‘My dad’s here,’ said Hannah quietly, breaking the odd intimacy that had grown between them. Ellie turned to her with a start.
‘Already? Why’s he always so early?’ she cried. With a reluctant expression, she said to Alex, ‘We’ve got to go. It was lovely meeting you—’
‘Oh, she’s staying,’ Hannah said firmly, surprising them both. When Ellie opened her mouth to speak, Hannah quickly silenced her with a raised palm. ‘I have an early flight tomorrow, and I’m going straight to bed. I’ve had the best day, Ellie. So please stay out and have one more drink for me. In fact, I insist you stay out. You bloody deserve it.’ She fixed Alex with an unnervingly fierce look that he never would have expected from her. ‘I’m trusting you to show this wonderful woman a good time. Understand?’
He was a little afraid to disagree with her, but also more than a little pleased that Ellie wouldn’t be leaving after all.
She turned to Ellie and opened her arms. They hugged tightly for a minute, their heads buried in each other’s necks. When they pulled apart, he could see tears on both of their cheeks.
‘I’m going to miss you so much,’ whispered Ellie.
Hannah pressed trembling lips tightly together. ‘Thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you. If you’d not been so understanding—’
Ellie interrupted her. ‘Just promise me one thing.’
‘Anything.’
‘Have the best time. Go everywhere, drink all the drinks, eat all the food, go on all the trips. Just have thebesttime. Promise?’
‘I promise.’
They hugged in a touching display of friendship that he felt privileged to witness. His chest tightened as he thought of Liam – the brother he’d once thought of as a friend, but who had betrayed him in the worst possible way.
The two women separated and Hannah left, leaving him and Ellie alone.
Chapter Three
Ellie gave her unexpected companion a quick and furtive smile before looking around aimlessly in an attempt to not seem awkward. She immediately wished she hadn’t. People were beginning to stare at them. No one had looked their way until Alex had stood up, but he was like a magnet drawing them in. Some were just curious, others a little envious, but the worst ones were the sneers. She knew what they were thinking – what’s he doing withher?
Her stomach clenched at the silent judgement, but she forced herself to turn away from them and gaze out at London’s skyline instead. It had taken her years to ignore people like that, and, even though she refused to show it, their judgement still hurt.
She was convinced Alex would make an excuse and leave, so she was surprised when his body shifted closer.
This evening was getting more surreal by the minute. Not only was Alex ridiculously handsome, but he was also a film star, and he seemed more than content to ignore his fabulous friends to hang out with her.
‘Sorry, this is so weird. You don’t have to stay with me.’ She gulped back some more prosecco, aware that the buzz from her previous drink needed topping up, for her sanity more than anything else.
Alex was very tall, at least three or four inches over six foot, and even in her heels she reached just below his broad shoulders. His jet-black hair was cut in a rock and roll style, loose and choppy, curling around his forehead and neck in an effortlessly cool look. Occasionally, he ran his fingers through the silky strands, sweeping them out of his heavenly blue eyes,and her fingers itched to do the same, to stroke through his dark hair and entwine her arms around his neck.
She liked the cute, nerdy glasses he wore. He was every inch the Hollywood star turned theatre director, so much so it was almost like a costume. She was surprised his glasses weren’t held together with a piece of tape.
A Hollywood Clark Kent. No wonder it had taken her a while to recognise him. The last film she’d seen him in, his hair had been much shorter, and he’d played a sophisticated jewellery thief. She knew from the film that there was an impressive physique beneath that cotton polo shirt. He had a warm Californian accent that she found really appealing – the type of voice that made her melt like butter on hot toast. But there was also a depth and thoughtfulness to his manner. He seemed the type to read a Penguin Classic in the morning and ride a Harley in the afternoon, or surf some waves – something cool, anyway.
Which raised the question, why the hell was he still talking with her?
‘I think I’ll have more fun if I stay with you.’ At her raised eyebrow, he added, ‘I’m not very good at mingling. Honestly, you’re doing me a favour.’ He gave her a lopsided smile that cut off the oxygen to her brain for a full five seconds. ‘Some people find me a little… intense. I’m not exactly the life of the party lately.’
He looked so sad, she almost reached out to squeeze his thick bicep. But she was able to stop herself because thatwouldbe weird. ‘What happened?’
He looked away to the city sky. ‘You really don’t know? I thought it was on the front page of every gossip rag and website, I think there’s even a dance trend in my honour.’
‘Ah, I don’t really follow social media or gossip mags. They’re not good for anyone’s mental health. All those red circles of shame, all that rumour and click-bait? I spend most of myworking day dealing with the fallout from poor mental health, I don’t want to add to it.’ She paused and then added gently, ‘You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.’
His gaze shifted towards her, and he hesitated, biting his bottom lip for a moment, before speaking. ‘You’d probably think me pathetic. So, let’s just call it a bad break-up.’
The way he said it made her heart ache. He sounded broken and exhausted, and she wanted to take whoever had ripped up this beautiful man’s heart and snap them in two. But she doubted she would ever meet them, so she decided to cheer him up instead.
‘Pathetic? Oh, well, if I’d known this was going to be a pity party… The gloves are off, because I can beat your story,’ she teased, before taking a deep breath. ‘So, my best friend has left me to go live in Australia for a year – who knows, she may never come back…’ She tried to ignore the icy shiver that ran down her spine. ‘And I’m gutted. Not only because I’m going to miss Hannah like mad, but because it also means I’ve lost my flatmate, and I can’t afford to rent a place on my own. Or buy, as I’d hoped. We’d been saving towards a mortgage deposit for years. We’re best friends, single and earn the same crappy salary, so it makes sense to buy a place together. I’d even picked out the best block of flats for us, and we’d just been waiting for something to come up for sale. Except, Hannah suddenly realised she’d much rather spend her money on expanding her horizons – and who can blame her? But now I don’t have enough of a deposit to buy on my own. So, while Hannah’s going to explore the other side of the world, I’ll be back at home with my mum, nanna and brother while I save up the shortfall. It’s a huge step backwards that I’d hoped never to make, and it’s kind of depressing. But that’s nothing compared to my love life, which is theworst.The last date I went on, he stood me up halfway through the meal.’
