Page 32 of The Christmas Express
Alex’s frown smooths out, a smile whispering onto her face as she turns her body and rests the side of her head on her arm, on the back of her seat. ‘We’ll see.’
‘This wedding, in Vancouver. It’s my ex-girlfriend’s wedding.’
‘Huh.’
‘Yeah. But I feel like . . . you see, I think Bryn’s been sending me signals.’
‘Signals?’ Alex’s smile is growing bigger by the second.
‘Yes. That she’s still in love with me.’
Alex’s smile drops for a moment and she lifts her head. ‘What signals?’
I start to tell her about all of the things I’ve seen so far on social media. The venue, the menu, the honeymoon destination, the details, the décor.
‘I mean, when I say them out loud, I know how I sound. And I would just like to say that I’m not normally like this.’
A soft chuckle comes out of Alex.
‘I’m glad I’m amusing to you.’ I laugh back.
‘It’s not amusing, it’s just . . .’
‘A lot?’
‘A lot,’ she agrees.
‘Are you judging me, Alex?’
‘A little.’
I wrap the blanket around myself and look up at the sky. ‘But do you not think that if my ex is getting cold feet, if she still has feelings for me, that’s something we should find out?’
‘Well, do you still have feelings for her?’
‘I . . .’ I shrug, my shoulders hidden under my blanket. ‘I don’t know. But I can’t get her out of my head.’
In the darkness, Alex shifts in her seat, pulling her sweater sleeves down over her hands. ‘If you’re not normally like this, what are you normally like?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘There must be a version of Ember without Bryn. I want to know what she’s like.’
‘You do?’ I sneak another look at her.
‘Why so surprised?’
‘I just told you I’m travelling across the globe to crash the wedding of my ex-girlfriend. And I’ve found myself on a four-day train with a bunch of people I don’t get on with. That little lot might be the most exciting thing about me, to be honest.’
‘I doubt that,’ she says. ‘I’m not trying to pick you up or anything, I’m just curious about you.’
‘I’m curious about you, too,’ I reply. ‘Spending your days working the railroads must be interesting?’
‘You do meet some wild ones.’ She laughs, and after a second, I think she might be referring to me. ‘We’ll talk about me later. So, you’re from the UK? London?’
I shake my head as I run my fingers through my hair and pull it up into a messy ponytail. ‘I’m not a city girl, to be honest. I live by the beach, in Cornwall.’
‘A country girl.’
