Page 136 of Shout Out To My Ex

‘No, we’re not doing that. Your methods may have been unusual and, yes, it was a shock at first, but Cass, it worked! Leo and I are back together.’

Tears gloss her eyes and she encircles me in another hug. I return it, my arms wrapped tightly around her waist. ‘You are the best sister ever,’ I say.

‘I know,’ she replies, sending us into a fit of giggles.

‘Hey, you two.’Leo.

Cass and I let each other go, wiping happy tears from our faces.

‘I’ll see you in there,’ she says, indicating the greenroom.

‘You okay?’ he asks, coming closer to gently run his thumbs under my eyes.

I nod. ‘Sometimes there’s so much feeling inside, it leaks out. I used to say that when I was a little girl. I’d be overcome – sad about missing out on a party or overjoyed when our parents let us stay up late – and I’d cry. I thought there was this reservoir of tears inside me and that sometimes it spilled over.’

He watches me closely, saying nothing, his lips curled up at the corners.

‘What? You’re looking at me strangely.’

‘Nothing. Just… you told me that once – about the reservoir and your tears leaking out. It’s nice to remember little things like that.’

‘I suppose we’ll have a lot of those moments – remembering things we said or did all those years ago.’

‘Yeah,’ he says, his expression wistful, but then his smile falls away and a furrow forms between his brows.

‘Hey, listen, what you said in the interview… You didn’t need to share in the responsibility like that. None of this was your fault.’

‘But we’re in this together, remember? You and me. Isn’t that what you told me in the loo? That we can get through anything as long as we support each other?’

‘I did say that.’

‘You did and you were very convincing. It was an excellent speech,’ I tease.

My teasing has the desired effect, and he smiles softly, his eyes creasing at the corners.

‘You are so beautiful,’ he says quietly, ‘and not just on the outside, but your heart… I don’t deserve you.’

‘Yes, you do.’

‘I don’t – not yet – but I’m going to, I promise.’

We share a sweet smile.

‘I love you, Leo Jones.’

‘I love you right back, Ellie Bliss.’

He dips his head and kisses me, his lips soft and warm and against mine, and it’s lovely and wonderful and worth kissing all those frogs for – oops, wrong fairy tale. At that, I start sniggering.

Leo breaks the kiss and looks at me, amused. ‘You know, it can do a lot of damage to a guy’s ego if you laugh while he’s kissing you. That’s twice now.’

‘It’s not you! Or the kiss! It’s… Oh, never mind.’ I grab him by the shirt front – one of his fitted black T-shirts – and pull him back into the kiss.

And this time, it isn’t funny. It’s perfect.

EPILOGUE

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

---