Page 36 of A Sky Full of Stars
Charlotte laughed. ‘Fair point. Maybe I should come over here and cook for you, then?’
‘I’d like that,’ Tristan replied.
Charlotte watched as he stretched out on the sofa, and then caught sight of the time. ‘I’d better be getting back,’ she said regretfully. ‘Lorelai’s been dog sitting and I don’t want to take advantage.’
‘Gran loves dogs,’ Tristan replied, leaning in to kiss her again. ‘She won’t mind if you’re a bit later.’
‘All the same,’ Charlotte laughed, pushing him away playfully, ‘I don’t want him to outstay his welcome.’
‘Fair enough.’ Tristan disentangled himself from her reluctantly. ‘But, for the record, I’d love you to stay longer.’
There was no mistaking the heat in his eyes when he said that. Charlotte felt jolted by the intensity. She was beginning to realise that Tristan was an all-or-nothing kind of guy when it came to his emotions – she got the feeling that, once he fell, he fell hard.
‘Let’s do this again soon,’ Charlotte said.
‘And if it means you can spend more time here, you can bring the bloody dog,’ Tristan replied. ‘I’m sure he and I can tolerate each other for a few hours.’
Charlotte grinned. ‘That’s very magnanimous of you. He’d probably think the same!’ She sat up and smoothed down her dress, watching Tristan stand up and stretch out.
‘This has been wonderful,’ she said. ‘And I really appreciate the taxi service, too.’
‘Next time, if you bring Comet with you, I might not have to drive you home?’ Tristan’s expression was carefully hopeful. Charlotte’s pulse quickened and her expression obviously revealed her nerves, because Tristan immediately added, ‘No pressure. I have a spare room, but even if you did want to stay in mine, I don’t, er,expectanything. Just to be clear.’
Raising up onto tiptoe to kiss him, Charlotte’s murmur of ‘Thank you,’ was soft but heartfelt. She didn’t get the feeling Tristan made that offer lightly, and she was flattered that he should go to such lengths when they were just getting to know each other.
As they broke apart again, Tristan ran a hand through his hair. ‘Do I need to brush it, in case Gran starts giving me the third degree?’ he joked.
‘Looks fine to me, considering,’ Charlotte replied. ‘How do I look?’
This time it was Tristan’s turn to smile. ‘Kind of like you’ve spent the afternoon snogging on my sofa.’
‘Great.’ Charlotte rolled her eyes. ‘We’d both better tidy up a bit before we go and retrieve Comet.’
‘Oh, no,’ Tristan countered, ‘I’m planning on chucking you out of the car and running. I’m not getting caught by Gran for interrogation.’
‘Ah, so that’s where the chivalry ends,’ Charlotte laughed. ‘I was wondering where you drew the line.’
‘If you’re lucky, I’ll stop the car before I kick you out,’ Tristan quipped. ‘But if she’s in the front garden, I don’t plan on slowing down!’
‘Good job I’ve perfected my duck and roll technique, then.’ Charlotte was properly giggling now. ‘Just say the word and I’ll hurl myself out.’
It felt good to be so light-hearted. The mood lasted all the way back to Nightshade Cottage, where, thankfully, Lorelai was nowhere to be seen. As Tristan gave her a last lingering kiss in the car, Charlotte reflected that it had been the nicest afternoon she’d spent in a long time.
37
Charlotte got her head down for the next few days, mindful that time was starting to run out. She’d been diligently sifting through and archiving the records room for three weeks and she felt as though the project was beginning to head towards its final stages. She and Tristan hadn’t had much of a chance to see each other because he’d been tied up with preparations for the next project after Observatory Field, but the Portakabin that was going to be his office for the duration of the build had been delivered to the site, and she knew that he was intending to move himself into it early the following week.
Friday morning dawned, and Charlotte left for the observatory early, taking Comet with her. The area between the fence and the observatory’s building had been gradually cleared, although the fence had been left so that it could be locked to deter trespassers. Even at this late stage of the demolition, Flowerdew were taking no chances. Charlotte finally deemed it safe enough for Comet to roam off-lead so she started to take him with her when she worked. Lorelai seemed slightly disappointed that she wouldn’t be needed to dog sit quite so much, but Charlotte was relieved. Much as Lorelai and Comet had bonded, she couldn’t help feeling as though she was imposing on her landlady.
The now familiar walk through the woodland was a sure-fire way to both wake her senses and allow her a little thinking time about last Sunday’s date with Tristan. Spending time with him was such a lovely experience, and a bit of a revelation. He was much more relaxed on his own turf, and although things had gradually heated up between them, he’d been the perfect gentleman. She had the feeling that they were both in sync, and she was enjoying it. In the early days of her relationship with Todd, though he’d never overtly pressured her, she’d always felt some kind of impetus to go along with what he wanted. She didn’t feel that pressure with Tristan.
As she approached the observatory, her phone pinged. There were patchy spots of reception between the woodland and the observatory, and she paused to check the messages that had managed to get through. The first brought a smile to her face: it was a brief, but sweet, missive from Tristan wishing her a good day at work. She texted him back, wishing him the same.
Reception faded out again as she began to move, and as she approached the observatory, she caught sight of someone waiting outside the gate. Blinking in the sunlight that had brightened considerably upon her exit from the woodland, it took a moment for Charlotte to register who the familiar-looking figure was.
It couldn’t be. Could it?
Torn between wanting to shoot back into the woods or confront the visitor, whose body language screamed nonchalance as they stood there checking their phone (good luck with that, she thought with some satisfaction), Comet took the decision out of her hands by dashing up to them, yapping in pleasure.
