Chapter Sixty-Four
‘Goodness,’ said Milo, unable to hide his surprise. ‘I mean … you look nice. In fact… you look stunning.’
‘Thanks,’ I said, thrilled to bits. ‘You look pretty tasty yourself,’ I said carelessly.
Milo looked astonished, as well he might.
Mum, he’s not a cookie, said Cindy .
Shit! Never mind the sodding biscuit. I’ve basically told the guy he’s sexually desirable and that I fancy him something rotten. Noooo ! What am I going to do?
Compliment him on his aftershave.
Brilliant idea.
‘Y-Yes, that aftershave you’re wearing is… also very tasty.’
‘Is it?’ said Milo looking bemused.
‘Mmmmm.’ I sniffed the air theatrically. ‘Er, tasty.’
Stop saying that word! Cindy implored.
I can’t – it’s got lodged in my brain.
‘You’re reminding me of that old advert,’ said Milo. ‘The one where kids smell the air and discover gravy. So long as I don’t smell like a stock cube.’
‘You really don’t,’ I said, flustered. I grabbed my bag and housekeys. ‘Shall we go? After all, I can’t wait to be naughty.’ Feckity-feck. Stop it, Tilly. ‘The cake,’ I gasped. ‘Naughty with the cake.’
‘Er, quite,’ said Milo, his mouth twitching.
Was it my imagination, or did he just wink? Mortified, I followed Milo through the garden gate and over to his car.
During the ride to Bluewater, I tried to settle down. However, I felt on edge and jittery. That stupid tasty word had changed the energy between us.
Up until now we’d been relaxed together – albeit with me having zingers whenever Milo’s hand had brushed mine – whereas now everything seemed highly charged. Or was it just me experiencing this?
Discreetly, I turned my head a fraction. Enough to squint sideways at Milo. He was staring straight ahead. Eyes on the road. Oblivious to the effect he was having on me. And he really was having an effect. His thigh was inches from mine. My fingers twitched in my lap. They longed to walk the short space between us. Land on his thigh. And why stop there? It would be the work of a moment to walk them up to his fly. Yank down the zipper and–
‘Okay?’ said Milo, glancing at me. He caught me gawping at him.
I flushed guiltily and hoped my expression hadn’t given my thoughts away. After all, they’d been incredibly lustful. Was Milo privately thinking, Oh no! Why did I tell Tilly she looked stunning? She’s now got the wrong end of the stick. Cringe…
‘Tilly?’ he prompted.
‘I’m fine,’ I squeaked.
‘Really? You sound like you’ve been mainlining on helium.’
‘Ah ha ha ha!’ I brayed.
Oh no, this was awful. I needed to get my head straight. Either that or emigrate.
The rest of the journey passed in awkward silence. Well, awkward on my part. I wasn’t sure whether it was the same for Milo. And no way was I doing another sneaky peek in case he caught me out a second time.
When we finally arrived at Bluewater, happily the place wasn’t rammed with shoppers. I casually scanned the mall, attempting nonchalance.
‘Where would you like to start?’ I asked.
‘I’d like to start with being naughty,’ said Milo mischievously.
Was he flirting? Or was I hoping he was flirting?
I gave him a curious look. There was a gleam in his eye. Or was it my imagination? I no longer knew. My flirt radar had stopped working long ago. Perhaps Milo’s twinkling irises were nothing more than bright lights bouncing off his eyeballs. His body language didn’t indicate anything other than slight boredom. After all, what was exciting about traipsing around shops? Yes, perhaps his flirty tone had merely been an attempt to alleviate shopping tedium.
‘The cake,’ Milo reminded.
‘Oh, the cake ,’ I enunciated, as if I’d forgotten all about that. ‘That sounds-’
‘Tasty?’ he said innocently.
My face instantly reddened.
‘Most agreeable,’ I muttered.