Page 44 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

But the warmth of the bedroom compared to the draughty, tiny box room was so blissful that she hadn’t been able to disagree with him, if she had even had the energy to fight him.

Katy was still feeling sapped of strength, despite being able to finally get out of bed. She was somewhat embarrassed about having had to rely on Ryan to get her into bed and even feed her. She was stronger than that, she knew. She could definitely take care of herself, couldn’t she?

But she had only just reached the lounge when her strength suddenly disappeared once more and she had to slump against the doorframe with a groan.

As she looked up at movement nearby, she was startled to see Ryan wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist, apparently just out of the shower and heading across the lounge towards her.

‘Oh. Hey,’ he said, raising his eyebrows in surprise to see her. ‘Are you sure you should be up?’

Katy reached out with a shaky hand to hold onto the sofa before sinking into the soft cushions. ‘I just need a minute,’ she told him.

Ryan smiled as he shook his head at her. ‘Maybe give it five minutes, just in case,’ he said.

Katy closed her eyes to wait for her head to stop thumping, but she must have fallen asleep because when she reopened them once more, she had been covered with a warm blanket and Ryan was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt.

She looked up and watched as Ryan brought her a steaming bowl of soup with more crusty bread.

‘I figured you’d be hungry when you woke up,’ he told her.

‘Thank you,’ she said, with a heavy sigh as he placed the tray gently on her lap. ‘How long did I sleep for this time?’

‘About an hour.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Ugh. I hate being ill.’

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. ‘Can’t do much about it,’ he told her. ‘You’ll feel better in a few days.’

‘A few days?’ she repeated, shocked. ‘What am I supposed to do in the meantime?’

‘Rest,’ he told her. ‘Watch rubbish TV. That kind of thing.’

Katy smiled to herself, remembering back fondly when she had done exactly that with Bob, thinking that it had been a one-off event.

‘I guess you reckon relaxation is for other people,’ he said, before turning around to fill his own bowl of soup. Then he sat down on the opposite sofa.

Between them was a roaring fire and Katy appreciated the warmth and crackle of the wood, especially as she could hear heavy rain against the window. The skies were overcast, making the day feel darker than it would do normally.

They both ate their soups in peace. Despite still feeling rubbish, Katy realised that she hadn’t been delirious when she had eaten the chicken soup the night before. It really was delicious.

After the meal, Katy found that she didn’t want to leave the cheeriness of the fire so she remained on the sofa with the blanket over her in the blissful warmth.

As she sank back against the cushions, she watched as Ryan picked up a box that had been on the floor next to him. She realised that it was the train set that he had saved when they had first begun clearing out the station.

‘You won’t get too much clearing done if you keep sneaking everything back into the apartment,’ she murmured, snuggling down further under the blanket.

But he shook his head. ‘Some things are worth rescuing,’ he replied, still looking at the contents.

‘It’s just stuff,’ she said.

He looked up at her in surprise. ‘Not to me, it’s not,’ he replied. ‘This train set was given to me by my grandparents. I used to love playing with it but had forgotten all about it until I saw it. It’s memories of happy times, I guess. That’s what it represents.’

Unable to understand the sentiment, Katy made a face.

Ryan’s eyebrows went even higher. ‘You didn’t have stuff like this growing up?’

‘Oh yes,’ she told him, thinking of a blue dolls’ house that she had adored playing with. ‘I just don’t have it any more.’

‘Why not?’ He wasn’t mocking her, she realised. He sounded as if he wanted to understand.