Chapter 5
By Monday morning, Poppy knew she needed to make a decision and book something.
She had spent the night tossing and turning, her mind replaying conversations and comments from the fallout with Simon, that she wished she could forget.
When she had finally given up on sleep, padding into the kitchen to make coffee, her flat felt smaller than ever, the walls closing in and the silence too loud.
This place was supposed to be her sanctuary, but instead it felt like a prison.
She should have gone for a run to try to clear her head, but the thought of doing so felt like too much effort. Instead, she sat down at her laptop.
Checking her emails, she braced herself, apprehensive for what the new day would bring.
But there were no new messages; no cancellations either.
Just the usual trickle of newsletters and automated reminders.
The absence of bad news should have felt like a relief, but instead it left her on the precipice of uncertainty.
She pulled up the manuscript she was working on and stared with tired eyes at the words on the screen. Sipping at her coffee, she willed herself to focus.
It was hard going, though, and the edit was taking twice as long as it normally would, due to her lack of concentration.
When her phone buzzed a couple of hours later, she snatched it up, grateful for the distraction, especially when she realised it was Tom.
Happy Monday, Pops. How are you?
She managed a smile as she typed back.
Feeling like I’m in Groundhog Day. Same old routine.
She added a bunch of emojis at the end of the message.
Hah. You definitely need that break.
Poppy hesitated, then answered honestly.
I do. Actually, I was looking at flights last night.
He replied:
Ooh. Where to?
Her heart thumped. Should she suggest coming to see him? It seemed the perfect moment to ask.
Deciding to be honest, she typed:
I was wondering how you would feel about me coming to Crete to see you.
Bouncing dots appeared on the screen. She watched them, holding her breath, unsure how he was going to react.
When they abruptly stopped after a few seconds, she thought she might be sick. She shouldn’t have invited herself. Now she had just made things awkward.
A couple of minutes passed, and she wondered if she should message again, say it had been a bad idea. But then her phone started ringing.
Tom.
Her chest tightened as she answered. ‘Hi.’
‘You want to come to Crete?’ he asked without preamble.
‘It was a bad idea. I’m sorry. I should never have invited myself.’
‘Whoa, Poppy. Slow down. It’s a great idea. I can’t believe I never thought of it myself.’
As he spoke, she could hear the excitement in his voice.
‘You’d be happy with me coming there?’ she asked tentatively, still not quite trusting he wanted her there.
‘Are you kidding? Finally, we get to meet. And there are loads of bedrooms here. You’ll love this place.
’ He trailed off suddenly, falling quiet for a moment.
When he spoke again, he sounded hesitant.
‘Am I getting the wrong end of the stick? Do you mean come here, but stay in a hotel? I don’t want to pressure you into anything. ’
‘No, you’re not,’ Poppy quickly assured him. ‘I’d like to stay with you. If that’s okay.’
‘That’s more than okay. But wait… I do have that wedding in Paris coming up, remember?’
‘You do?’
‘Sorry, I thought I mentioned it a few weeks back that my old uni friend, Stephen, is getting married.’
Poppy’s heart sank, realising it wouldn’t work out.
‘Well, maybe I can come and visit you in a few weeks,’ she suggested.
Although she wanted to get away now, she supposed she could wait.
But the thought of staying in her flat while the Simon Daley situation continued to simmer was almost unbearable.
‘No, it’s fine,’ Tom assured her. ‘Get a flight out this weekend. I don’t have to leave for Paris until Friday. We can still have a few days together.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’m sure. And you’re welcome to stay here after I’ve gone.’
‘Well, if you don’t mind,’ she said, still a little doubtful.
‘It will be perfect. You get the best of both. Time with me and time to yourself.’
It did sound good, Poppy had to admit.
She thought of the villa he’d shown her.
Sun-warmed stone, the pool catching the light, and the quiet road leading down towards the coast. Compared to that, her flat suddenly felt very far away from where she wanted to be.
Two weeks. And she would have sunshine, space and silence.
Plus a luxurious escape that would cost her only the flight to and from Crete.
And finally, she would get to spend time with Tom.
Poppy leaned back in her chair, her heart beating a little faster now.
‘I’ll look at flights,’ she promised him, as they ended the call.
She put her phone down on the desk and stared around her flat – at the mismatched cushions, the bookshelf crammed full of books, many of which she still hadn’t read, and the view of neighbouring rooftops through the window.
For the first time in days, the idea of leaving didn’t feel like she would be running away. Instead, all she felt was relief.