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‘I’ to sit do, if that’s OK’

‘Ruby—hold up’

She sat carefully in the seat, straightening her spine, and her bright sh pain Everybody had a mask

He sat in the seat opposite her She tucked her knees to the left and pressed thee he’d never seen

‘What is it? Hip? Knee?’

‘It’s no big deal It’s nearly healed’

‘What happened?’

‘A fall That’s all’

‘Must have been some fall to have taken almost six months to heal’

The bright smile was fixed in place At least it looked like a s him back with a deadly weapon

‘You know, I’ve had my fair share of injuries too,’ he said, when she didn’t reply ‘I played rugby for years I know that you ood looks, but I was a blindside flanker at St Andrehen I was at university’

He tilted his head and showed her the mashed ear that had formed after too many injuries Luckily that and his broken nose were his only obvious disfigurements, but he’d lost count of the fractures and tears tucked beneath his clothes

‘Blindside flanker’ She looked away, sounding totally, politely uninterested ‘Sounds like rhy’

‘I was about to be capped for England,’ he said, grinning through her cheeky little retort

‘Really?’

At least that lance He smiled, nodded, raised his eyebrows Got you this tiht

‘About to be? So what happened?’