Page 10 of You Float My Boat

I’d been aware that Evie was his girlfriend at the time, but my heart never got the message because that was the point I fell hopelessly in love. I’d run back inside and called Stella, wondering when I’d ever get to see him smile at me like that again.

I had my answer.

Bloody hell. This wasn’t good.

I was standing there trying to stop my mouth from dropping open, while my best friend snickered next to me. My brain and heart began arguing again about what I was doing and whether or not I should really be doing it.

The jury didn’t reach its verdict before Charlie reached me.

He stopped in front of me, his smile still wide. ‘I thought I recognized that coat.’

I looked down at the green faux fur.

It was kind of bright, but it was my favourite shade – emerald. And more importantly, it was warm.

I managed to smile, right at the moment he leaned forward. I never found out what he was leaning forward for, because I shifted my bag on my shoulder which caused me to jerk slightly and my forehead hit his with a hard thud.

‘Ouch. Jesus.’

‘God. Are you alright?’ he asked, while I tried to stop the throbbing in my brain, especially when he reached out and touched me.

The pad of his thumb brushed against the point of collision. It helped, but only because the rest of my face immediately and uncharacteristically flushed pink and throbbed harder until it was impossible to tell what it was throbbing from more. Though the second he realized what he was doing his hand dropped and clenched at his side.

‘Sorry about that.’

‘My fault too,’ I managed to mumble.

Next to me Stella snorted. ‘God, you two really need to get better co-ordinated if you’re going to be a believable couple.’

Charlie’s green eyes flicked to hers with a wide blink, like he’d only just realized someone was standing next to me, then let out a soft chuckle.

‘Yeah …’ he pushed his hands into the pockets of his trackpants, and rocked back on his heels. ‘Um … about that … I was going to text you, but then I saw you walking … are you around this afternoon? Can we talk?’

I tried not to watch his mouth move while he spoke, even though it was right at my eye level. His full, soft mouth that I couldn’t stop thinking about kissing again.

‘Sure. Yes. Sure,’ I repeated.

Maybe the knock had loosened a few brain cells. Probably.

‘Great.’ He grinned, his mouth lifting a little more on the left, though I was more focused on how his dimples deepened and his wide nose crinkled in the middle. ‘I’ll come to you, about threeish?’

I forced myself to nod. ‘Cool.’

‘Cool.’ His eyes never left mine, he rocked forward slightly but then stopped, like he thought better of whatever he’d been about to do, while all I could do was concentrate on not breathing him in. The air was already permeated with the scent I always associated with Charlie – warm and sweet, like honey and hot, rainy days.

The lock on our gaze was only broken by a low cough to my right, and I turned to find Stella grinning. If I wasn’t so dazed, I’d have scowled at her.

‘Um, we have to go, we have auditions.’ I thumbed behind me, in the wrong direction.

‘Oh, yeah, cool.’ Charlie’s eyes widened. ‘Good luck. See you later.’

‘Bye, Charlie.’ Stella looped her arm in mine and tugged me away. I didn’t dare turn around in case he caught me. ‘Golly, he’s definitely become more handsome than when we were at school. No wonder you’re in a tizz.’

This time my scowl was on point.

3. Charlie:

(Does anyone have a JCB I could borrow?)

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