Page 70 of Alice Carver Manifests Her Perfect Life
‘See?’ He turned to face me and gave me a quick grin. ‘Worth leaving inside for?’
I looked up at the night sky, which stretched in every direction above us, forever and beyond, and felt dizzy.
I turned my face back to his. ‘I love it. It really is a wonderland. Thank you so much for bringing me here.’
His grin softened. ‘Well, every Wonderland needs an Alice.’
It felt like a small explosion in my heart.
If I could have pressed pause, I would have.
‘Okay.’ Matthew drew his gaze away and glanced at his watch. ‘Let’s do the manifesting. It’s after one, so even if we set off by two I’m afraid I’m not going to have you back to Astrid’s much before half three… ’
‘Oh.’ The buzz from the champagne and the setting flattened a little, like I’d drunk a shrinking potion, giving me a slight ache in my ribs. ‘I didn’t realise we had to go back tonight. Sorry. Okay. Yeah.’
‘We don’thaveto.’
‘No, I get it.’ I tried to sound upbeat but suddenly I could feel how cold it was out here, despite the fires; there was a chillthat was creeping in. ‘This has been amazing, but you need to get back. Totally.’
‘I don’t need to get back,’ said Matthew. ‘If you don’t. I mean, in some ways, it would probably be more practical to fly back tomorrow morning, get to Chiswick for a late breakfast.’
‘Much more sensible. In so many ways!’
‘Except,’ said Matthew, ‘this whole place is set up for a couple. In terms of sleeping arrangements.’
I shifted so that I was facing him properly. ‘Matthew,’ I said, my breath clouding in the air. ‘If the bed inside is anything like this day bed, it’ll be full-on enormous. We can just share it.’
Matthew looked down at me. ‘Hmm. Would your hairy-knuckled boyfriend be okay with that?’
I could feel my face getting hotter, despite the cold. I hope he didn’t think I was coming on to him by wanting to stay here. ‘Guy is not my boyfriend. And I don’t see it’s a problem. You and I are family friends. Unless it’s a problem for you. Or Ebba.’
Great. Now I was thinking of Matthew and Ebba. Together. I wondered if he’d brought her here before. Maybe they bathed together in that copper tub; two flawless specimens in an idyllic setting.
He said nothing.
I rolled awkwardly onto my back again putting distance between us. ‘Look, I’ll sleep on the sofa. Or out here. Problem solved.’
Matthew laughed quietly. ‘How have you managed to offend yourself, Alice?’ he said. ‘Neither of us is sleeping out here. It’s freezing. If you’re okay to share a bed with me, it’s all good.’
I swallowed. ‘I am. It’s no big deal.’
‘Cool.’ He extricated himself from the covers. ‘Give me a minute to sort the travel arrangements for tomorrow, and then manifesting begins.’
Not going to detail the manifesting; suffice to say it was mostly going through the actions. We used champagne for moon water and spoke directly to Capricorn this time, and the moon was definitely more mesmerising than a candle. Obviously, however, I couldn’t do my real manifestations in front of Matthew, so just kept them work-related, and did a vague one about being a happy and fulfilled person. He did an equally bland one about finding a better work-life balance and being in the moment, as if there is any alternative. Then he insouciantly asked me why I hadn’t manifested my old house, and I said, carelessly, ‘Actually I was just getting to it,’ and then had to do so out loud, whilst he pretended he was open-minded and tried to keep a straight face, and I pretended I believed it would work.
He suggested we write down our manifestations. I agreed but neither of us had any proper paper. Or a pen. So we had to improvise with what I could find in my bag.
‘We’ll each write one manifestation,’ said Matthew. ‘But let’s keep them private.’
We turned away from each other and Matthew went first.
‘You should sign and date it,’ I said.
‘Exceedingly hard with eyeliner,’ said Matthew.
I wrote, ‘I manifest the perfect man falling in love with me’ on a train ticket but before I could write Guy’s name,the eyeliner broke. Honestly, I was more interested in what Matthew had written. I did try (unsuccessfully) to find out but he distracted me by giving me another glass of champagne.
And actually, when you’re with Matthew Lloyd in a fantasy treehouse drinking champagne under a canopy of stars, it’s hard in the moment to think of what else to ask for.
