He sits up and runs a hand through his hair. ‘You were right. Alfie doesn’t need all the adults around him squabbling and fighting. When Molly and I both lived in London, it was simpler. Every time I went to her flat, Rory wasn’t there. I would put Alfie in his buggy, and we would go out, or I would play with him on his activity mat. When she moved here and told me Rory was moving in with her, everything changed. It was like his betrayal actually magnifiedherbetrayal, and I felt a hundred times worse.’ I watch him gaze out across the park. ‘The last few years, all this resentment and anger have been bubbling away inside of me. When I stopped writing, I came undone.’
We both go silent and listen to the evening breeze rustling the leaves on the trees behind us.
He places his hand over mine. ‘I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you and the late nights.’
I smile. ‘It’s okay. I have missed you, Oliver.’
He leans in and presses his soft, warm lips against mine. His kiss is slow and sensual. Once we pull apart, he strokes my cheek. ‘I’ve missed you too.’
‘A lot has happened since you left.’
‘Tell me.’
‘Eva, my friend, is going to be my new flatmate,’ I explain, feeling a prickle of worry. Perhaps Oliver thinks he’s going to move back in?
With a smile, he puts his arm across my shoulders. ‘That’s good. I can date you properly now.’
‘Really?’
He nods. ‘I’m living at Jamie’s for the time being until I can buy somewhere. It will be nice to be able to take you…’ His words fade away, and something flickers across his face. He remembers my anxiety. ‘Are you going to be honest with me? I’ve had a feeling you’ve been hiding something. In my story, you were like Mary, burdened by some terrible secret.’
I take a breath. ‘I related to her.’
Taking my hand, he looks into my eyes. ‘Whatever it is, I will still be by your side.’
I take a deep breath.
This is it. The crucial moment. I look into his dark eyes and he strokes my cheek. ‘Nelly, you mean the world to me. I am not going anywhere.’
‘OK…’ I take a deep breath, ‘When I touch people, I see visions in my head. They’re about things that happen in the future.’
He casts me a puzzled look.
‘I’ve always regarded it as a curse.’
He’s giving me a look of surprise. ‘A curse? What, like someone has put a spell on you?’
‘I see how love ends. Mostly I see break-ups, cheating and sudden deaths.’
‘That sounds intense.’ I watch him thinking about what I’ve said. ‘That’s why you don’t go out – isn’t it?’
‘Yes. It’s draining when all you see inside your head is a constant stream of dating spoilers.’
‘Why do you think you’ve been cursed? It sounds more like a special ability to me.’
‘My aunt says I have a gift, but I have always viewed it as a curse. I see so many visions. They always come true. When I touch someone, I get a flash of white light and then I see how their love ends. The visions always come true. There’s no time limit on them.’
I look at him and try to catch the words precariously balancing on the tip of my tongue. They tumble out of my lips. ‘I don’t see anything with you.’
His eyebrows arch with surprise. ‘Nothing at all?’
I shake my head.
A grin spreads across his face. ‘I always knew I was special.’
We both start to laugh.
‘What does it mean?’ he asks after we’ve both stopped laughing. ‘Wow – so with me, you have no spoiler alerts?’
