‘Not particularly. I’ve always enjoyed living in the country.’
‘That’s because you were such a swot!’ says Emma. She turns to Alex. ‘She always had her head in a book, and she enjoyed things like long country walks. But I can’t stand them. Give me a city every time.’
‘London’s great,’ I agree. ‘There’s always something going on. Too much, sometimes. It can be a relief to come home to visit my parents.’
‘But you aren’t planning to move back here permanently?’ asks Matt.
‘Probably not,’ I say, trying not to look at Alex. ‘There isn’t much work here, for one thing. And I haven’t got London out of my system yet. I’ll probably try to find a job there when I graduate.’
‘I somehow imagined you’d move back here,’ says Alex.
‘I don’t see why. Are you planning on moving here just because your parents live here?’
‘There wouldn’t be any work for Alex either,’ Emma points out. ‘You’re far better off where you are, Alex. Edinburgh sounds like fun.’
‘It’s great,’ he says. ‘But I’d like to set up on my own one day. That way, it won’t matter so much where I’m based.’
‘I think Annie has the right idea,’ she says. ‘Who wants to be buried alive in a place like this? Anyway, this is a party. Would you like to dance?’
Alex puts down his glass. ‘Good idea.’
I stiffen. Has he forgotten he offered to show me the garden? And now he’s going off to dance with Emma.
He holds out his hand to me. ‘Shall we risk it again?’
With a feeling of relief, I take his hand. I see Emma wink at Matt, but I don’t care.
Thankfully, the music has quietened down since our last visit, and there are far fewer couples. Most people seem to have headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. I feel as though I never want to eat again. All I want is to spend the entire evening in here dancing with Alex.
Last Christmasstarts to play. He puts his hands on my shoulders, and I slip my arms around his neck.
He’s the first to break the silence. ‘Paris! So, they accepted you.’
‘I’d have mentioned it earlier, but I wasn’t sure you’d be interested,’ I say.
‘I’m interested in anything to do with you, Annie.’
My heart skips a beat. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘Are you really leaving on New Year’s Day?’
‘I am. But I’ll be back at Easter.’
He thinks about this. ‘So, you’re only home for a week? We’ll just have to make the most of it.’
Does he mean what I hope he means? I look at him questioningly, and he smiles. ‘What do you have planned for this week? Are you booked solid with family things?’
I feel fully capable of making sure my entire family goes down with food poisoning if they try to stop me leaving the house. But I keep my tone light. ‘Tomorrow is Christmas Day, and Dad’s brother always brings his family down to spend Boxing Day with us. Apart from that, I’m pretty much free. How about you?’
‘Same,’ he says. ‘Well, perhaps not quite the same. I don’t remember your father’s brother bringing his family to visit us on Boxing Day. But Aunty Em always comes to us on Christmas Day and stays for a couple of days. She insists on cooking the turkey every year, even though my mum tries to stop her.’
‘Is it that bad?’ I ask.
‘Worse! None of us is quite sure what she does to it, but it comes out of the oven like baked cardboard. Our entire family has to arrange a visit to the dentist early in the new year.’
‘My mum’s a really good cook,’ I say. ‘But she doesn’t let any of us help her on Christmas Day. She’s worried we’ll spoil it.’
‘What about the twenty-seventh?’ he says.