Page 5 of Pillow Talk (Rally Romance #1)

S hona pushed open the door, threw her bag and jacket on the floor and ran to the bathroom, where she threw up.

She was shaking. She quickly undressed and stepped into the shower.

The aroma of her shower gel filled the bathroom as the steam rose.

The label on the bottle said ‘Calm Chamomile’.

But there was nothing calm about Shona right now.

She lathered the gel on her body and stood under the hot spray with her eyes closed.

She stood there until the hot water ran out.

She stepped out of the shower cubicle and looked around. She loved everything about her bathroom: the hint of a deep red tone in a few wall tiles, the bigger-than-usual shower, the modern bathtub and the full-length mirror.

She looked at her reflection and coached herself silently: I can do this. I have a good life. I can follow my dreams.

She dried her hair and pulled on a fresh pair of PJs. It was 1 o’clock on a Friday afternoon and she was sitting in her pyjamas in her two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, which she would never have been able to afford without her dad and the shop’s help.

‘Don’t do this. You worked your butt off. You worked for this. Do not feel guilty for wanting your own life,’ she said out loud.

She looked at her phone. No missed calls. No messages.

She just wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep. Usually, she would dial Anni whenever there was big news to share. But today she didn’t feel like reliving the scene in the shop.

She was about to walk into her bedroom to dive under the covers and sleep until she was no longer nauseous, guilty and scared, when her cellphone rang.

It was a number she didn’t recognise but she picked up anyway.

‘Hello?’

‘Hello. Is that Shona Shah? Shona Shah of The First Look Bridal Shop?’

Shona didn’t recognise the perky voice. ‘Yes, that’s me. How may I help you?’

‘Oh, thank God. I was afraid I would never be able to get you on the phone. I can only imagine how busy you are,’ the woman said.

Shona looked towards her bedroom. ‘Yes. Very busy,’ she lied.

‘Then let me cut to the chase. I need you to design 12 veils for now. The number will obviously increase in the coming days but for now let’s work on 12. Can we meet in about a week for you to get acquainted with the brides?’

The woman’s voice was filled with excitement. Not really the vibe Shona was hoping for on this particular day.

‘Who exactly are you?’

‘Gosh, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Felicity Swanson of Perfect Weddings. I’m a wedding planner and 12 of my brides want a veil made by the Shona Shah,’ she explained.

‘I don’t understand,’ Shona said softly.

‘Shona, do you mind if I call you Shona? Are you kidding me? You designed a veil for one of the biggest influencers and now everyone wants one,’ said Felicity.

‘Influencer?’ Shona repeated.

‘Yes, Ulla D. She’s the biggest makeup influencer on social media. Her wedding was one of the largest of the year and she wore one of your veils,’ Felicity explained.

Shona remembered Ulla. She was an influencer? And a successful one? She was shy and very unsure of herself. Shona had practically been obliged to choose the veil for her.

‘Shona, are you still there? Can we meet in about a week? I have your email address. We can make a time and I’ll send you an appointment notice with all the details,’ Felicity continued.

‘Okay,’ Shona replied.

‘See you soon, Shona,’ Felicity said, then hung up.

Shona looked at the phone in her hand. Did that just happen? Did she wake up this morning and fall into some alternate universe?

Her phone pinged: a message from Sen.

Can I choose supper tonight?

Shona smiled and typed back:

I’m only accustomed to fine dining…like chicken nuggets.

As soon as the message was sent, her phone rang.

‘Shona, I draw the line at chicken nuggets. I’m a man who needs real supper.’

‘Tell me what you want and I’ll make it. I’m actually home so I have time,’ she replied.

‘Home? Are you ill?’

Shona felt tears form in her eyes. ‘No. I’m just home. So, what do you want?’

Sen was silent for a few seconds before saying, ‘I’m in charge of supper tonight. You just relax and I’ll see you later.’

‘Sounds good,’ Shona replied.

‘And Shona?’

‘Yes, Sen.’

‘I’m staying over,’ he said and hung up.

Sen hadn’t planned on staying over when he’d called Shona, but when he heard vulnerability in her voice, he instinctively knew he had to be there for her. He just wished she opened up to him more. As he packed his overnight bag, he tried to remember how they’d actually hooked up.

Earlier, he’d lied when Sam had asked him about Shona.

The truth was Sen had always been attracted to her.

He was drawn to her authenticity, but her unpredictable nature and disorderly lifestyle kept him from asking her out.

It made him nervous. He wasn’t talking about the pile of clothing in her closet or her disorganised dining room.

He was referring to her always having to opt for plan B because plan A wasn’t properly planned.

He was completely the opposite. His life was structured.

If truth be told, he was often impressed with Shona’s resourcefulness when things didn’t work out, like the orange T-shirt episode. But it made him anxious.

That aside, he couldn’t help being drawn to her like a magnet.

When she walked down the aisle at Sam and Anni’s wedding, something had shifted in him.

He was completely sober when he made the decision to pursue her that night.

After the wedding formalities, Shona and Sen were exhausted and a little tipsy, but they both knew exactly what they were getting into.

It was an unspoken understanding that they had to get the desire for each other out of their systems.

They found themselves in his hotel room and Shona was everything he imagined she would be.

So responsive. So satisfying. So beautiful.

It was supposed to be a one-and-done deal.

But the next night he was at her flat and then the next, until they decided to put a label on it: a no-strings-attached fling.

The cardinal rule was secrecy. They didn’t want the whole town to know, nor for their friendships with Sam and Anni to suffer when they called it quits. Because that was a given; they just didn’t speak about when.

It couldn’t be just a booty call because they were still friends.

And somewhere along the line eating supper together, sometimes watching a movie or him working on his laptop while she worked on her creations just came naturally.

But they’d never spent the night together.

He always went home. Shona never came over to his apartment as she didn’t have a car and would be too proud to accept a ride.

He locked his apartment and headed down to the taxi waiting for him.

He didn’t want to risk someone spotting his car outside her place in the morning.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to sneak around Shona’s neighbours.

The flat next to hers was empty for most of the year because the elderly owners only used it when visiting family in Rally.

The guy who lived opposite her was rarely at home. Shona joked that he was a secret agent.

After stopping at Luca’s to pick up their takeaway supper, the taxi drew up outside Shona’s apartment block. Sen paid the driver and made his way up to her flat. He took the lift and observed his reflection in the mirror as it went up.

On most days, he saw Shona straight after work so he would be in a suit. But tonight he wore faded jeans and a black tee. His hair was a bit ruffled. With the overnight bag on his shoulder, he looked like a man ready for a weekend away.

The doors opened and he stood outside Shona’s flat. He knocked and waited.

She opened the door and eyed his overnight bag. ‘So you were serious then?’

He ignored her and followed her into the living room. He put his bag down and held out the paper bags containing their meal.

‘Luca’s. Fine dining indeed,’ Shona remarked.

Luca’s was fine dining. It was the restaurant where you proposed to your girlfriend or celebrated a milestone birthday or anniversary.

Sen looked towards the dining room, shrugged and put the food on the coffee table.

‘Wait. Wait right here. Do not open those bags,’ Shona said and rushed to the kitchen.

Sen looked around. He spotted some framed photos on the wall.

He hadn’t noticed them before. He stepped closer and analysed each picture.

They were family photos and a few with Anni and Shona.

He couldn’t help but notice that in every family picture, the Shahs were in their shop.

Shona left for her prom from the shop? Her dad’s 50th birthday party was in the back room at the shop.

There was not a single photo on the beach or on holiday, or even their family home.

‘What are you looking at?’

Sen turned and wagged his eyebrows at Shona. ‘You have a photo of me,’ he said.

‘With other people,’ she replied casually.

‘But it’s still a photograph of me…in your house…on display,’ he teased.

‘Sen, it’s a photo of the bridal party at Anni and Sam’s wedding. I could hardly cut you out.’

‘If you say so,’ he smiled, and headed towards the food.

Shona followed and reached for the bags. ‘Let’s go to the kitchen,’ she said.

He followed her. He rarely paid attention to her kitchen, although he would often walk in, usually in the dark, to get something to drink.

He looked around. It was confusing. Everything was white. Gleaming white. Hardly any touches of colourful, vibrant Shona. Shona stood in the bright, white kitchen in a deep red T-shirt dress.

‘A lot of magnets,’ he commented, gesturing at her fridge door. He went to take a closer look; they were mementos from different countries.

‘I didn’t know you travelled,’ he said.

Shona plated the meals.