“I almost died, just so you know. On the bus. You look at me and you stand too close and you say something sweet like I’m some kind of wonderful, and not only do I forget to tell you about the audiobook recommendations, I also forget how to breathe. It’s supposed to be an automatic and involuntary anatomical response, Hennessy, but oh no! You told me I’m some kinda wonderful and my brain stopped telling my respiratory system how to function. The soup crowd made me take a seat and practice Lamaze breathing just so I could tell them all about the questions game we play.”

I chuckled. “The Soup Crew?”

“Yes, the Soup Crew. That’s what I call the five people who spent twenty minutes yesterday discussing soups and Nepal after your stop. They’re very invested in our… well, how our relationship is progressing. I hope it was okay for me to call you, by the way. I was going to text but it was going to take too long, and thanks for the concern about my respiratory failure.”

I laughed. “I am very sorry about that.”

“You don’t sound it.”

“I’m making a mental note right now to give due notice if I intend to ever say anything sweet, which I probably will, just so you know.”

“Well, I’ll try to be prepared.”

“How did you go with the Lamaze breathing?”

“Really well, actually. Mrs Petrovski taught prenatal classes for thirty years.”

“Who?”

“Mrs Petrovski. She’s one of the Soup Crew. Nice lady. She was very impressed that you stood up and came down the bus to talk to me. She said it was, and I quote, ‘very Love Actually.’ She hasn’t been this excited since Scott and Charlene’s wedding in Neighbours.”

“Wow. That’s some pressure.”

“Well, not for you. Apparently your questions are great. Mine was okay today, by their standards, but they don’t rate Angus’ much. I don’t have the heart to tell him.”

I snorted. “I liked it. You can tell him I thought it was great.”

“He’ll like that, thanks.”

“I was just about to go for a run,” I said.

“A run? Like walking, but faster?”

I laughed. “Yep.”

“Oh, the audiobook recommendations,” he said. “Do you run to music or books?”

“Usually music, only something for background noise. I like to savour books.”

“Like Flowers for Algernon?”

“Yes.” I sighed. “Will you ever let me live that down? I should have known better than to listen to that chapter in public.”

“Live it down?” he scoffed. “Absolutely not. It will live forever in infamy as number one on the list.”

“On the list of what?”

“On the list of things that make you some kind of wonderful.”

My heart did that banging thing in my chest again.