She came to when the cold night air tightened her skin and made her shiver. Deb opened her eyes.
They sat on a bench at the side of the castle, on a sheltered patio that overlooked the castle gardens. The sounds of the party thumped behind them, but out here it was tranquil. A light breeze stirred the leaves of the nearby trees, and Deb blinked at the castle’s topiary garden, which was lit up with fairy lights in the same way as the drive on the way in. Kyle sat next to her.
‘What… what happened?’ She swallowed; her mouth was dry. ‘How did I get out here?’
‘I carried you,’ Kyle replied, looking concerned. ‘You passed out. Thought you could do with some air.’
‘I passed out?’ She sat up, realising that she had been leaning on him. ‘You didn’t have to… I mean… thank you.’
‘That’s okay.’ Kyle handed her a glass which she recognised as containing a half-drunk Clan Cameron cocktail. ‘Here. Have a few sips. You could probably use the scotch, and the sugar.’
‘Thanks.’ She took it and sipped the drink. ‘Hm. That’s delicious, actually,’ she commented, not yet feeling that she had totally returned to the real world.
‘Yeah, it is.’ He watched her. ‘So, what was that all about?’
‘I have no idea. I’ve never fainted.’ Deb took in a deep breath. ‘But I have been feeling really tired. I think with the past week, all the party organising… usually I’d manage it fine, but I guess with the recovery from the op…’ she trailed off.
‘That’s understandable.’ Kyle watched her face, seriously.
‘It’s cold out here,’ she added. Her shawl had come off, and she was just in her dress.
‘Here.’ He took off the suit jacket he was wearing and draped it around her shoulders.
‘Oh, no! You’ll get cold!’ Deb protested, to which he tutted.
‘Don’t be daft. I’m not the one that just passed out.’
‘Well, all right, then, I suppose.’ Deb pulled the jacket around herself gratefully. ‘Thanks.’
‘Welcome.’
For a moment, neither of them said anything. Kyle stared out at the garden, but Deb could see that he had something on his mind.
‘You dead fainted against Dotty. I ran over because she couldn’t hold you up, and people were just standing there, watching,’ he explained.
’Thank you. Again,’ she added.
‘It’s no bother. Would have done it for anyone,’ he said, shortly.
‘Right,’ she replied. There was another silence.
We are good at awkward silences, she thought.
‘Well, maybe I wouldn’t have run to help just anyone,’ he said, after a pause. ‘I’ve actually been wanting to talk to you for a while, Deb. I guess now is as good a time as any.’
‘That sounds ominous.’ She looked up into his light blue eyes. They could be icy, but now they were filled with an intensity she hadn’t seen before.
‘I hope it isn’t,’ he said, looking away for a moment. ‘Deb… I need to say something to you.’
‘Okay…’
‘This isn’t easy for me. I’m not a romantic guy, as a rule.’ He exhaled.Romantic?Deb’s heart started beating faster: she couldn’t control it. ‘But I have to say this. When we met, I was going through some difficult stuff. And I know that you thought I was kind of an idiot. Iwasan idiot. I was rude to you.’
‘You were,’ Deb agreed. ‘But we got past that. Or so I thought.’
‘So did I. I feel like we really connected. But then… I felt like you pushed me away. And then I found out that you were back with your ex.’
‘I wasn’t. I’m not. If you’d bothered to ask me directly, and not listen to gossip, you would have known that,’ Deb sighed. ‘We met for a coffee. He wanted us to get back together, and I guess I thought about it for a while. I was lonely. I felt like I couldn’t do any better. Then I realised that wasn’t really a good way to look at life.’ Deb pulled Kyle’s jacket around her shoulders.
