Page 23 of Hooked On The One That Got Away
‘Among other things,’ said Charlie, with a rueful smile. ‘We could swing by the market again on our way back?’
Willow tried to keep the question casual. ‘Way back where?’
‘Somewhere there’s a shower? And heavy-duty stain remover?’
Charlie was trying to be casual, too. Both of them were failing.
‘I was a little hasty before, inviting you to my place,’ said Willow. ‘It will almost certainly have people in it. Housemates,’ she added. ‘I’m in a house share.’
Charlie nodded. ‘I’m on my own.’
‘How far?’
‘Ten minutes,’ said Charlie. ‘Er, you’ve been there before.’
Chapter Seventeen
‘Now, in my defence,’ Charlie said, ‘I’ve only just moved in.’
They were outside his front door. Which used to betheirfront door. Charlie was living in their old maisonette, their old home. Willow was angrier about this than anything else Charlie had done.
‘Youshit,’ she said, through clenched teeth. ‘I cried for bloodydayswhen I had to leave here.AndI had to pack up all your bloody stuff! I should have burned everything. I should have run over itthenburned it. Howdareyou be here? I am –’ Willow struggled to find a word strong enough ‘–livid!’
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Charlie. He sounded genuinely wretched, but Willow wouldnotbe appeased so easily. ‘I was looking at online rental listings last month and it came up. And I thought …’
‘You thoughtwhat?’
‘Every stupid thing,’ Charlie replied, with a sigh. ‘That if I was living here, then you’d be more likely to come back to me. That I could make up for you having to move out because I ran out of money for my share – I’m sorry, I never meant that to happen. I never meant alotof things to happen. That if youdidn’tcomeback, then at least I’d be where we used to be. Where we were happy …’
He paused and raked his hand through his hair. Made it stand up like a mop.
‘I was deludedly optimistic, and it bit me in the arse,’ he said. ‘Story of my life.’
‘Fuck’s sake …’
Willow felt the fight drain out of her. Charlie was sincere, no doubt about that, and it was a good apology. Not 100 carats-worth, but not bad. Plus, the way his hair stood up made him look cute. A little like a Muppet, fair to say, but still cute.
‘I am going to eat half of the new brownie while you watch,’ Willow said. ‘And then I am going to wrap up theotherhalf, take it home, and send you the video of myself eating the rest of it. Slowly, with great enjoyment. And probably whipped cream.’
Charlie’s shoulders sagged in relief. He raised a tentative questioning eyebrow. ‘You wouldn’t consider letting me lick a few crumbs off your naked body?’
‘Don’t push it,’ said Willow. Then added, ‘Possibly.’
‘Er,’ Charlie hesitated. ‘So – do you want to come in? Just checking.’
‘Yes, Charlie,’ Willow replied. ‘But I may well get cross again, so be warned.’
He nodded. ‘I’ll watch my step.’
Charlie unlocked the front door and invited Willow to go first. Her heart began to pound, and her breath quickened, but in she went.
And there it was, the oh-so-familiar living room with the blue-and-white painted fireplace, polished oak floors, and clean white walls. And there was the tiny dining room, galley kitchen and beyond it the sheltered courtyard. Upstairs, Willow knew, were their bedroom, the spare room they’d used as a study, and the bathroom. She knew exactly how the fourth stair from thetop would creak, and how hard you had to push to open the right-hand side window in their bedroom. She knew the bath would take an age to fill but that it was worth the wait. It was as if the place had kept itself unchanged for her, knowing she would one day come back.
Willow swiped the tears away, but they wouldn’t stop coming. All the hurt and aching sadness of the past months poured out and there was nothing she could do.
Charlie reached out to hold her, but she batted him away.
‘Dammit, Charlie!’ she choked. ‘Ihateyou!’
