Page 66 of The Breakup Bookshop

Afterwards, Rory continues to kiss me gently and slowly, tracing his hand up and down my arms and along my back.

‘What are you doing?’

He frowns. ‘I think it’s called kissing.’

‘I’m aware of that. But we’re… it’s finished.’

He lets out a low, throaty laugh. ‘So you’re just going to throw me out and be done with me, now you’ve got what you wanted? I knew you southerners were cold, but that’s another level.’

I frown as he leans back in to continue the kiss.

‘No,’ I say, interrupting. ‘It’s just… You’re not going to pick up your phone and start scrolling through the sports results? Or roll over and start snoring loudly beside me?’

He moves back from me, his face breaking into a grin, as he shakes his head. ‘That’s not how we do things around these parts.’

‘Oh,’ I say, arching an eyebrow. ‘So explain how it works in these parts then.’

‘You invite me upstairs,’ he says, kissing me on the lips. ‘And we repeat. Again and again.’

‘I’m starting to think I should have moved here a long time ago.’

23

We talk. We laugh. We touch. We kiss. We repeat, right into the early hours of the morning. As the sun starts to stream through the blinds, I open one eye and smile at the sight of Rory sleeping soundly next to me. I study the curve of his jawline, the stubble on his chin, his muscular chest and strong arms.

My alarm begins to beep insistently, and he groans, his hair skewed to one side.

‘Make it stop,’ he begs.

I laugh and find myself kissing him on the forehead without hesitation. ‘We have to get up. What will people say if they see the bookshop and DIY store standing shoulder to shoulder with no one in charge? The whole village will demand an explanation.’

Rory grins. ‘They’d probably say, “Looks like those two finally got their acts together and admitted they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.”’

‘Who would say that?’ I ask, pulling his arm over my head and snuggling into his chest.

‘Finlay, for a start. He’s been on at me to make a move since you moved back here.’

‘Really? He never said anything to me. I’d forgotten he and Donna used to date. Did you know they had a recent rendezvous?’

‘Aye, one or two,’ Rory says. ‘He never really got over her. But I’m not sure what Donna thinks. She keeps her cards close to her chest when it comes to Finlay. Has she ever mentioned it to you?’

‘Not since we were young. She used to wear her heart on her sleeve. I wish she would open up a bit more. She’ll talk the hind legs off a donkey, but when it’s something she cares about, she seems to struggle.’

‘Aye,’ Rory agrees. ‘And Finlay canbea donkey. I overheard him delivering a TED talk about dog flea prevention to her the other day. Insightful, but not the best when it comes to foreplay. Speaking of which, how many minutes do we have until we absolutely have to get up?’

He turns to kiss me as my alarm begins to buzz again.

‘We have to get ready,’ I protest, reaching for my phone. ‘Oh, shit, hold on.’

‘Did you just roll over and check your phone?’ he teases. ‘I told you, that’s not how we do things around these parts.’

*

Rory and I pop in to see each other frequently through the day, in between customers, and go for an evening walk by the sea. I invite him to stay at my flat again.

Repeat.

We repeat for days on end. Time passes quickly and I am walking on cloud nine. I am, dare I say, happy. Happier than I’ve been in a long time. Longer than I can remember.