was more aware than ever of his height, his cheekbones and jawline, the small lines at the corners of his eyes. She wanted to comfort him, draw his head down to hers so she could kiss him softly, fitting her body to his.
Her heart kicked up a gear.
She had to lick suddenly dry lips.
Nico had stopped speaking and was staring into her eyes as if he were feeling it too. The air vibrated. His mouth hovered closer to hers and she half-closed her eyes, waiting, expecting …
Then Rob’s voice broke over them, loud and jokey. ‘What are you doing with my stupid sister, Pettersson?’
Hannah’s eyes pinged open as she realised Rob and Leesa had paused beside them, beaming in each other’s arms as they swayed to the music. She laughed shakily, knowing from Rob’s red face and glittering eyes that a lot of the free-flowing fizz had flowed in his direction. ‘Don’t take any notice of my bonkers brother.’
‘Such English terms of endearment,’ Nico said drily. They all laughed and paused the dancing to chat, Leesa smiling as she listened, her arm hooked around her new husband.
Hannah soon took a back seat in the conversation too, half her attention on the way Leesa looked at Rob and Rob stroked Leesa’s bare arm. The other half was on Nico and how he was making her feel: heated, fizzy, breathless and excited. He’d asked to see her again. She wished things were already at an end with Albin. She’d have been free to …
She realised Nico was speaking, asking her, ‘Are you OK?’
‘Fine.’ She smiled but her blood roared as she took in the fact that she’d just made the assumption that soon she’d be single. And, so far as she knew, Nico was too.
‘Have you had too much to drink?’ demanded Rob. ‘You look weird.’
‘Of course not.’ But her voice seemed to come from far away as she acknowledged that if Nico had kissed her she would have responded. It opened a door and blinded her with a look at reality. Albin wasn’t acting towards her as he used to, as if he cared. And she’d … what? Asked to talk about it as if their relationship were another business transaction between them? Been secretly relieved when he put off the confrontation? Shame settled over her. The jolt of electricity between her and Nico proved she was capable of so much more. She’d wanted him to kiss her. A kiss was intimate. A connection. You didn’t want anyone to put his mouth on yours unless you knew it was going to feel like heaven.
Rob and Nico made a few jokey remarks and she smiled as if she were listening whereas actually practical problems about ending things with Albin were flying at her. The shop lease – Albin would be her landlord. Somewhere to live – Stockholm was cripplingly expensive. The room grew uncomfortably hot as she realised that she had a rocky road to travel … but that it had to be done.
Vaguely, she was aware of Nico taking a phone call. Saying, ‘Babysitter. Josie’s woken up. I’ll check she’s OK.’ She watched his shoulders as he strode across the dance floor.
‘Hannah, are you sure you’re all right?’ Rob asked insistently.
‘Just tired, suddenly,’ she said. It wasn’t a lie because the confusion of feelings on top of the long day had hit her. ‘I’ll sit with Mum and Dad.’ Her legs felt like noodles as she made her way to where Mo and Jeremy had set up camp in a corner. Nan was chatting to Nettie, a foster sister Mo had kept in touch with. Jeremy’s sister, Hannah’s Aunt Sally, was squealing with laughter. Jeremy was telling someone which European countries he and Mo wanted to visit in the camper van. Hannah smiled at her mum’s cousins and Nan’s village friends and took a seat on the edge of the group.
Although she assumed a listening expression, her mind scurried around like a mouse looking for a way out of a maze. Last night she’d seen her lovely grandmother upset that Brett had wanted to make legal provisions ahead of their marriage. But, putting herself on the other side of the fence, she wouldn’t have minded the comfort of she and Albin having agreed up front what happened at the end of their relationship.
She might have thought herself ready to second-guess her decision … if she wasn’t watching for Nico to come back.
Upstairs, Nico let himself into the hotel room, the TV