relief, she didn’t come out with any comment at all.
“Funny as in haha ,” she said, leaning her head back against the sofa. “You’re good fun. You make me laugh, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed as much as I have this evening.”
The minute she said that, I realised that she’d made me laugh all night as well: in the club, in the cab coming home, and now here in my apartment. I guess I’d just never realised quite how funny she was before, but now here she was, still tipsy from the champagne but triumphant in her spider-catching prowess, sitting on my sofa looking…well, human. Human, and lovely, and as sexy as hell.
I quickly turned my head away, making a big show of plumping up the cushions behind me. Anything to distract me from Elise sitting on my sofa, still apparently looking at me.
“There hasn’t been much laughter in my life lately, to be honest,” she suddenly said, breaking the silence.
“No?” I looked back at her.
She shook her head.
“I thought you enjoyed being on Portobello Road ?” I asked, suddenly worried.
“Noooo, I didn’t mean right now!” Elise laughed softly. “That’s what I was trying to say. I’ve had more fun since I came back to England than I have in months and months.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“So LA wasn’t a laugh a minute?” I subconsciously shifted my position a little further away from her.
“I had bad experiences there,” Elise said, shooting me a look. “Some horrible experiences in shows, in castings, auditions…” She paused. “With men.”
“Oh,” I mumbled, hoping that she wouldn’t start trying to talk to me about men. “Not good.”
She laughed. “No, not good at all, Holly.”
“So a pretty miserable time all round, really, then?” I offered.
“You could say that,” she said, holding my look. “So thanks.”
“Well, thank you for getting rid of the spider,” I said, leaning my head against the back of the sofa.
“Can I let you into a secret?” Elise leant her head back again as well.
I looked at her profile, the soft line of her jaw, her hair falling perfectly around her face. “Hit me.”
“I don’t really like spiders.” She wrinkled her nose.
“My hero!” I clasped my hands to my heart in exaggeration.
We sat, both with our heads leaning against the back of the sofa, and looked at each other for a second before I broke the gaze and lifted my head away. When I glanced back, she was still looking at me, and the look on her face made me feel uncomfortable for a second, but I didn’t know why. Her expression was strange, but not in a bad way, and I wondered if she’d misinterpreted my quip about her being a hero for sarcasm.
“Yes,” she said finally. “Your hero.”
I smiled uncertainly and then pulled myself upright, waving a hand in the direction of the kitchen. “I think you more than deserve that wine now,” I said, still thinking about the look she’d just had on her face.
“I’d love to,” she replied. “But”—she reluctantly pulled her eyes away from mine—“I really should go. Lines to learn and all that.”
Disappointment stabbed at me. I wanted her to stay longer and was urging her to change her mind and stay for another drink, but Elise seemed flustered—embarrassed, even—which was most unlike her.
She got up from the sofa and wriggled her feet back into her shoes. “Sorry.”
“It’s no problem,” I said. “Don’t worry.”
“Thanks for the offer, though.” She looked as though she was about to say something else, but didn’t.
“Any time,” I replied, reaching over to the chair to pick up her coat.
As I handed it to her, our fingers brushed and, again, I sensed my face reddening. After a few moments I looked at her shyly, hoping she hadn’t noticed.
“I’d like to do it again sometime, though,” Elise said, standing with her coat in her hand.
“Clubbing with Bella and Robbie?” I made big eyes, making her
“Funny as in haha ,” she said, leaning her head back against the sofa. “You’re good fun. You make me laugh, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed as much as I have this evening.”
The minute she said that, I realised that she’d made me laugh all night as well: in the club, in the cab coming home, and now here in my apartment. I guess I’d just never realised quite how funny she was before, but now here she was, still tipsy from the champagne but triumphant in her spider-catching prowess, sitting on my sofa looking…well, human. Human, and lovely, and as sexy as hell.
I quickly turned my head away, making a big show of plumping up the cushions behind me. Anything to distract me from Elise sitting on my sofa, still apparently looking at me.
“There hasn’t been much laughter in my life lately, to be honest,” she suddenly said, breaking the silence.
“No?” I looked back at her.
She shook her head.
“I thought you enjoyed being on Portobello Road ?” I asked, suddenly worried.
“Noooo, I didn’t mean right now!” Elise laughed softly. “That’s what I was trying to say. I’ve had more fun since I came back to England than I have in months and months.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“So LA wasn’t a laugh a minute?” I subconsciously shifted my position a little further away from her.
“I had bad experiences there,” Elise said, shooting me a look. “Some horrible experiences in shows, in castings, auditions…” She paused. “With men.”
“Oh,” I mumbled, hoping that she wouldn’t start trying to talk to me about men. “Not good.”
She laughed. “No, not good at all, Holly.”
“So a pretty miserable time all round, really, then?” I offered.
“You could say that,” she said, holding my look. “So thanks.”
“Well, thank you for getting rid of the spider,” I said, leaning my head against the back of the sofa.
“Can I let you into a secret?” Elise leant her head back again as well.
I looked at her profile, the soft line of her jaw, her hair falling perfectly around her face. “Hit me.”
“I don’t really like spiders.” She wrinkled her nose.
“My hero!” I clasped my hands to my heart in exaggeration.
We sat, both with our heads leaning against the back of the sofa, and looked at each other for a second before I broke the gaze and lifted my head away. When I glanced back, she was still looking at me, and the look on her face made me feel uncomfortable for a second, but I didn’t know why. Her expression was strange, but not in a bad way, and I wondered if she’d misinterpreted my quip about her being a hero for sarcasm.
“Yes,” she said finally. “Your hero.”
I smiled uncertainly and then pulled myself upright, waving a hand in the direction of the kitchen. “I think you more than deserve that wine now,” I said, still thinking about the look she’d just had on her face.
“I’d love to,” she replied. “But”—she reluctantly pulled her eyes away from mine—“I really should go. Lines to learn and all that.”
Disappointment stabbed at me. I wanted her to stay longer and was urging her to change her mind and stay for another drink, but Elise seemed flustered—embarrassed, even—which was most unlike her.
She got up from the sofa and wriggled her feet back into her shoes. “Sorry.”
“It’s no problem,” I said. “Don’t worry.”
“Thanks for the offer, though.” She looked as though she was about to say something else, but didn’t.
“Any time,” I replied, reaching over to the chair to pick up her coat.
As I handed it to her, our fingers brushed and, again, I sensed my face reddening. After a few moments I looked at her shyly, hoping she hadn’t noticed.
“I’d like to do it again sometime, though,” Elise said, standing with her coat in her hand.
“Clubbing with Bella and Robbie?” I made big eyes, making her
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