Page 70 of All Wrapped Up
‘Did you really save Bill’s favourite hen?’ I asked him as everyone went back to their own seats and to no doubt refill their plates with the few bits of food that were left.
‘No,’ he confessed, in little more than a whisper, ‘it was a total fluke that she recovered, but don’t tell Fliss that otherwise she’ll be cutting down on my portion sizes.’
I laughed at that, then turned to look at him and realised there was barely an inch of space between us at the packed table. He looked at me, too, and as friendly as we were, the close proximity felt a little too close for comfort.
‘I’ll let you eat in peace,’ I said, pushing back my chair. ‘You’ve got some catching up to do and there are a couple of people I need to thank.’
I’d pretty much said all of the thanks I needed to, but doing the rounds again gave me a moment, even though I didn’t know why I needed one.
‘Have you spoken to everyone now?’ Ash later asked.
‘I think so,’ I told him, feeling fine again.
He’d long since finished eating and had helped move the tables and chairs to clear some space for dancing. I hadn’t known that was going to be on the agenda. It had been a long time since I’d heard music played in a party atmosphere and my foot was tapping as I stood and watched everyone. Callum and I had loved to dance and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. I idly wondered if I still had the moves, as my dad was fond of saying.
‘Would you look at them?’ he would gasp in wonder when Mum tuned intoStrictly. ‘They’ve got the moves. And him a former politician, too. You wouldn’t think it, would you?’
The memory of hearing that every Saturday on repeat for years made me laugh and Ash must have caught the sound.
‘Would you like to dance?’ he unexpectedly offered. ‘Though before you answer, I have to warn you, I’m pretty rubbish.’
‘No,’ I laughed. ‘But thank you.’
‘I can tell you’re itching to.’
I stilled my foot.
‘I wouldn’t want to put you through it, if it’s not your thing,’ I told him.
By the looks of the wild and varied shapes Jemma’s Tom was throwing with abandon, Ash’s alleged bad dancing wouldn’t have been out of place, but I wasn’t about to dance for the first time in a long time in such a public place. I’d save it for my kitchen. Pixie would love that.
‘Hey! Come on!’ Bella then called when she spotted us watching. ‘No wallflowers allowed tonight!’
She grabbed hold of Ash’s hand and pulled him into the crowd and the look he threw me was so desperate that I set aside my apprehension and thought my first thank you for the fairy and bird tables could be to support him on the dance floor.
‘Just one dance then!’ I shouted and joined the happy throng.
One dance turned into two, then two melded into three and by the time the opening bars of ‘You and Me’ by Shallou filled the barn, my heart was racing and I had let the music take me over completely, just like I used to. Ash was still enthusiastically dancing too, and not badly at all. He reached for my hand and spun me round and round while everyone moved around us.
It was the happiest and most relaxed I had felt in a very long time and when Ash pulled me close as the song headed towards its end, I was laughing and singing at the same time. Suddenly, our bodies were pressed together, his hands were on my back, my heart was racing and our lips were just an inch apart. It was very close proximity for… friends.
I’m not sure what would have happened next, if anything, but in the beat when time stood still, his jeans pocket began to buzz and I jumped away.
‘You’re vibrating!’ I shouted.
‘You’re telling me,’ he swallowed, his eyes trained on mine.
‘No!’ I laughed. ‘It’s your phone!’
He pulled it out of his pocket, then moved away so he could answer it in peace and I was left thinking we’d just had a very lucky escape and how fortunate we were that Joanne hadn’t been around to witness it.
It was a shocking acknowledgement, but I knew I had been about to kiss Ash or Ash had been about to kiss me, but then I reasoned, it was only because we had been caught up in the moment. We had both been in an entirely uninhibited state, high on good food and fun music. It wouldn’t have meant anything, but it could have made our purely platonic friendship awkward, so I was relieved it hadn’t happened.
And of course, given that I was still in love with Callum, and had always been resolute that I would never so much as even look at another man in that way again, the guilt that kissing Ash would have doubtless triggered, would have been unbearable.
‘Crikey,’ I said to Bella, who was still dancing. ‘I’m boiling. I need a drink.’
I poured myself a glass of apple juice and drank it slowly as I caught my breath.
