Page 64 of All I Want for Christmas

‘My flatmate’s boyfriend. They did it without telling me.’

‘Yikes! And did they swipe on me for you too?’

‘No,’ she said, throwing hm a coy look. ‘I did that all by myself.’

‘Well, that’s a relief,’ he smiled. ‘I wouldn’t want to think you were here under duress.’

‘Isuggested the date, remember?’

‘I do.’ They held eye contact for a moment and Darcy felt a small pulse of relief that they were actually flirting. She hadn’t held out much hope, especially after the run-ins with Max had left her feeling flattened.

‘So tell me your dating history,’ she said. ‘Let’s get it out of the way. What’s brought you to be sitting here with me tonight, about to embark on a fierce game of Scrabble?’

He shrugged. ‘It’s a pretty short story. I was in a five-year relationship, almost all the way through vet school.’

‘Was she a vet too?’

‘No. She’s a data analyst now.’

‘Five years is a long time. What happened?’

He hesitated for a moment. ‘If I’m being really honest, I think I always had an instinct we weren’t going to go the distance. I loved her, but I knew I didn’t want to marry her.’

‘Ouch.’

‘Yeah. It was rough. I felt like a scumbag, of course, even though I was only trying to be honest. I really did – and do – believe it was the best thing for us both, but it put me off getting too involved again.’

‘I’m not surprised. That’s a long time to be with someone. Are you still in touch with her?’

‘A little...Not really. She’s with someone else now. They’re engaged.’

‘Are you cool with that?’

‘I was a bit sad when I heard, but I didn’t want to be him, if that makes sense. It confirmed for me that I’d done the right thing.’

‘Yeah – far better to call it quits before you get to marriage and kids. I’ve already got a friend back home getting divorced.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah. The marriage lasted ten months. And the sad thing is, we all knew it was coming. No one thought they should get married. She just wanted a wedding, I reckon.’

‘There’s a lot of that,’ he said, rolling his eyes. ‘Do you want to get married?’

She pressed a hand to her heart. ‘Gosh, I mean we’ve only just met but sure, why not?’

He laughed, sitting back as the waiter came over with their drinks. ‘Food will be twenty minutes,’ the man said.

‘Great, thanks...Well, cheers,’ she said and they clinkedbeers. She drank, feeling relaxed already, although Aksel seemed to betray some nerves as he gulped his down in deep swallows.

‘Tell me your story, then,’ he said, putting down a half-drunk pint a moment later.

‘Oh, it’s a little more meandering than yours,’ she sighed. ‘I was in a three-year relationship at uni. Then I was single for a bit, doing my master’s; then I got into another relationship for eighteen months. After that I rebounded into what was supposed to be a fling but turned into a year-long thing. I moved over here in the summer and wasdeterminedI’d be single but I met a guy I worked with in, like, my second week and we were together for two months. I keep trying to have my Hot Mess moments but it never quite happens that way. Somehow I always end up in a relationship.’

‘Yikes.’ He made a face. ‘Will I get a warning or just wake up one day married to you with three kids?’

‘I’ll try to warn you,’ she grinned.

‘Great. Thanks.’ He looked at her again and she felt an ease with him she hadn’t felt with Erik or Max. Erik had made her jumpy, pushing too hard for an ending she wasn’t ready to give; and Max...she couldn’t relax with him. He made her feel like her soul was on fire. ‘So why did these relationships end?’

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