Page 122 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘I’ll see what I can find.’
As Ryan disappeared off towards the bar, Tori scanned the room looking for Leo, when, out of nowhere, a small body engulfed her in a hug.
‘Hi, Lara,’ said Tori. ‘How are Domino and Dexter?’
‘Oh, they’re great, they’ve grown so much already, they don’t really seem like kittens anymore,’ said Lara, her voice tinged with disappointment.
‘I know what you mean. I’ve almost forgotten how tiny my Ernie was as a kitten. I’ll have to show you a photo one day – he could fit in the palm of my hand when he was a baby,’ said Tori.
‘Lara, there you are!’ said Leo, jogging over. ‘I told you not to go running off.’
‘Oh, she’s fine,’ said Tori, ‘we were just catching up, weren’t we?’ Lara nodded enthusiastically.
‘It’s good to see you,’ said Leo, flashing Tori a smile that made her legs turn to jelly. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he said, fixing his gaze upon her. ‘I was hoping we could talk—’
‘Cider okay?’ asked Ryan, passing Tori a recyclable paper cup. ‘There wasn’t much choice, to be honest—’
‘Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,’ said Leo awkwardly. ‘Come on, Lara, let’s go, Tori’s busy.’
‘Oh no, it’s fine, you don’t have to,’ said Tori quickly, but Leo and Lara were already out of earshot.
‘Who was that?’ asked Ryan, taking a swig of his pint.
‘Oh, that’s Leo and Lara, Leo is—’
‘Look, can we go somewhere a bit quieter?’ said Ryan, shouting into Tori’s ear. ‘Now the band’s started up, I can’t hear myself think. I’ve got something important I want to ask you.’
‘Yeah, okay,’ said Tori, wondering what could be soimportant so early on in the evening. He guided her through the crowds of people that were heading towards the dance floor.
‘Ah, that’s better,’ he said, as they stepped into the cool night air, ‘I couldn’t hear myself think in there. God, barn dances are the worst, aren’t they? Let’s sit on that bench over there, shall we? Like I said, I wanted to talk to you about something.’ He reached towards his inside pocket.
Oh God, he wasn’t going to propose, was he?Tori knew she’d told Ryan getting married was important to her, but she didn’t mean here… now… tonight. She wasn’t even sure that she wanted to get back together with him, let alone marry him. She felt her jaw muscles tense, her heartbeat quicken and her breathing become more shallow.God, was she going to have another panic attack?Ryan pulled an envelope out of his pocket and passed it to her. An envelope? Okay, so it definitely wasn’t a ring. She felt her shoulders relax a little and her breathing steadied.
‘What’s this?’ she asked, her curiosity peaked.
‘Well, now we’re giving things another go—’
‘Hang on, I’ve not said—’
‘I wanted to show you how serious I am about our future, Tori. Open it…’
Tori tentatively peeled the envelope open, to find two one-way plane tickets to Thailand and a leaflet for an outdoor activity centre inside. She looked at him, confused.
‘I don’t get it.’ She shrugged.
‘Isn’t it obvious?’ Ryan laughed. ‘The tickets are for us – to go back to Thailand together. I’ve found this great adventure centre that has jobs for us both, maybe even management roles in the future. We can start again together there, Tori, maybe even stay long term. What do you say?’
‘What are you talking about? Go back to Thailand? Why would I do that? I’ve got the café here.’
‘Don’t be silly, Tori, it’s only a café,’ he said, throwing his hands in the air. ‘I’m talking about areallife together, an adventure, not some boring humdrum life.’
‘But what I’m doing here isn’t boring or humdrum, itisan adventure. It means something to me. It’s important. Don’t you get it?’
‘Important? Seriously? A cat café in Blossom Heath?’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Do you really want to follow in your mum’s footsteps and spend your entire life running a village café?’
‘And what’s wrong with following in my mum’s footsteps?’ Tori asked, her shoulders stiffening.
‘Well, nothing I guess.’ Ryan shrugged. ‘It’s just a bit pedestrian, isn’t it? You’d be settling, Tori,’ he said, reaching out for her hand. She jerked away from him.
