Page 15 of The Happy Hour
She was gratified to see a blush stain his cheekbones. Even embarrassed, he was unfairly handsome. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘Sorry. We’re going to the Meridian Line. There’s a red ball on the observatory that drops at exactly one o’clock every day. You can set your watch by it.’
‘I know about that,’ Jess said. ‘I live here, remember? But actually,’ she softened her voice, ‘it’s been ages since I saw it happen.’
Ash smiled. ‘See? It’s a good plan. And it wouldn’t hurt for me to make sure my watch is accurate.’
Jess rolled her eyes. ‘You can stop apologising now. You’re here, and you brought coffee.’
‘And I’m taking you to the park where, only last week, you told me there were thousands of over-friendly pigeons, so I’m making a pretty big sacrifice.’ The look he gave her suggested he saw their lunch date as anything but a sacrifice, and Jess gave him a reluctant smile.
They walked through the wrought-iron gateway into the park, everything technicolour under the May sun. The lawns were busy with dog walkers and families, relaxed strollers and focused joggers. An ice-cream van must have been parked up somewhere because people were clutching cones, taking satisfied licks. Jess loved how many different personalities the park had: open grass to laze on, an ornamental lake with ducks, a boating pond that ran pedalos in the summer months. You could find shade under the mature trees or hide away in the secret garden that was fit to bursting with seasonal flowers, a riot of colour that smelled as good as it looked.
‘Can I have my coffee now?’ She held her hand out, and Ash handed her a cup.
‘We’ll have to hurry if we want to see the ball drop.’
‘I can keep up with you,’ Jess said with a scoff, then worried it was a lie, because Ash’s legs were longer than hers.
But she kept pace with him, even when they reached the steepest part of the hill, and they stopped inside the courtyard of the Royal Observatory, the brick building’s white cornicing gleaming in the sunshine, the red orb like a model of Mars proud on the top.
‘Here we are.’ Ash was slightly breathless. ‘We made it. And... there. Five to one.’ They watched as the ball slid halfway up its mast, coming to a neat stop.
There were ‘Ooos’ of wonder from the tourists standing around them, and Jess laughed.
‘What’s so funny?’ Ash was next to her, and there was a comforting warmth down her right side, where their arms touched.
‘I don’t know,’ she admitted. ‘It just looked a bit silly, the ball popping up like that.’
‘It’s a historic marvel. It’s been doing it since 1833, did you know that?’
‘I did not. No wonder Braden called you Dictionary Corner.’
He gave her an amused glance. ‘I think today you meanEncyclopedia Brittanica.’
‘Smart with wordsandfacts.’ Jess grinned. ‘Thanks for my coffee.’
‘Thanks for still coming with me, even though I messed up.’
‘What happened?’
Ash looked away, to where people were standing with one foot either side of the Meridian Line, as if they were straddling two different lifetimes. ‘I just wasn’t sure,’ he admitted.
‘About your appointment?’
His burst of laughter was humourless. ‘No, I’m very sure how I feel about that.’
Jess waited for him to elaborate. She could feel her pulse beating in her neck.
‘I meant about this,’ Ash said after a moment. ‘Last weekend was so random.’ He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. ‘It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see you – I haven’t doubted that for one second since we left the café last week. I just wasn’t sure it was a good idea.’
Jess sucked in a breath, trying to temper her disappointment. ‘Why not?’ she asked. ‘Because I liked that fluffy pen? You were worried I was a serial killer?’
Ash laughed. ‘No, I just—’
‘There!’ The ball had bounced to the top of the mast while they weren’t looking, and now it dropped, like a stone, to the bottom. There was a smattering of applause and Jess said, ‘Quick, set your watch.’
Ash fiddled with the crown on his watch, his coffee cup tipping precariously.
‘Here.’ Jess took it from him, her fingertips brushing his.
