Page 108 of Only Ever You

Kissing Bash next door had made this tension dangling above them worse. She’d admitted to herself that levelling him up at his own game wasn’t her finest moment of judgement, but the TV spewing out error code after error code was the final straw.

In a huff, Faye dropped the remote on the sofa, then herself, and waited for whatever witty retort would come from the silent observer at the other end.

All of her frustrations had given her a headache. She was supposed to have arrived home today to open upBakedearly tomorrow morning. Now, after two days of closure, there wouldn’t be any doughnuts fresh for reopening, which meant they’d have to stay closed another day and spend all day baking to be ready for the day after that. Numbers and timings and ingredient stock lists swam through her head as she sneered at the blank screen on the wall.

Bash was too silent. Faye’s head fell back against the sofa and turned to eye him. Clearly comfortable, he slouched, knees spread in his blue jeans with hands clasped in his lap, studying her.

Here she was, nostrils flaring like a runaway horse, and therehewas all soft-eyed and gooey. Faye’s traitorous heart stumbled over itself at those crinkles by his eyes. He still hadn’t shaved and his beard had turned into an actual one – one her nails restlessly wanted to scratch through.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” Bash said in a quieter voice than normal.

“That.” She flippantly gestured at his face, and his gooey look flattened into one betraying nothing at all before he turned his eyes away.

“Sorry.” He sighed, flattening his hands on his thighs only to rub them back and forth.

Ugh. No.They weren’t doing this again.

“Hey—” Faye dropped her hand on the sofa cushion between them a little too impatiently. “What’s wrong?”

Bash shrugged. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Which meant that something definitely was. Since when did he hide his feelings?

“You’re being weird.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are. You never look at me like that.” Though that look had gone, and Faye surprised herself with how much she wanted it to come back.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re in love with me, or something.” Words. Words.Words.

“Well maybe I am.”

Whatever the reason for Faye’s annoyance flew straight out of her mind. She was suddenly weightless, staring at Bash, because she was sure that she’d just heard him say?—

“What?” Her exhale shuddered.

Eyes wide and white, Bash pressed his lips together. “Hm?”

Faye’s pulse thundered wildly as she sat up straight. “You just said?—”

“No. No, I?—”

“Youdidjust say?—”

“Forget about it. It doesn’t matter. Ignore me.” Bash stood so quickly it made Faye dizzy, and he was halfway out of the room before she could react.

“Bash—” Her throat closed around his name as she scrambled over the back of the sofa.

“I’m going to get some work done.” He didn’t turn, striding down the hall for the stairs.

Butterflies danced in a whirlwind behind Faye’s chest. “What did you mean?”

“I brought my laptop with me. I’ve got mockups for a bathroom I need to look over before?—”

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