Page 93 of Only for Christmas

‘Thanks.’ He hugged her close, holding the moment for as long as he could, and trying to commit everything about her to memory. Her smell, the feel of her soft skin against his cheek, the way her long hair brushed his face. He never wanted to forget a single thing.

She hugged him just as tightly.

‘Take care, honey,’ he whispered, escaping out the door before he blubbed and embarrassed himself further.

I love you.

Chapter Nineteen

Tuesday, 27th December

To say Sarah had woken up out of sorts would imply she’d actually been asleep. Something had been niggling at her all night, keeping her awake and annoying the hell out of her. As to what was wrong, she had no idea. Maybe she was coming down with a cold?

It was also eerily quiet in the flat. She missed Fred. Lucas too, and he hadn’t even left yet. She’d always relished the peace and quiet; coming home from a busy day and shutting the door on the world had been a relief, a pleasure even. But it no longer provided her with any comfort. Silence hung in the air like the grey fog outside, hovering above the wet murky pavements, and making the view from her flat window mournful and depressing.

Despite the miserable weather, she kept gravitating towards the window, waiting and watching for Lucas to leave, and hoping the sick feeling in her stomach would lift when he did. While he remained downstairs, she couldn’t shake him off. He was like a virus – while he was still in the vicinity, she was susceptible to another infection.

Once he was gone and back home in the States, she could return to how things were before. Safe. Quiet. Calm. Organised. She’d settle into her routine, focus on her career and regain control. Lucas had disrupted her equilibrium, that was all. She needed to recover her stability.

If she hadn’t been staring morosely out of the window, she wouldn’t have spotted two women climbing off a bright orange Lambretta scooter. It was only when they removed their crash helmets and shook out their hair that she realised it was Georgia and Jafrina. She couldn’t have been more shocked if Fred had been riding the bike.

Pushing open the window, she waved at them as they searched the road, no doubt looking for her flat. ‘Hey, up here!’

Georgia spotted her and shoved Jafrina, before pointing up to the window and waving.

Sarah beckoned them up and ran to the door to wait for them.

She heard heavy footsteps approaching and Georgia swearing about the number of steps. ‘Bloody hell, I feel like I’ve climbed Mount Everest,’ she said, panting as she reached the top. ‘Haven’t they heard of lifts?’

‘In a Victorian building?’ Sarah rolled her eyes. ‘Where’s Jafrina?’

‘She was right behind me.’ Georgia turned and yelled down the stairs. ‘Jafrina!’

Jafrina appeared a few seconds later. ‘Sorry, I stopped to say goodbye to Lucas. He’s heading off to the airport.’

Sarah inwardly cursed. ‘Come in and make yourself at home,’ she said, ushering them inside. ‘Excuse me a moment.’ She ran over to the window, arriving in time to watch Lucas carrying his two suitcases down the steps.

Harper had pulled up in the road and had climbed out to help him. He was wearing a blue hoodie and jeans. He might have worn his favourite green hoodie if she hadn’t pinched it. He’d left it here the other day, and instead of returning it, she’d hung on to it. Why she’d put it on this morning, she had no idea. Especially as she hadn’t washed it yet. Subjecting herself to his scent couldn’t be good for her efforts to restore her equilibrium; it just prolonged the agony. And yet despite this reasoning she couldn’t bring herself to take it off.

It was only after he’d loaded the cases into the boot and walked around to the passenger door that he looked up at her window. He did a double take when he saw her staring at him, no doubt surprised to find her palms pressed against the glass, like a child staring through a confectioner’s window. For a long moment, they just stared at each other.

Eventually, his face broke into a smile, but it wasn’t a happy one. He looked incredibly forlorn.

‘Goodbye,’ he mouthed, blowing her a kiss, before disappearing inside the car.

Sarah dropped her forehead against the glass as she watched them drive away, the sick feeling in her stomach increasing. So much for feeling relieved. The lump in her throat was so acute it felt like she had tonsillitis.

‘Why aren’t you going with him to the airport?’ Jafrina asked, snapping Sarah from her thoughts. She’d almost forgotten Georgia and Jafrina were in the room.

‘And why’s he going to the airport anyway?’ Georgia sounded confused.

‘His visit’s over; he’s returning to the States.’ Sarah came away from the window. ‘This is a nice surprise, I wasn’t expecting you. And certainly not on a scooter.’

‘It’s my brother’s,’ Georgia said, slumping onto the sofa. ‘I borrow it when he’s away.’

Jafrina joined Georgia on the sofa, daintily lowering herself onto it, in contrast to her friend, who was sprawled out taking up most of the space. ‘After what happened on Friday, we wanted to check you were okay.’

‘That’s kind of you.’ Sarah went over to sit on the armchair. ‘I’m doing okay, thanks. Dreading going into work tomorrow in case Stephen’s there.’

---