Page 45 of The Spark

Ash lines up chives on a chopping board. My attention lurches sharply to what he’s holding. ‘You’re not seriously going to...?’

‘What?’

‘It looks as though you’re going to try to chop those with that.’ I indicate the enormous knife, which is better-suited for skinning elk than it is for chopping herbs. It was part of a mystifying Christmas gift from my mother one year – a knife block I suspected to have fallen off the back of a lorry – and this one, I have never used, because it is terrifying.

Ash smiles. ‘Chopping fast is literally my only party trick.’

‘If I tried that, I’d have no fingers.’

‘It’s actually pretty easy. You just need a decent knife. Which, fortunately, you have. Come here, I can teach you.’

I smile, enjoying for a moment the idea of him standing behind me, his hand over mine on the knife, showing me how. ‘No, you’re all right. I quite like having all my ligaments intact.’

‘Come on. It’s easy.’

I hesitate, then relent. The urge to be pressed up very tightly to him as he demonstrates is just too strong.

I take a couple of steps towards him. He pulls me close, moving behind me so we’re both facing the worktop.

I have no idea what possessed me to buy chives. Then again, I’d be hard-pushed to recall my own name if someone asked for it at this precise moment.

‘All right,’ Ash whispers into my ear. His body is firm against mine. ‘Lesson one.’

I shiver. ‘You really can’t do that if you want me to go anywhere near a sharp blade.’

He laughs softly. ‘Okay. Sorry. So, pick it up.’

‘How do you know I’m not left-handed?’

‘Are you?’

‘No,’ I admit.

‘Just so you know, I’m not going to fall for distraction tactics.’ He places one hand over mine, and together, we position the knife. ‘All right. I’m going to move it, you just... go with it, okay? Don’t try and control it.’

‘Okay.’

‘You sure? Ready?’

‘Ready.’

‘You trust me?’

‘Yes,’ I say, realising it perhaps for the first time. ‘Yes, I do.’

He guides the knife effortlessly through the chives with a rocking motion that feels very different to the way I usually hack into things with whatever blunt blade I have to hand.

‘See?’ he whispers, when we’re done. The chives are lying in a little pile on the chopping board. ‘It’s not so hard.’

Against the worktop, I turn to face him. Steam from the stove is starting to wet the air. I start to speak but he smothers my words with a kiss.

Pretty soon after that, the breakfast gets abandoned. I might have felt bad about all the effort he went to, if what we go on to do together didn’t feel so insanely good.

Chapter 21.

Then

That summer, with Lara’s encouragement, I decided to start chasing the life I wanted for myself after uni. My first step was securing work experience three days a week, at Kelley Lane Interiors.

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