A Budding Romance

by Bella Osborne

  ‘I am not gay,’ Hudson repeated, with a small shake of his head.

  Dave took a step closer to him. ‘Are sleeping with my wife?’

  ‘No!’ chorused Sophie, Anna and Hudson together.

  ‘Well then I’m totally confused,’ said Dave, rubbing his hands over his face. ‘Is anyone sleeping with my wife?’

  ‘No!’ chorused Anna and Hudson again.

  ‘And you’re definitely not, after this,’ said Sophie, barely able to get her words out through clenched teeth. The red blotches on her neck looked angry, to match the rest of her.

  ‘Dave!’ said Sophie, giving Dave a shove to make him start walking. ‘You are such a plucking embarrassment. Come on, the kids are waiting.’ Dave started walking but Sophie turned back.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, looking longingly at Hudson.

  ‘It’s okay,’ he said, with a one-shouldered shrug.

  ‘No, it’s not,’ said Sophie, appearing more sad than angry now as she trooped after Dave.

  Anna turned to face Hudson and instantly felt self-conscious. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve offended you?’

  ‘Not at all.’ Hudson was grinning. ‘I’m flattered. Sim and I got mistaken for a couple once before and he thought it was hilarious. I’m not his type – he likes them beefier.’

  Anna would have queried Sim not classing Hudson as beefy but she was overcome with embarrassment and there was something else mixed in, making her feel awkward.

  ‘I’d better go,’ she said, pointing in the direction of the car unnecessarily.

  ‘You could come in for a coffee. If you want?’

  Anna watched as Sophie and Dave argued in hushed tones by his car. ‘Actually I will, if that’s okay? I don’t think they need me right now. I’ll swap the kids to Dave’s car and I’ll be back.’

  ‘I’ll put the coffee on.’

  ‘Great,’ she said but she wasn’t sure if it was. She was feeling more than embarrassed and her explanations of why she’d believed he was gay hadn’t helped the situation. Although as she neared the warring couple, she realised coffee with Hudson was most definitely the lesser of the two evils.

  She soon moved the kids to Dave’s car, hugged both Sophie and Dave and waved them off, hoping they would be able to sort this out although their stony faces told her otherwise. Hudson had left the door open and the smell of fresh coffee wafted to greet her as she slipped inside.

  ‘Up here,’ he called from the kitchen and she went to join him. ‘Did you want milk? I’ve got semi or almond. I like one per cent milk but you can’t get it over here.’

  ‘One per cent milk? What’s the other ninety-nine per cent then?’ she said, pointing at the semi-skimmed.

  He gave her a mock glare. ‘It’s the cream content. Like one per cent, two per cent. That makes sense to me.’

  ‘Only because you’re American.’ She took her coffee and sat down at the table. Hudson moved a chair right next to her and his knee skimmed her thigh as he sat down. She concentrated on her coffee. The flat was surprisingly tidy after the party although the large plants, animals and trapeze were still in situ.

  Anna took a breath. ‘Look, I’m mortified about the whole gay thing. Still friends?’

  ‘Hey. I’m cool with it.’ And he really didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. ‘And for sure, we’re still friends.’

  His confirmation made her happier than she’d thought it would. ‘Sorry, about Dave too.’

  ‘That’s none of my business. I’m worried I said or did something last night that made him think I’d been inappropriate with Sophie.’

  Oh, how to broach this one. ‘No. It’s nothing you’ve done. It’s just a … misunderstanding. They’re going through a pissing each other off phase.’

  He chuckled. ‘We did that.’ He leaned against her briefly as he spoke like a slow motion nudge.

  Her cheeks flushed. ‘I guess we did.’ They glanced at each other, the awkwardness palpable, and sipped their drinks in silence for a while.

  ‘Champagne truffle?’ he asked, leaning behind him and picking up a round box.

  She went to take one and he snatched them away. ‘Sorry, I forgot they’re alcoholic.’

  ‘Chocolate is okay. I’d have to eat a vat of them before they rendered me incapable.’ Anna sunk her teeth into the soft truffle and marvelled at the flavour. ‘Ooh they’re good.’

  ‘But real champagne isn’t?’

  ‘I didn’t say that.’ She pondered whether or not to elaborate. ‘At university my friend …’ It was harder to say than she realised. Hudson was watching her closely. ‘There was an alcohol-related incident that didn’t end well.’ Her eyes swam with unexpected tears.

  Hudson put the lid on the truffles and turned towards her. ‘And that’s why you don’t drink?’ His voice was gentle. She nodded. ‘You know us fake boyfriends do great hugs.’

  Anna snorted a laugh. He was very sweet. ‘I’m okay, really.’ Although a hug right now would have helped but at the end of the day they were colleagues and she didn’t want to overstep the mark. She checked her watch. ‘I need to go, I’m going out tonight.’

  ‘Should I be suspicious? Have you got someone else?’ He held his hand to his chest and gave her a dramatic eye blink. And he wondered why she’d believed Roberta when she’d said he was gay.

  ‘It’s not a date. I’m just meeting my mystery texter for a drink.’

  Hudson pursed his lips. ‘He’s male and you’re meeting him for a drink in the evening. You call it what you like but I’m telling you he thinks it’s a date.’

  Anna shook her head. ‘I’m not ready to date yet.’ She bit the inside of her mouth as she considered what Hudson had said.

  ‘Then make that clear. And be careful, okay. This guy’s a stranger.’

  ‘You sound like my dad,’ she said, with a chuckle, although she knew he meant well. ‘But I will be careful.’ She glanced again at her watch. ‘I really must go.’

  Hudson straightened his shoulders. ‘You come round here, drink my coffee, eat my truffles and then go out with another man.’ He tutted and shook his head as they went down to the front door. ‘I might only be your fake boyfriend but you can always call me if you find yourself in a fix. Okay?’

  Anna wasn’t sure why but she spontaneously went onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. ‘Thanks, Hudson.’

  ‘No problem. I hope your date goes well.’ Something about the look he gave her made her feel his sentiments weren’t genuine.

  Maybe it was Hudson calling it a date or perhaps it was something else, but Anna no longer felt excited about her meet-up with the mysterious Connor.

  Chapter Twenty

  Anna threw a strappy top onto the bed and Maurice pounced on it. She had a pretty grey shrug to go with it if it got chillier later on. Here she was, choosing an outfit to meet up with a total stranger. What was she even doing? She sat down on the bed and Maurice took the opportunity to abandon assassinating the top and curl up on Anna’s lap instead.

  ‘I envy you,’ she said, scratching him behind his ears and he closed his eyes and pushed his head against her hand. ‘You don’t have to make big decisions.’ She was surprised by how Hudson’s revelation had thrown her off course but it had, and now it felt like she was bobbing about in the Atlantic in a barrel. She was also a bit cross with herself because her first instinct, that he was straight, had been correct but she’d allowed herself to get caught up in the office gossip.

  Part of her wanted to think it made no difference to their relationship. Why should things change? They were colleagues; they had built an easy friendship out of a fraught situation. She liked his company and they were now, despite their shaky start, working well together. Her relationship with Hudson was fairly straightforward, though she imagined it would likely dwindle and die once the project ended. She gave a little sigh, closed her eyes and had a think.

  Was there anything else? Had he mentioned something when they’d shared the takeaway? She thought bac
k. He’d told her he’d been unceremoniously dumped by someone he thought was the one. Therefore, it was a fair assumption that, like her, he wasn’t on the lookout for a new relationship any time soon. He hadn’t shown any signs of fancying her because it would have been a dead giveaway that he wasn’t gay – even she would have spotted that. She took a deep breath. Hudson is in the ‘Friends’ pigeonhole; let’s look at Liam again, she thought, just to be certain.

  Liam had been her future for a long time and while she could think about the situation logically almost all the emotion she had felt had gone. It was good to view it analytically and assess it in simple terms. She no longer had a longing to be back with him and she certainly wasn’t ready to compromise. She didn’t miss him, specifically, although she did miss being in a relationship and the security and closeness it brought. She put Liam firmly in the ‘Exes’ pigeonhole. Now she had to figure out what she was doing about Connor, maybe temporarily she’d file him in the ‘Potentials’ pigeonhole.

  Who was Connor? She knew very little about him, but that made it exciting. It didn’t feel serious and she definitely needed some fun in her life. Sophie was convinced it could be the start of something magical and Anna’s curiosity was piqued. She knew she needed to stop looking at every relationship and assessing it to see if they were ‘the one’ because statistically she knew it was very unlikely to happen. There was also the effort of getting ready to go out and making small talk. Was it still worth meeting Connor? She wasn’t sure any more. She fired off a text to Sophie: Not sure why I’m meeting Connor. Think I might give it a miss.

  Sophie was quick to reply: Don’t you dare bottle out now. My life is utter poo and I need to live vicariously, which means yours needs to be amazing. Remember what I said. No regrets.

  ‘Bugger,’ said Anna and Maurice stretched out demanding a full-body massage. Would she regret not going to meet Connor? She picked up the strappy top and started to get changed.

  Anna gripped her phone as she stepped into the noisy bubble of the bar. Her heart was thumping as if she’d sprinted there rather than just got off the bus. She stayed near to the entrance and took a deep breath as her eyes frantically searched the mass of faces. She realised she had no idea what he looked like. Her thoughts were broken by the door opening behind her. It made her jump and she spun around in alarm at her exit being blocked. She came face to face with a tall man who looked almost as startled as she did.

  ‘Anna?’ he said, with a hopeful smile.

  ‘Yes,’ she answered, as she took in his mop of fair hair and light eyes. On first impressions, he wasn’t bad-looking. Not on the same scale as Hudson but appealing all the same and there was something reassuringly familiar about him too.

  ‘Connor?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said, his face lighting up as he appeared to relax. He rubbed his palm on his jeans before presenting it to shake. ‘Great to meet you at last.’

  Anna was struggling to hear over the noise. She shook his hand and noted his solid grip. ‘Yes, you too.’ She really didn’t want to shout but it was hard not to. Anna had picked a busy pub because she didn’t want to be somewhere isolated when meeting someone who was basically a stranger; however, this was far busier than she’d been expecting.

  ‘Sorry?’ Connor turned an ear towards her.

  ‘You too!’ she shouted and she held up both thumbs to get her message across and felt instantly stupid.

  Connor grinned back at her. ‘Can I get you a drink?’ He did the actions of tilting an imaginary glass to his lips. Anna nodded and they both looked across at the sea of bodies.

  ‘Diet Coke, please.’

  He leaned in to her shoulder. ‘Do you want to find a seat outside? There were some free.’

  She agreed and gratefully left him to the din of the bar and stepped out into the warm summer evening. The double doors rocked shut and the noise instantly faded to a dull thrum. There were a few people outside and the obligatory smokers’ corner. She found a table near a couple who were deep in conversation. She sent a quick text to Sophie as they’d agreed. She instantly got a reply – What’s he like?

  Seems nice. Very tall.

  Everyone’s tall compared to you. Is he ugly?

  Anna shook her head at the message. No. He looks good.

  Not anyone famous then?

  Sorry. No. Will text when I leave. A x.

  At last her pulse was returning to normal. It had been a long time since she’d been on a date and she was out of practice and more than a little uncomfortable. Connor reversed through the doors carrying two drinks and had his mobile wedged between his ear and his shoulder. He gave a grimace as he approached and passed Anna one of the glasses.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said quietly not wanting to interrupt what might be an important call.

  ‘Okay, but don’t walk home on your own,’ he said, into the phone. He mouthed to Anna: ‘Sorry, it’s my mum.’ She nodded her understanding.

  ‘Yes, I know you’re not decrepit but there are all sorts of weirdos about at night,’ he said, giving an eye roll for Anna’s benefit. She sipped her Coke. He mouthed to Anna: ‘Sorry. I won’t be a minute.’ He looked very apologetic.

  ‘Call me when it ends and I’ll pick you up … Yes, eleven will be fine …’ He looked to Anna for confirmation. She nodded vigorously. She needed to be on the 10.33 bus anyway.

  He wrapped up the call. ‘Yes, of course she doesn’t mind. Call me. Right. Love you too. Bye.’ He pushed his phone to the edge of the table and turned his attention to Anna. ‘Sorry. I worry about her because she’s on her own. She’s at the theatre tonight.’

  ‘Honestly, it’s okay.’ She was reassured by the care he was displaying to his mother.

  ‘Are you close to your parents?’ he asked, and as he lifted his glass to his lips she could see a small tremor in his hand – he was nervous too.

  ‘Yeah, I am. There’s just me so I think they fuss more. Do you have any brothers or sisters?’

  He was bobbing his head in agreement. ‘A sister but she’s not nearby, which means it’s down to me to keep an eye on Mum.’

  There was a pause where they both gave sheepish smiles and Anna longed for the silence to end. Time to make small talk. ‘Where do you live?’ she asked. She’d noted he didn’t have a local accent.

  ‘Coleshill. You?’

  ‘Walmsley.’

  ‘I like Walmsley. Whereabouts?’

  ‘I’ve got a flat right next to the park.’

  ‘I bet it’s lovely. A bit of nature but close to the city.’ It was a good summary and she nodded along. ‘Are you okay out here?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes, thanks, I’m fine.’ She sipped her drink and began to relax into the conversation. Perhaps this was exactly what she needed.

  Anna was keeping an eye on the time and just after ten o’clock she started making noises about heading home.

  ‘Can I give you a lift home?’ he asked.

  ‘No, it’s fine I’m getting the bus.’ She could have driven but the bus was less hassle than parking in the city centre.

  ‘Then I’ll walk you to the bus stop.’ He stood up and once again she could see just how tall he was. There had been the occasional lulls in conversation but she sensed he was a little shy. An evening of gentle chatter had been enough to make her see there was more to life than work and sitting at home with the cat. She’d had a nice evening. They left the pub and walked along in silence until they neared the bus stop.

  ‘Thanks, Anna. I’ve had a really great evening,’ said Connor, followed by a small chuckle. ‘That sounds lame, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Not at all. I’ve had a nice time too.’

  He looked at her from under his mop of hair. ‘You wanna do it again sometime?’ He wasn’t presumptuous although it did put her on the spot. Anna thought for a moment and Connor’s expression changed. ‘God, that sounded cocky. Sorry.’

  He waved his hands in front of her like he was trying to rub out his words. He was kind of gangly and a bit
awkward, which was endearing. ‘No, that’d be lovely.’

  ‘You’ve got my number,’ he said, pointing at her phone. As the bus pulled in he checked his watch. ‘Take care,’ he said, with a brief wave.

  As she got on the bus, she was glad there was no clumsy attempt to kiss her goodbye, but they caught each other’s eye as the bus drove past and Connor gave her another wave, which made her smile. He was really quite sweet and she was glad she’d made the effort to meet him.

  Anna was still thinking about Connor as she walked towards home. He’d been good company and she was pleased she hadn’t thought about Liam or Hudson all evening. She glanced up and spotted a light on in her flat and she stopped dead. Her heart instantly upped its rhythm. She hadn’t left a light on; she knew that for sure because it had still been light outside when she’d left. There was only one explanation – someone was in her flat.

  She pulled her phone from her bag as she tiptoed up to the window. How brazen were these burglars, ransacking her home whilst the place was lit up like Selfridges at Christmas? She dialled 999 as she paced back and forth, hoping Maurice was all right in there. She wanted to think he was probably asleep and oblivious. It was too much to hope that he’d launch an attack and chase the intruders out – perhaps she should have got a large dog. She inched closer. The curtains were open and she peered inside. The 999 operator answered. ‘Police, please,’ she whispered in answer to their question. A figure moved inside and Anna had to stifle a gasp. Then something made her move closer to the glass and get a better look at her intruder. What she saw was both totally confusing and a huge relief. ‘Actually, no. I don’t need the police. I’m so sorry. I thought I was being burgled but I’m not.’ She apologised a few more times and then ended the call as she marched round to the front door and let herself in.

  ‘Bloody hell, Sophie. I thought I had burglars!’

  Anna’s eyes were drawn to the large suitcase in the hallway. She heard feet running towards her and Sophie skidded to a halt. ‘Surprise!’ she said, almost doing a star jump. Her arms quickly flopped to her sides and Anna looked at her tear-stained face.