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‘Please don’t,’ he said ‘Elaborate displays of eht now’

It wasn’t an unreasonable reaction in the circu Ellie’s ar uselessly by her sides as she pursed her lips Yet, why should he accept her co him away?

She nodded ‘Good luck,’ she said quietly, though never had she wanted to kiss him quite so much

She spent the day trying not to think about whatin France She told herself that Alek wouldn’t ring and she was right Every tilanced at her phone—too often—there were no texts or ly blank She’d been due to meet Alannah for lunch, but she cancelled—afraid she would end up doing so Or even worse, that she would blurt out the whole story And she couldn’t do that It wasn’t her story to tell She’d already broken Alek’s confidence once and to do so again—wittingly this tiivable

She tried to keep herself occupied as best she could There was a subtle nip to the air, so she slipped on a jacket and walked across a park with leaves showing the distinct bronzed brushstrokes of autu for food in the little deli she’d discovered, which was hidden unexpectedly in a narrow road behind the ss she knew Alek liked best to eat

But noquestions which couldn’t be answered until he arrived hoht not want to tell her anything He was naturally secretive and that wouldn’t necessarily have changed Discovering so to transform him into someone as comfortable with disclosure

She went to bed at around eleven and it was sometime later that she heard the sound of a key in the lock and a door quietly closing Her throat dried He was ho around, as if he didn’t want to wake her, but as the footsteps passed her door she called out to him

‘Alek’

The footsteps halted The floor creaked and there was silence

‘Alek?’ she said again

The door opened and a powerful shaft of light slanted across the rooht She blinked a little in the fierce glea her hair out of her eyes She tried to search his face, but his eyes were in shadow and all she could see was his powerful body silhouetted against the bright light