Page 7 of Three's a Crowd
Sam came back too then and started asking Zach some more about drama school, so Daisy was relieved when Adam re-engaged her in conversation about her upcoming start at university, giving her tips on what to expect and what to avoid.
She’d forgotten how sweet Adam could be. He still had the same boyish looks as when he was young, but now with an added strong jaw line and sculpted cheekbones. He was tall too, although not as tall as Zach, who seemed to tower over her. Adam seemed really interested in what she had to say about why she’d chosen to do a media degree and she began to relax in his comfortable company, sipping her drink until it was gone.
Sam went and fetched them more drinks from the bar with Adam’s ID and soon she’d drunk that too. She was feeling slightly woozy now, but she was enjoying Adam’s company and found herself touching his arm when making a point about something. She was telling him about her plans for getting some work experience at a radio station during the holidays from uni when she became aware that she was being watched. Turning her head, she locked gazes with Zach, who frowned back at her, his dark eyes narrowed. There was something else in his expression too, but she couldn’t quite discern what it was.
They were so close like this, their faces only centimetres apart.
His familiar scent hit her senses and she breathed him in, her head swimming with the intensity of their intimacy.
Out of nowhere, an unaccustomed throb began to beat, deep in the centre of her, as if he’d gently dragged his fingers up the flesh of her thighs. Her whole body tingled at the thought and she squirmed under his gaze.
‘What?’ she asked, not sure what to do with this strange new feeling. Especially not here in the pub.
‘Nothing,’ he murmured, ‘just listening,’ before turning away and talking to Sam again.
Daisy let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at Adam, who smiled benignly back at her.
‘Actors,’ he faux-whispered. ‘Always creeping people out by studying them for future roles.’
Daisy laughed, which mercifully broke the tension.
After they’d all finished a third drink, they weaved back up to the cottage, in good spirits now, Sam chattering away, barely taking a breath to allow anyone else to get a word in. Luckily, the rain had held off and the night had turned balmy.
Daisy was conscious that Zach didn’t once directly address or even look at her again and even though Adam and Sam were sandwiched between them, she was still acutely aware of his brooding presence, just feet away from her. What was hisproblem?
He’d always treated her with an offhand sort of disdain, sure, which she’d assumed was because she was a girl, younger than him, and akin to being a kid sister. But now? When they were all practically adults. Why could he still not bring himself to be civil towards her?
As they approached the house, Adam fell back slightly and caught Daisy by the hand. ‘Can I talk to you on your own for a sec?’ he asked, his expression startlingly serious.
She wondered what it could be – nothingtooserious, she hoped – but decided to go with it. Nerves thrumming, she allowed him to lead her into the garden of the cottage, towards a wooden bench which was partly swamped by bamboo grass.
Daisy’s taste buds once again twanged with the sharp tang of salt mixed with the scent of the flowers in the air, and as she breathed it in deeply, the remaining frustration of the past hour melted away and she experienced a rush of happiness at being there.
‘I love this place,’ she burst out. ‘It’s so great to be here with everyone.’
Adam was looking at her steadily and the air suddenly seemed to change in weight around them.
‘Sit down a minute, Daisy, will you?’
Daisy’s heart began to race. Feeling a bit shaky, she sat on the bench and Adam sat down next to her, nervously brushing his hair away from his face.
Every sense in her body shouted,Uh oh!
Adam took an audible breath. ‘The thing is, Daisy, I really like you… I meanreallylike you… as more than just a friend.’ He couldn’t look at her now and seemed to be trembling.
Her heart went out to him, even though she felt sick with nerves at hearing this from someone she’d known since she was a little girl.
‘I just wanted to know, er, if you fancied coming to visit me sometime in Bristol? To see if we could make a relationship – a proper relationship – work.’ He turned to catch her eye now, his expression worried. ‘I know this must all seem a bit sudden and it’s not great timing when you’re just about to start uni, but I figured if I don’t do it now, you’ll meet someone in your first week there and I’ll have missed my chance,’ he rushed on before she had time to respond. ‘I’ve been wanting to tell you how I feel about you for a really long time but I’ve never had the courage to do it before. I didn’t want to ruin what we have.’
There was a beat of silence while Daisy desperately groped around for something to say.
‘I had no idea you felt like that. That’s so… flattering,’ was all she could come up with.
Though if she really thought about it, of course, and examined everything she’d seen and heard from him tonight, shemightjust conclude that she did havesomeidea…
She really liked him too, always had, but she’d never thought of him as boyfriend material before. She did find him attractive though, and he was one of the sweetest people she’d ever met.And at least he treated her like an adult and not some annoying little kid, like Zach did.
The thought of Zach and his disdainful frowns helped her to make up her mind about Adam’s proposal. Perhaps she should give it a chance. It wasn’t as if she had men breaking down the door to take her out and she definitely didn’t want to lose him as a friend by rejecting him out of hand.
