Page 44 of The Plot Twist

Allie said nothing, putting the phone down on the floor as she pulled on the trainers she had found. ‘I’ll think about it,’ she finally said as she stood and went to grab her keys.

‘Where are you off to?’ Jess asked.

‘Just out. Walking. Clear my head, you know?’

‘Erm, OK sure.’ Jess did not sound sure, in fact she sounded more convinced that Allie’s impending ramble was a sign that she was completely losing it. ‘Look, call me anytime, OK? And just don’t do anything rash.’

‘I promise I won’t,’ Allie said, ending the call.

As Allie headed out her front door she felt justifiably sure that she hadn’t made a promise to Jess that she couldn’t keep, as one person’s definition of rash was another person’s sensible course of action. But that didn’t stop her from ruminating all the way down the road, past the Tube station, past Earl’s Court and right through Brompton Cemetery. She realised about five minutes in that she had forgotten her earbuds but she knew if she went back for them then she would find an excuse to take her trainers off, sit back down on the sofa and stew over her situation at home. So she kept going and she thought about what Jess had said, and she played out a scenario where she threw herself full into a romance with Will, where instead of tantalising text messages, they discussed mini breaks and potentially moving in and before she could stop herself they were lying side by side in bed with their reading glasses on and failing to give each other a goodnight kiss. She really couldn’t bear it.

So she did a U-turn and headed back out of the cemetery, past the playground, which seemed more attractive to the emo youth rather than the intended target market of pre-schoolers, past the bus stop, out onto the main road and straight into the Starbucks there. She stood in line assessing just how much caffeine her body could take right now before ordering a double shot flat white and sticking two fingers up at those who would tell her she had already had more than enough.

She was nose-deep scrolling on her phone waiting for her coffee when she took a step to her left to avoid a pushchair and stepped straight into…

‘Will!’ she exclaimed. She shoved her phone into her pocket and hastily smoothed down her hair, which had gone more than a little wild during her walk. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Oh, I just like to hang out in Starbucks.’ His face split into a grin as he saw the look of confusion that washed over Allie’s face. ‘Same as you? Getting coffee?’ he clarified.

‘Very funny,’ she rolled her eyes, ‘I meant why here, whythisStarbucks?’

‘I had a meeting nearby.’

Allie fought a brief internal battle as she recalled her earlier decision. She was fascinated by anything and everything to do with Will, but was showing too much interest in his life getting too close? If she asked too many questions, would she be filing a joint tax return before she knew it? Unable to completely contain her curiosity, she squeaked out a ‘How did it go?’

He shrugged. ‘It was fine. I’m keen to work with this company, but the ball is in their court now. I just wait to hear.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Allie pulled a sympathetic face. ‘That must be tough.’

Will shrugged again. ‘Not really. I’m quite relaxed about it. I think our values are aligned, but if they don’t think so then that says a lot and probably best if it doesn’t work out.’

Allie considered his relaxed attitude towards work and tried to be impressed that he could keep things so cool, but really she didn’t think she could get on board with such a laissez faire attitude towards earning money and it made her all the more determined not to destroy the only employment she could envisage herself ever having. And then she realised that Will’s response had been very offhand. He hadn’t sounded like he wanted to tell her more about his meeting and in fact, come to think of it, he’d told her very little about his life overall.

She glanced sideways at him, assessing the situation. Could he possibly be doing exactly what she was trying to do? Keeping things cool and casual? Keeping her at arm’s length? She remembered his comment in Richmond Park, that he wasn’t seeing anyone else, wasn’t planning to. But that didn’t necessarily mean that he was expecting anything serious with Allie, did it? Maybe he was just a serial no-strings monogamist who had a hard time keeping tabs on one relationship let alone many, so preferred to keep things streamlined in that department.

‘Is that yours?’ Will interrupted her confusing thoughts and pointed towards a cup which had just been placed on the to-go shelf and was emblazoned in sharpie with ALLEY. Allie looked at Will who grinned at her. ‘I like the way you spell it,’ he said and gave her a wink which made her stomach flutter. ‘Do you have time to join me? Were you heading somewhere?’

‘No. I mean yes,’ Allie stuttered. Will had that effect on her ability to string normal sentences together. She took a breath and tried to ignore the amused look on his face. ‘No, I’m not heading anywhere, I was just out for a walk. And yes, I do have time to join you.’

‘Good.’ Will picked up both their drinks and ushered Allie to a sofa in the corner of the cafe. It was one of those huge old brown leather sofas which had seen better days and presumably this was why it had been relegated to the corner of a Starbucks. She sank down next to Will and felt herself crush up against him, the lack of stuffing in the sofa further confirming the fact it was past best.

‘Sorry, sorry.’ She attempted to sit upright, which only resulted in her floundering all the more and sinking ever deeper into the sofa.

‘Don’t apologise, I like you throwing yourself at me.’

‘I wasn’t throwing myself…’ Allie spluttered. She apologised again as she disentangled her limbs and inched closer to the front of the sofa, trying to plant her feet on solid ground again. Will had his hand on her lower back and she desperately tried to ignore the tingly sensation this was giving her. She took a deep breath;keep this flirty and fun, she reminded herself.Keep things casual. Don’t. Get. Comfortable.She looked back at Will who had obviously picked up on the signal and moved his hand.

‘So, how’s the writing going?’ he asked.

‘Actually pretty good.’ Allie stared into Will’s eyes and mentally ran through how she would describe them in detail later. She ran her eyes over his thick, dark hair, which she had already described the feeling of running her hands through. She hadn’t quite captured the way his skin dimpled on his right cheek when he smiled… God, he was hot. She cleared her throat and tried to clear her mind of all the impure thoughts that were now racing around it. ‘I shouldn’t tempt fate, but maybe I’m through my writer’s block?’ Of course, he didn’t need to know that he might well be the reason for that.

‘Allie, that’s great!’ Will’s voice was soft and warm, and most importantly genuine. ‘Do you ever let anyone read it while you’re still writing?’

‘Sometimes.’ Allie drank some coffee. ‘Sometimes I share stuff with Verity.’ She paused, her voice catching in her throat. ‘But obviously I can’t do that at the moment.’

‘I’m sorry, that must be hard.’ Allie turned to look at Will. His grey eyes were soft with concern; she felt desire pool, low down in her stomach, and bit back the urge to kiss him. ‘You know,’ he said hesitantly, ‘I’d be happy to read something if you wanted me to? I mean, I’m not an expert but I do like reading. And my dad was a writer. So if it would help you…’

‘No!’ exclaimed Allie. She thought back to the words written on her computer, the story that was starting to take shape. How some of it was inspired by her feelings and desire for Will. If Will read it and recognised it for what it was… Her face went red at the thought.

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