terrified her how much she’d needed to see him.
“How’s your mum?” she asked, wanting to steer the conversation away from herself.
Leaning back into the couch, he stared up at the ceiling with a pained expression.
“She’s okay,” he finally said. “Frustrated and angry and hates having us look after her. She was always the one to look after everyone else.”
“I bet she’s glad to have you around.”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure about that. She keeps telling me to go back to Skye and stop wasting my life looking after her.” He pushed his palms across his eyes and Lexie dropped into the space beside him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, reaching out to hug him, then dithering and patting his leg instead.
He cocked an eyebrow. “What was that?”
“I’m not sure.” Her mouth twitched to a smile. “I was going to hug you but then I wasn’t sure if I should.”
“So you poked my leg instead?” It was a relief to see the teasing back in his eyes.
“I’m not good with people like you are.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you want a hug?”
“Not really.”
She’d expected him to say yes and now she felt slightly awkward. “You might not want one,” she ventured. “But maybe you need one.” This time she didn’t hesitate as she wrapped her arms around him. He was stiff and tense and she was tempted to pull away again. “You have to relax,” she said.
He chuckled and she felt the tension leave him. “I think I taught you too well.”
Smiling, she nestled her cheek into his neck, enjoying the scent of him and loving that she got to hug him again. She’d intended to comfort him, but she suspected it was her who got the most comfort from it.
After a moment, he whispered her name like a question.
“Mmhmm?”
“Why are you wearing my top?”
Her eyes widened as she pulled out of the embrace. Mortified, her eyes dropped to the red hoodie. She’d put it on ready for her cosy night on the couch and forgotten all about it.
“It’s really comfy,” she said bashfully.
He nodded. “It’s my favourite.”
“Sorry.” Tugging at the sleeve, she made to pull it off.
“Give it to me another time,” he said as he stood. “You can wash it first. It’ll stink like you now!”
“Hopefully that’s not so terrible.”
He moved to the door. “I should get back. I was going stir-crazy at my parents’ place so I set off for the pub, then I didn’t feel very sociable so I ended up wandering the streets instead.”
“You can stay longer if you want.”
He shook his head. “I’m really not feeling very sociable.”
“You don’t need to be,” she said in a rush. “I was going to put a pizza in the oven. We can eat pizza and watch TV. You don’t have to speak to me.”
When he hesitated, she took his arm and pulled him gently back to the couch. “Wait there,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
After fetching her laptop from the bedroom, she searched for nature documentaries and was hit with a long list.
“Here,” she said as she set the laptop on the coffee table and pressed play. “One of those nature shows you like.”
“You really don’t have to—”
“It’s fine,” she said, cutting his protest short. “Just chill out and watch the programme. I’ll put the pizza in.”
He stared at her, then sank back into the couch. “Thanks.”
She left him while she put the pizza in the oven and made cups of tea for them both. Once they’d devoured the pizza she brought out the popcorn and chocolate. Apart from him teasing her for the amount of junk food she could eat, they hardly spoke. Nick looked weary and had just nodded off when the documentary ended. It had passed a pleasant hour, and Lexie had learned more about penguins than she’d realised there was to know. She’d have let it roll on to the next programme, but Nick woke with a start, then wiped his hands over his face as he sat up.
“I should go.” He picked up his jacket from the back of the couch. “Thanks for the food and the company.”
“You’re welcome.”
“How long are you in Fort William for?”
“Until I’ve made it to the top of the mountain.”
He blurted a laugh and searched her features, clearly trying to figure out if she was joking.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest.
“I thought it was a joke.”
“No. There’s a path all the way up there. I heard it’s pretty easy.”
His brow creased.