Page 24 of It Was Always You

He glanced at his watch. Six thirty. He had showered already and chosen what to wear – black trousers and a blue shirt – but he had paced up and down with excitement so much that he was on the verge of needing to shower again. The doorbell chimed the arrival of someone, and he dashed down the stairs to the front door.

Flinging the door open, he was greeted by a curly-haired, tanned Lily, standing there in a pretty lilac dress with a huge grin on her face.

‘Adders!’ She jumped into his arms and he swung her around.

‘Cheesy! I’ve missed you.’ He planted a kiss on the side of her face as she buried her head in his neck.

‘How are you doing, Pee Pants?’

‘Oy… I’m great actually. Not even your name calling can squash my mood.’

‘Erm, may I remind you that you started it?’

‘No, you may not. Now are you coming in to wait for the cab or am I shutting the door in your face?’ Lily looked skyward and tapped her chin as if pretending to decide. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in. ‘God, you never grow up, do you?’

She scrunched her face in mock disgust. ‘Not if I can help it.’

He went through to the tiny kitchen and pulled two bottles of cold beer from the fridge. ‘So, where’s this man you’ve been swooning over?’

‘Bodhi? Oh, he… erm… had to stay in New Zealand. Couldn’t get the time off work, you know how it is.’

‘What is it he does again?’

She blushed. ‘He’s an underwear model at the moment. But he wants to be a chef,’ she informed him. ‘He’s a bloody good cook.’

‘Aye, but enough about his bedroom skills, what’s his food like?’

She smacked his arm playfully. ‘I said cook and you know I did.’ She took a long gulp of her beer. ‘He’s a great guy.’ She looked wistful.

‘I sense a “but” and I’m not talking about the sexy one he keeps in his boxers.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘God, you are in a good mood today. Your jokes are worse than normal.’

He pulled a face at her. ‘So… the “but”?’

She sighed and placed her beer bottle on the kitchen countertop. ‘I get the impression he’s really into me. The “L” word hasn’t been mentioned yet…’

‘Ahhh. So he doesn’t know you’re a lesbian then?’

She smacked him again and he laughed heartily. ‘Will you bloody stop with the shitty jokes, Adders. You asked me a serious question, and I am trying to give you a serious answer.’

He held his hands up in surrender. ‘Sorry, sorry. Please continue.’

‘I don’t think it’ll be long until he tells me he loves me.’ She cringed.

He scrunched his brow. ‘And you don’t feel the same?’

She shook her head slowly, gazing down at the label on her beer bottle.

‘But you enjoy his company, you have amazing sex, and he’s as fit as they come. I don’t get it, Lil? What’s the problem?’

‘It’s hard to explain. But I just… I don’t feel that way about him. I’ve tried really hard, believe me I have.’

Adam slipped an arm around her shoulder. ‘That’s the thing though, if you have to try really hard then it’s not meant to be.’ He squeezed her into his side. ‘You shouldn’t have to try to love someone. You either do or you don’t. What are you going to do?’

‘That’s just it. I really don’t know. I’m supposed to go back there in a month. But I’m thinking about not going back at all.’

He squeezed her again. ‘Ah. I wish it was different. But having said that, if it did turn out you’d fallen for him, you’d probably move to the other side of the bloody world and I’d never see you. Can’t say I’m a fan of that scenario.’