Our schmaltzy moment is broken by Maxim telling us that dinner is served.
The twelve of us on the tour, plus Maxim and the guides, are seated on tables side-on to the view so that no-one has their back to it.
Maxim informs us that now that we all know each other a bit better he’s shaking things up a bit, so couples are now seated diagonally opposite each other rather than next to each other.
‘We’re still on the same table, though?’ Judith whispers to me as we sit down.
‘Yes, not exactly thebiggestshake-up in the world,’ I agree.
Except… I’ve grown hugely accustomed today to being right next to Dominic and I almostmisshim now that he’s only opposite me. I feel like… I’d like to sit right next to him forever.
Which is ridiculous, I tell myself sternly. That ship sailed over a decade ago. We were not meant to be then, and we are not meant to be now, for many reasons, not least because to him this probably doesn’t even mean anything. Right now, he’s charming Charlotte with a story that I can’t quite hear, which is making her giggle alot. He’s probably just being charming to me because of our proximity. And maybe that’s why I’m finding myself so drawn to him. Proximity. The romantic location.
He does have a very,verynice profile, though, I muse to myself. And that’s the point, isn’t it. Heisvery handsome. And wehavebeen thrown together.Anyonewould be feeling attracted to him at this point. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s like if you were on holiday with a gorgeous movie star who’d turned out to be surprisingly nice. You’d find him attractive too.
‘Great punchline,’ Mike says very heartily next to me, in response to a story that Alex-the-sniper has just told both of us. I smile and nod, even though I didn’t hear a word of it.
Something has just occurred to me.
This is an amazing, out-of-this-world experience. I’m loving spending time with Dominic. He seems to be enjoying spending time with me. We’re both single. There are many,manyreasons that I would not like to be in an actual relationship with him. It’s only been a few months since Jed and I split up after a long relationship and I’m not ready for another one. And when I am ready, I would like to be in a relationship with someone who Iknowwould be in it for life, even if it didn’t ultimately work out. That wouldn’t be Dominic. He’sfamousfor his short-term flings and heart-breaking capabilities.
But if I go into a very short-term fling with him with my eyes open, then my heart won’t be broken. And I think I fell in lust at first sight with him all those years ago, and I’m right back there now, and, yep, if we happened to kiss, for example, there’d be nothing wrong with that. Because he’sgorgeous.
He glances at me from across the table and gives me a slow smile that honestly just turns my insides to complete mush.
This is nothing like love. Love at first (or second) sight does not happen. This is pure lust. Knowing that, it surely wouldn’t hurt to act on it…
10
DOMINIC
Flavia is making me laugh.
We’re eating our main course of the lodge dinner – possibly the best steak I’ve ever had in my life – and the conversation has ended up in an amicable squabble about the pronunciation of the word ‘goatee’. We got here because Flavia likened a springbok to a beardless goat, and then – as though struck by an entirely original and exceptionally genius thought – exclaimed, ‘Oh my goodness, a goatee beard must come from a goat.’
Flavia and Charlotte think the second syllable of the word goatee is emphasised. Kris and Iknowthat the first syllable is emphasised.
‘It needs to be distinguished from the wordgoaty,’ says Flavia.
‘But that’s where it obviouslycamefrom, as you just said,’ I say for maybe the seventeenth time. ‘Which surely indicates that thatishow it’s pronounced. You’ve watched too much American TV. Goateeis blatantly an Americanism.’
‘Dominic.’ She points her fork at me. ‘You are denying the evolution of language.’
‘Youare denying the purity of the English language.’
She shakes her head very sorrowfully. ‘So deeply set in your ways at the age of only thirty-five.’
‘Sorry?’ I offer.
She shakes her head very seriously. ‘Nope. Sorry is not good enough. I can accept nothing less than you calling it a goateebeard.’
‘I cannot do that unfortunately. Because it is completely wrong.’
She narrows her eyes at me. ‘How do you pronounce ice cream?’
Despite having grown up in the same village with, you would think, the same accent, we find that we do not agree on the pronunciation of ice cream, magazine, Amsterdam or adult.
Eventually, Flavia shakes her head in mock despair and says, ‘Tomahto, tomayto. We have literallynothingin common.’
