Page 78 of The Night Before Christmas
She flushed. ‘Bit dramatic, don’t you think?’
‘You know me. Never knowingly understated.’
Felicity laughed. ‘That’s true enough.’
‘So…?’
‘So?’
‘Did it work?’ Adam shifted himself upwards in the bed. Then he held up a hand. ‘No. Second thoughts, don’t answer that. I don’t think I want to know.’ Still, his brown eyes flashed with hope. Or was it anxiety?
‘I think it’s best I don’t,’ she said, gently. ‘It was all my fault. I’m so sorry, Adam, I never should have spoken to you that way.’
Adam waved a hand. ‘Don’t worry, honestly, I deserved it.’
‘Maybe. A bit. But I was pretty cruel. And then I tried to bump you off again by pulling all those thingies off you. Sorry.’
Adam stared into her eyes for a long moment. ‘I meant what I said earlier, Fliss. It’s me who needs to say sorry. Please forgive me.’
‘Of course, I forgive you,’ said Felicity, and in that moment, for the very first time, she knew it was true. She had forgiven him. It felt like a huge iron helmet lifting from her head. Relief washed over her.
‘Thank you,’ he whispered.
She placed her hand on his and they just sat quietly together for what felt like an hour. Felicity’s heart had started to thump. It felt so familiar. So comfortable. She was conscious that a certain particularly gorgeous Penguin Man was just outside the door and yet she suddenly didn’t want to leave. How did Adam always have this effect on her? Even now. He was so irritating and also so confusing. And charmingly pathetic, right in this moment.
Adam looked as if he was about to say something more and Felicity’s heart raced even faster –calm down –but just as he went to open his mouth, in bustled two nurses and asked Felicity – politely, but firmly – to let him rest.
Don’t look too closely at the electrodes, for God’s sake.
As she left the room, she looked back over her shoulder to see Adam staring out of the window and biting his lip. He never bites his lip, she thought, vaguely.
What had he been going to say?
Her head ached.
God, she needed to sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Felicity went homeand slept for twelve hours straight. She woke on the Tuesday morning groggy and still confused but slightly less headachy, at least.
She checked her phone immediately.
Four messages.
Andrea: Penguin Man is a star. All well with cats and dogs. Hope A okay x
James: Hope you slept well, CCL. I’m going to help Andrea for a couple of days so no need to rush back to work. Give me a call when you’re awake and feeling a bit better. XXX
Adam: Bex is here. No need for you to come back, I’ll be fine. I’ll give you a call when I’m home.
Bex: Heard the news, I’m heading to the hospital right now, will come and find you xxx
Damn.
She also had a missed call.
Voicemail: ‘Hi, darling, it’s me, it’s Bex. I wonder if you might give me a call when you have a chance, please. Nothing to worry about but, well, yes just call me, please. Mwah.’
