Page 14 of Best Laid Plans

Positano to Nerano via Sant’ Agata. More vertiginous drops with a ridge-top walk and views for miles. Going for a reinvigorating swim in the ocean is a must at the end of this hard day’s walk…

So, walking partners it was.

At least that would mean they could stop trying to avoid each other at every turn when it was clear they were destined to walk this path together, both metaphorically and physically, Indigo mused as she finished her breakfast the next morning.

She’d been really tempted to take him up on his offer of dinner last night, so much so that she’d had a physical pain in the back of her throat as she forced out her refusal, but she knew she had to be sensible here.

There could be a danger she was reverting to type and thinking she could help or even fix him without getting hurt – just like she had with Gavin – and that wasn’t something she wanted to put herself through again.

Ugh! Was it going to be like this every time she met someone she was attracted to? Damn Gavin and his ability to make her feel so paranoid. So she liked helping people! What was so wrong with that?

Still, even if Julien had been willing to embark on a holiday fling with her, giving in to her attraction was a definite no-no. She’d be a fool to get entangled with him when he was so emotionally unavailable, and she was still feeling sore after being given the boot by Gavin.

This holiday was supposed to be about looking after her for a change, she reminded herself for what felt like the millionth time.

After making sure she’d packed everything into her small rucksack, all the while giving herself a stern talking-to about keeping her fascination with him under wraps today, she checked out and left the hotel to meet Julien.

He was waiting for her where they’d agreed to meet the night before, looking just as perfectly turned out as usual, though his eyes were ringed with dark circles and he clearly hadn’t bothered to shave.

The sight of Julien with rough edges gave her a delicious little shiver of pleasure, which she quickly stamped on before it got the better of her.

Sighing, she tugged hard on her backpack straps to tighten them.

It was going to be a long day.

After a slightly awkward greeting, they strode away from Positano, both a little quiet to begin with, but after a few false starts at conversation they fell into a comfortable rhythm, finding a surprisingly diverse array of subjects to chat about, including a somewhat heated discussion about whether London or Paris was the better city to live in.

‘But we have amazing markets in London! Like Spitalfields and Notting Hill and the Columbia Road flower market,’ Indigo interjected when Julien suggested that Paris was the best city in the world for street markets.

‘Well, we have the best architecture,’ he countered.

‘London is full of great buildings, including lots of new ones,’ she pointed out. ‘The Shard, for example. It’s way taller and more impressive than any of the buildings in Paris. Parisians seem to be totally averse to moving with the times and building anything new.’

‘Ah, but we have the Eiffel Tower, which beats the Shard hands down for style,’ he threw back, as if that answered everything. ‘And I would hate to live in a place that was a perpetual building site.’

In fact, they were so engrossed in their back-and-forth banter about which city ruled supreme that Julien barely seemed to notice when she slid her hand into his as they reached the spot where one side of the path fell away to a sheer drop, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do.

She thought he seemed a little less tense than he’d been the day before as they traversed the exposed section, moving their conversation on to discuss the debates around being part of the European Union.

He seemed so engrossed, in fact, that Indigo found herself enjoying a sense of achievement at managing to distract him enough for his vertigo not to have been too much of a problem today.

Then later, chatting over lunch, it turned out they were both big fans of psychological suspense and they got into another animated discussion comparing the top writers of the genre, which took till they reached the fortress-like outskirts of Sant’ Agata to conclude.

It had been so wonderful to talk about things they both felt passionate about that Indigo arrived in the town having really enjoyed her walk that day.

Her hotel for the night was located on the outskirts, to the east, which meant they walked straight past it once they’d left the trail.

‘I’m going to use their bathroom to splash some water on my face before I leave you,’ Julien said, following her up to the entrance and into the wonderfully cool interior.

‘Okay,’ Indigo replied, watching him stride away, feeling a mixture of apprehension and regret as she made her way to the reception desk.

Her insides felt twisted. Would this be the last they’d see of each other now that the more perilous parts of the walk were over?

She couldn’t imagine Julien wanting to continue holidaying with her now she wasn’t needed, not after what he’d told her about wanting time on his own to get his head together.

Her stomach clenched with dismay. She’d so enjoyed getting to know him better today and had been surprised and excited by how much their tastes and beliefs had aligned.

They seemed to be kindred spirits.

Had he felt it too?

‘Indigo Hughes – I have a reservation here for tonight,’ she said absently to the receptionist when he looked up to greet her, her head still full of thoughts about Julien disappearing from her life.

She knew he’d think it was foolish, but she’d begun to wonder whether they’d been thrown together here for a reason.

Ever since she’d met him, she’d been filled with an unexpected buzz of hope and excitement for the future, which had been sadly lacking in her personal life for some time.

‘Ah, yes, Signorina Hughes, I have a bag for you here,’ the receptionist said.

She stared at him, her brain taking a while to switch gears and take in what he’d just said to her.

‘Did you say you’ve got my bag? From the airport?’ she asked, her voice trembling with excitement.

‘Sì,’ the receptionist said, leaving the desk to go into a small room behind reception and returning with her rucksack.

Indigo nearly fell to her knees with relief.

After surviving with virtually nothing for half her holiday it was absolute bliss to have her possessions returned to her.

She took the large rucksack from his outstretched hands and hugged it to her like it was a lost child, then dropped it onto a nearby sofa in the lobby and yanked open the drawstring to check everything was still in there.

Julien returned from the bathroom to find her in a state of ecstasy as she rummaged through the bag, having pulled out first her money, then her phone and now her bikini.

‘I can finally go for a swim! I’ve been desperate to get into the sea but I didn’t want to scare the other holidaymakers by stripping down to my sensibly supportive, but utterly hideous, underwear,’ she said, grinning at him.

He stood watching her, with an amused smile, as she continued to pull things out of her bag and hug them to her.

It felt a little like her birthday and Christmas had all come at once.

Except for the rather unsettling fact that she was about to say goodbye to Julien, of course. It seemed like such a shame when they’d just started getting on so well. Though there was always the possibility they might bump into each other again on the route.

‘So, I guess you should be okay with the rest of the walk from this point on,’ she said, forcing her mouth into a cheery smile. ‘I don’t think there are any more exposed paths to worry about.’

Crossing his arms, he leant his hip against the backrest of the sofa. ‘Actually, I’m hiring a boat from Nerano. I’m going to sail north along the coast and stop off at some of the places of interest along the way.’

The hope she’d not wanted to fully acknowledge vanished in a puff of smoke and was replaced by a heavy thump of disappointment.

So, this really was it then. There would be no more opportunities to bump into him.

She’d so enjoyed getting to know him today.

It had been the most fun day she’d had since she got here.

She’d loved the way he challenged and argued with her.

Gavin had never stood up to her like that; he’d hated any kind of conflict, which, if she was totally honest, had made him rather dull company sometimes.

Julien, on the other hand, fired something inside her like no one else she’d ever met.

‘Okay, well, I guess this is goodbye then,’ she said, standing up on unsteady legs. ‘It’s been good getting to know you, Julien.’ She held out her hand, hoping the tremble in it wasn’t too obvious.

He stared down at it for the longest time, before clearing his throat and looking back up, straight into her eyes.

Her stomach swooped at the intensity she saw there.

‘Listen, why don’t you come out on the boat with me this evening?

As – what do you English say? – a last hurrah?

We can weigh anchor just off the coast, then you can swim away from the crowds.

It would be good to have company for one more evening, to give me chance to check out the boat before I set off on my lone voyage. ’

She froze and stared back at him, excited by the invitation, but trying not to let it get the better of her. It was just a sail and a swim he was offering her, nothing more, she reminded herself sternly.

‘That sounds like heaven, but are you sure you don’t want some peace after having me chewing your ear off all day?’