Brooke eyed me suspiciously. ‘And how do you know all that?’ she demanded.
‘Penny has invited us. Rory and me. Callie and Brodie heard we were related to you two and seem to have decided that we’re part of this community now – at least while we’re here.’
Brooke glanced over at the armchair. ‘How long are you here anyway?’ she asked, whether on her own behalf or Danny’s I wasn’t sure.
‘We leave tomorrow morning,’ I said.
Brooke was clearly listening to Danny. ‘And will you ever come back, or is that it?’ she asked reluctantly.
‘Honestly? I have no idea. Right now, I don’t know if Rory and I will be together by the end of the day, so that’s one problem. And then there’s how you two feel. I don’t know if you’d want us to come back after all this.’
If Danny had a reply to this Brooke didn’t want to pass it on. She turned and stared pointedly out of the window, leaving me to sit in awkward silence, wondering if Danny was also quiet or if he was ranting and raving at me.
‘I wish I could see you, Danny,’ I said softly. ‘I wish I could hear what you’re saying. I miss you.’
Tears rolled down my cheeks suddenly as I realised it was true. I did miss him. He’d been my best friend once upon a time, and I’d never stopped loving him. The fact that I wasn’t in love with him didn’t change that.
You couldn’t not love Danny. He was way too nice.
* * *
Danny
Kirsty looked older. That was the thing that struck Danny the most as he watched her, awkward and vulnerable, struggling to put into words whatever it was she’d come here to say.
Well, of course she’d got older. He’d known she must have. Even so, seeing her like this was weird. He tried to work it out in his mind. He was twenty-nine and he’d died eighteen years ago. Kirsty had been nearly twenty-seven, so that must make her…
His eyes widened. She’d be forty-five in June! Middle-aged. She was still attractive, but it was hard seeing the fine lines around her eyes. Like she’d well and truly left him behind.
‘I missed you too,’ he told her. ‘I’m happy to see you, and – and you look as beautiful as ever.’
Brooke bit her lip and gave him an odd look, but she dutifully repeated what he’d said.
Kirsty gave a weary laugh. ‘I look older,’ she said. ‘I expect I must look ancient to you both now.’
Danny and Brooke exchanged glances, and he was grateful when she made no comment to confirm Kirsty’s suspicions.
‘I never meant to hurt you,’ Kirsty said suddenly, ‘but I know I have, and I’m so sorry about that. Rory and I – we both love you. It was the most unexpected thing that happened between us. I mean, come on. You know yourself that I hardly ever saw Rory when you were… living with me. I know you two met up after work sometimes and at your mum and dad’s house, but he was just your big brother to me. Nothing more. It was only afterwards that we started to get to know each other, and it was years –yearsbefore we saw each other as anything more than friends. I swear it.’
Danny sighed. ‘I already know that. Rory’s explained it.’
As Brooke repeated what he’d said, Kirsty burst out, ‘He might know it, but does hefeelit? Does he believe it?’
She raised an eyebrow at the armchair.
Danny wished she could see him, make eye contact with him. Right now, she was looking somewhere in the region of his left shoulder which was quite disconcerting.
After some hesitation he said, ‘Yes. I believe it. I know you and Rory would never do anything behind my back or deliberately hurt me.’
He noticed there was a hint of sarcasm in Brooke’s voice when she repeated his words.
‘It still hurt though. And it hurts that you didn’t come with Rory to tell me.’
‘I know,’ Kirsty said when Brooke told her what he’d added. ‘I can imagine it would. Thing is, Danny, I’ve always been a coward. It’s taken me every ounce of courage I possess to come here and face you today.’
She laughed bitterly. ‘And then I can’t even see you! But I know you can see me, and I know you can hear me, and that’s all that really matters. The thing is, Danny, I think it’s time you knew the truth.’
Brooke’s eyes widened and she stared at Kirsty like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Her glance flew to Danny then back to Kirsty again.
