22. Chapter 22
Ruby stared at Oli, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath from her mad dash up the hill.
The unknown taxi driver she’d commandeered to whisk her back to Crumbleton had refused point-blank to drive up the cobbles. So, with her head down, Ruby had just made the fastest trip of her life up the hill - and now she was paying for it.
Still, being out of breath wasn’t doing anything to stop the fact that she wanted to pounce on Oli like an over-excited puppy.
‘You’re… you’re here?’ said Oli, staring at her in confusion.
‘I am,’ she puffed, grinning at him.
‘How… I mean, what… I mean… did you miss your train?’
Ruby shook her head. He really was adorable when he was confused like this!
‘The train’s gone… and Bobbi and Ben are on it,’ she said. ‘They’re more than a little bit miffed with me.’
‘Why?’ said Oli, clearly struggling to catch up.
‘Because I’ve just deprived them both of a paid trip to the States,’ she laughed. ‘I told them I wanted to do the initial meetings with the studio online!’
‘Oh,’ he said. ‘Why?’
‘Because I realised something when I got to the train station,’ she said.
‘What’s that?’ said Oli.
‘I can’t walk away from you,’ said Ruby, stepping forward and taking his hands gently - even though she wanted to wrap herself around him and beg him never to let her go. ‘I never want there to be all that space between us again. I want to be near you… or… with you.’
‘Oh,’ said Oli. ‘I see.’
Ruby swallowed. It wasn’t exactly the enthusiastic response she’d been hoping for.
‘Of course, if you don’t want…’ she said, letting go of his hands just as quickly as she’d taken them. Thank goodness she hadn’t jumped on him! ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have just assumed… and you’re on your way out… maybe we can talk later or-’
‘I needed to post this,’ said Oli abruptly, grabbing the package from his desk and thrusting it at her.
Ruby blinked in surprise before taking the carefully wrapped parcel. She frowned down at her own name and address scrawled on the front
‘Oh,’ she said.
‘Yeah.’
‘A personal emergency trip to the post office?’ she shook her head in confusion.
Oli mirrored her movement, shaking his head as a smile spread over his face. ‘No - look.’
He pointed at the corner of the package where two words were printed in his looped scrawl.
By Hand
‘You were going to-?’
‘Follow you,’ said Oli simply. ‘Because I can’t handle all that space between us either. Not again.’
‘You can’t?
‘Nope.’
Ruby stroked her fingers over the two words that meant more to her than anything else in the world right now… because it meant they were both in the same place - in more ways than one.
‘What’s in it?’ she said.
‘Only one way to find out,’ said Oli.
Ruby nodded, but rather than tearing into the paper like she normally would, she turned the parcel over and carefully peeled off the tape. She had a feeling she’d be saving those two little words… maybe she could turn them into a bookmark.
‘It’s like pass-the-parcel,’ she chuckled, extracting the bubble-wrap-covered-package from inside the paper.
‘Yeah well, the music’s stopped with you Rubes,’ said Oli.
It took what felt like forever to burrow through the layers of bubble wrap, and all the while she could feel the heat of Oli’s gaze on her. At last, a familiar book emerged - rich green cloth binding with golden lettering that shimmered under the bookshop lights.
‘For me?’ breathed Ruby, running her fingers over the stunning copy of Persuasion in her hands.
‘I bought it for you a long time ago,’ he said. ‘For your twenty-first birthday, actually.’
‘But… you had it in the shop?’ said Ruby, confused. ‘It was in the cabinet – Kendra said it was reserved!’
‘Yeah, reserved for you!’ said Oli with a soft smile. ‘I knew I’d finally get the chance to be able to give it to you, and that was the safest place to keep it… until I managed to scrounge up the courage!’
Ruby glanced at the book again and then back at him.
‘Thank you. It’s beautiful. You know - I wanted to buy this the moment I spotted it!’
Oli grinned at her. ‘“There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar.”’
‘Impressive memory there!’ said Ruby, her voice thick with heat and emotion.
‘Yeah well, I had a good tutor,’ said Oli. ‘Question is, do you remember the rest of the quote?’
‘“No feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved.”’
‘Show off!’ chuckled Oli. ‘But it’s the next line that’s been haunting me for six years.’
Ruby swallowed and then continued. ‘“Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted.’” She shook her head. ‘Yeah well, dear Jane had to get it wrong sometimes, didn’t she?’
‘Wrong about Anne and her Captain,’ said Oli with a nod.
‘Wrong about us too,’ said Ruby. ‘At least… I hope she is.’
‘It’s like I told you when you found me in here instead of Reuben,’ said Oli. ‘You know me, Rubes. In fact, you knew the real me even before I did. We’re not strangers or worse than strangers.’
‘Then… what are we?’ said Ruby.
‘Us?’ said Oli. ‘We’re… home.’