I bit my lip and absorbed her earlier words fully. “Ok, I’ll wait to see what he has to say for himself.”
“Atta girl!”
***
Phoebe’s phone vibrated in her pocket and she let go of me to dig it out.
Unknown caller flashed upon the screen as she brought it to her face.
“Hello?” she answered.
Phoebe’s eyebrows jumped up high on her forehead, and she got up to move towards the kitchen. Her back faced me as she walked away and left me to eavesdrop from the couch.
“Yes, I can talk now,” she replied, her voice hushed low.
I brought my knees up and hugged them, snuggling into the couch, while waiting for her to return.
“Oooooo–K,” Phoebe said sceptically, drawing the O out. “Sure, I can do that.”
Phoebe ended the call without saying goodbye and turned towards me, her face masked with mystery.
“It’s getting a bit stuffy in here,” she said.
I shrugged. “Who was that?”
She waved the question away. “Nothing important. Fancy going for a walk? I need some fresh air. I feel like a radiator turned up high.”
“Your cheeks are quite flush. I’ll have to go get changed first, though.”
“Good idea,” Phoebe replied, a little too quickly as a smile slid onto her face.
“Where do you want to go?” I called from the bedroom as I got dressed, pulling on some skinny jeans and a rose coloured blouse. I could tell Phoebe was hiding something but couldn’t fathom what it might be.
“Doesn’t matter – anywhere. Let’s see where our feet take us, shall we?”
Chapter Eight
Luckily the day was much nicer than the previous one. The grey skies had been replaced with a clear blue palette and bright, chunky, fluffy clouds that looked so soft they made you want to touch them. I’d left my jacket at home and enjoyed the occasional waft of warm air as the struggling rays of the sun skimmed my bare arms. It was days like these that made England tolerable. You’d put up with the frigid autumns and even worse winters just for times when the weather would turn for the better – a little brighter, a little warmer, making everything around you shine with a new light, with possibility.
“This was a good idea,” I said as we walked eastward, our arms linked, down the High Street.
“Full of them, I am. Ooh, have you ever been to the botanical gardens? They’re so peaceful and only a little further up the road.”
“Sure, shame we didn’t bring a picnic. We could’ve made a day of it.”
We passed neat box hedges that looked like they’d been cut with precision tools as we turned into the entrance for the Botanic Garden. Already my nostrils tingled as the scent of budding spring flowers drifted up them.
We emerged from under a formidable arch and the farther we walked, the quieter our surroundings became. No longer could I hear the passing of cars from the high street. It was like we’d entered our own private cocoon.
Still linked at the elbows, we ambled towards the quad. Phoebe was being unusually quiet, but her whole body seemed to tremble and vibrate, like a coiled spring ready to explode.
“Are you OK? We can sit down if you want,” I said pointing to the benches that were periodically stationed along the beige, gravelled path.
“No, no. I’m good. Let’s keep going.”
“OK, only if you’re sure.”
As if in answer, she picked up her pace and pulled me along. We skirted alongside a trickling fountain, and I thought to skim my fingertips across the cool surface of the water, but Phoebe wouldn’t let us stop. It was like she were a train, forced to continue on and unable to divert from her predetermined track.
I tried not to think about it anymore. Maybe she was just excited to be here and, like a child, wanted to dash off and explore everything.
Perfectly manicured lawns passed us by as we proceeded deeper into the gardens. There was hardly anyone else about. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen anyone else once we’d entered the place. This place should be buzzing with people on this lovely day, sniffing the flowers.
I breathed in the heady aromas that filled the air and closed my eyes to relish them, trusting in Phoebe to continue guiding us on our path.
My eyes flitted open, letting in hazy beams of light, and I could make out, just off to our left in front of us, the most precious little wooden bridge.
But what I saw beyond that, on the other side of the bridge, took my breath away. My stomach flip–flopped, and my heart pulsed as if it had just run a marathon.
Across the bridge, with his shirt sleeves rolled up, handsome as ever, his tan setting off the white of the material, was my love – Lex.