‘Right,’ said Seb. ‘We’d best get going.’
‘I’ll just get Bertie in his pyjamas, then I’ll be with you.’
‘Pyjamas? But it’s nowhere near bedtime,’ grumbled Bertie.
‘And you’re not going to bed yet. Maggie and Stephan have said you can stay up and watch TV with them, but if you’re already in your jimjams, that’s one less job for them.’
‘Fine,’ said Bertie, sighing as he followed me upstairs.
In the end, it took me a further half an hour before Bertie was in his pyjamas and I was ready to leave. ‘Sorry,’ I said, jumping into the Land Rover. ‘Bertie’s so excited about his first brass band concert tomorrow, he wouldn’t stop talking.’
‘Don’t worry, it will have given the wine longer to chill.’
‘Yum,’ I said, licking my lips at the thought.
As soon as we arrived at Seb’s cabin, he set about lighting a fire in the fire pit beside the porch. I settled down in a wicker chair, a blanket across my legs. Seb appeared with a bottle and two glasses and poured out the wine.
‘I’m sorry to drag you all the way out here, but I wanted to talk to you about something,’ said Seb, twisting the stem of his wine glass between his fingers.
‘About the project? Yes, I know, that’s why I’m here.’
‘No. I… we...’ He took my hand and laced his fingers into mine. ‘Am I imagining this?’
I looked at the man I’d grown to have so much respect for. The man I now considered among my best friends. The man I simultaneously knew so little about, yet felt I knew all I needed to. ‘No, you’re not imagining it.’
‘I don’t know if it’s residual feelings from when we were young, unfinished business, or something new that’s worth exploring. What I know is that now isn’t the right time to take things any further.’ Seb unlaced his fingers, holding his hands in his lap.
‘Right, I see.’
‘Liv, it’s not because I don’t want to. That’s not it at all.’
‘Then why?’
‘You’ve only been single for a couple of months and you’re about to embark on what could be a messy divorce. It wouldn’tbe fair to drag you into some new relationship when you’ve got all that going on.’
‘Isn’t that for me to decide?’
‘There are things I haven’t told you about my past. I don’t feel in a position to risk our friendship. You’re too important to me. What if you end up patching things up with Rob?’
‘Not going to happen.’
‘But you’ve not even seen him or spoken to him. How can you be so sure?’
‘I just am.’
‘I think we should wait. I’m prepared to wait for you as long as you need.’
‘And what if I meet up with Rob? What if I draw a line under my marriage and am a free agent?’
‘Then we can revisit this conversation.’
I downed the wine left in my glass and stood up.
‘Liv, there’s no need to go.’
‘Yes, there is. Seb, the feelings I have for you… at first, I thought I was just harking back to a teenage crush. Then I thought I was on the rebound. But now? Seb, I’ve never felt anything like this. I’ve never met anyone like you. So, yes, we will return to this conversation, but right now, there’s a call I need to make.’
I leaned over and kissed Seb’s cheek, then pulled back, my hand still on his neck. I turned to go, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to him. His lips met mine, our teeth clashed, his beard scratched my skin, but none of it mattered. He pulled me onto his lap, hands clasping locks of my hair as my own gripped his neck. And then he pulled away, breaking the spell.
