Page 55 of The Mission

“Come and get them.”

“In a minute. Where do you think you’d like to go on your trip? You have to tell me so I can get you the right dates.”

Maybe Rurik saw the slightly desperate look on Arlo’s face because he walked away.

There was a chorus of thanks to Arlo.

“It’s almost the best thing about being a pilot,” Arlo said. “I can keep giving them the same thing year after year. Saves so much work.”

A little later, Conrad realised he’d not seen Arlo for several minutes. When he went to look for him, he found him in the bedroom working on the puzzle box.

“Really?” Conrad asked.

“I can’t stop,” Arlo said with a moan. “I’ve nearly… Oh, there we go. Now the last bit.”

“I think I need to take it back to the shop and complain. It was supposed to be challenging.”

“What does the message say?”

“I’m not going to tell you. I’m going to sit next to you and rip it from your fingers the moment you grab it.”

“Ha!”

Conrad gave in to the inevitable. Arlo was going to get to the message in a few minutes. Conrad didn’t regret writing it. He could have left off the wordthinkbut he sat next to Arlo and watched.

Arlo gave a yell of triumph and flung himself off the bed when he got hold of the piece of paper.

“I’m rethinking thethink,” Conrad said as Arlo opened it.

Arlo looked at the message and bit his lip. “Rethinking it toI don’t think?Your handwriting is terrible.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Come and tell me what it says.”

Conrad crossed the room and pulled Arlo into his arms. “I know it’s too quick, too soon, too fast… That it might be lust talking… That it probablyislust talking… But…”

“That’s not what it says.”

Conrad swallowed hard. “All that’s understood and you weren’t supposed to be reading it yet.”

“But you meant it when you wrote it. You mean itnow.”

Conrad nodded.

“So say it.”

“I think I love you.”

Arlo’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Yes, it’s crazy fast and all the rest, but unless you turn out to have some horrible habits, or hog the remote, I already know we’re meant to be together. I think I love you too. We’re not allowed to say the three words on their own for at least six months. Okay? Then my mother and Rurik won’t accuse me of rushing this, rushing you.”

“But we can sayI think I love you?”

“Absolutely. Not in English, but in as many languages as we can manage.”

Conrad smiled. “This is the best Christmas ever.”

“Then what can we do next year?”

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