I wake with a jolt,pulse racing until it registers there’s someone knocking on my door. It takes me a second to wake up enough to realise I should probably go answer it. I’m only wearing boxer briefs, so I grab some sleep pants and a T-shirt and jog downstairs to see who’s at my door at seven-thirty on a Monday morning.
It’s the one morning this week I don’t need to be up so early. “Better be important,” I grumble as I reach for the door.
Turns out it’s Charlie.
“Hey.” I smile at him, suddenly not bothered at all at being woken up.
His gaze slides over me, taking in my clothes and my probable bed hair. “Shit. You were asleep, weren’t you? Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” I wave off his apology.
“I thought you’d be getting ready for work and I wanted to catch you before you left. To apologise for last night. I sent you a text,” he adds quickly.
“I’ve not checked my phone this morning. And I’ve got the day off today.”
Charlie looks mortified. “And I woke you up. I’m so sorry?—”
“Would you like to come in?” I step aside in invitation. “I can make us breakfast, unless you’ve already eaten?”
He studies me again, frowning. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to bed?”
“Yeah, I’m up now. Come on.”
“Yeah, okay. Thanks.” He smiles, finally, and crosses the threshold.
“Have you eaten?” I ask again.
“No. I actually came over to invite you round since I missed cooking for you last night.” He huffs. “Can’t believe I fell asleep.”
My kitchen is set up similarly to Sadie’s, in that it’s big and an open plan with an island and stools. I direct Charlie to sit on one of the stools.
He glances around, expression curious. “This is lovely.”
“Thanks.” I point to the kettle. “Coffee or tea?”
“Tea, please.”
I turn to fill the kettle and set about making our drinks.
“So what are your plans for your day off?”
Leaning against the worktop, I glance around my bare kitchen. Bare in the sense that it’s lacking any Christmas decorations. “I think I’m going to go pick out a tree and decorate my house.”
“Oh.” His eyes light up, like I’ve just told him the most exciting news ever.
“I can give you some to put in the annexe if you want?”
“Thanks, but there’s not really much point since I’m only there another few nights.”
The reminder that he’s leaving soon threatens to dampen the mood, and I don’t want that. So I float the idea that’s been in my head ever since talking to Vic and Sean. “Would you like to come with me?”
He frowns. “Where?”
“To get my tree.”
“From your Christmas tree farm?”
I snort. “It’d look pretty bad if I got it from anywhere else.”
