Page 51 of It Was Always You

Adam.

Heat rose in her cheeks. ‘Erm… nothing, I was just… erm… sleeping and you woke me.’

He chuckled down the line. ‘Oh yeah? Did I wake you from a cheeky dream or something?’

How the hell? ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Adders, I just had to hunt for my phone. I thought maybe it was an emergency or something and I panicked. That’s all. Good grief.’

His laugh got louder. ‘I think the lady doth protest too much,’ he replied in an annoying sing-song voice.

She huffed. ‘Okay… you got me… you and I were in the throes of passion, Adam. Is that better?’

He stopped laughing. ‘All right, stroppy cow. So you weren’t having a dirty dream. I was only jesting.’ He sounded sulky. Good grief, he’s even oblivious to the bloody truth!

She sighed in exasperation. ‘What do you want, Adders?’

‘I was just sitting here feeling bored and wondered if you fancied getting a take-away or something? We could watch that new true crime thing on Netflix maybe?’

She rubbed her eyes. ‘Yeah… okay. What time is it?’

‘It’s… erm… almost seven.’ Shit, she had been asleep hours.

‘Okay. Give me half an hour to get a shower and change. You can pick something up on the way over. I’ll have my usual. I’ve got wine.’ And with that she hung up, threw herself back into the bed, and blew out a long breath. Her thoughts flitted back to her dream and shivers traversed her spine. She covered her face with her hands and fought the threatening wave of sadness. If only it had been real.

TRACK 23

‘BACK IN THE SADDLE’ (AEROSMITH)

May 2024 – almost two years since Eve’s death

Adam stood in front of his mirror reluctantly combing his thick dark hair. ‘I seriously cannot fecking believe I let you talk me into this, Lil. It’s not even been two years and you’re trying to marry me off again already. Do I cramp your style that bloody much?’

She giggled at his sulky face. ‘Oh, shut up, you misery. And stop swearing. She sounded really nice. And no, I’m not trying to marry you off. I’m trying to get you back out there.’

He snorted in derision. ‘I don’t want to get back out there. And if I did I could find someone by myself. I cannot fecking believe you set me up on a dating site! What were you thinking?’

What she had been thinking was that they both needed to move on. Adam from living in the past, and Lily from pining over Adam. She had been dating too and had met a couple of really nice guys. She was trying her best.

Six months ago, she had started a new job working for an international travel vlog company that had taken her all over Europe and America, meaning she wasn’t around as much for Adam physically. Setting up his profile had been a risky thing to do but she knew he was lonely and that in spite of his words, he wouldn’t actively get out there to try and meet someone.

She shrugged. ‘You wouldn’t try the apps, and this was the next best thing.’

‘No, I wouldn’t use the apps for a valid reason, Lil. Attraction isn’t just about how someone looks. You know this as well as I do. Look at that bloody undies model you were seeing in Australia. He was like some carved marble Adonis, and you still dumped him.’

‘I get what you’re saying, Adders, but in order to get past someone’s looks to find out what they’re like you have to actually be out there and talking to people.’

‘I do talk to people.’

She scoffed. ‘The sixty-year-old secretary at the high school doesn’t count, unless you’re going to take her out for dinner.’ She held up her hands. ‘And I’m not going to judge you if that’s your thing.’

He curled his lip. ‘Funny.’ He sighed heavily. ‘This just feels so… clinical. So contrived.’

She placed a hand on each of his shoulders. ‘Look, it’s the way things are done these days. And it’s a very reputable website. This woman sounded really lovely, and her photo makes her look pretty.’ She really hoped the photo that had been sent was a true representation and not one that was taken twenty years ago. And on that note pondered that it might actually turn out to be the secretary from the high school…

‘She could be an axe murderer or… or a man!’

Lily burst into hysterical laughter.

He folded his arms across his chest, clearly not amused.