Page 127 of Meet Me in Berlin

‘Are you for real, Mum?’ Chandice said. ‘They’re just moving in together, not having a baby.’

‘It’s beautiful, though, innit?’ Mum said. ‘What they went through to get to this point.’

Chandice rolled her eyes. ‘You better shed a tear when me and Joseph move in together.’

‘If you’re not careful, I’ll bloody move in with Joseph,’ Mum said. ‘I wouldn’t mind a bit of him.’

Chandice stormed off, horrified, and Holly collapsed into giggles. We spent the rest of the night searching flats online and planning our next chapter together.

Up to the moving-in decision, Holly and I flitted between each other’s flats, getting to know one another properly, living in the real world. Me learning more about her habits and quirks, like her messiness and the way she organises groceries in the shopping trolley, and her putting up with mine – like working too much, stressing about my exhibitions not being perfect, and making sure every item of clothing I put on is freshly ironed. We talked more about the relationships we’d each had over the years, and it took time to fully earn her trust again, to assure her I really was working late, to call and message as much as possible to prove my commitment. It paid off and we eventually reached a comfortable place.

She found herself a part-time project manager role at a local council and set up a small photography business, which has taken off, so she’ll soon be giving up the part-time job.

My and Jaz’s families have taken her in as their own, their hearts breaking over her losing both her parents at such a young age. She’s tried all the spicy Jamaican dishes Dad and Jaz’s dad have served up for her; eaten the black pudding and liver Mum’s given her to try; spent time at the butcher’s; read drafts of Chandice’s steamy romances; and constantly listened to Jazzy gush over Leila.

And now, here we are, in our new flat, purchased with Holly’s share of the sale of her parents’ house and a sizeable mortgage for my half.

Holly dumps a box on the lounge-room floor. ‘That’s it. The last one.’

I groan and fall onto the sofa. ‘Thank God. Up and down those stairs all afternoon has done me in.’

Holly leans against the doorframe. ‘Don’t relax. Jaz and Leila will be here for dinner soon.’

‘Tell me you’re jokin’.’

‘Jaz said it’s British tradition to invite people over on the first night in a new place, so I invited them.’

I raise my brows. ‘And you fell for that?’

Holly scrunches her nose. ‘That’s not a thing?’

I give a short laugh. ‘No. She’s takin’ the piss.’

‘Well, I guess we have dinner guests now. I have no idea where the plates are, and we have no food, so it’ll be takeaway.’

‘The cheek of her,’ I say with a grin.

Holly opens a box and pulls out some sofa cushions, throwing them over to me.

I pile them at the end of the couch. ‘Come and lie here with me for a bit, since we’re not going to get the night to ourselves.’

Holly’s eyes flick up from the box. ‘They’ll leave at some point.’

‘Yeah, but we’ll be tired and pissed up by then.’

She walks over and pushes me back, stretching out on top of me. ‘Better?’

‘Mmm.’ I lift my head to kiss her and sigh as her lips make the day’s stress drain away. ‘What time will they be here?’ I murmur.

She pushes her pelvis against me and kisses my neck. ‘Seven.’

I grab my phone from the floor and glance at the screen. ‘Half an hour.’

Holly kisses me again. ‘Plenty of time.’

I wrap my arms around her waist and flip her over, delighting in her shriek. ‘I’ve got a present for you.’

She lifts a questioning brow. ‘Is that what we’re calling it now?’

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