Rachel Does Rome Page 7

  I turn into the path to my building and trudge along towards the steps, head down. Until I hear someone say my name.

  ‘Rachel.’

  I look up and blink in the dark, wondering if I’m imagining things. But it’s him. He’s sitting on the steps of my building, holding a bunch of purple and orange carnations and Michaelmas daisies. His suitcase is beside him.

  ‘Oh,’ I say, unguardedly. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I thought I’d surprise you. Was that not a good idea?’ He stands up. I’d forgotten how tall he is. And how sexy. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch this weekend. My phone died, and I forgot to bring my charger. And the others all have smart phones, so none of their chargers worked for me . . .’

  I have every intention of saying calmly, as I’d planned, ‘That’s fine, but I was annoyed at the time.’

  But I’m tired and hung-over, and coming down from the weekend, and instead what comes out is, ‘I thought you were ignoring me.’ I have a catch in my voice that soon turns into real tears. ‘And it was Valentine’s Day!’ And now I’m sobbing for the whole street to see, and totally mortified. I must look like the most pathetic drama queen in West Hampstead.

  ‘Oh my God! Rachel!’ He drops the flowers and pulls me into his arms. I breathe and gulp, inhaling his familiar scent and feeling the wool of his coat against my cheek. ‘I thought you didn’t care about it! We said we wouldn’t do anything.’

  ‘No! We said we would do something low-key. And I know you had to work, but it still sucked that you changed your mind about it.’ I’m still gulping and sniffing in a very undignified way. I scrabble in my pocket for a tissue, and find one from the café in Rome.

  ‘Honey,’ he says, leaning back and looking at me. He’s never called me that, or anything like it, before. The tenderness in his eyes almost makes me start crying again. ‘I did do something low-key. I sent you a card. But then I missed you, so I came back from Bristol early. I would have gone to the airport to meet you but I couldn’t remember which airport you were coming through.’

  ‘But that’s crazy! You could have been waiting hours.’ I start laughing, but it turns into sobs again. Oliver hugs me, and then kisses me through my tears.

  ‘Come on. Inside,’ he says. He hands me the flowers, picks up my suitcase, and holds the door open for me once I’ve unlocked it. He stops at my pigeonhole and takes out a card, and hands it to me as well. He’s not afraid to boss me around sometimes. And once in a while, when you’ve been making decisions all day, that’s what you need.

  ‘How was Rome, anyway?’ he asks, as we toil up the four flights of steps.

  ‘It was fine,’ I say, but I’m still feeling irrational and sulky, and I can’t help adding, ‘How was lovely Laura?’

  ‘Who? She’s fine! Rachel, what are you—’

  I say nothing as we go inside my flat.

  ‘Look, I’m sorry I had to go to Bristol,’ he says. ‘I really am. But I thought you didn’t mind. I thought we agreed to do something low-key for Valentine’s Day, like sending a card.’

  ‘Well, I thought we agreed to do something low-key together,’ I say, dully. I’m sick of the whole subject of effing Valentine’s Day now; I never want to hear it mentioned again.

  Oliver is still staring at me. I can practically hear the wheels clicking.

  ‘I didn’t think you cared so much . . . about Valentine’s Day,’ he says.

  ‘I don’t give a shit about it! I only care about you,’ I say, blowing my nose again.

  ‘Do you?’ he says, a smile breaking out over his face.

  I nod. ‘Well, I love you. What do you think of that?’, he says.

  I’m laughing and crying now. ‘I like it. I mean, I love you too.’

  He kisses me again, and we look at each other, grinning like idiots at what’s just happened. And in that moment I realise that I could tell him absolutely anything. I could even tell him about meeting Jay, though I can’t be bothered yet because Jay is so boring. And I know that it’s all going to be OK.

  Oliver sits down in my armchair and pulls me onto his lap.

  ‘Tell me all about your weekend,’ he says, stroking my hair. ‘What did you do?’

  ‘Well, we didn’t do much sightseeing. But we had a lot of fun. It was gorgeous weather, T-shirt weather. I bought some clothes. We met these crazy Americans, and I kept forgetting my guidebook . . .’ I want to tell him everything, and I will, but there’s something I want to ask him first. ‘Oliver, how would you feel about going to Bali with me some time? Or somewhere like that?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Really?’

  He nods. ‘Of course. I’d go anywhere with you,’ he says, matter-of-factly. ‘Except Bicester Shopping Village. One of my worst childhood memories is of my mum dragging me around Bicester Shopping Village. Never again.’

  I kiss him again, bubbling over inside with happiness. It’s not even that I care about stupid Bali, it’s the principle of the thing. Although the one attraction is that at least we wouldn’t run into Jay there.

  Before we get completely carried away, I remember the flowers. He gets up and stands behind me as I fill a jug at the sink, grabbing my waist and kissing the nape of my neck. I dodge him, laughing, and put the flowers in water.

  ‘D’you like them?’ he asks doubtfully. ‘There wasn’t much left at Paddington station. I wasn’t sure what to get.’

  ‘Yes!’ This isn’t a fib. They’re the most hideous flowers I’ve ever seen, and I love them. I turn around and kiss Oliver again, thinking that February might turn out to be my favourite month after all.

  Don’t miss the fifth instalment in the truly irresistible

  Girls on Tour series.

  Pack your bags, buckle your seatbelts and get ready for . . .

  Join Poppy, Lily, Maggie and Rachel as they jet to New York – and face a big secret in the Big Apple.

  When Lily invites the girls to attend a VIP event in Manhattan, they all jump at the chance. Poppy especially is thrilled to escape her impending thirtieth birthday with a weekend of Cosmos and red carpets. But none of them have any idea what Lily is really planning. Or how a single weekend can turn your life upside down . . . With non-stop fun and flirty frolics, this is a girls’ weekend not to be missed.

  Desperate for a mini-break? Join the Girls on Tour, a fun, globe-trotting digital series which promises escapism and entertainment in perfect bite-size episodes.

  If you enjoy Lindsey Kelk and Mhairi McFarlane, you’ll love Nicola Doherty so let her whisk you away with her Girls on Tour series.

  Join POPPY in Paris, on a work trip with more than a few surprises in store.

  Find LILY in LA, where her dream role is ambushed by an all-American dreamboat.

  Take to the slopes with MAGGIE in Méribel, where a romantic skiing holiday turns topsy-turvy.

  Ride a Vespa with RACHEL in Rome, where a girls’ holiday is gate-crashed by a blast from the past.

  Jet with the girls to Manhattan where they take the city by storm and are shocked by a big secret in the Big Apple.

  Go to www.nicoladoherty.co.uk and www.inmyhandbag.co.uk for sneak peeks, exclusive competitions and glamorous giveaways . . .

  #girlsontour

  @nicoladoherty_

  /NicolaDohertyBooks