Page 121 of Play On

“Violet. It’s been a long time since I’ve had even mediocre sex. Maybe I should consider a hook-up with a hot guy to knock the rust off. Might be a solid plan.”

“Knock the rust off? Aimee!”

She laughs. “There might be cobwebs down there.”

I shriek with laughter. “Gross!”

“It is, isn’t it?”

We both laugh.

Soon she dishes up plates of fragrant chicken stir fry and opens a bottle of wine, and we both tuck in to eat in the living room. Our conversation is full of lots of laughs, and I’m cryingat some points, but it also has some serious moments, too. Like Aimee confessing how hard it has been to build a life in London.

“It’s not like uni at all, where it’s so easy to make friends,” she says, pausing to take a sip of her white wine. “It’s been a struggle for me. To date. To make friends. I felt so at ease to approach people at St. Andrews because we were all in the same boat. All students. Most of us looking to make friends. And then I find myself in London—another foreign country—in a big city, in a job with nobody my own age, and I find it hard to meet people. In a city of millions of people. It’s crazy.”

“No, I know exactly what you mean,” I say. “When I went back to Dorset, I had some of my old friends living there. So in that aspect it was easier, but I was never as close to any of them as I was with you. When I connected with Bella at Christian and Clementine’s wedding, I was so excited. Because she seemed like someone who could become a close friend. Then Amelia texts me with a business proposal, and now we’re friends, too. But the biggest surprise has been reconnecting with you, Aimes. I’m so happy we’re hanging out again. This time, we’re not losing touch with each other. Never ever again. You’re stuck with me.”

To my surprise, Aimee almost looks teary. “I’m so happy about this, Vi. I’ve missed you so much. The idea of you moving to London permanently is the best news. The absolute best. Oh, and you’re stuck with me too.”

“I’m going to hug you hard as soon as we’ve finished eating,” I promise.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” She smiles.

“Dating is just as hard,” she says, picking up her fork. “I just want to find someone lovely and genuine and funny. Smart. That doesn’t sound like a high bar to clear, but it is.”

“It is, but it’s not impossible. Noah is proof of that.”

Aimee grins. “Noah is a unicorn.”

I laugh. “No. He might be Daddy Darby, but he’s not a unicorn.”

We both giggle at that.

I decide to bring up Luke. “You know, we have a really lovely aviary expert and falconer at Wintersmith Hall who is single,” I say. “And Australian.”

“I love you for trying to be my personal matchmaker, but I’d prefer dating someone a little closer to my postcode.”

I nod in agreement. “Okay. I’ll take him off the prospect list.”

The evening goes by far too quickly, and before long, I’m getting an Uber to go home. Aimee and I hug, and I tell her that as soon as I am back in Dorset, we’re making plans for her to come for a visit, which she eagerly agrees to do.

Once I’m in the back seat of the Uber, and the driver is headed back to the family home in Kensington, I notice how bright my mood is. I’m blessed to have old friends and new ones in my life. I know Aimee is going to be my best friend, and Bella and Amelia very close ones. I finally feel brave enough to take the necessary steps to have my own career in art.

And tomorrow morning, I’m boarding a plane bound for Australia, all to support the man I love.

A shiver of excitement sweeps through me, and I can’t stop smiling. I know what this gesture will mean to Noah. I picture the range of emotions on his face when he first spots me in the stands, and I grow emotional just thinking about it.

Hopefully he will know, even without me saying the words, how much he means to me.

And just how much I love him.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Matchday

I can’t believe I’m doing this.

I’m in Australia.

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