Prita laughed. ‘He has quite some wake.’
‘I know. And lucky for them. Friends are so important at that age. I know if I didn’t have Flynn when I moved here with Mum, things would have been so different for me. He was my rock.’
‘Really?’
‘Of course.’ Nat sighed and turned to face her, hand paused in the act of pulling the cling wrap off a bowl of couscous salad. ‘I can’t pretend I haven’t noticed things are strained between you and Flynn. It’s been building for months, but it’s been particularly bad since your house warming. Please don’t think I’m being nosy—although I totally am—but what happened? You kissed, didn’t you?’
‘What? No … I …’
Nat laughed. ‘I knew it. Reid owes me a pineapple.’
‘You bet over this?’
‘Clueless male that he can sometimes be, he was certain nothing was going on between you. But Barb and I saw the sparks the first time you met.’ She put a hand on her hip, her brow furrowing a little. ‘What happened? Wasn’t it any good? I have to say, that kind of surprises me.’
‘No. It was amazing.’ Oh good lord, why had she said that? She checked behind her to make sure the kids hadn’t come out of the rumpus room, or worse, Flynn hadn’t come in from outside.
Nat’s smile crooked up at the corner as she went back to prepping the salads. ‘Now that doesn’t surprise me.’
Jealousy flared through Prita, making her say, ‘Had personal experience?’
Nat jerked, her face screwing up. ‘Ugh, no. Yuk.’ She shuddered. ‘Flynn’s attractive and all that, but he’s like my brother.’
‘Oh. Then why …?’
‘Flynn always had a certain reputation when we were younger—before he met and fell hard for Anna, that is. Not that he ever bragged. But girls talk.’
‘Yes.’ As they were right now. Something she didn’t really have much experience of until she’d come here.
Nat screwed the film of plastic wrap into a ball and leaned her hip against the bench. ‘So, spill. If it was so amazing, why the awkwardness now?’
‘I …he …’ She swallowed, uncertain what to say.
Nat’s brow furrowed again and she touched Prita’s arm. ‘It’s okay. You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to. It is your birthday party and I am being particularly nosy.’
‘No, it’s okay.’ And it suddenly was. She did want to talk about it with someone. It was a relief to have someone she felt she could talk to about her deepest feelings and thoughts. She’d already shared so much with Nat tonight. Why not this too? ‘I am attracted to him.’ Understatement of the year, but she didn’t need to share every single detail. ‘The kiss was …’
‘Hot?’
Prita laughed. ‘In a word, yes.’
‘Did it lead somewhere else?’
‘No.’ She didn’t mean to sound so disgruntled about that, so she took in a sharp breath and met Nat’s gaze. ‘I ran away.’
‘You did?’
‘Yeah. But he followed me to make sure I was okay.’
‘That sounds like Flynn.’
‘Hmm. Yes, well, he found me in my bedroom and even though I didn’t mean for it to happen again, it did. We almost ended up on the bed.’
Nat’s hand rose to her throat, her eyes wide. ‘What happened?’
‘Nothing. The kids called out for us.’
Nat smothered a snort. ‘Kids have an incredible ability to burst in just when things are about to get interesting.’
‘Yes.’
‘Did they catch you?’
‘No, thank god.’ Her face heated at the thought and she turned slightly, fiddling with salad tongs on the bench and shoving them into a salad. ‘But it was good they stopped us.’
‘Why? With the sexual tension building between you two in the last few months, Barb and I have been worried about spontaneous combustion.’
Prita snorted. She couldn’t help it, even though they were talking about a subject that was a little embarrassing and a lot hurtful. ‘We’ve not been that bad.’
‘You haven’t seen you two.’ Nat fanned herself. ‘Woo. Spicy. It reminded me of me and Reid.’
Prita’s face became even hotter. She should deny it, but knew it was pointless. ‘Well, it doesn’t matter how spicy it is between us, because nothing can happen.’
‘Why not? Heaven only knows, it’s time he moved on and embraced some joy for his future. Anna was his first love, but she doesn’t have to be his last. You’d be so good together.’
The words hit her like the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire and if the bench wasn’t behind her, she would have staggered from the impact. As it was, she gripped the edge of the bench to steady herself and used everything within her to make sure the hurt of that statement didn’t show on her face. She didn’t want this. Had never wanted this. The gnawing ache in her chest tightened.
‘Prita?’ Nat touched her arm.
Prita shook her head. ‘I’m fine.’
‘You don’t look fine. I’m sorry if what I said hurt you.’
Prita managed a wobbly smile she knew was fooling no-one. ‘It’s okay. It’s just, it doesn’t matter how good we are, or would be, together, because it’s no use. Flynn is still in love with Anna.’
‘He said that to you?’
She nodded.
‘Hmm. Well, you can’t let him use that as an excuse.’
‘Why not? It’s a good one.’
‘It’s not. Not really. I know his grief is real and he’ll always miss her, but according to Barb, Anna would have been the last one who’d want him to pine after her all his life. You just need to make him see he can’t live without you either.’
‘I can’t.’
‘Why not? Surely he’s worth it?’
She heard the bristle in Nat’s tone and almost smiled at her friend’s defence of the man who was like a brother to her. ‘He is. He’s one of the best men I’ve ever known. But it doesn’t matter. None of it matters.’
‘Why
