Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
The rush of cold air from the courtyard felt both shocking and invigorating at once.
She grabbed her phone before it could ring off, not even stopping to see who was calling.
‘Hello?’
‘Emme.’
The voice sounded distant.
‘Oh. Tom.’
Her heart raced.
There was a silence as Emme wrapped one arm across her body and looked at her goosebumped skin. She pressed her brow into her plump white robe to dab away the sweat, then swiftly put it on.
‘Everything OK?’
She walked back inside to the pool area, where she found an empty lounger. All the loungers were empty. She could talk freely. She could still feel the wetness between her legs.
‘Yeah, I just wanted to … erm, check in on you.’
‘From your honeymoon?’
‘Yes.’
There was another pause, and all she could hear was the sound of her heart sinking.
‘How are the Maldives?’
‘Beautiful. Just beautiful.’
‘What time of day is it there?’
‘It’s late afternoon, I’m about to have a sundowner. We’re about to have sundowners …’ he sounded guilty.
Emme’s fantasy and her frustration at being cut short from it made her feel bold.
‘Why are you calling Tom?’ she took a deep breath. ‘To rub it in?’
‘Rub it in?’
‘Yes, that you’re in the Maldives and I’m freezing!’
‘No! No … I wanted to, erm, say hi. See how you’re getting on in Switzerland. I’ve been wanting to make sure you’re OK. I’ve been thinking about you … about what you said to me. The night before.’
‘Please Tom, let’s not – I shouldn’t have. I was speaking out of turn.’
‘You weren’t, it was very … brave.’
Emme chewed her lip and searched her brain for a response.
‘I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s fine.
I’ve moved on.’ She knew she hadn’t, of course, she was just trying to make this call less excruciating.
Although she did find her mind on Tristan Du Kok again and felt another fleeting flash of excitement.
But who was she kidding? Tom was the love of her life.
And he was on honeymoon with someone else.
She let out a sigh, lay back on the propped-up lounger, and examined her legs stretched out in front of her. The gulf between them made Tom sound nervous, she could tell that even from his breathing.
‘I’m fine, really, you’re not all that, anyway …’ Emme joked, hollowly.
Tom gave a meagre laugh. Sounding relieved that she was joking, but as though he desperately wanted to talk to her about it. He hadn’t realised she was moving to Switzerland so soon and it was obviously not the goodbye he wanted.
‘Well I suppose … I just wanted to see how you’re getting on, with your new life in the mountains.’
Emme wriggled her toes, still a shade of peach sorbet from the wedding.
‘It’s great, thanks.’
When she thought about it, perhaps it was.
She had only been in Kristalldorf one weekend and she was in a luxe and empty hotel spa, courtesy of a friend.
‘Really, you don’t need to worry about me.
I’ve actually had the best weekend, the family are really lovely …
’ OK maybe that was pushing it – the mother had a carrot up her arse, the dad was weirdly vacant and the boy might take time to warm up to her, but it could be worse.
‘I’ve made some friends already …’ She thought about Tiago upstairs and his kindness.
Of Cat and her exuberance. Of Cassie and her wit. ‘And I’ve even been dancing.’
‘Dancing? Already?’ Tom tried to sound excited. ‘Europop?’
‘Yes!’ Emme softened. ‘Well Europop and American covers. They love a covers band out here.’
‘Cool! Maybe The Right Stripes can do a gig out there?’
‘Yeah maybe,’ Emme said idly.
‘You didn’t cheat on me with “99 Luftballons” did you?
’ Tom’s chuckle fell short. It was Tom and Emme’s party piece: at any twenty-first, thirtieth, engagement party or wedding they had ever been to, Tom and Emme would do the Just Dance routine to ‘99 Luftballons’ by Nena in perfect harmony.
Full of laughter, usually to rapturous applause and everyone saying they made the cutest twosome.
Except they didn’t do it at Tom and Chrissy’s wedding.
The tone of her voice landed somewhere between warmth and carelessness. She tried so hard not to care.
‘No, no balloons …’
Tiago walked through the spa door, in his coat, looking for Emme.
‘Look, I have to go, I’m meeting a friend,’ she said, quickly.
‘Wow. Yes. Of course.’
‘And you have sundowners. Go have one for me yeah?’
‘Yes, sur—’
‘And give Chrissy my love.’
‘Will do.’
‘Buh-bye.’
Tom was halfway through saying goodbye back when Emme hung up, flipped her phone over, and tried to stifle back her tears.
Tiago was already walking towards her, his gaze firmly on her face. Was it her imagination or was he making a concerted effort not to look at her body? She liked him all the more for it.
‘Hey, I’m finishing my shift, just wanted to check everything was all OK with you?’
He looked odd standing next to a pool in a suit and ski coat.
Emme nodded, her eyes glassy and sad.
‘Great, there’s pastries and juices through the chillout room there. Help yourself.’
‘Thank you, Tiago. This is just what I needed. I owe you a drink.’
‘Hey, no problem,’ he said, walking away with a wave.
Emme clutched the back of her phone on the lounger, and realised her hand was trembling. From talking to Tom. From her moment in the sauna. From envisaging Tristan Du Kok fucking the woman upstairs – and Emme’s burgeoning desire to know everything about him.