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I kiss her. ‘Better. And I’ll try really hard not to let you down.’

We finish the champagne, and I stand holding out my hand for her. ‘Want to come home with me?’

She presses my fingers to her lips. She closes her eyes and breathes me in, then links her fingers through mine. ‘There is nothing I want more.’

We leave the pub and walk hand in hand in comfortable silence, glancing at each other every few seconds. I pull her closer to me. ‘I think we might need to talk about this “I love you” thing.’

Casey winces. ‘Yeah.’

‘A bit soon, maybe?’ I say.

She nods. ‘I was desperate. I do love you though, in some capacity.’

I slip my arm around her waist. ‘How about for now we just love getting to know each other better and commit to seeing if this can work?’

She stops in the middle of the footpath and faces me, cupping my cheeks in her hands. ‘I am all in.’

Chapter 42

Holly, London

Six weeks later

‘Babe, are you almost here? I’m desperate to see you,’ Casey says from the other end of the line.

I skim the hordes of people outside Oxford Circus tube station. ‘I’m desperate to see you too, but I told Jaz and Leila I’d wait for them here.’ Further along Oxford Street, I spot them rushing towards me, hand in hand. ‘Oh, here they come … see you soon.’

‘Sorry, Holly,’ Jaz says, giving me a quick hug. ‘I bet that was Casey on the phone hurrying you up.’

Leila squeezes my hand, the wool of her gloves warm against my skin. ‘It’s my fault. I told Jazzy she should leave without me and come meet you,’ she says.

‘It’s fine. We’ve got time. You know how nervous Casey gets before an exhibition opening.’

‘Yep, she’ll be hyped,’ Jaz says, then looks down at my legs as we head along Regent Street. ‘Ooh, what are you wearing?’

I stop, untie the belt of my coat and hold it open to reveal a sleeveless, silver-sequinned jumpsuit that clings to my body, then quickly close it again to protect myself from the cold air.

Leila groans her appreciation. ‘Oh, Holly. I love it.’ Leila works in retail and constantly groans over clothes, especially when they sparkle.

Jaz lets out a whistle. ‘You look hot. Has Casey seen you in this? She’s going to love it.’

‘Not yet.’ Despite the winter chill, my cheeks flush. Casey has been so busy with work the past few weeks, we haven’t seen each other as much as normal, and I wanted to keep my exhibition outfit a surprise because I love the way she looks at me when I dress up.

Leila links her arm through mine and says excitedly, ‘It’s your big night.’

‘Oh.’ I scrunch my nose. ‘It’s not really my big night…’

‘Babe. It totally is,’ Jaz says. ‘You’ve got three photos in an art exhibition. It’s huge.’

‘It’s Casey being kind,’ I say.

Jaz gives me a playful nudge with her shoulder. ‘Stop being so modest. You know as well as I do Casey doesn’t show anything in the gallery that’s not up to scratch.’

I stand a little taller. ‘I guess.’

We continue towards the gallery. It’s early evening on a Wednesday and Regent Street is bustling with people leaving work or stopping for a drink, a sense of merriment about them. The magnificent Christmas angels hover mid-air, their wings spanning the width of the street. Cold air vapour seeps from my lips and it reminds me of winter at home. A pang of longing rises for Adam, Meg and the boys, and Nat and her family.

Jaz wraps her arm around my waist as we turn the corner. ‘You okay?’