BooksBarbecue
Back Fancy Meeting You Here
Chapters (52)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. DEDICATION
  3. PART ONE
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. PART TWO
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. THIRTY-ONE
  36. THIRTY-TWO
  37. THIRTY-THREE
  38. THIRTY-FOUR
  39. THIRTY-FIVE
  40. THIRTY-SIX
  41. THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. THIRTY-NINE
  44. FORTY
  45. FORTY-ONE
  46. FORTY-TWO
  47. FORTY-THREE
  48. FORTY-FOUR
  49. FORTY-FIVE
  50. FORTY-SIX
  51. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  52. ABOUT THE AUTHORS

When they got into bed, Evie cocooned herself in Hugo, who seemed a little more himself.

‘Evie, I don’t want you to leave. Ever.’

‘Where would I go?’ Evie said, yawning.

‘I’m serious. I’m the happiest when we’re together. You make me calm. You make me feel like I can do anything.’

‘Because you can!’

‘See, I need that kind of blind faith in my life!’ Hugo said, nuzzling into her.

‘Well, good thing for you, I’m here for the long haul.’

‘Then let’s do this.’

‘Do what?’ Evie said, her eyelids heavy as she fought off sleep.

‘Stay with me forever. Move in. Be with me.’

Evie pulled back, searching for Hugo’s eyes in the darkness. ‘Really?’

‘Really! If you did, you would make me the happiest man.’

Evie smiled, even though she knew he couldn’t see her. Her heart soaring, she replied, ‘Let’s do it.’

And just like that, they were living together.

EIGHTEEN

Eighteen

It was weird at first, living with Hugo. It was, after all, the first time Evie had ever shared a house with a male (who wasn’t her father). Evie wasn’t really surprised to learn that Hugo was neater than her, better at keeping the fridge stocked than her, and almost never resented pulling hair out of the drain. He tried to make Evie as comfortable as possible, even offering to make Bunny an ‘outdoor cat’, which Evie knew was just about the biggest gesture he could’ve made. But Evie had refused. Her allergies around short-haired cats like Bunny weren’t that bad, and she didn’t really mind popping an antihistamine or two a day. And Hugo more than made up for the occasional sneeze and ticklish throat. He was thoughtful and considerate and even left her little sticky notes on the milk carton. Corny stuff like ‘I am moo-ved by you’ and ‘I cow-dn’t live without you’. She would tease him and say, ‘I thought you were some kind of author?’, to which he would respond, ‘I knew I should have pulled the damn book.’

But it was these little acts of kindness that made Evie love Hugo even more, and she relished those early weeks of cohabitation bliss.

Yet, while Hugo seemed buoyed by her presence, his nervous energy from the night of his near meltdown with Liam lingered. Without a manuscript to tend to, Evie would often find him pacing the flat, his hands unused to being still. Evie was patient and loving, trying where she could to keep things positive and upbeat. Her unwavering optimism seemed to provide him with some sense of calm, and it felt good to be able to help. She was also reassured to know that even somebody as successful as Hugo wasn’t immune to crippling self-doubt.