‘I think it might be time for me to make some bold moves,’ I said, reaching out and adjusting his tie. ‘Make some big changes. I’ve been trying to bring back the past, and that hasn’t worked out so well.’

John lifted his head in surprise. ‘Speaking as someone who has been doing all kinds of bold, some might say crazy, things lately, I approve of your plan,’ he said.

‘What kind of bold, crazy things?’ I asked, tilting my head back as he closed the space between us.

‘Oh, you know.’ He stopped right in front of me and I let go of his tie. ‘Roller skating, going to baby showers, throwing last-minute weddings and birthday dinners, dancing with strange girls at dark discos. That sort of thing.’

‘Sounds to me like you’ve lost it,’ I whispered.

‘I feel like I have,’ John agreed in his deep, low voice. His eyes were big and round and dark. ‘Because I can’t stop thinking about you. Ever since we met, I just can’t stop thinking about you. What you might be doing, where you might be doing it, wondering what I can do to spend more time with you.’

I didn’t know how to answer. No one had ever said anything like that to me before.

‘I’m sorry for the way I acted last weekend,’ he said, his words heavy with honest regret. ‘It was wrong and there’s no excuse.’

I felt myself slip into that other state, my eyes half closed, my lips tingling and everything around us warm and fuzzy and insignificant as something pulled us closer and closer together.

‘I was frustrated but I shouldn’t have been so aggro.’ He was so close that I could feel his breath on my skin. ‘And I definitely shouldn’t have kissed you like that.’

Our hands found each other, my left palm meeting his right, skin grazing against skin, with the lightest touch.

‘You’re right,’ I said as I lifted my face to look at him. ‘You should have waited.’

‘Waited for what?’

‘For this,’ I told him, pushing up onto my tiptoes, lifting my lips to meet his.

‘There you are!’

The door to the ladies slammed against the wall right before our lips could touch, my sister marching in with her bridesmaid’s dress over her arm, completely oblivious to whatever she might be interrupting.

‘How am I supposed to get this dress on?’ she demanded. ‘I’m literally a genius and I cannot work it out.’

John stepped backwards out of my arms, his eyebrows knitting together with regret at a moment lost. ‘I’ll be upstairs,’ he said, lingering in the doorway for a moment. ‘If you need me.’

I nodded and watched him leave, dizzy with denial.

‘Who’s that?’ Jo asked, stripping off before the door was even halfway closed.

‘That’s John,’ I replied. ‘He’s my friend.’

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE