Raj tips his head back slightly, looking up at the night’s sky. ‘The best. Just needed some air, though. Imighthave had too much to drink.’ He gives Alfie a lopsided smile.
‘If you can’t have too much to drink on your wedding day, when can you?’
‘Quite right!’ Raj straightens himself in the chair. ‘Hey, Tilly was great today, wasn’t she?’
A shiver runs through Alfie’s body just at the mention of her name. Tilly. Whose mouth was just on his, her hands on his skin.
‘She was.’
‘It can’t have been an easy day but it meant so much to Harper to have her here. I swear she would have refused to get married at all if Tils wasn’t there. I’ve got her to thank for this …’ Raj lifts up his hand, displaying his new gold wedding band. ‘Man, I can’t believe I’m married.’ He stares at the ring for a moment, his eyes glazing slightly.
‘I know Tilly really wanted to be here. And it’s been a great day. Congratulations.’
‘Thanks, mate.’ Raj lets out a sigh. ‘We’re going to miss her, though. But it’s great news for her.’
‘Sorry?’
‘Tilly’s new job in New York. Harper’s going to be a mess when she leaves, but I know she’ll find loads of excuses to visit. And it’s her dream job – opportunities don’t come along like that every day.’
A roar of laughter comes from the other end of the balcony, making Raj turn in the direction of the sound, but all Alfie can think about is the ringing in his ears and the way the air feels suddenly very cold.
‘Right, I’d better go say hi to my friends. But you have a good rest of the night, yeah? And thanks again for coming. She’s lucky to have a friend like you.’
When Tilly returns with the drinks, Alfie is gone. She searches the balcony for him, spotting Raj instead. He raises a hand in greeting.
‘Hey, Tils. Alfie said to say he’s sorry but he had to go. I think the cocktails might not have agreed with him. And I might have had one too many myself …’
She places the drinks down on a table, hastily smoothing her hair where it is still tangled from Alfie’s hands. She recalls the sound of his throaty groans and the feeling of his hand cupping her face …
But he must have regretted the kiss. And maybe he is right. Maybe it’s for the best. Where could it have led, really?
Just because kissing Alfie has made her feel more alive than she’s felt in a long time, it doesn’t mean it’s worth upending her life for. Does it?
Book Lane Recommends
The best festive fiction
A Christmas Carolby Charles Dickens
The Christmas Bookshopby Jenny Colgan
The Night Before Christmasby Clement C. Moore
A Snow Garden and Other Storiesby Rachel Joyce
55
Primrose Hill is dressed for Christmas. Lights are strung between the buildings and little fir trees line the pavements. Tilly winds her scarf tighter around her neck as she passes the greengrocer’s and plant shop where she bought a potted tree at the weekend, decorating it with Joe’s decorations and a new one she made last week – a letter ‘J’ crocheted in red wool.
She walks past the bakery, breathing in the smell of cinnamon and hot chocolate as people queue for pains au chocolat, cinnamon swirls and freshly baked mince pies. At the florist’s the buckets of red roses that sit among branches of holly and pine make Tilly think back to Harper’s wedding. Harper sent photos yesterday of her and Raj surrounded by monkeys on their honeymoon in Thailand. They will be back just before Christmas, which Tilly has insisted on hosting in her flat, even if it will mean sitting elbow to elbow around the tiny dining table. She wants to make the most of one last Christmas there.
She continues down the street towards the bookshop, ready to collect her final book of the year and to talk to Alfie. They haven’t seen each other since the wedding, Alfie busy with the pre-Christmas rush. She wants to tell him her news in person, even if she isn’t certain how he will react. But when she approaches the red shopfront of Book Lane she stops, staring at the red banner strung across the window.
CLOSING DOWN SALE
EVERYTHING MUST GO
Her heart clenches and her breath catches in her throat. There are ‘sale’ stickers on all the books in the window and a sign taped to the glass.
