Page 124 of Big Sexy Love
I knew I was falling for you too, Ithink.
That all seems so long ago now. But still, it makes my heart sing to hear himsayit.
‘I thought you were engaged!’ Seth goes on. ‘I didn’t want to get in any deeper. There I was feeling things about you I never thought I’d feel in my whole life. And you were about to leave to marry Colin Collins.’ He shrugs. ‘It wastoomuch.’
I bury my head in my hands, my face turning red. ‘I thought you were trying to get rid of me because I was weirdinbed.’
‘Yep.’ Seth laughs and points at the stack of letters in my lap. ‘Birdie told me that too. And I’d like to take this opportunity to officially inform you that my penis was not bruised. It was, in fact, very happy after ourencounter.’
‘I’m pleasedaboutthat.’
‘Metoo.’
We smile at eachother.
‘Wait…’ I ask. ‘How did you know I’d be here? Even Birdie didn’t know I was coming back toNewYork.’
Seth laughs. ‘Actually,shedid.’
‘Huh?’
He takes out the letter at the bottom of the pile, pointing at a paragraph on thesecondpage.
I quickly wipe away the tears I can feel running down my face asIread.
Olive doesn’t know it yet, but she fell in love with New York. She’ll be back, I know it. I have asked her friend Anders to get in touch with you when that happens. And then, if you are single, I want you to take her on an official date. Tell her that when you ask, she has to say yes or else I will haunt her. Not in a sweet gentle ghostly presence way. But in a scary gross way: blood and fangs and throwing things across the room. All that. It will behorrendous.
I burst into noisy, tearful laughter. ‘OhBirdie!’
‘She seemed like she was one of a kind,’ Seth saysgently.
‘She was,’ I say with a heavy heart. ‘She really,reallywas.’
Seth stands up and holds his hand out towards me. I stand up and take it. ‘Iamsingle,’ he murmurs, his face close to mine, his eyes flicking down to my lips. ‘And Birdie was right. Youdidcome back. And so… Olive Maudine Brewster, will you go on an official datewithme?’
I laugh some more and give a exaggerated shrug. ‘Well I don’t want to gethaunted. So I guess myansweris—’
And then we are kissing. And my whole body, my whole heart is lit up. Seth pulls me closer, his hands weaving through my hair, I push him down on to the sofa and climb onto him like a rabid animal. We kiss breathlessly and it feels insane and amazing andrightand…
‘Ahem!’
‘Olive! No! Not on theantiquesofa!’
Seth and I reluctantly pull apart at the sound of Anders and Mrs Ramirez. They’re standing at the entrance to the living room, bundled back up in their coats andscarves.
I laugh, pulling my clothes into some semblance of respectability. Seth does the same, his cheeks alittlepink.
‘There’s a carol singing service in Gramercy Park,’ Mrs Ramirez tells us happily. ‘Would you like to comewithus?’
‘They’re opening the park up to the public for one night only,’ Anders adds. He raises a pale eyebrow, hip cocked. ‘Although I suppose that’s not quite as exciting to you with yourstolenkey.’
‘You didn’t return it?” Mrs Ramirezgasps.
I give her an innocent look as I grab my bumbag and coat from the hat stand. Seth wraps his scarf around his neck and takes my hand as the four of us step out into the coldManhattanair.
As we walk down the city street to cries of ‘Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah!’ from red-cheeked passersby, I peek up at the twinkling festive lights surrounding me, and then across at Seth who runs his thumb suggestively around the palm of my hand, and Anders and Mrs Ramirez who are arguing passionately about what the best holidaysongis.
Thisis what I wasafraidof?
