Page 116 of Mad About You

Her phone! She couldn’t get to it fast enough. He’d probably have igno— his name was on her lock screen. It arrived two hours ago. She fumbled it open.

I think the point of the coin experiment was to show us how bad sugary drinks were for us, but I’ll take it. I’m not going to pretend ‘laughing’ will be my No.1 ‘things I’ve done with Harriet’ stand-out memory, but it’ll definitely be the second. You don’t have a place in my heart. You have it.

Cal xxx

Harriet went hot and cold at the same time, and slightly limp with desire. That … seemed quite unequivocally a declaration? Was ‘you have my heart’ ever a sign-off catchphrase?Catch ya later, Jim! You have my heart.

Harriet couldn’t take the brinkmanship anymore, if that’s what it was. She’d get home and call him. Or, alright, maybenot call him but certainly spend an hour crafting a suitably arousing reply, that confessed what he surely already knew.

The DJ had segued into Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’.

Harriet’s line of sight settled on a handsome man across the disco-ball-lit expanse, eyes fixed on her, his hands in his pockets. His outline was exactly like … As he saw her, seeing him, he smiled.

Harriet was rooted to the spot in shock.

‘Do you want me?’ she mouthed, frowning, pointing at herself, with no idea how she was managing jokes when her heart felt like it was exploding.

Cal nodded. He mouthed back: ‘Yes.’

Harriet felt like her legs were made of rubber bands as she headed over to him and he approached her, and they met in the middle of the half-full dancefloor. ‘Tiny Dancer’ was ironically quite hard to dance to.

‘Hi,’ Cal said. ‘You didn’t reply to my message, so I thought I’d turn up in person and say – what the fuck? You send a message like that, then leave me on UNREAD?! Hard as nails. I wasn’t spending all evening trying to work out why. You can explain yourself in person.’

Harriet grinned from ear to ear.

‘Apologies, I meant to reply: “Good to hear,”’ Harriet said, doing a thumbs up. Cal laughed and they exchanged a look of purest mutual adoration.

He was here. He washere?

‘How did you get in?’

‘If you arrive properly attired, it seems no one stops you. I asked Lorna where tonight’s wedding was.’

‘Ah.’

‘About that message you sent me.’

‘Yes.’

‘I wondered if we might be in one of those situations where I’m madly in love with you and you’re at least slightly in love with me, and neither of us are saying so, in case the other isn’t. I know you didn’t say “I’m in love with you, Cal” in your message but it felt like it might be there in the subtext. I’m going to break the deadlock and go first. Harriet, I’m in love with you.’

Even though she knew that was what he was here to say from the moment she saw him, the words still practically lifted her off her feet.

‘OK then, I admit it. I’m in love with you, Cal.’

They gazed at each other in rapt joy as Elton reached a loud part of the chorus and Cal’s hands found hers, pulling her a little closer, sliding round and up her back.

‘There, was that so difficult? What was so hard about tapping that into WhatsApp, and going on with your day?’ Cal said.

Harriet laughed some more.

‘And what was “I don’t want to stay in touch” about?’ Cal said. ‘That messed with my head and knocked my confidence, right when I was working up to my big declaration. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with that, ever since.’

‘I thought the offer was as “friends”!’

‘That was my opening gambit, testing the water. My plan was to follow it withhow about dinner next week, until you realised I was suggesting a date. I was trying to go a sly, lazy route so I didn’t end up in a wedding marquee having to saythings like, “Harriet, turns out I really did feel every second of having you”.’

Harriet slid her bag off her shoulder, reached her arms up around his neck, and kissed him. She kissed him like she owned him, and the moment, and had no fear. She kissed him like they were the only people there.

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