‘It’s fine,’ she said, stroking the back of his hand with her fingers. ‘They laughed. Just maybe keep the guns away in enclosed spaces.’ She flexed her own arm muscle at him, gurning. As she made eye contact with the girlfriend of the chip ear guy, the two women grinned at each other. A shared moment, laughing at their dates. It felt nice. Normal.
‘You’re a bit of a nutter when you relax, aren’t you?’ He was stroking his thumb along hers now, eating fries between sentences. ‘I bet you’ve seen some things up here, too.’ She had, there was no denying that. She’d also seen and been through some things she wished dearly she hadn’t but that was life. It laughed at your plans and threw a stick into the spokes of your passing bike, whilst you were riding off into the sunset, thinking your dreams were about to be achieved. Life was a little shit sometimes.
‘I sure have. Some sights to see around here, shame I’ll never tell you. You glad you came?’
She let go of him reluctantly to finish her food, and his hand flexed when her touch left his. He left it there a moment, before picking up a piece of burger.
‘Well, this burger alone was worth the terrifying plane ride. And freezing my arse off all the way here. Yeah, it’s been good. Different. I think I needed to do it. Tomorrow Hans is going to teach me how to ski.’
‘Oh?’ She acted nonchalant, eating as demurely as she could with her hands, trying not to panic at the thought of Luke being scraped off the side of a mountain with a cat litter pooper scooper size of a shovel. He’d almost taken out a bloke with a chip, so what hope did he have of surviving unscathed, especially with Hans as a teacher? The man could ski, but he was mountain-sized himself. When Game of Thrones had come out, people had started asking if he was one of the characters. He’d liked it at first, but it had soon worn thin. He looked like a giant on toothpicks on a pair of skis, and if he fell, which was rare, he bounced – and took a chunk out of whatever had broken his fall, be it snow, wood, or rock. If Luke fell, he would shatter like an ornamental glass unicorn. She shuddered at the thought, and he reached for her hand once more.
‘You cold?’ he asked, every inch the concerned date. It made her heart swell. ‘My coat’s pretty good. I am reluctant for you to cover up though, you do look nice.’ Even with the lighting, she could see his cheeks redden. She leaned forward, squeezing his hand and pushing herself to be bold enough to hold his eye.
‘You don’t look so bad yourself. I think this is the best date I’ve ever had.’
‘Wow! That was brutal timing, as always. Must be our thing.’ A deep voice startled them both. ‘You always did know how to get to me. I do beg to differ though. That night on Whistler Mountain was pretty epic, I thought. And it involved a lot less clothing. And people. Hi, Becks.’
Standing by the table, pushing into their bubble of ignorance, was Robbie Goulding. Best date ever, Rebecca. You said it. You jinxed it.
‘Canada, eh? Nice,’ Luke drawled, his voice neutral. ‘We shall have to add it to the list, honey.’ He didn’t pull his hand away from hers, and she felt his grip tighten a little. He looked Robbie up and down, and Rebecca couldn’t do anything but look at Luke. Her throat had completely closed up. She couldn’t speak if she wanted to. It felt like seeing him had frozen her whole body. All she could feel was the fast thud of her heart in her ears, her face aflame, and Luke’s gentle and comforting touch. He was circling his thumb around her palm, and it was the only thing keeping her in her seat.
‘I’m Luke, pleased to meet you.’ He didn’t move to shake Robbie’s hand, and he didn’t even look at him. He kept moving his thumb, and his gaze was now set on Rebecca. Robbie’s smile dimmed, standing there in his designer clothes and gelled hair. The man didn’t know what to do. From the corner of her eye, she saw his feet start to shuffle.
‘Er, yeah,’ Robbie muttered, visibly trying to gather himself, and Rebecca finally allowed herself to look at him properly. He looked good, but it did nothing for her now. He looked the same as before, and she knew he was still the same man underneath. ‘I didn’t expect to see you here. You dating him now?’
‘Evidently,’ Luke said in a bored tone. ‘That was the plan. And you are?’
Robbie didn’t look at him, but his jaw flexed. He was staring at Rebecca now, his brows knitted together, his fists clenching and unclenching by his sides.
‘This is Robbie. Goulding.’ Rebecca found her voice, finally. ‘Luke is my date, yes. And don’t call me Becks.’
Robbie’s lip curled at her words. ‘Why not? It’s how you’re known isn’t it?’
‘No. Not anymore,’ she spat. ‘Robbie, it’s nice to see you, but we are trying to—’
‘Not anymore, eh? That apply to everything still? I thought no more dating was your thing.’ He made a loud gameshow noise. ‘Nuh-nuh, survey said? Incorrect. Lukey boy here is giving me the evil eye. Are you entering the Alpine Challenge? Is that why you’re back?’
Luke was looking at Robbie now like he wanted to kill him. It made Rebecca feel oddly protected. Like he had her back. He’d come across all manly from the moment Robbie had
