I peer at Anders and Mrs Ramirez who are looking from me to Seth and back again, mega-intense smiles on theirfaces.
‘They made me wear this jumper and antlers,’ Seth says, awkwardly pushing his glasses up his nose. ‘If it were up to me, I’d be looking much coolerrightnow.’
‘Well you don’t look like a Christmas gift in any old shirt and pants!’ Mrs Ramirezpointsout.
Anders nods inagreement.
A small smile lifts the corners of mymouth.
‘We will leave you two alone…’ Anders says, giving me a little wave with hisbonyhand.
Mrs Ramirez continues to stare at us, beaming, until Anders has to physically drag her out oftheroom.
My heart jolts as Seth gives me a daft smile. My body, which (apart from a couple ofAtonementre-watches) has been fairly dormant in Manchester, lights right back upagain.
Manalive.
I sit down on one of Anders’ stiff velvet armchairs. Seth sits opposite me on themauvesofa.
Then I notice that he’s holding a small stack of letters, tied with a goldribbon.
I frown.Weird…
‘Hey,’ Seth says. ‘It’s good toseeyou.’
‘Hello…’ I reply, noticing that he looks a lot more groomed than when I first met him. His usually messy long hair has a sharper cut now. His shoulders are broader, like he’s been working out. His clothes areironed. I guess that’s what happens when you start to get famous. ‘What are you doing here?’Iask.
‘Birdieinvitedme.’
I frown. ‘What? How? What are you talkingabout?’
Seth picks up the stack of letters and waves thematme.
‘What?’
He gives a small single shoulder shrug. ‘We were… kind of pen pals for awhile.’
My jaw drops open. Birdie and her letters! What has she been playing at! How has she…? Whyhasshe…?
I eagerly reach my hand out for the letters. Seth places the stack into my hand, his fingers briefly touching mine, giving me a little electricshock.
I pull a letter out of one of the envelopes. And sure enough, there is Birdie’s loopy handwriting in a missive dated from sixmonthsago.
I goggle at the letters, emotion bubbling up in mychest.
Seth smiles at me. ‘She wrote to me because she thought I should be made aware that you weren’t engaged. That it was a fib you made up on the plane and that you didn’t tell me because I hatedliars.’
I nod, in complete disbelief that Birdie wrote to Seth and didn’t even tell me! Just like her to be so obnoxious. And… amazing. Even now she’s managing tosurpriseme!
‘You know that’s why I cooled off after our night together?’ Seth says, sitting forward on thesettee.
I give him aquizzicallook.
‘I knew after we… um…’ hetrailsoff.
‘Didit.’
‘Yeah,it. I knew that I was falling for you. I think I knew earlier than that, if I’m being honest. I think I knew that rainy day in the Upper West Side. The day you lost your letter and followed me to thetheatre.’
