He went into the airport with her and waited while she checked in, then walked with her to the security area and gave her a lingering goodbye kiss.
‘Thanks again,’ Claire said. ‘I had a lovely time.’
‘I’ll call you from New York. And I’ll get over to Dublin as soon as I can after I get back.’
‘That’d be great. Well, I’d better go.’ She gave him another quick kiss before turning to go through security.
In the cab from the airport she rang Luca. She was anxious to speak to him. He’d said they’d still be friends, but she was worried they’d drift apart now they were no longer sleeping together, and she wanted to make sure that didn’t happen.
‘Hey, sweetheart.’ She was instantly reassured by the warmth in his voice. He was her friend, she thought, and that wasn’t going to change.
‘Can I come round tomorrow night after work?’ she asked. ‘If you’re not busy, that is.’
‘Yeah, of course. How was your weekend?’
‘Great. It was really nice. But I’ll tell you about it when I see you.’
‘Okay.’
‘I’m in a taxi, and I’m almost home, so I’d better go. But I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Can’t wait.’
The following evening Luca felt unaccountably nervous as he waited for Claire to arrive. He was looking forward to seeing her, yet there was a strange feeling of dread in his gut at the same time. What was that about?
Still, when he opened the door and found her standing on the step, laden with carrier bags as usual, those other feelings melted away and he was just happy to see her.
‘Claire!’ He pulled her into a hug, then ushered her in. ‘You look great!’
He took some of her bags from her as they headed for the stairs. ‘You’ll have to stop doing this,’ he said, nodding to the bags.
‘It’s nothing much,’ she said gruffly.
In the flat, she dumped a couple of the bags by the sofa, then went to the kitchen to help Luca unpack the rest.
‘Mm, airport goodies,’ he said, as he unloaded smoked salmon, Toblerone, red wine and champagne. ‘Are we having a celebration?’
‘Well, I thought we could have a sort of graduation ceremony,’ Claire said, taking out the champagne. ‘I bought this on the way over, so it’s already cold.’
‘Great.’ Luca got glasses out of the cupboard, and Claire opened the champagne with a loud pop. She poured slowly, giving the bubbles time to subside.
‘Cheers!’ Luca clinked his glass against hers. Then they went into the living room and sat on the sofa.
‘These are for you,’ she said, picking up the bags beside her and passing them to him. ‘Sorry they’re not wrapped.’
‘What’s all this?’ He took them from her.
‘It’s just a present, for being such a good teacher.’
‘Claire, you shouldn’t be spending your money on me.’
‘It’s not much.’
He pulled two T-shirts from the first bag, unfolding them and holding them up. ‘These are great – I love them.’ The other bag had a large shoebox containing a pair of heavy boots. He smiled, brought back to the night he had met Claire. They were similar to the ones he had been wearing then, except these were in one piece. It was such a thoughtful present.
‘Not very exciting, I’m afraid.’
‘They’re brilliant. Thank you.’
