Page 78 of Meet Me in Berlin

Casey’s gaze drops to my naked chest.

‘Stop staring at my boobs,’ I yawn.

She grins and meets my eyes. ‘Sorry. You’ll definitely come over at the weekend?’

I nod. ‘I’ll leave Saturday?’

‘Cool. I’ll come meet you at Heathrow.’

‘I can get the tube on my own. I’m a big girl.’

‘It’s not to babysit you; it’s because I want to.’ She looks around. ‘And to help with all this gear that I have no idea how you’ll fit in your luggage.’

I sit up fully, my gut prickling with anxiety, and stare at her.

‘What’s up?’ she asks.

I hesitate a beat. ‘If you don’t show and don’t answer your phone, I’ll be back here sitting in that park for the rest of my life waiting for you.’

She grabs my phone from the side table and passes it to me. ‘I knew you’d feel like that, so I’ve messaged you where I work, my address, my email, my parents’ address and the butcher’s. You have many, many options to find me.’ She gently hooks a finger under my chin and lifts my face. ‘I’m not running away. And if you can’t find me at any of those places, across from my gallery is a pub; you’ll find me in there – usually on a Friday after work with Jaz. Okay?’

I scroll the details, glancing between her and my screen. ‘You’re serious about this? About us?’

She nods. ‘Aren’t you?’

I roll my eyes. ‘I came straight to Berlin from Australia just to go to our park again. What do you think?’

She smiles. ‘I think that means yes.’

I widen my eyes. ‘Uh-huh.’

‘That’s sorted, then.’ She makes a sad face. ‘But now, I have to go.’ She kisses me goodbye, but when she starts to pull back, I hold her there, letting the kiss linger. She moans and runs her hand up my back.

I release her and reach into the drawer beside the bed. ‘Before you go, I have something for you.’ I pass her a small photo.

She takes it from me and gasps. ‘This is the one you took that night.’

‘Yep.’

Casey holds her hand to her chest. ‘Look at us. How perfect do we look together?’

I pull my knees up. ‘I know.’

She shakes her head. ‘It was so obvious how I felt.’ She clears her throat and swipes a finger across her cheek.

‘Keep that; it’s yours. I always wanted you to have copy.’

She holds it to her heart. ‘I love it.’ She tucks it away and pulls me into a tight embrace. ‘I’m going to miss you.’

‘I’ll miss you too, but Saturday is only three days away.’

Casey grins. ‘What are we like?’ She hops up and heads for the door.

‘Oh, wait,’ I call as she grabs the door handle. ‘You didn’t give me your socials. You must be on something. Insta?’

‘Erm … I don’t use socials much.’

My brows rise. ‘Still?’

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