The stars hadn’t moved. A planet flickered. “It’s not like that.”
She settled into her seat. “If it’s not like that, then what’s it like? We know that you were friends at university but you’d been estranged since.”
“Why do you know that?”
“Research. And I’m not going to lie, one of the reasons we asked you was because of the possibility of a bit of chemistry.”
“We never had chemistry.”
“Not what we heard from one of your old classmates.” She gave a diamond smile.
I swallowed. Jonah? Surely Jonah would be the last person to advocate for the two of us together.
“Will Duke. You remember him? He’s at Battersea Dogs’ Home and I was talking to him. I mentioned Callum and he mentioned you. Said there’d been a ton of UST between you.”
“He must’ve been drugged.”
She laughed again. Jaime laughed a lot. It was equally endearing and irritating, how happy she was.
“He wasn’t and he’s right. What’s the score between the two of you?”
“There isn’t one. Seriously. Leave it at that.” I stood up, aware I sounded like an total bitch. “Sorry, Jaime, I know you’re just trying to be friendly.” Actually, I didn’t think she was. She was media through and through and was probably after more of an angle, one I didn’t feel like giving.
“Sure. But if you want to talk about anything, just give me a shout. Us girls need to stick together.”
“Thanks, I will.” I walked away, leaving the stars behind.
* * *
“There’ssomeone waiting to meet you at the airport.”
I looked at Mars who was tucking his phone away, his eyes on me.
“Who?” This was unanticipated. My stomach felt queasy.
Mars grinned. “It’s meant to be a surprise, but apparently you’ll be pleased.”
My eyes rolled hard enough to get stuck at the back of my head. Please tell me it wasn’t Matt. He’d left me more messages, none of which I’d read or returned. I’d effectively cut him out of my life, knowing that telling him as much would be pointless. I’d hoped he’d got the message.
Callum frowned at me. He’d kept his distance since I’d kissed him, pulling back, keeping to being with the rest of the crew so we weren’t on our own.
It was a rejection, one that I knew might happen when I’d chosen to throw myself at him.
“Trouble?” he said when he was close enough to not be heard.
“There’s only one person it’ll be.”
“Not your mum?”
I shook my head. “She’s too ill to fly.” I’d confided in him about her MS, an old diagnosis but one that had become progressively more dehabilitating for her in the last eighteen months.
“Matt?”
He’d remember his name.
“Possibly.”
Callum chuckled.
