Page 37 of Now and Again

‘I find that very hard to believe. You grew up… well…’

‘If you think I’m not going to make you finish that sentence, you’re fooling yourself,’ Juliet said. She was starting to think she might have had just a touch more booze than she’d realised.

Riley gave a half smile. ‘I mean, you were always cute.’

Juliet, booze or no booze, began to feel slightly funny in the tummy. ‘Was I?’

Riley shrugged.‘Sure. You were the classic Girl-Who-Doesn’t-Know-She’s-Hot. Tale as old as time.’

Juliet nodded at Riley’s drink. ‘How much whisky did you put in these things?’

Riley tutted. ‘See? Same old Juliet. Can’t take a compliment.’

‘Ican,’ Juliet argued but was quick to see the truth. ‘Actually, you’re right. I never could.’

‘Well, maybe you should be getting out there a bit. Let yourself get paid a few. Get used to it.’

‘You’re assuming that’s what would happen. But I know how it goes on dating apps.’

‘How does it go?’

‘It ain’t romance,’ Juliet said, taking another sip.

‘That’s what you want?’ Riley asked nonchalantly.

‘Am I not supposed to?’ Juliet asked, feeling hot in her cheeks.

‘I didn’t say that. I just… I don’t know. It doesn’t always turn up right away—romance. Sometimes you just…’ She took a rather long pause. ‘It just happens.’

Juliet realised she’d taken a step around the kitchen island. ‘Does it?’

Riley didn’t move. But she smiled, half smiled. Juliet found herself taking another step. God, that whisky was strong. She was never this bold. She wasn’t even sure she was reading this right. If she had it wrong, this was going to be beyond embarrassing—the seventh circle of hellish social missteps.

But then Riley said, ‘Yeah. Just sort of creeps up on you.’ And she took a step, but it was a small one, smaller than Juliet’s. It was as though she was saying, ‘I’m going to make you walk all the way to me.’ Juliet liked that. She’d never minded hard work if the reward was enough. She stepped closer. ‘It never feels that easy to me.’

‘Maybe you overthink it,’ Riley suggested, still that little smile.

Juliet took another step, the final one. She was in front of Riley. ‘Maybe I do.’

‘Maybe you should stop doing that,’ Riley said. Juliet looked brazenly into her magnificent dark eyes, but Riley didn’t look away. There was a dare in her face.

‘Maybe…’ She leaned in close,thisclose to Riley. Riley didn’t move back. Her lips looked delicious. Juliet was going to taste them, any second now. But she wanted to savour this, the moment before. Looking into Riley’s bottomless eyes, feeling the possibility.

Only a few seconds passed, but it felt like an eternity. She couldn’t wait any longer. She had to…

‘Aahh! Shit!’ shrieked a male voice, and Juliet’s head snapped around to see Mike standing in the doorway. He wasn’t looking at them; he was looking at his foot. He bent down and extracted a small piece of Lego from it. ‘This fucking stuff! Why is it always underfoot!’

Juliet and Riley backed away from each other hastily. Mike looked up at the pair of them. Then he looked at the counter. ‘Is that my whisky?’

Safe to say he hadn’t read the vibe. Riley sighed. ‘We just had a splash in our hot chocolate. We couldn’t sleep.’

‘It’s forty years old,’ Mike said icily. ‘It’s not something you put in cheap hot chocolate. It’s meant to be enjoyed in a snifter glass with two drops of Springwater to activate the…’ He stopped and sighed. ‘Why am I explaining this? Leave my cabinet alone.’

He collected a glass from the cupboard while Juliet and Riley didn’t look at each other. He poured himself some water and left the kitchen, saying over his shoulder. ‘Turn off the light when you’re done.’

Riley groaned as he vanished from view. ‘He always has to say it.’

Juliet was angry that Mike had smashed the moment. But she hoped it wasn’t beyond repair. Though when she looked at Riley, Riley didn’t look at her. She was downing her drink. Juliet felt the Riley of a moment ago was gone. A dark cloud had descended. ‘Are you alright?’ Juliet asked.

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