“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
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The night air outside clung soft against the glass, the deep hum of the waves just audible beneath the distant clinking of coffee cups and the low, mellow laughter of grownups reliving an entire decade over a few sips of wine.
I sat stiffly on the far corner of the linen sofa, legs tucked in beside me, trying not to look like I was mentally somewhere else.
But I was. I so was.
He didn't even look at me.
Not once.
I don't know what I expected. I mean-maybe I'd romanticised it all too much in my head... the reunion, the catching up, the way his eyes would soften or widen when he saw me again.
Like he'd remember everything too. The paper boats. The secret hideouts. That one time we both swore we'd marry each other in her garden with wildflowers as rings.
But he sat across that dinner table like I wasn't even there.
Like the last eight years were nothing.
God, why didn't he look at me? I looked at him. So many times. I probably memorised the slope of his cheekbones in the time it took me to stab my lasagna.
And he looked so good. His jawline had a mind of its own and his lashes had no business being that long. And that smile he gave Cameron halfway through dinner? That warm, crooked one?
Yeah. That smile lives in my head now.
Daddy was sitting upright in the armchair, giving out that respect-me-or-regret-it aura.
He was locked in conversation with Raphael and Amy, talking about home-how business had changed, how their golf club wasn't the same anymore, how Mr. Holloway next door had apparently sold his vintage car collection.
And of course, Raphael and Amy were chiming in about how different Scotland was, how peaceful Troon was, how much they loved the coastal air.
Raphael was animated, gesturing with his hands, eyes sparkling behind the rim of his glass. "No, no, listen-Ryan, mate, you have not seen Troon until you've driven up the coastal road at sunset. Nearly crashed my Jag last month watching the bloody sky melt like lava."
Daddy chuckled lowly, "That's because you drive like a madman, Raphael. God knows how you haven't ended up upside-down in the sea yet."
