Page 5 of One Night With You

Neither of us knows what to say then. He taps his fingertips against his jeans as if waiting to be released. I look at them, the neat square tops of his nails, tapping out a staccato rhythm on his knees. I gather my courage, because I’m going to do it: I’m going to see if he wants to stay. Fuck it – why not? Then I feel his gaze on me so look up, and before my eyes meet his he looks away, above my head, to the empty space where my mirror used to hang.

‘I should probably get going,’ he offers.

Oh. I’m getting this all wrong. The vibe is all one-way.Ooooops. I should just let him get on with his day. He doesn’t want to be here. Never mind.

‘Shall I get Jackson to help you out with it?’ I offer, releasing him from the jail of my attention. ‘I’m sure he won’t mind.’

He practically leaps up and runs for the door, which doesn’t exactly make me feel great. I take the hint. At least with the sofa gone it’s another job off the list, and we’re another step closer to family dinner.

‘Jackson,’ I call, as I reach around to let Nic out. I needn’t have bothered. Jackson is stood just outside the bedroom door with Candice, neither of them even trying to hide the fact that they’ve been statue-still and totally silent, listening in to the whole sofa-buying interaction.

‘Do you mind helping?’ I say, shooting daggers.

‘Oh, absolutely,’ he replies, unperturbed. ‘It would bemy pleasureto help.’

And there’s something about the twinkle in his eye that makes my tummy flip once again. I try to shake my head to surreptitiously communicate Nic’s not interested, but Jackson doesn’t catch it.

‘Right, mate – one end each? Don’t forget to bend from the knees,’ I hear him say, and I’m embarrassed at how disappointed I am that this good-looking man doesn’t even want a bit of a flirt back.

5

Nic

I order an extra-large cab via the app on my phone. Fortunately, it’s stopped raining.

‘Is she your girlfriend, then?’ I say to Jackson, because I have to know. I can’t believe I’m never going to see her again. I didn’t know what to do. I was so stupid back there, not knowing what to say and coughing and blushing and acting like I had the IQ of a two-year-old. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She couldn’t get rid of me quick enough.

‘Who, Ruby?’ Jackson says. ‘Nah, mate. Don’t shit where you eat – that’s my advice. We just live together, that’s all. Well … Did. She’s moving tomorrow. Hence the sofa sale.’

‘Oh,’ I reply. Not that it makes a difference what her relationship status is. I just proved, once again, how incompetent I am. This woman is moving anyway. I’ll bet I didn’t even register on her radar. Not a woman like that, and a bloke like me.

‘Fit though, isn’t she?’ Jackson says. ‘Ruby.’

I shrug.

‘Come off it, don’t tell me you didn’t notice!’

I grin, just a bit, because I can’t help it. Jackson has the same easy-going attitude that Ollie does. He makes me comfortable to relax around him.

‘Ahh!’ he says, hooting with a laugh. ‘Look at your face! ’Course you noticed it, you big old perv. Well, you’ll be pleased to know she’s single.’

I look at the taxi app. Five more minutes. I’m praying the cabbie will even help me at the other end, if I tip well enough.

‘You might have noticed I’m not very good with women,’ I say to the end of the street, watching cars whizz by. ‘So her being single doesn’t help me very much.’

‘Yeah,’ Jackson says. ‘I can’t lie. I did spot that you were a bit …’

‘Yeah,’ I agree, not needing him to specify the word.

We stand.

‘If you’re accepting unsolicited advice,’ Jackson says, eventually, ‘the trick is to be where you are with them. That’s what I find.’

I’m not sure I want romantic coaching at the side of a road with soggy clothes and a sofa to lift in less than four minutes, but … Well, somebody needs to help me, don’t they? I didn’t come all this way to be as meek and mild and useless as I’ve just been for the rest of my life. I might cringe when Ollie tries to help me, but that’s not because I don’t need it. It’s the way he offers it. Jackson is talking like a person, not a caricature. He’s making it easy to listen to what he has to say. I hate when other men put on some pissing contest I don’t want to be a part of. Jackson seems sound, to be fair.

‘What do you mean?’ I ask cautiously. ‘Go on.’

‘Okay,’ replies Jackson, turning to face me. ‘Imagine there’s this gorgeous bird, right?’

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