Page 69 of Ask Another Day

‘Happy belated birthday, Holly.’

‘You’re six months early.’

‘Or twelve years and six months late. Open it.’ He pushed the box towards her. The last birthday gift he’d given her had been so special, she wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to top that. Holly peeled off the paper, to find another fortune telling toy - just like the one he’d given her all those years ago.

‘Another one?’ she asked, a little confused.

Seb’s face brightened. ‘I wasn’t sure you’d even opened the first one.’

She reached around him and lifted the hatch to access the shelves beneath the bar, where she pulled out the original gift - a little battered, from years of use, but it still looked good considering how much she’d used it.

‘I’ve used it nearly every day,’ she explained, gently rubbing her hand over the smooth grey plastic. ‘Are you as good as this newer version?’ she asked her trusty cube as she pressed down the button. Grinning at the answer, she turned over the cube to show Seb the words Of Course.

Before Seb could respond to her revelation about her use of his gift from all those years ago, the pub doors clattered open, shattering the quiet within. Long blonde hair caught Holly’s attention, and for a split second, she could have sworn Sloane had managed to gatecrash their night.

‘Lucy, are you OK?’ Seb asked, concern laced his voice.

Lucy, Holly thought. Of course, it was Lucy. Not Sloane.

‘Oh gosh. I am so sorry,’ she spluttered out, taking in the scene in front of her. Understanding dawned on her face when she added, ‘I’m interrupting.’

‘Everything OK?’ Holly was finally able to ask, as her senses returned and her nerves calmed. She hadn’t seen Sloane since that night. The thought she would return to the Bay on the day she and Seb had finally connected, was unconscionable. Holly would have, quite understandably, assumed the universe hated her if that had happened.

‘Yes,’ she said first and then as if the word tasted foul, she changed her mind. ‘No. No, not really. But I’m not in dire enough straits to see I shouldn’t be here right now. I’ll go.’ She backed out of the doors, whispering further apologies as she did.

‘I’m worried about her. You heard about the divorce?’ Holly said when she was sure Lucy was out of earshot.

‘Yeah.’ Seb nodded sadly with pursed lips.

‘She moved back into the cafe to help Tony, but I don’t think it’s going to work.’

‘I know I’m going to sound really insensitive, but can we not talk about Tony and Lucy tonight?’

‘What do you want to talk about?’ Holly asked as she cast a final glance to the door Lucy had left from.

‘Maybe, I don’t know… maybe how you pined over me every day and used the gift I gave you to feel closer to me?’

‘Pined? No - but I missed you and every time I asked that fortune telling cube of plastic a question, I felt like I was talking to you.’

Her frankness didn’t seem to surprise, or unnerve him. Instead, his core fluttering smile from down at the beach appeared on his beautiful face and Holly vowed to do everything in her power to make him smile like that as often as possible.

‘You know, I thought of you every day too.’

‘I said nearly every day,’ she teased, ‘stalker much?’

Seb reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Opening it up, he teased out a strip of booth photos from her 18th birthday. Holly had forgotten about these photos - but here in black and white she could see her younger self pulling stupid faces at the camera. In each of the four frames though, Seb wasn’t looking at the camera. He was looking at her. She ran a finger down the photos, and then without uttering a single word, she pulled him towards her and kissed him. The action took him by surprise for a couple of seconds, but then his brain caught up and he snaked an arm around her back, pulling her in tight to deepen the kiss.

Holly heard Rose make a ridiculous whooping sound and then Luke’s voice calling out ‘About time.’ She hadn’t even realised Rose had joined them in the pub.

Seb pulled away first. With a focus in his eyes she found captivating, he cupped her face in his hands.

‘I’m done wasting time for us, Holly, and I’m sorry if I scared you with this when you read it in my letter, but I meant every word; I love you. And I love Tally and if you’re right and we had to wait twelve years for us, so you could have her, then it was totally worth–’

She cut him off with another kiss. This time it was her who broke away first.

‘I love you too.’

Seb sat down at one of the tables, and when Holly went to use one of the chairs next to him, she squealed as he pulled her into his lap instead. She reveled in the closeness. It truly felt like she had always belonged here. Lucy’s words from earlier settled comfortably in her chest. She’d been thinking about them all day, about making the most of this second chance. Sitting here, with him now, she knew.