Page 66 of Falling for You

‘Shh!’ I lean forward and grab her hands. ‘Keep your voice down. I’m still on the run from all my colleagues after telling them I don’t like tea.’

Her eyes shine at me, and she doesn’t take her hands away. ‘Gosh, I wonder if I should even be seen in public with you.’

‘You’re not the first person to wonder that.’ She laughs again and my chest lifts. ‘So,’ I say. ‘Where is the bat costume? I almost didn’t recognise you.’

She raises her eyebrows at me. ‘Youdidn’trecognise me! If I hadn’t come up to you then we’d have walked into the abyss, never to see each other again.’

‘Well, I was looking for Bat Girl.’

‘She only comes out on special occasions,’ Annie says from under her lashes, and then immediately bursts out laughing. ‘Can we pretend that didn’t happen? God, why am I so cringe?’

‘I think you’re great.’

‘You don’t know anything about me,’ she says, her cheeks still tinged pink. ‘I could be a serial killer.’

‘Is that why you’ve taken me to a kebab shop?’

She laughs, hitting me lightly on the arm.

‘I know that you’re talented,’ I say after a pause. ‘I know you’re funny and interesting. I know that you’re gorgeous.’

Her eyes flick up at me. ‘Whatever,’ she mumbles. ‘Oh!’ she snaps her fingers, putting down her kebab. ‘Before I forget, Mr Cinderella, is this yours?’

My eyes widen as she pulls out my ring from inside her purse. It gleams up at me from her open palm.

‘Yeah,’ I say, feeling myself soften with relief. ‘I thought I’d lost it.’

She smiles, handing it over to me. ‘I kept it in my purse in case I …’ She trails off, her cheeks turning pink.

‘In case you walked past a pawn shop and needed some cash?’ I finish, grinning.

She laughs. ‘Yeah, exactly. Whose is it, then?’ She gestures down to the ring.

‘It’s mine.’ I blink at her in mock confusion. ‘I don’t go around stealing jewellery from people.’

She rolls her eyes at me. ‘Who gave it to you?’

I place the ring on my pinkie finger. ‘It’s my mom’s. My brother used to borrow her jewellery when we were kids and I got jealous one day, so she gave me this.’

She tilts her head. ‘Aw, that’s nice. Is your mom back in New York?’

I feel my heart wrench and for a second I’m pulled out of this bubbly, exciting moment with Annie and back into the kitchen with Mom.

‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘She’s not well, she …’ I look up, catching myself. ‘Sorry, I don’t know why I’m telling you.’

She leans forward and takes my hand, sending a frisson of electricity through my body. ‘I’m really sorry to hear that. My parents are my whole world, I can’t imagine one of them being sick.’

I give a rough laugh. ‘Yeah. It’s not the greatest experience.’

‘I bet.’

‘It’s no kebab, anyway,’ I joke, looking down at my sweaty yellow box. ‘Do your parents live in London?’

She shakes her head, swallowing her mouthful, and lets go of my hand. ‘No. They’re in the Cotswolds in my childhood home. It’s not too far from here. It’s probably the most typically British place you can go to. Like, I think some ofThe Holidaywas filmed there.’

‘I love that film.’

She laughs. ‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’ She watches as I close the lid to my kebab, defeated. She smiles. ‘Well, if you’re not enjoying this part of our British culture, I feel like I should show you another staple.’