I sink down onto one of the pews and think back to the way his dark-blue eyes seemed to sear into my soul as I waited to photograph his reaction to seeing Zara in her wedding dress.
It hurt so much.
I loved him. A part of me still does, even now.
I feel wrong for even thinking that, considering how raw I am about Lachie, but Ihaven’tmanaged to close the door on the past.
Bridget is right. Ididthink Alex was my soulmate. But it clearly wasn’t meant to be. Every time fate has thrown him into my life, the timing has been terribly wrong.
I met him at Polly’s hen night, when I was only in the UK for a fortnight from Australia.
I saw him on the escalators going up when I was heading down, and, even though he didn’t wait for me, our lives collided again that same morning when we discovered we were working together. He was already engaged to Zara.
And then everything with Zara came crashing down and Alex finally declared his love for me but, by then, Lachie was embedded in my life.
Now I’m single. Is he?
The timing is still wrong. I know this. I’ve just broken up with Lachie and I’m nowhere near over him.
But still…
I never did get that closure. My meeting with Alex in Sydney was too brief, too unfulfilling. Am I really going to walk away from another opportunity to lay the past to rest?
I pull out the card that’s been burning a hole in my bag and scan the address. I could call him, of course, but where’s the fun in that?
With my heels clicking over the cobblestones, I head towards the Tube station.
Time to kick fate in the balls and take matters into my own hands.
Alex’s new office block is in a quiet side street off Camden’s hectic market centre. My heart is pounding in my chest as I walk up the stairs and pull on the glass door.
It doesn’t budge.
My eyes drift to the intercom. Damn! So much for turning up unannounced. I take a deep breath and press the buzzer.
‘Hello?’ a male voice answers.
‘Is Alex there?’ I ask.
‘He’s just popped out. Is he expecting you?’
‘Er, no.’
‘Can I ask your name?’
I hesitate, my finger on the button.
‘Bronte?’
My heart leaps into my throat as I spin around, coming face to face with Alex.
His eyes are wide, even more blue than usual, it seems.
‘What are you doing here?’ He looks shocked. He’s holding two takeaway coffee mugs nestled into a single cardboard tray.
‘I’ve just been to see Simon. He gave me your card.’
‘So you thought you’d drop by and give me a heart attack?’
