Epilogue
Charlotte - Five Months Later
‘ H ey!’
With a wide smile, I wove my way around the small circular tables until I reached the back table and Claire.
‘I thought I’d beat you here.’ I beamed, shrugging off my jacket and draping it over the back of a chair. ‘But you’re even earlier than I am!’
‘I had some free time.’ Claire smiled, giving a half-shrug of her shoulders, ‘So thought I’d just read here for a bit.’
‘Oh, what are you reading?’
‘Just some silly romance,’ Claire replied, a light flush staining her cheeks as she moved the book off the tabletop and onto her lap.
‘Oh my God,’ I exclaimed, suspending my search for my card and whirling on Claire. ‘You read romance? How did I not know this?’
Claire just shrugged, shifting so awkwardly in her seat that I took pity on her and turned my attention back to my purse. We’d been friends for almost a year now, but Claire still wasn’t great at the whole eye contact thing and froze up like a baby deer whenever the attention was focused on solely on her.
‘Get you anything?’ I asked, glancing down at the cast-iron teapot set at a perfect forty-five degree angle to the small porcelain cup.
‘No thanks.’ Claire shook her head.
‘Okay,’ I nodded, ‘well I’ll just grab a coffee and be right back.’
Making my way towards the counter, I greeted the barista, Esther, and confirmed that I’d have my usual. I smiled to myself as I waited in line to pay.
Aiden and I were now regulars at Our Place —to the point where we had a usual. And the novelty of that alone was enough to make my heart fit to burst with happy contentment.
I glanced back in Claire’s direction a couple of times as I made my way towards the front of the line, mouth twisting to the side as I studied my friend. She was still so tough to read. Shaking my head, I scanned my card on the reader and raised my mug of coffee in Esther’s direction in thanks and made my way back to the table.
‘So,’ Claire started as if I’d pulled her from a place of deep thought, ‘you’ve looked at the lease?’
‘Yes,’ Claire confirmed, ‘we went over it over the weekend.’
‘And you’re happy with it?’ I asked casually, taking a small sip of the frothy cappuccino and relaxing back into my seat.
‘Of course.’ Claire nodded, eyes widening as she continued, her voice just above a whisper. ‘The rent is much lower than I’d expected. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather rent it out to someone who can afford to pay more?’
I waved a hand dismissively.
‘Aiden and I have discussed it, and we think it’s fair.’ Claire opened her mouth to object, but, leaning forward and propping an elbow on the table, I continued, ‘Besides, I’m new to this whole landlord thing, so until I figure that out the rent will stay as it is, regardless of who lives there.’ I smiled warmly as I leaned back in my seat and took another sip of coffee.
It hadn’t taken long before Aiden and I were spending more nights together than apart, and the idea of moving in together had come as a quick, but natural, next step.
I was excited by the prospect of moving in with Aiden, to some place that was just ours. But the idea of welcoming a stranger into my apartment—into the place that had been my safe haven for so long—well, that had been a little more than nerve-wrecking. So, when Becky had mentioned that Claire and her boyfriend were looking for a place to stay, it had seemed like a no brainer.
‘When do you want to move in by?’
‘Would August be okay?’ Claire asked tentatively, her fingers toying with her empty cup.
‘Of course.’ I reached into my bag and extracted a sheaf of paper, flicking through to the page last page of the rental agreement. ‘And you’re happy for the lease to be for twelve months with options to renew?’
‘That’d be great.’
‘Oh shoot,’ I muttered into my purse. ‘Don’t suppose you have a pen?’
‘I do!’ Claire squeaked, turning in her seat to root through the small leather backpack she’d slung over the back of her chair.
‘You’re moving in with Rick?’ That was what Becky had told me. Although I asked with far less of Becky’s evident disdain. She didn’t like the guy—not for any one reason in particular, she just said he gave her the ick .
‘Richard.’ Claire nodded, turning back to face me and offering her the pen. The small glimmer of her earlier excitement now gone.
‘That’s exciting,’ I prompted, curiosity flickering in my chest.
‘Yeah,’ Claire agreed, her gaze dropping back to the cup in front of her, frowning at its contents. Huh.
‘So… Becky said that guy was in some trouble with the firm?’ Claire asked, rushing to get the words out before I had the chance to ask her anything personal. Was I that transparent? I schooled my features before huffing out a laugh.
‘Yeah, you could say that.’
One thing that I’d learned that lawyers could be relied upon to do was to gossip, and, by the time I’d worked off my notice, word had spread about the reasons behind my sudden departure.
‘Some others came forward when they heard the reason for me leaving.’
‘Really?’
‘Mmmm,’ I hummed, picking up the mug in front of me and swirling the dregs of my cappuccino. ‘Quite a few, actually. More than the firm could turn a blind eye at.’
A few had even reached out on social media, and, while I’d made sure to respond to each one, I didn’t love talking about it and I still squirmed when I remembered their messages.
‘How is Becky?’ I asked abruptly, lifting the borrowed pen to sign the contract. ‘I feel like I haven’t spoken to her in ages.’
‘She’s good, I think,’ Claire replied, shoulders sagging. ‘She’s always so busy in the summer, but she’s not too fond of the new boss.’
‘What?’ My eyes darted up from the agreement, the pen hovering over my freshly inked initials. ‘I thought he didn’t start until Monday?’ I’d only met Alan and Maggie Murray once or twice when I’d gone up to visit Becky, but I was fond of the elderly couple who sent me shortbread every Christmas and had taken such good care of my friend.
‘He hasn’t, not officially,’ Claire said, shaking her head, a small smirk twisting the corner of her mouth. ‘But apparently she ran into him on Wednesday.’
‘Oh,’ I said, chewing on my lower lip. ‘Did it not go well?’
‘Well, she called him caber-swinging bawbag at least twice during our five-minute phone call last night, so I don’t imagine so,’ Claire said, dipping her chin and letting out a quiet chuckle.
‘What on earth is a caber-swinging bawbag?’
‘No idea,’ Claire replied, her blue eyes sparkling in the light of the early afternoon. ‘But coming from Becky, it’s probably not a compliment.’
‘Definitely not,’ I chuckled, shaking my head.
I’d just capped the pen and slid both it and the papers across the desk towards Claire, when a large hand settled between my shoulder blades and a soft kiss was pressed to my temple.
‘Hello Cupcake.’
I looked up, my face splitting into a wide grin when I found a pair of warm brown eyes looking back at me.
‘Hey,’ I breathed, leaning into his touch as my insides all but melted at the sight of him.
‘You about ready to go?’ Aiden asked, looking from me to Claire and back again.
‘Just about.’ I nodded and turned to face Claire. ‘You and Richard can take a look over these and if you’re both happy, sign and send them to me?’
Claire smiled, accepting the bundle of papers.
‘I’m sorry to run,’ I apologised, pushing my chair away from the table. ‘We’re apartment hunting this afternoon.’
‘No problem.’ Claire stood beside the table; hands clasped in front of her as she watched Aiden held out my jacket. ‘Where are you looking?’
‘Well,’ I huffed, sliding my arms into the jacket and shooting Aiden an appreciative smile. ‘We’re hoping to just move just one or two stations away—we’re looking at places on the other side of the park.’
‘Kensington High Street?’ Claire asked.
‘More like off- off -Kensington High Street,’ I laughed, pulling Claire into a hug.
‘But we’ll all get together soon?’ I leaned back, hands resting on Claire’s biceps. ‘We’re about due for a girls’ night.’
‘Absolutely.’ Claire nodded enthusiastically.
Waving goodbye, I followed Aiden through the throng of people that had filled the coffee shop, side-stepping small dogs or children and squeezing past the various patrons as we made their way onto the street.
‘I’m glad we’re not moving too far away,’ I said, tucking myself into Aiden’s side.
‘Too far away from what?’ he asked, squeezing my shoulder.
‘From Our Place .’ I smiled and looked past him toward the coffee shop where we’d first outlined the terms of our agreement.
‘Cupcake,’ Aiden said, his eyes softening in that way they only ever did when he was looking at me. Crooking a finger beneath my chin, he tilted my head to press a soft kiss to my lips. ‘Wherever we are will always be our place.’
I rolled my eyes and shook my head at his sappiness, but I’d be lying if I said that my heart didn’t practically somersault across my chest at his words.
It had been almost six months since Aiden had confessed his feelings for me—feelings I’d confessed right back—but most of the time I still felt just as giddy as I had in those first few weeks we’d navigated not-fake dating.
The butterflies, the blushes, the sudden arrhythmia whenever he was near—none of it had gone away, not entirely. And, as I studied the face of the man beside me, whose eyes now almost always crinkled when he looked at me, I hoped that they never would.