Page 7 of Pillow Talk (Rally Romance #1)

S en was right. The waffles were like none she’d ever tasted. They were delightfully decadent: drizzled with sticky chocolate sauce and topped with strawberries.

Breakfast was a luxury in Shona’s life because she was always running late and, on her days off, she usually got up too late and it was already lunchtime.

Breakfast at a waffle restaurant overlooking the bay with Sen was more than a luxury.

It was exactly what she needed to forget about her problems. Of course, they still hovered at the back of her mind, but she tried her best to push them away.

After breakfast they took their takeaway coffees down to the bay. The weather was very much like Rally. The air hung heavy and still, not a hint of breeze, even while sitting on a wooden bench right at the edge of the bay.

‘It’s so still here,’ Shona commented.

Sen looked around. The restaurant was just over the hill behind them and, although the breakfast rush was still on, they couldn’t hear any of it. It was as if they were the only two moving elements in a painting.

‘What do you usually do on Saturday mornings?’ she asked Sen.

‘Nothing much these days. When Sam and I lived in Durban, we used to cycle just before sunrise.’

Shona wrinkled her nose. ‘Yuck!’

Sen chuckled. ‘Still hate exercise?’

Rolling her eyes, she said, ‘Do you ever forget anything, Senthil Aiyer?’

Sen reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. He did it so tenderly that Shona shivered.

‘I don’t forget anything when it comes to you,’ he whispered.

A light trembling sensation danced in Shona’s stomach. She wanted to lean in and kiss him, but she wondered if friends with benefits should be kissing in a romantic spot overlooking the bay on a Saturday morning. Surely that wasn’t how it worked.

‘I don’t hate exercise. I just hated that dumb fun walk,’ she said quickly to break the spell.

He sipped his steaming coffee and playfully shook his head.

‘What?’ she said defensively. ‘I didn’t even want to do it.’

‘You faked being ill less than five minutes into it,’ he teased.

‘Well, it was because you and Anni always wanted to do dumb things,’ she replied.

Sen started laughing. Full on laughing.

She put her iced coffee next to her on the bench and crossed her arms.

‘I’m only laughing because that’s exactly what you said when we were nine and we wanted to do the fun walk,’ he said.

‘It’s true. You want to do dumb things. Come on Sen. You wanted to establish a map club. Who would want to be in a map club?’ He grinned and again reached out to her.

This time his long fingers traced a trail from her elbow up to her shoulder. That trembling feeling started again.

She shook off his hand. Whatever was happening was confusing, and right now, with all that was going on in her life, she didn’t need more confusion.

‘The annual fun walk is coming up in a couple of weeks,’ said Sen.

‘I know. My dad always sponsors the refreshments,’ she replied and quickly looked away. Shona pushed away the memory of her father’s face when she’d walked out the day before.

‘I challenge you to do it with me.’

Shona frowned. ‘What’s in it for me?’

‘The feeling of accomplishment. Come on Shona, how do you feel whenever you complete a veil?’

She didn’t even need to think about her answer.

‘At first relief but then when I stand back and look at what I created, I’m in awe.

I get this feeling of pride and satisfaction.

You know Sen, a veil may seem like a simple item to design and create compared to a wedding dress or any other thing for a wedding, but it’s not.

It’s the piece that makes a subtle statement and completes the bride’s look.

Getting that right is no easy task,’ she said.

Sen didn’t reply. He just looked at her with a playful glint in his eyes.

‘What?’

He leaned in.

‘Listening to you talk is a major turn-on,’ he said.

This time Shona laughed loudly.

‘Sen, you’re ridiculous. When we were kids you always threatened to leave when I spoke about weddings and fashion. But now you’re turned on?’

He shook his head.

‘You ruined the moment,’ he said and looked away.

Shona felt her heart sink but quickly remembered that they couldn’t have moments like this.

They were in a no-strings relationship. They shouldn’t be flirting with each other in what was perhaps the most romantic setting she’d ever been to.

But she also felt bad for Sen because it was clear that he was confused too.

The lines were starting to blur – maybe it was because they were friends and had known each other for so long.

At the same time, she knew she couldn’t start something more serious with Sen because it would end in disaster.

Her life just didn’t have space for a real relationship.

Plus she was bound to screw it up because that’s what she did – screw things up.

Her father’s face came back into her head.

She mentally shook it off and decided to lighten the mood.

‘I’ll do the fun walk with you,’ she said, immediately regretting it.

Sen jerked his head towards her.

‘And you won’t give up five minutes into it?’

‘Nope. We’ll complete it together,’ she said confidently.

‘So we’re in for the long haul?’

Shona simply nodded but that trembling feeling was back because she didn’t know if Sen was still talking about the fun walk…or if she wanted it to be something else. And that scared and excited her all at once.

By the time they were heading back to Rally, it was already around 4pm.

‘Weird Ralph?’ Sen asked.

‘I knew you wouldn’t forget it,’ Shona replied.

Sen looked at the road ahead, but out the corner of his eye he saw Shona smile.

‘Let’s talk about Andrea Jugmohan,’ she said.

‘No, let’s not,’ Sen replied.

‘She told everyone that you took her to your prom,’ Shona said.

‘Not true. I took a girl from the neighbouring girls’ school. She dumped me for someone she thought was more appealing as soon as we got there,’ Sen said.

Shona didn’t respond.

‘I know what you’re thinking. How can anyone be more appealing than me? I’m the complete package, but I did say someone she thought was more appealing. I didn’t say he was,’ Sen teased.

‘You’re full of it,’ Shona said, laughing.

‘What about you? Do I have to beat up any old flames?’

‘I’ve dated,’ Shona replied.

Sen looked at her and then his eyes were back on the road.

‘Who? You were never with anyone when I was here,’ he said.

‘You were only here for the summers and a few holidays. Besides, you moved back to Rally only two years ago. That means I had six years of dating that you knew nothing about,’ Shona replied smugly.

‘Okay, let’s hear it,’ Sen probed.

‘Dev Michaels.’

‘No, not Dev Michaels. He’s my arch-enemy,’ Sen said.

‘No, he’s not. I don’t even think you remember Dev,’ Shona said.

‘Has the fountain incident slipped your mind?’

Shona rolled her eyes. ‘Avi pushed you in the fountain. Not Dev. And we were ten years old,’ she said.

‘Who else?’

Shona smiled. She knew this one was going to get under his skin.

‘Hunter.’

Sen’s jaw clenched.

‘You remember Hunter?’ she asked sweetly.

‘Of course I remember Hunter. How could you go out with Hunter?’

‘I asked myself that many times,’ Shona said.

‘How long were you together? I actually feel sick about it,’ Sen said.

‘Whatever. Hunter isn’t so bad. I actually wanted to ask him to be my date for Anni’s wedding,’ Shona said, trying to sound casual.

Sen shifted in his seat but kept his eyes on the road.

‘You wanted to bring a date to the wedding?’

Shona looked out of the window.

‘I didn’t want to be alone,’ she said.

‘I was there. Hell, I was your freaking partner, the best man. Remember me?’

Shona rolled her eyes again. ‘I said I thought I would be alone. But when you told me you weren’t taking a date, I was okay with not taking one too.’

‘And then we did the cliché thing – the best man scored a bridesmaid,’ Sen said, smiling.

‘Hey! I wasn’t just a bridesmaid. I was the maid of honour,’ she shot back.

‘You weren’t very honourable that night,’ Sen said and started laughing.

Shona joined in.

Their parting when he dropped her off was awkward.

She didn’t know whether she should have invited him to stay another night.

Sen seemed perplexed too. By the time they got home, the sun was setting and most of the shops along Main Street were closing.

Thankfully, Sen didn’t take the route past the tailor shop.

At her door, he made some excuse about having work to do, while she said the same thing at the exact same time. Seeing that they were on the same page, he left. Now Shona was sitting on her couch trying to find a series to binge-watch.

She looked at her phone. 6pm. Still no communication from her family.

She switched off the TV and went to the dining room to sketch a few designs she could present at the meeting with Felicity.

But she suddenly saw the room through Sen’s eyes.

It was chaos. She knew where everything was and until then had been quite content with the way she worked. But now it looked like clutter.

Without thinking, she carried her fabrics and tools to the second bedroom. The bedroom had been empty before she arranged her sewing machine, sketching table and everything else there. It looked good. She walked back to the dining room.

Wow.

It looked like a dining room, complete with a beautiful table, chairs and even a rug that matched the curtains.

‘I did not do this for a man,’ she said out loud.

Then why did you do it?

She shook her head. Talking to herself was not what she needed right now. She carried her laptop to the living room to reply to social media messages about her veils and check her emails. When she looked up again, it was 9pm.

Noodles and bed. In that order.

She logged off, put her laptop away and was about to enter the kitchen when her doorbell rang. Her stomach dropped. What if it was her dad? Or mother?

It rang again. She had to open it.

‘Sen?’