Thief of Hearts
Page 76

He stepped forward and cupped my face in his hands, then pressed a light, barely there kiss on my lips before whispering, “Wait and see.”
With that he turned and left, and I stood in my hallway, my entire body tingling. I don’t need to wait and see. I didn’t need him to change a thing.
Because I loved him now.
The stark truth of it hit me like a sledgehammer.
I loved him already.
***
The following morning, I tripped over something on the floor when I entered the kitchen. What was a medium-sized wheelie suitcase doing there? It was new, still had the label on and everything. Alfie sat by the window sketching on a pad of paper.
I went to put the kettle on as I asked, “What’s the suitcase for?”
My cousin didn’t even glance up when he answered casually, “Jamie and I are going on a cruise in a couple of months. I saw they had a sale on in the luggage shop down the street, so I thought, what the hell?”
I swivelled back around. “Hold up. Say that again.”
Alfie glanced from left to right, his response sounding like a question. “I bought a suitcase?”
“No, not that. The other part.”
“Oh, you mean about going on holiday together? Yeah, it should be fun.”
“But . . . you don’t travel. You’ve never even left the UK before, and you hate flying.”
“Well, I’ve decided to face my fears. Jamie’s been trying to convince me to join him on one of those Aegean cruises for years. I thought it was about time to bite the bullet.”
I tried to hold back my smile. “An Aegean cruise, you say? Sounds very romantic.”
Alfie blushed and even in my current state of emotions, I felt a flutter of excitement for him. It was finally happening. The hope I’d been holding on to for years that my cousin would confess his love for his best friend was coming to fruition. He didn’t say anything, just continued sketching.
I went about making tea before throwing in casually, “So, when are you going?”
He huffed out a sigh. “Not for another few months. There’s still a lot of planning to do.”
“For a cruise? Why don’t you just let a travel agent take care of everything?”
“We’re not using a travel agent. We’re . . . designing the trip to cater specifically to our needs.”
“That sounds fancy.”
“Uh huh. Are you coming to the tournament today?” Alfie asked, a very obvious subject change.
I shrugged. “I dunno. Those things tend to go on for hours, and I can think of a number of far more exciting ways to spend my Saturday.”
“You won’t be saying that when you hear what the prize is.”
“What is it?”
“Well, there’s a specially handcrafted Go board, but there’s also a collection of signed books, one of which is a first edition copy of Jude the Obscure.”
My mouth fell open. “Seriously? That’d be worth well over a thousand pounds.”
“And it’s your favourite book of all time, which is why I signed you up to take part in the competition.” Alfie grinned.
“You didn’t.”
“I absolutely did. Besides, all you’ve been doing lately is moping and working. You need a day out of the house.”
I shrugged, because in a way he was right. I had been moping. And when the likes of Alfie, a man who rarely ventures outdoors, says you need to get out of the house, you know you should listen. The problem? I was still reeling from Stu’s declaration yesterday, still trying to decide how to handle the situation.
“You do realise I have no chance of winning. Half the people who compete in these things might as well have starred in their own version of A Beautiful Mind.”
“You never know,” said Alfie. “Lady Luck could be on your side today. And if anyone deserves that book it’s you.”
And that was how an hour later I was walking down the street to Novel Ideas with Alfie. Inside the shop, several shelves had been moved to accommodate the tables for the tournament. The place was packed with competitors and spectators, while Jamie flitted about taking care of all the last-minute arrangements.
“Break a leg,” said Alfie, patting me on the shoulder before heading over to offer Jamie some help. I went and took a seat, watching everybody chat animatedly amongst themselves. These sorts of events were few and far between, so for enthusiasts of the game it was a real special occasion. The sense of anticipation in the air actually helped to take my mind off my own issues. Well, that was until the door opened and the source of all those issues stepped inside.
As soon as Jamie spotted Stu he waved him over. It made sense that he’d invite him. Stu had a natural flare for Go. Plus, Jamie didn’t know what had gone on between us, unless of course Alfie decided to tell him. I never quite knew what sorts of things those two discussed behind closed doors.
Stu stood and chatted with Jamie. I even saw him initiate tentative conversation with Alfie, and my cousin wasn’t blanking him like I expected. In fact, he was being perfectly polite and sociable. This was . . . weird. For once I was the socially awkward one between the two of us, hiding in the corner of the shop and hoping the man I secretly loved wouldn’t notice me.
As though sensing my attention, Stu turned, his gaze falling on me. I swallowed and gave him a casual nod. He seemed to take this as an invitation to come over, and a moment later he took the chair next to mine and sat.
“I take it you’re here to compete,” I said, clasping my hands in my lap. I had this strange urge to touch him, like a ticklish sensation beneath my skin. For some reason it felt unnatural not to. My palms practically fizzled with unspent touching energy.
Stu ran a hand through his hair, and I tried not to fixate on how sexy he looked today. God, who was I kidding? He always looked sexy. “Yeah, Jamie twisted my arm. You?”
“Alfie. Though at least you have a chance of winning.”
Stu’s expression warmed as his attention moved from my eyes to my lips and back up again. “Well, I’ve never seen you play so I wouldn’t know.”
“Oh, you’ll see. I’ll be eliminated in the first round.” My throat grew dry the longer I spent in his presence. What was I going to do? I felt like I was rejecting a puppy, especially with how he was looking at me with such undeserved want and affection.