Page 90 of The One That Got Away

He was enjoying it. He was happy. And knowing that made me so glad I wanted to get up and do a celebratory dance around the living room.

Episode two quickly turned into episode three, then four and before we knew it, we’d binged the entire first season. We’d only moved to go to the loo or to get more drinks and snacks. Other than that, anyone would think we were glued to the sofa. And to each other.

‘Season two?’ Max asked, glanced at his watch then gasped. ‘Shit! It’s three in the morning! I didn’t even realise.’

‘It’s crazy. The time just flew by.’

‘You know what they say. Time flies when you’re having fun. Thank you.’ He leant forward and kissed me softly on the lips. ‘I’m really enjoying it.’

‘Glad to hear it! I’m not exactly a football fan, but I’m loving it too.’

‘So maybe we can pick up on season two tomorrow night?’

‘Maybe. I might have something planned for your activity, so I’ll let you know.’

I’d been so engrossed in watching the show that I hadn’t checked my phone, which was charging in the bedroom.

‘Mmm… I’m intrigued. Okay then, bed?’

‘Definitely.’

Max went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and I headed to the bedroom to look at my phone. Jasmine had replied.

That’s a great idea! I made some calls and it’s all sorted! Come to reception at five tomorrow to allow enough time to get there.

Yes! Butterflies erupted in my stomach. That was brilliant news.

Now I just had to hope that when Max found out what I’d planned he didn’t freak out…

37

MAX

I signed out of my emails and took a sip of the bright orange cocktail Stella had got me earlier, then put it on the table next to the daybed.

We’d spent most of the afternoon chilling by the hotel pool. Even though we had a private one in the villa, because we only had a couple of days left, we thought we’d come here and soak up the atmosphere.

Plus, as nice as it was to have our own kitchen, sometimes it was good to enjoy food and drink we hadn’t had to make ourselves.

Whilst Stella had been reading beside me, I’d spent a couple of hours replying to work emails. Looked like some distributors in Australia were interested in taking on our products.

And I’d finally heard from a factory in the US who could manufacture a new range for us. I was in talks with a huge distributor too. If I secured those deals, it’d transform the business’s fortunes and catapult us into the big league.

Now that I’d replied to their messages, I needed to wait tohear what the next steps would be, so I couldn’t get too excited yet, but I was happy with how things were progressing.

Speaking of happiness, even though I was still tired, yesterday was pretty much a perfect day. Walking around one of my favourite cities with Stella, enjoying a nice meal then cuddling on the sofa.

There were moments when it felt kind of like we were a proper couple, which of course we weren’t. But even though a relationship wasn’t something I wanted, it didn’t feel as scary as I thought it would.

So many things about the last twenty-four hours surprised me. The way I’d opened up to Stella and not only binge-watching a TV series, which was something I didn’t do, but one that was football related.

And surprisingly it really was great. I didn’t remember laughing so much at a programme. The combination of the feel-good vibes the show gave off and having Stella curled up in my arms was… nice.

Not boring nice.Good nice.

It was cool that we were creating these memories. Once we were back in London living our normal lives, I’d look back on these times and smile.

‘We should get going.’ Stella put her Kindle down.

---