Page 67 of It's All Sun and Games

I notice something change about James’s expression. I don’t know what it looks like, when someone has an epiphany, but if I had to guess, I would say this was it.

‘You know what, guys? You’ve got me all wrong,’ he announces, his confidence in his words building. ‘I do want to settle down, when the time is right. I just haven’t found the right girl yet.’

James has no sooner finished his sentence than he starts staring at me, really intensely, to the point where I’m worried others are going to notice.

‘I’ll just nip to the loo,’ I announce.

‘Nip to the loo,’ Andrea says back to me. ‘I still find you cute, after all this time.’

I smile at him. He just plays this part so well.

As I stroll through the busy outdoor restaurant, weaving my way in and out of tables, all of my senses just feel so satisfied. It’s the smell of the food, the sound of laughter and chatter – even my body feels great, after spending time in the sunshine. It’s as though any stress I brought with me has just melted away.

Everyone here just seems so happy. Families, friends, lovers – even me and my colleagues (possibly with the exception of Liz and James right now, though).

There is just something about eating outside, on a warm night, that is so perfect. I really think I’ll miss eating here – or just generally dining al fresco – when I go back home. Sitting out on a warm night, hearing the ocean roar in the distance, smelling the sea air every now and then between bursts of delicious plates of food passing our table. The atmosphere is everything. It certainly beats eating a Maccies on the street outside my flat. I suppose the closest thing I have to this back home is the summer barbeques my mum and dad throw, but it’s not quite the same, is it? I have to put up with my brother teasing me, my dad taking the meat far too seriously, my mum ever so well-meaningly (but ever so annoyingly) asking me how my love life is going. As much as I love them all, it’s not the same, is it? Not even comparable to sitting by a beautiful beach with a handsome man.

I wash my hands and check my make-up in the mirror, killing a little time before heading back out there. Hopefully we’re all bored of talking about weddings now – or, at the very least, we’ve gone back to exclusively talking about Rick’s.

As I step out of the ladies’ room, ready to return to the table, I barely take a few steps from the door before James collars me. With a mischievous grin, he grabs my arm and pulls me behind a nearby beach hut, away from the prying eyes of the others.

‘Erm, hello,’ I say with a laugh. ‘Fancy seeing you here.’

Well, what else can I say?

‘Robin, I’ve got something to tell you,’ he says, his voice low but full of carefully masked excitement.

‘What?’ I dare to ask.

‘No more dancing around the point, it’s time to be honest,’ he says, gearing up to tell me what he needs to tell me. ‘I want you, Robin. And I know you want me too.’

I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. Yes, this is what I’ve wanted for so long, and obviously I knew that it was working but, wow, hearing him actually say those words. They’re like a fire that’s taking all the oxygen. I can’t speak, I can’t breathe – I don’t know what to say.

His words hang heavy in the air for a moment and, with me not saying anything in response, he has no choice but to say more.

‘I understand that you have a relationship, and a life, but with Andrea working away, well, he’s pretty much abandoning you,’ he continues. ‘You’re a strong, independent woman, Robin. You have needs and, with Andrea being away, those needs aren’t being met. I could be the person who… meets those needs for you. On cold winter nights, or boring days in the office, I can be the man who gives your life that bit of excitement it’s lacking.’

Still, I don’t know what to say.

‘Honestly, I think the best thing for you to do, when Andrea is in LA, is to forget about him,’ James continues. ‘You just need to focus on you. Focus on your happiness, because you deserve it. What you don’t deserve is to be left behind at an airport, like unclaimed baggage, while he jets off to start a new life.’

‘It’s not like that,’ I offer up, sort of in Andrea’s defence, even though nothing is what James is thinking or saying it is. But Andrea would never do that, or be like that, I can say that for sure already.

‘All I know is that anyone who can keep their hands off you for weeks at a time is a better man than me,’ James replies. ‘Or even days. Hours, in fact. Suddenly, it’s all I can think about.’

His hands find their way to my face, cradling my head as he pulls me closer. His lips hover close to mine, and I can feel his breath tickling my lips, but he doesn’t overstep the mark.

‘Just say the word and it’s yours,’ he tells me. ‘You can have me. You can have this, whenever you want it, whether it’s right now, when we get back home – all of the above.’

‘James, I’m engaged, remember?’ I point out, keeping my voice breathy and light.

James stays where he is for a few seconds before slowly retreating. As soon as he is far enough from my face, I can see him smirking.

‘You know it’s only a matter of time before you give in to me,’ he teases.

He’s giving up, but only for now. This man clearly knows what he’s doing. I wonder how many women he has seduced with his persistent flirting. It’s like he knows that, if he goes in too loud, he might spook his prey. Instead he does just as much as he needs to, while he waits for the timing to be right.

That’s what I need to do too.

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