Page 16 of The Night Before Christmas
Except it wasn’t James at all.
‘Hello, Felicity,’ said a familiar voice, and instantly the blood started pumping wildly around her body as if it was getting her ready to run.
A tall, dark, and very slick-looking man was standing in the doorway, polished tan shoes and smart navy suit looking hugely out of place amongst the paraphernalia of the rescue centre. He wrinkled his nose slightly at the smell of cat food and other related aromas as he moved towards her, deliberately ignoring the cats, who had immediately begun clamouring for his attention from their cages on either side of the room.
She took a deep breath.
‘Adam,’ she said.
He smiled that familiar dazzling smile that showed all his bright white teeth at once and not for the first time the mannerism reminded her of Tom Cruise.
Top GunTom, notTropic ThunderTom, mind.
He kept moving until he was only a few feet away from her and she had a sudden panic that he was going to try and kiss her in greeting. Surely even he wouldn’t be that bold. But, no, to her relief he stopped just short, right in front of her – inches away, really – and, in a panic, she grabbed a tea towel to dry her hands and give her something to focus on other than the familiar scent-and-lotion smell of him.
‘What are you doing here?’ she said, neurons firing in all directions.What the hell is he doing here?
‘Merry Christmas,’ said Adam. His jaw muscle flexed, and she could feel his eyes roving all over her face in that familiar way he had, as if he were trying to memorise every detail. ‘Or should I say, Happy New Year?’
Felicity stared up at him, barely able to speak.
She couldn’t believe he was here.
And, after all this time, she couldn’t believe that he still had the power to make her feel the way she always had when he looked at her. As if she was completely inadequate. As if he’d mistaken her for some other woman. Some fitter, blonder, more attractive woman probably. Under his intense gaze she knew she was blushing, and she cursed herself for not wearing more make-up that day even as she hated that failed-feminist part of herself.
Being a woman is so complicated.
‘Surely you didn’t come all this way to say that?’ said Felicity, trying to keep her tone reserved even though she felt anything but. ‘You know I hate Christmas.’
At that he laughed. He actuallylaughed.
‘I know you do,’ Adam said, his dark eyes boring into her. ‘It’s delightfully charming, just like you. I missed you.’
‘It’s been three years, Adam.Threeyears. And you walk in here as if you just popped out for a bit!’
‘I know, I know. It’s shameful really. I’ve been watching you though.’
She looked at him properly then, a bit shocked.
‘I mean, not, like, in a stalker way, I mean I’ve been keeping track of you. No, that sounds worse.’
It was his turn to blush now, but in a very cool and collected way of course, the luminescent brown skin on his cheeks flushing slightly with pink.
‘You mean you’ve been facestalking me.’
‘Yes, yes that’s it. I’ve just kept up with you on social media, on Instagram and stuff. I wanted to know you were doing okay. Nice profile pic, by the way.’
She had thrown him a lifeline and he had seized it gratefully, not realising that it was a trap. And now she had him.
‘I’m not on Instagram,’ she said quietly, raising an eyebrow.
An awkward pause ensued, in which a look of anguish passed briefly across his features, but he quickly regained his cool.
‘Okay.Fine. If you must know the truth, I’ve been asking around about you for ages, and I had no joy, and then I bumped into a couple of your friends on a night out last week and they told me you worked here and, well, I had to see you.’
Bex and Sophie. It had to be. But why didn’t they tell me?
He moved even closer then, or so it seemed, still looking her up and down slowly.
