Page 27 of One Night With You

‘Okay …’

‘I feel really silly,’ I blurt out, looking around to see if anyone from work might be able to hear what I’m saying.

‘No,’ she insists. ‘Don’t feel silly. It’s nice to hear from you.’

‘Is it?’ I say, and immediately I know I sound too eager. Too happy. Too enthusiastic.

‘Of course it is,’ she says. ‘I had a really nice time with you.’ She lowers her voice. ‘Several really nice times actually. It was definitely a night to remember.’

We obviously don’t know each other well, but we figured out enough about each other that night to establish that she knew how to make me blush, and revelled in making me do so. I’m blushing now, again, my neck flushing and burning. I’m grinning stupidly, though, too. All I can do is laugh. I know she’s flirting, now. I like it.

I hear her say thank you, presumably for her cup of tea fromWilliam. ‘Five minutes,’ I hear her say. ‘I’ve got an idea on where to look first. And can you ask Harry to email the class list with the link?’

‘I should get to the point,’ I volunteer when she’s done.

‘Not that I’m not enjoying talking with you,’ she soothes. ‘But if you don’t mind, yeah. I don’t want to keep everyone waiting too long. We’re on to a good thing here.’

‘Uh-huh,’ I say. ‘Well, basically …’ I scramble to land on the right turn of phrase. ‘You need to get checked out. I’ve got …’

‘Be right there!’ she says. ‘Sorry, Nic.’

There’s a pause.

‘You were about to tell me what you’ve got?’ she reminds me.

‘Right. Yes.’

Somebody shouts to her, ‘Come on, mate! Can’t you talk to your boyfriend later?’

She replies by shouting, ‘Harry, your dad is just asking when he can see me again,’ and it forces more laughter. Harry. So there’s a William, and a Harry, and one of themsays: ‘It’s not that shag you mentioned, is it? The one with the massive—’

The line goes dead for a moment, like she’s either hung up or hit the mute button – then she’s back.

‘Sorry,’ she says. ‘Ignore all that.’

‘Been talking about me?’ I probe.

‘Change the subject!’ she insists, and my heart beats in double time at the notion of having been mentioned.

‘Fine. HarryandWilliam?’ I say. ‘Are you spending time with the royal family?’

‘Ha, yeah, I didn’t clock that. William and Harry.’

There’s a pause.

‘I really do have to go in a sec,’ she prompts. ‘Sorry.’

‘Right,’ I swallow. ‘Yes.’

‘So …?’

‘Well,’ I tell her. ‘Have a good day. I hope the interview-that-wasn’t-supposed-to-be-an-interview-but-is-now goes well.’

‘You rang me to tell me to have a good day?’ she asks.

‘No,’ I reply. ‘No, I didn’t ring you to say have a good day. Chlamydia. You need to get checked for chlamydia. I’ve got it. You might do too.’

‘Oh,’ she says. ‘I have had a bit of an itchy foof, actually. I thought it was thrush.’

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