“I miss you,” she said with a sharp release of breath. “I’ve been looking forward to having you back, and now it sounds as though that might not happen.”
“It will happen. City life hasn’t swayed me from my roots.”
“Good. Because we have plans, remember?”
“Yeah. I know.”
She huffed loudly. “It’s a really stupid time for you to fall for some drunk chick from the bar.”
Refusing to be drawn into an argument, Noah rubbed at his temple and waited for her to back off.
“Sorry. That sounded mean.”
“Yeah. It did. She’s not just some regular in the pub. I really like her. But dating her when I know it’ll only be short-lived seems cruel. I also can’t seem to help myself.”
“You need to tell her,” Seren said seriously. “It’s not fair to get her to fall for you when you’re planning on leaving. At least let her know what she’s getting herself into. Then you have six weeks to figure out if the relationship is something you want to pursue.”
“What if it is?”
There was a short pause. “You’ll need to decide if you want a long-distance relationship … or if she wants to move to a remote island with dubious internet connection. Or the third option, which I refuse to say out loud.”
“I’m not staying in Bristol,” he said forcefully. “I’m coming home.”
“You’d better.”
“I will. I promise.”
When he ended the call, his thoughts were racing more than they had been previously. His feelings for Keira were intense, but the fact remained that he was moving back to Scilly. He had to. It wasn’t only Seren who he’d made promises to.
No matter what happened, in six weeks he was moving back home.
Chapter Five
Keira’s career at KMH Marketing Solutions had started with a work experience placement while she was still at school, then progressed to a paid trainee position that led to her becoming a digital marketing assistant and eventually digital marketing specialist. As the only member of the team to have worked her way up rather than coming in with academic qualifications, she could never quite shake the feeling that she was the lowest in the pecking order, despite being quietly confident that she was good at her job.
That mindset kept her on her toes – making sure she worked diligently and consistently. It also meant that when another member of the team asked her to stay late and help with something, she did it. Even if she had plans for the evening and working longer would make her late for said plans.
When she did finally rush out of work on Wednesday evening, it was to find the bus was running even later than she was. Powerwalking was good exercise, she told herself as she set off, not letting herself look at the taxi that drove past with its light on. The evening would be expensive enough without paying for a taxi home from work.
Keira cringed slightly at the sound of Noah’s laughter when she opened the door to the flat. She’d messaged him earlier and told him he could still go over for dinner and she’d be there as soon as she could. What she hadn’t planned on was arriving home slick with sweat and looking a state.
“Finally!” Mel said when Keira wandered into the living room. “What happened?”
“Nothing much. Tania asked me to help her with something when I was about to leave.” She caught Noah’s eye and smiled. “Hi.”
He stood up and kissed her cheek. “I take it you didn’t have the best day?”
“It was okay.” She was distracted by his proximity, given the fact that she wasn’t feeling particularly fresh. They weren’t far enough into their relationship for Noah to see her with damp patches on her armpits and her hair plastered to her forehead. “I need to jump in the shower. Then we’d better leave.”
“We already ate,” Mel said. “There’s a burrito for you in the kitchen. We’ll finish our game while we wait for you.” She nodded towards the coffee table, where the board game was set up.
“I’m really sorry,” Keira said, looking solemnly at Noah.
“Hey!” Mel protested. “It’s a great game. Isn’t it, Noah?”
“It’s okay. Not really what I was expecting.”
“By the time we’ve finished you’ll love it.”