28
Raina
THE JOURNEY BACK TO London was brutal. As I dragged my suitcase towards the exit, every muscle in my body ached. It didn’t matter that I’d been flying first class for a change, it was still a nightmare.
My flight was delayed by nine hours; then, when I finally got to my seat, it took us twenty minutes into the flight when the air hostess split… you guessed it: beer, all over me.
Thankfully, carrying luggage filled with clothes and having the means to actually wash over the smell meant I didn’t have to fly for over ten hours with the sticky liquid all over me. But somewhere over the Atlantic, I couldn’t help but think of the memories that it triggered, which led me to spend over half the flight thinking about each day I’d spent with Oliver in the past couple of weeks.
Maybe it was the fact that once I got in my head, I was no longer able to pretend that it didn’t matter how he made me feel or the fact that he’d had a hard weekend, and yet he spent it trying to send me updates on how he found my interviews, the different sessions because he wanted me to feel better about my jerk of a brother, or maybe I was just tired—of overthinking and running away from love.
The realisation that came after was even more terrifying. I thought I was going to be more open to the fact that I would let him in, but as I stepped into the arrivals area, exhaustion followed me on my shoulders, and I felt a tug in my chest. My breath struck me in my throat, and I paused, my eyes scanning the crowd and before it landed on him, I knew there was only one person I wanted to find in the crowd.
Oliver’s eyes were already on me as I found the will to push my bags forward, my heart racing in my chest as I walked towards him.
He was leaning against a pillar, dressed up in a simple hoodie and some jeans that made him look effortlessly put together. His hair was covered in a hat, but it was his easy grin that made me forget how to breathe.
As we both walked over and met halfway, I noticed there was a glint in his eyes. “Fancy seeing you here, Gorgeous.”
“What are you doing here?”
His grin widened at the genuine surprise in my voice as he leaned down, his face inches away from mine. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Why… how?”
“When you told me that your flight was delayed, I pulled up the information. I knew you had a difficult weekend, and I wanted to be here with this,” He pulled out a bag from behind him, but my eyes were focused on him. “So you could relax the moment you got out.”
I blinked, then again, in the hopes that my heart wouldn’t give out on me. But he must’ve seen the emotion in my eyes anyway as he brought his hand up to my face, caressing my cheek.
“What?” His voice was low, and the warmth of it spread everywhere.
“Kiss me,” I replied, and he stilled. But he didn’t need to be told twice because the moment he processed what I had said, his hand cupped the side of my neck as he pulled my face to his before he placed his lips on mine.
The moment my lips met his, I felt my heart stop before it restarted. This time, when it beat, there was a new rhythm to it.
His lips were soft and sure like he had this saved moment for me and was waiting for me to catch up. It wasn’t the kiss that demanded the fireworks, no—there was nothing momentary or fleeting about it—instead, it was deeper, deliberate and quiet, like two oceans meeting at the horizon, in a familiar way, unknown to us but seamlessly blending into one. Like it would leave an imprint on my soul forever.
It felt effortless and easy, and at the same time, it was like coming to a place that I’d yearned for, but it never had a name to it.
He pulled back, his forehead resting on mine, as he whispered. “That was…”
“I know,” I whispered back, and like the most natural thing, he pecked my lips.
He ran his thumb down my cheek like he couldn’t believe I was there. “What changed your mind?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Beer.”
A glint appeared in his eyes as he leaned back. “Do I even want to know?”
“Fair point. Maybe let’s wait until we’re back in the car before you decide you want revenge,” I replied, as he grabbed the handle of my suitcase in one hand and offered me the other one.
Once my fingers were laced with his, he gave me a small tug, and I let myself be pulled into him. He placed another kiss on my lips, one much gentler this time as he whispered. “Welcome home, love.”
Something about the way he’d said it made me realise that he didn’t just mean the place, he meant the feeling. Because no matter how much I’d run, no matter the amount of time I’d taken, I was meant to return to him.
It had a name.
Home.
I FELT A GENTLE TUG on my ear before a palm covered the soft but shooting pain. I stirred, groaning as my hand covered my ear before opening my eyes. Which instantly I realised was the worst decision as the blinding headlights from the car ahead of us hit my eyes.
I turned in my seat, squinting to look at Oliver, who was wearing a grin as one of his hands rested on the steering wheel while the other was by my ear. His lips twitched at my expression, and I slapped his hand away before pulling his jacket that I’d been using as a blanket up and tucking it between my ear and shoulder. Instead of retreating his hand, he put them on my knees that were now facing him.
As I started closing my eyes again, he tapped my knees until it became annoying.
“Stop it,” I grumbled, shooting my eyes back to him.
“Do you know how long it took me to get you to wake up?” He asked as the car started to move again. “I’ve never seen someone knock out as quickly as you.”
“How’s this for a thought? You let me sleep.”
“And let you mess up your sleep schedule?”
“I thought you said I could start relaxing the moment I got out of the airport,” I snuggled in his jacket a little more, and as he glanced at me, his eyes softened for a second.
“Relax all you want, love. But it’s only a couple hours at most, and you can sleep at a perfectly reasonable time so you don’t wake up in the middle of the night and mess up your sleep.”
I sighed, knowing he was right. “Why are you being so reasonable? My work literally gives me a couple of days off just for these situations.”
“They give you time off because you spend your entire weekend working when the rest of them are catching a break or working from the comfort of their home.”
“That is completely beside the point.”
He chuckled. “Okay then, you pick: going to bed a little late today or having to wake up super early for the next week or so?”
“Fine,” I grumbled, though I couldn’t help but smile.
When we reached the next red light, he lifted his hand from my knee and reached behind the back seat. “This should help you wake up,” A couple of seconds later, there was a brown bag with a similar T&L logo printed on it.
I blinked at the bag in front of me, then at him. “You do realise that this is you setting the standard? Like you can’t do this to me now and then just stop.”
His gaze filled with amusement as he replied. “Then it’s a good thing I don’t plan on ever stopping.”
I pulled out the chocolate pastry, the very one that I got when I wasn’t in the mood to try anything new. I’d mentioned it once during one of the evenings that we’d spent going over something from our list, and I’d brought up some coffee on my way back from work, but the fact he remembered that little detail made my heart flutter.
Thinking of the list, I turned my attention from the treat in front of me to the other treat.
He had this confidence to him, the ease, as one of his hands rested on the steering wheel, as the other one that was bouncing between shifting gears, or on my knee.
“By the way, I think I finally decided on the documentary we can watch for Formula One,” I said. “It was suggested to me on the flight, and I watched the first couple minutes of it before I paused it so we could watch it together and cross that off our list.”
He gave me a sideways glance. “Sure, you want to watch it when we get home?”
A yawn escaped me before I replied. “I actually don’t know how long it is, so… maybe?”
I could check my phone, but I had no clue where I’d put it. As I took a bite of my pastry, Oliver cleared his throat like he wanted to say something and grabbed my attention.
“Actually, we’re forgetting an important thing.”
“Hm?”
“We need to update our bet.”
I looked at his side profile, and maybe for the first time, he was trying not to look in my direction.
I frowned, “What about it?”
“Well, for starters, you never actually decided on what you wanted if you won,” He replied. “And I want to take you out on a real date.”
I just lifted my shoulder. “I just thought I’d decide what I wanted from you when I won because by then, I would’ve learned enough about Cricket to actually get you to do something worthwhile.”
He grinned knowingly, like he wasn’t surprised at all, as we pulled up to the house.
As the engine died, neither of us moved to get out. There was an easy rhythm between us, and it was as if we were both scared of losing that once we left the car.
When I realised no lights were reflecting the car, my eyes went to the house. All lights were closed, except for the one in the reception room that was always left on. Spotting a large square-shaped package that was left by the front steps, I tilted my head slightly in confusion. “That’s not exactly the safest place to leave a package on a fairly open street.”
They had a mini iron gate, but literally, anyone could jump over it and squeeze the thin package through the gaps.
“It’s empty,” Oliver chuckled softly, unlocking the car. “The package came just as I was about to leave, and I didn’t want to be late, but I wanted to set it up for you when you got back. So, I left it there to make sure I threw it out when we got back.”
“You got me something?” I asked, and turned to look at him , but he just raised his brows in a way that said, ‘Yeah and what about it?’. When, instead of saying something, a yawn escaped me, he just smiled before getting out of the car.
Reaching the backseat, I grabbed my handbag and the goodie bag I’d dumped together when I felt the cool rush of air on my legs from the open door.
Getting out of the car, I shut my door gently behind me.
“When did you get your car?” I asked as he unlocked the front door.
“Earlier this year,” He let me go in first and placed my suitcase inside before picking up the cardboard. “Why?”
I shrugged, and he watched me for a minute before walking down to where the big bins were.
Turning around, my eyes were instantly searching for my cats, and that thought had me turning back to face Oliver, who walked in the same second with a mirrored expression that told me he was going to ask me something, too.
“You first,” He said, picking up his jacket that I had laid on top of my suitcase before he grabbed the handle.
“It’s more of a what happens,” I replied as I felt Lilli by my feet.
“Okay.”
“What happens when I travel for cricket? Hazel already told me I’d be flying over for the Ashes, and that’s 5 weeks—can I travel with my cats?”
“I would imagine so, but it depends if you get accommodation with the main squad or get one for yourself.”
I nodded, making a mental note to drop her a note to confirm beforehand. “Now, you.”
“Has Vedant not said anything to you yet?”
Oh. “Nope.”
Another thing I’d thought about on my flight, and I think he’s upset about something else, but I can’t pinpoint what that is.
My shoulders dropped further. It was like my body was registering that I was home… home .
I couldn’t deny it, and this place had started to feel like home.
“What did you just think of?” He took a step closer to me, his voice low. “I want to know what that expression means.”
I tugged on my lip as I met his eyes.
“It feels like home,” I sighed.
His eyes glimmered at my words before his gaze settled on my lips. Running a thumb over my lip, he leaned down and placed the softest kiss that I felt the effect of everywhere.
“Come on, sleepy head. I want to show you something,” He whispered against my lips before taking a step back.
Leaving my bags by the stairs, I followed him up the stairs to my room.
“Close your eyes,” He whispered.
I frowned out of habit but closed them nonetheless. I felt him open the door and take my hand as he guided me further into the room.
“Okay, you can open them.”
I peeked one eye open first, the lights making me instantly squint but it was what hung above my bed that took my breath away.
It was the same painting from the gallery. The very one that he made me dream of having on that stupid and entirely perfect wall he had built up in my head. The one that I had visited in my dreams so often that I had rung up the gallery a week later to get it, just so I could scratch that itch in my brain, but they’d told me that it was already sold.
That’s when the realisation came in.
And as he watched my reaction with a grin, I finally let the voice in my head speak. The one that I had been ignoring ever since the flight. The very one I had spoken over to decide I was going to give him a chance.
I was falling for him.
It didn’t matter if I had decided that I was going to let him in or not, no, because it was like the path was familiar to him, and he had walked through the cracks in my walls and reached my heart nonetheless.