LITMIR.BIZ

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you’ve really planned this, haven’t you? So I still don’t get it: if you love a place so much, why not head there first?’

      Harri sighed. ‘It’s just that if I’m heading anywhere, like you say, leaving all my responsibilities behind, then that means I’m travelling alone, right?’

      His expression clouded over. ‘Er, yes, but . . .’

      She stared at him. ‘So why would I want to go to one of the most romantic cities on earth on my own? Venice should be somewhere you are taken to, by someone who loves you.’

      ‘I see. And if the person you love doesn’t want to take you there?’

      Her heart sinking, she shrugged. ‘Now can we change the subject, please?’

      Alex agreed, but sadness filled his eyes as he watched her eating.

      Two years since their first Wednesday evening – and countless whirlwind romances, acrimonious break-ups and midnight heart-to-hearts later – Harri was well versed in the Alex Brannan Rollercoaster of Life.

      A week after his mother’s Big Idea, Harri found herself rudely awakened by what sounded like a herd of frantic buffalo charging her front door. Struggling to focus, she grabbed her alarm clock and juggled it up to her eyes until its bouncing red numbers calmed down enough to make sense: 2.47 a.m.

      Muttering murderously under her breath, she snapped on the bedside lamp (half blinding herself in the process), wrestled the duvet away from her legs and half ran, half fell down the stairs towards the unrelenting hammering of fists at the door.

      ‘OK, OK, I’m here,’ she grumbled, fumbling at the chain and wrenching the door open. ‘What do you want?’

      The sight of the sodden, sorry figure on her doorstep stopped her anger in its tracks as torrential rain blew into the hallway, lashing her legs. ‘Alex? For heaven’s sake, it’s nearly three o’clock.’

      ‘I’m sorry. I just – I didn’t know where else to go . . .’

      ‘Whatever, just come in.’

      Harri turned and strode through into her tiny living room, turning on lamps as she went and cursing as she stubbed her toe on a pile of books in the dim light. Alex followed behind, his soaked jeans and sweater leaving a trail of muddy water in his wake. Wincing as the kitchen strip light blazed into life, Harri filled the kettle and noisily pulled out two mugs from the cupboard overhead, throwing haphazard spoonfuls of coffee into each one. She let out a sigh and rubbed her sleep-filled eyes with clumsy fingers. For a moment the only sounds in the kitchen were the low buzz from the strip light and the hiss of water boiling. Then, Alex spoke from the doorway.

      ‘I’m sorry, mate.’

      ‘Al – look, it’s OK, just – just let me wake up for a minute, yeah?’

      He sniffed and splodged over to the sink, twisting his sweater sleeve to release a thin stream of water. The pathetic sight made Harri laugh and Alex did the same, shaking his head as rain dripped off his brow.

      ‘Loser,’ she smirked, throwing a tea towel at him.

      ‘Thanks,’ he grinned, catching the towel and rubbing his hair with it.

      Coffee made, they returned to the living room. Harri found an old T-shirt of Rob’s (several sizes too small for Alex) and spread a towel on the sofa so he could sit down. With much protesting, Alex surrendered his sweater and T-shirt to the tumble dryer, peeled off his socks to hang them over the radiator and rolled up the legs of his jeans, before donning the too-small T-shirt.

      ‘I look like a dancer in an Elton John video,’ he whined, flopping down on the sofa. ‘I’m going through a traumatic twist in my love life and you add insult to injury by making me wear this.’

      ‘Consider it your penance for waking me up at this ungodly hour.’

      ‘Fair enough.’

      Harri sipped her coffee. ‘So what happened?’

      Alex’s expression darkened and he stared at his bare feet. ‘Ellie.’

      ‘Who?’

      ‘You haven’t met her. She works for one of those citizen journalism websites, writing restaurant reviews.’

      Harri stared at him blankly. ‘Right . . .’

      Alex rubbed distractedly at his hair with the tea towel and avoided eye contact. ‘She wanted to review Wātea – you know, do an article on us – so I agreed. We’ve been meeting up for the past two weeks and it’s been . . . amazing. Like when you just immediately connect with someone on so many levels, you know?’

      ‘Um . . .’

      ‘Work with me, Harri. I’m trying to set the scene.’

      ‘Al, it’s a miracle I’m awake at this hour. I don’t do emotional empathy before the birds wake up.’

      ‘Duly noted. Anyway, she came over late last Thursday and we had a meal. Then she tells me the whole interview thing was a ruse to get closer to me. She said she’d been watching me for ages and all she wanted was to be with me.’

      Harri shook her head. ‘Oh Al . . .’

      ‘Seriously, though, what was I supposed to do? I mean, here’s this – this beautiful woman, declaring her love for me . . . Well, one thing led to another and – let me just tell you – the sex was—’

      ‘Thank you, I get the picture.’

      Alex’s grin was mischief personified. ‘Sorry, mate. Damn fine, though.’

      ‘So what went wrong?’

      His expression clouded and his eyes dropped to the floor again. ‘She called me last night and told me she couldn’t see me any more. Just like that. Yet she’s been with me every night this week and I wasn’t aware of any problems. Every night, in my bed and then . . .’

      Making a valiant effort to erase the unwanted mental image from her mind, Harri reached over and squeezed his arm. ‘I’m guessing you went to see her.’

      He nodded. ‘I had to. I mean, I had to know. I arrived at her house and the lights were on downstairs, so I went to the door but, just as I got there, I saw them through the window. Her and some random guy—’ He broke off, ran a hand through his damp hair and stared at the ceiling.

      ‘Oh, Al . . .’

      ‘I wouldn’t mind so much if she’d just been honest, you know? Just wheeled out the old “it’s been great fun but that’s all it was” speech. But the stuff she was saying to me – even a few days ago – about me being the one she’d been looking for, about all the places we could go together . . . Why would she say all that if she had no intention of seeing it through?’

      ‘Hun, some people just say things to get what they want.’

      ‘Yeah, I know, but I thought she was different.’

      ‘Evidently, she wasn’t.’

      Alex raised his head and looked straight into Harri’s eyes. ‘It’s always the same. Why can’t I find someone right?’

      Watching her friend in the midst of dating agony, Harri thanked her lucky stars that she was so happy with Rob. Dating hadn’t been a priority in her life when they met – in fact, it had come as somewhat of a surprise when she found herself falling for him. How much better to have it happen that way than to endure the constant rollercoaster of hope and disappointment! Knowing that Rob loved her, and feeling the warmth of her complete trust in him was wonderful and she wouldn’t swap places with Alex for anything.

      ‘Just chalk it up to experience and be more careful next time,’ she smiled, wrapping her arms around Alex as his face crumpled again.

      ‘I can’t do this any more,’

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