Page 55 of Closer than Ever

Anna raised her eyebrows. Hayley always got extra flirty when she’d had a drink. Anna wasn’t complaining, though, and she wasn’t exactly sober herself. “If you insist.”

“Woohoo!” Hayley cheered. “Finally.” She smiled, still rolling her hips and dancing like a hot-as-fuck popstar.

While part of Anna was sceptical, she couldn’t take her eyes off Hayley, and she could never resist her charms. The way Hayley moved had her mesmerised. Before she knew it, she was stepping onto a chair and onto the chunky wooden table that had probably seen it all before. Anna held onto Hayley’s waist for a few moments until she found her bearings. It was so high.

“Bust me those moves, Anna.”

Anna copied Hayley’s totally uninhibited dancing, shaking her ass like no one was watching, because they weren’t; everyone else was dancing and too drunk to remember any of this. Anna already knew she would never forget this moment though. Hayley was so exciting. This was so exciting. She smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

***

Present day

“I’ll have the crab salad to start, followed by the lobster, please,” Hayley said. “And a side portion of steamed vegetables.”

“I’ll have the soup and the salmon, please, and a side of triple-roasted chips. Thanks.”

With one hand elegantly behind his back, the waiter took their menus and left. It was all very civilised. A lot had changed since their partying days. They were in a much sought-after seafood restaurant on the coast. The candle on the table flickered between them, casting soft rays of light onto Hayley. She looked so beautiful tonight in her braless black dress. The only dress she had with her, apparently. It stirred something deep within Anna.

Try as she might, Anna still couldn’t get over the fact that Hayley had wanted Anna to come with her on her trip. It was such a compliment and made her feel so good. Having Hayley all to herself and doing so many activities together was simply wonderful. They’d been canoeing down rivers, hiking all over the mountains, and even cruising around Loch Ness on a speedboat. Anna was having so much fun. Everything about this trip was like a dream come true. Anna wanted to savour every second and for it never to come to an end. But she wasn’t going to think that far ahead just yet.

“So, tell me about this ideal wife of yours.” Hayley sipped her wine, eyeing her from behind her glass for a second. “What are you looking for? What will she be like?”

Anna looked up, startled away from her thoughts. She furrowed her brow. Why was Hayley asking her that? “Er, well, I don’t know. I haven’t met her yet.”

“Yes, but don’t you have an idea of what you want? You seem dead set on your future path, you made it sound like it was something you’d thought a lot about.”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know what you want in a woman? I can’t believe we’ve never had this conversation before.”

“It’s not that I don’t know what I want in a woman. It’s just that I haven’t like sat down and made a list of all the qualities I want in my future wife, in my ideal partner.”

“You haven’t?”

“No.”

“Now there’s a list I thought you would have made.”

“Have you?”

“Yeah.”

“A list I wouldn’t have thought you would have made.”

“I guess we keep surprising each other, huh?”

“What’s on your list?”

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” Hayley smirked.

Anna squirmed in her seat. “I don’t have one, remember?”

“Anna, you gotta give me something. You must have an idea of who this woman is.”

Anna blew out a breath. Why did Hayley want to know this so badly? “Okay. I want someone who is warm and kind. Clever, confident, emotionally stable. She’s got to have her shit together. Fun to be around but knows when to give me my space. Active. Ideally a runner, like me, or just into being active in some way. Outgoing.” Anna froze. Fuck. Had she just described Hayley?

“And you said you don’t have a list.”

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