Chapter 49
We walk back towards my flat. When we pass the entrance to the private communal garden, Oliver pulls us to a stop. ‘I never gave Gary the key back.’ He gestures to the garden. ‘Shall we have a moment to talk?’
We hold hands as we enter and sit down on the patch of grass.
He turns to me and takes a deep breath. ‘I’m asking for a chance to show you that I’m here to fight for us, to fight for you and Alfie. Because you both are all I’ve thought about since I left.’
‘Have you spoken to Molly and Rory?’
He leans over his legs, placing his elbows on his thighs. ‘It was the hardest thing I had to do. Jamie went with me yesterday. I apologised to both, and I’ve committed to focusing on co-parenting Alfie and moving on from the past.’
‘That must have been tough.’
He nods. ‘Rory said he could understand why I got angry about the video.’
‘He did?’
‘Yes, which I thought was a start. Hearing my child call another man Daddy is hard, but when that man used to be your best friend and is now with your ex-girlfriend, that’s when the red filter slipped over my eyes.’
I place a hand on his shoulder. ‘I understand.’
He sits up and runs a hand through his hair.
‘You were right. Alfie doesn’t need all the adults around him squabbling and fighting.
When Molly and I both lived in London, it was simpler.
Every time I went to her flat, Rory wasn’t there.
I would put Alfie in his buggy, and we would go out, or I would play with him on his activity mat.
When she moved here and told me Rory was moving in with her, everything changed.
It was like his betrayal actually magnified her betrayal, and I felt a hundred times worse.
’ I watch him gaze out across the park. ‘The last few years, all this resentment and anger have been bubbling away inside of me. When I stopped writing, I came undone.’
We both go silent and listen to the evening breeze rustling the leaves on the trees behind us.
He places his hand over mine. ‘I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you and the late nights.’
I smile. ‘It’s okay. I have missed you, Oliver.’
He leans in and presses his soft, warm lips against mine. His kiss is slow and sensual. Once we pull apart, he strokes my cheek. ‘I’ve missed you too.’
‘A lot has happened since you left.’
‘Tell me.’
‘Eva, my friend, is going to be my new flatmate,’ I explain, feeling a prickle of worry. Perhaps Oliver thinks he’s going to move back in?
With a smile, he puts his arm across my shoulders. ‘That’s good. I can date you properly now.’
‘Really?’
He nods. ‘I’m living at Jamie’s for the time being until I can buy somewhere.
It will be nice to be able to take you…’ His words fade away, and something flickers across his face.
He remembers my anxiety. ‘Are you going to be honest with me? I’ve had a feeling you’ve been hiding something.
In my story, you were like Mary, burdened by some terrible secret. ’
I take a breath. ‘I related to her.’
Taking my hand, he looks into my eyes. ‘Whatever it is, I will still be by your side.’
I take a deep breath.
This is it. The crucial moment. I look into his dark eyes and he strokes my cheek. ‘Nelly, you mean the world to me. I am not going anywhere.’
‘OK…’ I take a deep breath, ‘When I touch people, I see visions in my head. They’re about things that happen in the future.’
He casts me a puzzled look.
‘I’ve always regarded it as a curse.’
He’s giving me a look of surprise. ‘A curse? What, like someone has put a spell on you?’
‘I see how love ends. Mostly I see break-ups, cheating and sudden deaths.’
‘That sounds intense.’ I watch him thinking about what I’ve said. ‘That’s why you don’t go out – isn’t it?’
‘Yes. It’s draining when all you see inside your head is a constant stream of dating spoilers.’
‘Why do you think you’ve been cursed? It sounds more like a special ability to me.’
‘My aunt says I have a gift, but I have always viewed it as a curse. I see so many visions. They always come true. When I touch someone, I get a flash of white light and then I see how their love ends. The visions always come true. There’s no time limit on them.’
I look at him and try to catch the words precariously balancing on the tip of my tongue. They tumble out of my lips. ‘I don’t see anything with you.’
His eyebrows arch with surprise. ‘Nothing at all?’
I shake my head.
A grin spreads across his face. ‘I always knew I was special.’
We both start to laugh.
‘What does it mean?’ he asks after we’ve both stopped laughing. ‘Wow – so with me, you have no spoiler alerts?’
‘No.’
He smiles. ‘You haven’t had your gift guiding you.’
‘That’s right.’
I think of Mum’s notebook and what she said about her gift and Dad. ‘My mum never saw anything with my dad.’
He lets out a mock groan. ‘Oh, I thought I was special there for a few moments. Like immune to magic curses.’
We both giggle, and he pulls me into a hug. ‘How do you manage this… gift?’
‘You’ve helped me a lot by encouraging me to give love a chance.’
He puts his arm around me and pulls me close.
‘That must be hard if all you see is how things end. I bet it put you off dating.’
Resting my head against his shoulder, I think about how tough it’s been. ‘The only way to survive was to lock myself away and avoid physical contact.’
I can feel him turning to face me. ‘Will you be my girlfriend, Nelly?’
‘Yes, I will, Oliver.’
Cupping my face with his warm hands, he kisses me. ‘You’re also the best kisser.’
As we kiss, my mind reminds me of my virginity. I decide to tell him everything when we break for air. ‘I will be your girlfriend, but there’s something else.’
‘What is it?’
‘You will have your work cut out with me, Oliver.’
He nods. ‘I am ready.’
‘I am not only cursed, but I am also a cursed virgin.’
He blinks for a few seconds, smiles, then kisses me on the lips. ‘You’re not cursed, and we can wait…’
I let out a wail of frustration. ‘We’re not waiting, Oliver. The sooner I say goodbye to my virginity, the better.’ The shocked look on his face makes me giggle, and then we both start to laugh.
When we leave the bench, he extends his hand to me. ‘Shall I walk you back to your flat?’
‘Yes, Papa Tiger,’ I say with a cheeky smile.
‘Careful,’ he says with a mock-deadpan expression, before we both start to laugh.
Once we’ve hugged and kissed some more, I take his hand and remember Mum’s words. This is about deciding to begin.