Page 40 of The One That Got Away

Last night I’d eaten early, so I assumed that Stella had come to the restaurant after me. But tonight because of my swim, I’d come a lot later and I knew they’d be closing the kitchen in half an hour, so I doubted she’d come now.

‘No.’ Jasmine shook her head. ‘She hasn’t. I’ve been here since service started and haven’t seen her.’

My chest tightened. I hated the fact that she kept skipping dinner. And knowing that it might be because she was trying to avoid me made me feel even worse.

‘Do you think the kitchen could make something so I could bring it to her room?’

‘Of course! That’s a great idea. Do you know what she’d like?’

‘I have an idea.’ I immediately knew what to ask for. After telling Jasmine, she went to the kitchen to place the order and once it was ready she came back out.

‘Do you want me to get one of the waiters, oops, I meanCuisine Championsto deliver it?’

‘Um, yeah. Actually.’ I paused. ‘Maybe I’ll come with them. I’d kind of like to give this to her personally.’

‘The personal touch,’ Jasmine smiled. ‘I like your thinking. How about I get José to wheel it along and then he can leave you to knock on the door?’

‘Great idea.’

At least I thought it was.

I hoped that Stella agreed.

18

STELLA

I didn’t know why it was taking me so long to do this bloody playlist. It was much easier before, but today I felt blocked.

After I’d showered and dressed, I’d texted Mum to let her know I was okay, then sifted through different songs, but I didn’t know which ones accurately conveyed my feelings towards Max because I was confused.

On the one hand I was still angry about the past, but on the other I was grateful for the sweet things he’d done. And annoyingly, despite how afraid I was, I’d enjoyed spending time with Max today.

Every song I thought about sounded too mushy. I didn’t want him to think I was pining for him, but I didn’t want him to think I hated him either.

The songs he’d chosen for me so far had been apologetic. ‘Sorry’ by Justin Bieber, ‘Heartbreaker’ by will.i.am ft. Cheryl Cole, ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ by Cher, ‘Hello’ by Adele and ‘Purple Rain’ by Prince and the Revolution.

It was actually a good selection. He’d managed to strike thebalance between sincerity and entertainment. It’d be great if I could do the same.

I’d hoped to have a clearer idea once I’d taken a nap, but what was only supposed to be a short rest ended up with me sleeping for hours and now I’d missed dinner. Again.

Right on cue, my stomach rumbled loudly. I looked at my watch. It was too late to go to the restaurant now. I’d need to call reception and see if I could get room service.

Just as I was about to reach for the phone, there was a knock at the door.

‘Coming!’ I called out, wondering who it could be, then guessing it was Jasmine. I’d pissed Max off earlier so I knew it wouldn’t be him.

When he’d invited me to the pool, I didn’t know what to say. Part of me wanted to go, but I knew it wasn’t a good idea. The last thing I wanted was to start liking him. That was why I hesitated. But he clearly took it to mean I wasn’t interested and walked off. I supposed I couldn’t blame him. Tomorrow was definitely going to be awkward.

As I opened the door, my jaw dropped.

It was Max.

‘I thought you might be hungry,’ he said.

Max was standing there with a trolley which had a silver cloche covering the plate and a bottle of wine in an ice bucket.

‘Oh, I… wow,’ I stuttered. ‘Thanks.’

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