AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘You’re going to blow everyone away on the night.’
‘I hope so.’ She moved across towards the window to look out over the fields as the sun cast its long shadows across the icy furrows. ‘I suppose I ought to get going,’ she said, a little disappointed that the day had passed so quickly.
‘You don’t have to,’ Liam said.
Sophie turned to face him.
‘I thought maybe you could help me decorate the tree,’ he added.
She was surprised by his proposal. ‘Don’t you want to wait and do it with Cassie?’
‘Cassie’s having a sleepover at Mum’s until tomorrow afternoon and if I don’t get it done before then, the run-up to Christmas is insane. We’ll never get it done. Besides, it’ll be a nice surprise for her when she gets back tomorrow.’
Sophie pretended to think it over for a moment. Then said, ‘All right. I’d love to.’
‘Would you like a drink first?’
‘I’d love one, thanks.’
Liam led the way back through to the kitchen. ‘Tea?’
Sophie nodded, and Liam set to putting the kettle on.
‘How is your cut?’ he asked, indicating Sophie’s face.
Self-consciously, she pulled her hair forward. ‘Fine now, thank you,’ she said.
‘How did you manage that?’
Sophie weighed up the possible responses. How could she answer him without telling him the whole ridiculous, embarrassing story? Her mind went blank. No other lies presented themselves; she was going to have to do this.
‘I fell on my way home from rehearsal the other evening, down by the brook. Actually, I fell into the brook.’ She waited for him to laugh, but it didn’t come.
‘Does it hurt?’ he asked, turning to face her.
He brushed his thumb lightly over the cut, which now was little more than a yellowing bruise that Sophie had covered generously with foundation. She didn’t recoil from his touch, despite the shock of it. Instead, she let him touch her and savoured the feeling, suddenly becoming a little light-headed. She swallowed nervously.
‘A little.’
‘So you fell into the brook.’ His mouth curved into a slight smile.
Sophie nodded.
Liam’s smile grew a little wider. ‘Is that where your phone went?’
Sophie nodded again. Liam pressed his lips together.
‘You can laugh, you know,’ Sophie said, and he did.
‘Oh, Soph. That’s awful.’ He said it through his laugh, a laugh that made Sophie’s heart soar.
She joined him.
‘Are you sure it doesn’t hurt? It looks really sore.’ He rested his hands on her shoulders and looked closely at her face.
‘Not any more,’ she said once she’d recovered from his proximity. ‘It was a shock at the time, but I’m fine.’
‘You say that a lot, you know,’ Liam said.
