I’ve been watching, rapt, as he’s spoken about something he clearly loves with a passion. I have so many questions, but when he meets my eyes I forget them all.
‘What sort of job are you hoping to do?’ I ask, wrestling my concentration back under control.
‘Well, I’m going back to uni at the end of September to do a master’s in astrophysics, but after that, I’m not sure. I’minterested in the research that’s being done into space weather.’
‘I didn’t even know therewassuch a thing.’
‘There are these large explosions on the sun known as coronal mass ejections and they can spew out billions of tons of charged particles and magnetic field into space. When these disturbances reach Earth, they can trigger geomagnetic storms and increase particle radiation levels, which causes all sorts of disruptions to power grids and satellites. More research is needed to work out how it affects the weather and climate. Sorry, I’m going off on one.’
‘No, you’re not.’
He sounds really fucking smart.
He wraps his hand around his ice-cold glass and draws it closer. I’m staring as his lips quirk slightly at the corners, and when I lift my gaze, his eyes are already on mine.
‘Pool?’ he asks.
‘Is there a table free?’
‘Those people have just finished.’ He lifts his chin in the direction of a couple on their way to the bar.
‘Okay.’
I haven’t played pool in years. Not since Stella and I hung out at the pub where her older brother worked – he used to give us free games when we popped in to see him.
‘Do you want to break?’ Ash asks as he racks up.
‘No, go for it.’
The balls scatter as he takes his shot, then he turns to me and holds out the cue. Our fingers brush as I go to take it and,for a beat, our eyes lock and hold. He releases it with a small smile and my belly does a slow somersault.
I want him.
But I can’t have him, I remind myself. We’re going our separate ways tomorrow.
There’s always tonight, the voice in my head whispers.
No. No casual flings. I know my triggers and I can’t handle that.
I try to focus on my shot, but I slip and put barely any power behind the white ball.
‘Competitive?’ Ash asks, eyes sparkling as I let out an annoyed yelp.
‘Yes!’ I snap jokily, reaching out to give his shoulder a small push, but he’s too quick for me and he catches my wrist. ‘But only when it comes to games,’ I clarify as my heart hiccups inside my chest.
We’re standing inches apart, my wrist in his firm grip, and I wish he’d use it to pull me even closer.
‘I’m not competitive anywhere else in life,’ I add, sounding a bit breathless.
‘I’m the same,’ he replies, his voice low.
We’re still waiting for my ball to come to a stop, and he’s yet to release me. I feel edgy with awareness of his body, the air between us sparking as we watch the ball creep forward. It looks as though it will land a mile off the pocket, but then it slowly turns and begins to veer left. My eyes widen with delight.
‘Oh my God!’ Ash exclaims with outrage as it drops neatlyinto the pocket I was aiming for. ‘This table has got such a lean on it!’
‘Ooh, youarecompetitive,’ I tease as his grip on my wrist tightens momentarily before he lets me go.
Ireallylike the feeling of his hands on my skin.
