Well done, Martin.Let him know what a complete idiot you are.
Jamie smiles, and my knees threaten to give way.
Don’t do it, Captain.Don’t even smile at me, or I’ll never get you out of my system.
“I’m sorry you’re in this mess,” I say.
“Hmm?”
“I didn’t know you were there.I didn’t see your car in the driveway.”
“I parked on the other side of the road.”
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have stopped.”
Jamie nods; the smile is gone.“Are you trying to avoid me?”
“What?No!”
“You literally just said that.”
“I just want to make things easier.”
“Do you honestly think not seeing each other makes it easier?”
The question catches me off guard.
“Does it actually help you?Does not seeing me really help?”He steps closer, his breath warm against my face.“Not seeing you is driving me insane, Doctor, but seeing you is even worse.Seeing you and not touching you…” He reaches for me, then pulls back.“It’s tearing me apart.”
“Er… excuse me.”A voice behind us makes us both turn.“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” James says.“But dinner’s ready.”
“No problem, James.We’re done,” I reply.
He turns and walks off.I start after him, but Jamie’s hand closes around my arm.
“Are we done?”he asks, his voice cracking.“Are we over, you and me?”
God, Captain.I would never choose to end us, but it’s better to live with a broken heart than have it ripped out of your chest.
“We have nothing left to say to each other.”
Chapter46
Jamie
There are far too many of us crammed around this table; everyone’s talking over everyone else.The voices crash together until they’re just noise.I’ve no hope of catching what anyone’s actually saying.My head is spinning, my chest is tight.I scan the table for the Doctor, but he’s miles away at the other end.I can’t see his face, don’t know if he’s eating, if he’s looking at me, if he’s even breathing.
Damn O’Connors.I’m never letting them drag me into this house again.Now everyone knows our little secret — a secret that never should’ve existed in the first place.
“I have something to tell you.”Ian’s voice cuts through the noise.
Riley squeezes Ian’s hand in support while Ryan locks his gaze on his brother.
“I’ll be straight with you.This will be my last season.”
I watch closely, pulse hammering, waiting for the first sign that someone at the table is about to lose it.
“You know how it is,” Ian says, his voice shaking.“This has been my dream come true, because of all of you.But you have to know when to stop.It’s my time now.”
