want things to be weird between us. Zara needs you. I need you. I don’t want you to stop coming round because it’s awkward or you’re avoiding me.’
‘That will never happen. You two are the most important people in my world. Nothing will ever change that.’
She stared at him trying to think of every reason under the sun not to do this when her heart and body were screaming at her to grab this opportunity with both hands. It was something she had dreamed about for years.
‘OK,’ she said, her heart thundering against her chest.
She couldn’t help noticing his face lighting up. ‘Really?’
‘It’s just a kiss,’ she shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant when she felt anything but.
He stepped towards her and she felt like she was trembling with excitement. Was this really going to happen after all these years?
He stood in front of her and they stared at eachother. Was it her imagination or was his breathing accelerated?
‘What kind of kiss is this going to be?’ she asked. ‘A little kiss on the lips, will there be tongues or is it the kind of kiss that will blow my socks off?’
He grinned. ‘I’ve never been asked that question before.’
‘I feel like I need to prepare myself mentally.’
‘Is this what you would ask on a date? Because if it is we might need to work on your dating technique.’
‘No of course not, but this is you and we’re not on a date,’ she said. ‘You don’t like me in that way so I need to know what to expect so I’m not disappointed.’
