Page 17 of The Wedding Pact
Chapter 12
Flynn
What did he think? He thought the whole idea was utter madness. He thought he was wasting time even being out here with her at this moment. He thought he had it all figured out before he’d even left Japan, and that everything was going to be easy.
Who even was this girl, and why would he get himself involved in this? Flynn stifled a yawn as he processed his feelings, the exhaustion of moving hemispheres, battling jet lag, flat-hunting, feeling anxious about starting a new job in the morning, all weighing down on him. It would be nice to just have a home sorted. Even if he had to stick it out in the hotel for another couple of weeks, knowing he wouldn’t need to try to book flat viewings into his evenings was pretty tempting.
But this wasn’t him; he wasn’t one to take chances and get mixed up in hairbrained schemes.
‘Come on,’ August cajoled at that exact moment. ‘I know you have an adventurous streak, you just moved here fromJapan, for crying out loud.’
A memory of Yui hit him like a sucker punch, again, the image of her face before him, her eyes disappointed, her lips exhaling a sigh.I was never adventurous enough for you, Flynn thought.
Perhaps … perhaps he should take more chances. Perhaps he should throw caution to the wind from time to time. What would he tell Yui if they spoke, if he didn’t? ‘Oh, I had the opportunity to have a great home but I didn’t want to take a chance on it not working out.’
Flynn didn’t know if pretending to be a couple would even work. He wasn’t about to lie in any documentation, but then equally the landlady shouldn’t be discriminating against non-marrieds, so the whole thing was just an ethical mess. But, was there really any harm in trying? August was right, they would be good tenants. They seemed to get along, for the most part, and they both really wanted to live here. Heneededto livesomewhere.
Flynn took a deep breath, and, with Yui’s face in his mind, asked, ‘The bigger room would be mine?’
She snapped her head back around to look at him, her eyes wide. ‘Yes, yes, it could be all yours.’
‘All right, then.’
‘All right? All right you’ll do this?’
‘Yes, let’s give it a shot.’
August threw her arms around his neck and hugged him so hard the heels of her feet lifted off the ground. With her lips beside his ear and his arms around her back she asked, ‘Are you sure? Are you really sure?’
‘Yes. I’m not making any promises though, we don’t know if she’ll even like us. And if it involves anything illegal with the paperwork I’m out.’
‘Of course, of course,’ she agreed, that would indeed be stepping too far. ‘Thank you, Flynn, you don’t know what this means to me.’
Actually, he thought he did.
To anybody watching August and Flynn embracing on the balcony, framed by tall French doors, they would have seen a couple of people who, right now, looked very much in love.
Chapter 13
Flynn
Stepping back inside, Flynn and August walked hand in hand through the apartment, making their way towards Mrs Haverley, who was just finishing talking with another couple before they walked away looking pleased with themselves.
Mrs Haverley however turned and muttered, ‘Bloody hippies.’
Flynn glanced toward the couple, who were smiling, arm in arm and taking one last look before exiting the property. Apart from her nose stud, and the shell necklace he was wearing, they didn’t look very hippy-like to him.
‘Mrs Haverley?’ August spoke first, dropping Flynn’s hand to reach out and shake the landlady’s. August’s voice had dropped a touch, like when somebody has a posh ‘phone voice’, only this silky, confident tone was like the room had been silenced and a pleasant audiobook had been started.
‘Hello,’ Mrs Haverley said with suspicion, looking between them.
‘Mrs Haverley, thank you for giving up your morning to allow us – to allow usall– to have a look around your beautiful home. It must be a great pain to have all these people traipsing through, and on your Sunday, no less.’
Mrs Haverley tilted her head. ‘Well, it is a little, yes,’ she said. ‘But no matter, it has to be done.’
Flynn was impressed. August seemed to know exactly what to say. He wondered if she’d taken improv classes in her past, or whether she just had a natural ability for reading people and reacting to them.
August continued, reaching a hand to Flynn’s arm, sliding it down in an oh-so-familiar way. Comfortable and close without being too intimate or showy. ‘May I introduce myself and my husband, Flynn. My name’s August.’
