Page 44 of Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop
‘Oh God, I’m sorry …’
‘It’s early stages but he and my mother are convinced that Western medicine will see him into an early grave and that he should treat it with Chinese herbs and meditation, so I want to be around to help out more and, I don’t know, Britain just feels like home.’ Noah shrugged again. ‘Also, since I’ve been away, I’ve acquired two nephews and a niece and I’d quite like to see them grow up, be their favourite uncle, that sort of thing.’
Nina had no trouble understanding the ties of blood. ‘Truth. My two nieces, Ellie and Rosie, are my absolute favourite people in the world. In fact, I like them so much that I’ve agreed to go to a soft-play centre for Ellie’s birthday party.’ She paused with a cheese-laden nacho halfway to her mouth so she could fully contemplate the horror of what she’d agreed to. ‘The party starts at ten on Sunday morning. I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as Sunday morning. I usually sleep in until lunchtime.’
Noah didn’t nod in agreement this time because even though it was past ten on a school night and he was on his third gin and tonic, it was obvious that he was a morning person. ‘Early start then?’
‘Yes, but I’m actually going to Worcester Park on Saturday evening for a girls’ night out with my sister-in-law,’ Nina explained heavily. On balance, a Saturday night in Worcester Park had to be better than getting up before eight on Sunday morning. When Nina had told Chloe that she couldn’t bear the thought of staying at her parents’ and spending Saturday evening with her mother, Chloe had said that if she didn’t mind kipping on their sofa, they could have a girls’ night out. ‘All Bar One has been mentioned,’ Nina told Noah with a mournful expression. ‘And I can’t even get drunk because I have soft play in the morning and then in the afternoon, I’m getting the next part of my tattoo done.’
‘So, tattoos and hangovers not good?’
‘So not good and I speak from bitter experience.’
‘Well, if it’s any consolation I’m going back to Worcester Park on Saturday night too,’ Noah said. ‘Nothing as exciting as All Bar One. My sister and her husband are going to a wedding and their babysitter bailed and I was the only person who could stand in at such short notice.’ He sighed.
‘Are you worried about being responsible for keeping your nephews and niece alive?’
‘Not as worried as I am about having to change a nappy.’ Noah grimaced. ‘It turns out that there isn’t an app that can help with that.’
‘There really isn’t. I’d practise holding your breath if I were you.’
Noah gave a theatrical shudder, which made Nina laugh. She could have stayed there all night, their legs brushing under the table. But itwasa school night and they were deep in the wilds of East London. So when Noah asked Nina if she wanted another drink, she regretfully declined.
‘We should probably get going,’ she said and when they left, Noah placed his hand at the small of her back to guide her and Nina was suddenly glad that she wasn’t wearing heels because her legs became alarmingly jelly-like. Whether it was due to the potency of the spiced-pear martinis she’d been drinking or Noah’s touch, Nina couldn’t – or wouldn’t – say.
All she knew was that when they were finally settled in the back of a ruinously expensive black cab (after Noah insisted that Nina was dropped off first even though they were going in completely different directions), they ended up seated so close to each other that another couple of centimetres, and technically Nina would be sitting on Noah’s lap.
Normally she’d have something saucy to say about that state of affairs but Nina was starting to feel as if she’d left normal two non-dates ago. ‘Sorry,’ she said and tried to shift away so Noah had more room but he put his hand on her arm.
‘Don’t,’ he said in a voice that sounded dark and desperate and as sexy as hell and instead of moving away, Nina found herself moving even nearer so that they were almost nose to nose and she could see the ring of hazel around his pupils.
Could also see up close that delicate flush that settled on his skin whenever his emotions were heightened even though he’d said that his emotions were always tightly reined in.
Could count every single one of his freckles but she’d barely counted up to five when Noah lifted his hand to her face to gently tug her even closer, and Nina couldn’t say who kissed who first, only that they were kissing.
Oh God, I’m kissing Noah Harewood!Not that Nina needed the headline when she could feel Noah’s mouth moving tentatively on hers, his thumb caressing the delicate, hyper-sensitive skin behind her ear.
Nina was powerless to resist the urge to slide even closer still so that their bodies were pressed tightly together and they were kissing without hesitation now. Nina’s hands were clasped in Noah’s glorious hair and the sinuous movement of his tongue echoed the way his thumb was now rubbing on her pulse point and she couldn’t help the greedy moans that leaked from her mouth.
They broke apart so they could both suck in a much-needed breath and then Nina was pulling Noah in for round two and this time there were wandering hands, which led to some low-level fondling and Nina accidentally ripping a button of Noah’s shirt until they were interrupted by a cough over the intercom, then the cab driver saying, ‘Are you sure I can’t do the Bermondsey drop-off first?’
‘I’m not going to act the lady among you, for fear I should starve.’
Forty-three hours later and Nina was still a bit starry-eyed and kiss-sore from the cab journey as she headed to Worcester Park on Saturday evening with her overnight bag and very low expectations for the evening ahead.
She had strict instructions to go straight to the All Bar One in nearby Sutton to meet Chloe because ‘if you swing by the house to dump your stuff and the girls see you we’ll never get them to bed.’
Though she’d take the truth to the grave with her, the thought of a quiet Saturday night in with Chloe and Paul and maybe a takeaway curry and a film on Netflix would have been a lot more appealing. Especially as Nina really couldn’t drink more than two small glasses of wine if she was spending all of Sunday afternoon and a significant part of Sunday evening being tattooed.
She also wasn’t in the mood to spend an evening fending off the attentions of any lone wolves on a Saturday-night prowl. Nina was never going to find her one true love in an All Bar One in Sutton on a Saturday evening. Even if he did make himself known to her, Nina would have to reject him on principle and even though he wasn’t her one true love, she couldn’t stop thinking about Noah. Specifically, being kissed by Noah and Noah saying with a laugh as the cab dropped her off first, ‘I’m so glad that we didn’t wait until the third date to get up to a little bit of funny business.’
Therewasgoing to be a third date. Not even a non-date but a proper date. Or Nina hoped that there was going to be, but it hadn’t even been forty-eight hours so it was too soon to make plans. Forty-eight hours was the minimum industry-standard waiting period before contacting someone you’d been on two dates with to enquire about their general well-being and to lock down a third date.
Of course, Noah could have got in touch with her. Nina had hoped he would, but he hadn’t. Probably because he was very busy with work or else when he’d replayed their date, from the first sight of the Ye Olde Laser Experience poster to Nina standing on the pavement and waving goodbye as he sped off in the cab, he’d decided that he didn’t want the third date.
Maybe the kissing had been substandard compared to what Noah was used to, although Nina had never had any complaints about the quality of her kissing before.
Nina wasn’t used to these doubts. She didn’t like them at all. Didn’t like that Noah could make her feel like that girl who’d once thought that a Saturday night out in Sutton was the best of times.
