Page 116 of Falling for You
‘What?’ My eyes snap up from my coffee. ‘She’s giving it up? She can’t do that!’
Stevie looks at me. ‘And why’s that?’
‘Because she’s incredible!’ I cry, throwing my arms in the air. ‘I mean … she just can’t do that.’
To my annoyance, I notice Stevie start to laugh.
‘What?’ I snap hotly. He holds his hands up defensively.
‘It’s just all so mad to me!’ he says. ‘I mean, fuck, you’re a better person than I am, but allthe drama. You think you’re cursed because you’ve had a few bad weeks in London?’
‘Fuck off.’
‘And you do know that you’re proper into Annie, don’t you? And she asked you to stay and fight for her but you’re here, sat with me, waiting to go back home so you can, what? Live in our parents’ spare bedroom for the rest of your life?’ I shoot him daggers but he’s still grinning at me. ‘You’re the one always harping on about the universe and luck and all that bullshit. Are you really going to leave it like this?’
‘Well, what do you expect me to do?’ I demand.
‘I don’t know.’ Stevie shrugs nonchalantly. ‘Tell her how you feel. Call her, at least.’
‘She’s blocked my number.’
‘Ooohh … romance.’ I glare at him and he laughs again. ‘Go find her, then!’ he says, exasperated. ‘Who cares if she tells you to go to hell or it all fucks up? You can’t leave without properly telling her how you feel. Otherwise, what is the point in all of this?’
I open and close my mouth, emotions flying around my body like wild birds.
‘I have her number.’ He holds up his phone. I go to grab it but he snatches it away. ‘But I think you should go and find her instead. We both know you want to. It’s far more romantic.’
‘I can’t … how would I even find her?’
Stevie sighs. ‘Well … she’s going to her parents tonight.’
I gape at him. ‘How do you know that?’
‘She told me,’ he shrugs. ‘I asked her about payment and she said she’d message me when she was back from visiting her parents.’
I stand up clumsily. ‘Do you … do you really think I should?’
Stevie nods, smirking at me. ‘Go and tell her how you feel? Yes. Go on.’ He waves a hand at me. ‘Go live out your best Hugh Grant fantasy. I know you’ve been desperate to since the moment you got to England.’
‘But, our flight …’ I say, spinning around to look at the announcement board. Stevie looks down at his phone.
‘She was only going this evening … you might be able to catch her at the station.’
‘Paddington!’ I gabble. ‘The train goes from Paddington.’
‘Go get her then, Nate,’ Stevie grins at me.
He gets to his feet and we clap hands together.
‘And Nate?’
‘What?’
‘You deserve the world. Don’t fuck this up.’
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Annie
