The table is covered in flowers and the light comes from flickering candles, plus some twinkling fairy lights that have been draped over a wooden canopy above us.
So, yes,definitelynot a date, then. And I’mdefinitelynot going to treat it like one. No matter how good Alex looks in his open-necked shirt, with a slight hint of stubble on his chin, giving him a vaguely roguish air.
Oh, God, save me from the stubble.
“You look beautiful,” he says, pulling out my seat for me and waiting for me to sit down. “Thanks for coming tonight; I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” I reply, smoothing down my dress self-consciously. I gave Chloe her little red number back this morning, and am wearing an old favorite of my own, which she’s never liked.
ButIdo. And it seems Alex does too; unless, of course, he’s just being polite, to thank me for this ‘favor’ I’m allegedly doing for him?
“Yeah, I’d have felt pretty stupid sitting here on my own,” he goes on, as the waiter pours wine into our glasses, before retreating tactfully. “I was planning to ask Rita next, if you’d turned me down. Even Gerald would’ve done in a pinch.”
He grins across the table at me, and I smile back weakly.
Okay, so he really has just invited me here as a favor. Good to know.
“We should make a toast,” he says, picking up his glass.
“Okay. What are we toasting?”
“I think there’s only one thing wecantoast under the circumstances,” he says. “New beginnings, of course. For both of us.”
“To new beginnings,” I repeat, clinking glasses with him.
“And to you winning the karaoke contest tomorrow night,” he adds with a wink.
“Tomorrow? Is it really that soon?”
A familiar twinge of anxiety twists my stomach at the thought of singing in front of an audience, but Alex just nods, like it’s no big deal. Which I suppose it isn’t, when you’re not the one doing it.
“Yup. It’s our last full day here. Then it’s back to reality for both of us.”
His smile falters slightly, and the twinge in my stomach turns into a full-blown stitch.
“Wow.” I take a sip of my drink, trying to hide my disappointment. “I guess I must have lost track of time since I’ve been here. I can’t believe the holiday’s almost over. I’m not … I’m not ready for it to be over.”
To my horror, I feel tears well up behind my eyes. I stare down at my plate, hoping he won’t notice.
“I’m not either,” Alex says ruefully. “But hey; you’ve done everything you came here to do, haven’t you? Or you will have once you’ve won the karaoke contest tomorrow. Which you will, of course.”
“Have I, though?” I reply, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling of sadness that’s suddenly descended. “I’m not sure I feel like I’ve changed my life. I haven’t miraculously become ‘cool’. There’s been a fair bit of ‘other stuff TBC’ though, I’ll give you that.”
I put my fork down, my appetite suddenly gone.
“Well, there’s still time for the rest,” says Alex, who’s tucking into his appetizer with gusto. “A lot can happen in 48 hours, Summer. And I don’t think things like climbing mountains and riding motorcycles are the sort of thing you can really expect to change your life, anyway. They’re fun, sure. But life changing? Probably not.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure; kissing Jamie Reynolds definitely didn’t change my life,” I say ruefully. “Although calling him a lying traitorwaskind of empowering.”
“Maybe that’s the answer,” says Alex, the last rays of sunshine making his skin look almost golden. “Maybe you just need to write a different list.”
“Maybe I need to write a completely different life story,” I tell him, shrugging. “One where I don’t spend all my time wanting things I can’t have, like Chloe said.”
Alex raises his eyebrows quizzically, but doesn’t question this.
“You can’t go back in time, Summer. You can’t rewrite the story to fix everything you think went wrong. It was an airplane that brought you here, not a time machine.”
“I know,” I sigh. “I know you’re right. I’m starting to think maybe my 13-year-old selfwasn’tthe best person to decide what my future life should look like after all. Maybe I shouldn’t have given her the wheel on this trip. Maybe I should … oh!”
