Page 13 of Out of the Shadows
“I’m sure you’ll have a good evening.”A good…? What in god’s name…?It’s everything I can do not to cringe.
“A good evening? Yes, it’s exactly what I intend to have. A very,very, good evening. Just need to get home, showered and changed and then that’s my night sorted.” His lips quirk, threatening a smile, but he thinks better of it, leaving his face as unreadable and impassive as before.
The tube train trundles to a halt and we both get up. There are virtually no other passengers left as we step off the train. It’s awkward.Ifeel awkward, and I don’t like it. I’m not used to this, but this man gets under my skin.
We walk along the almost deserted platform together, our steps in time, together but not together. I wish he’d give me a scant nod, saying he has to rush to get ready for his big night out. Or maybe I could say I need to get away, although I’ve got no night out planned or anything to rush off for. The escalator rears up in front of us. Cosmo’s in front of me, and I’m about to open my mouth to wish him a good weekend and—
“Oohfff!”
I knock the air from Cosmo’s lungs as I misstep and stagger into him, almost knocking him forward and flat on his face. I grab him by the waist, and hold on tight.
There’s a hint of hard muscle beneath the layers of clothing. The slight plumpness that had been part of the early-twenties, just out of university Cosmo, isn’t the man in my arms.
“I’m sorry.” I drop my arms as though I’ve been burnt. “I stumbled, getting on. Are you—?”
“I’m fine.” He turns and stares at me from over his shoulder, looking down from the higher step as the escalator travels to the top. “I hope that saying about stuff coming in threes isn’t true.”
“Excuse me?”
Cosmo’s lips twitch, almost but not quite, a smirk. “First you’re responsible for drenching me in beer, and now you almost manage to push me face first on to the escalator. What else do you want to do to me?” And this time he does smirk, as his dark green eyes bore into mine.
“Both were accidents. I’ve apologised.” I push the words out through gritted teeth, but I can feel my face heat and a bead of sweat trickle down my backbone.
The escalator reaches ground level. I’m careful not to stumble as I get off, and keep my distance, anything to stop incident number three from happening. The ticket barriers are misbehaving and we’re caught in a short queue to get through.
In front of me, Cosmo’s got his phone out. He sniggers, and I peer over his shoulder before I can stop myself, but he thrusts it back into his coat pocket before I can see what’s so amusing.
“That good evening we were talking about has just got a whole lot better.” He glances at me over his shoulder as he pushes his way through the barrier, me on his tail. “I go this way,” he says as we leave the station. “See you on Monday.”
He’s gone before I’ve time to say goodbye. I watch him go until he turns a corner and disappears out of sight, leaving me thinking without wanting to about the night awaiting him, and what and who it might bring.
