“You keep throwing it up in the air like that and you’re gonna end up with the whole jar in there,” James laughed as he finished setting out the cutlery.

“Never!” Maze shouted triumphantly as he caught the spice jar and went back to seasoning the dish.
“Alright well when that does happen,” James called back. “You can eat the—”

He was interrupted by a loud knock at the front door. He froze, his mind instantly thinking the worst, and one glance in Maze’s direction told him his friend was thinking the same; Maze had dropped the spice jar and snatched up the biggest knife within reach.

“I’ll answer it,” James held up a hand, gesturing for Maze to stay where he was. Surely anyone who had come to harm them wouldn’t knock on the front door, right?

He slowly made his way around the table towards the front door until he could see through the glass in the door, and then swore under his breath. It wasn’t a deadly alien but this visitor was just as unwanted. He wished desperately that he could pretend he wasn’t home but as she smiled at him through the door he realised it was way too late.


Because he had no other choice now that she’d seen him, James opened the door.

“Alicia,” he tried to keep any emotion from his tone as he spoke. “What’re you doing here?”

“Lovely to see you too,” the short dark-haired woman laughed as she stepped over the threshold without being invited and held her arms out. “Don’t I even get a hug?”

James clenched his teeth but stepped forward anyway, if it would get her out of his house sooner he would hug her. As he wrapped his arms around her loosely, not putting any real effort into the hug, he made the mistake of inhaling.

She smelled exactly the same way she always had, like wild berries and spices, like home. He closed his eyes and despite himself, tightened his arms around her, pulling her against his chest and hugging her in earnest.


If he was being honest with himself, he had missed her. She’d broken his heart when she’d left three years ago without a word. He’d come home from work one afternoon to find all of her things gone, not a single trace of her in the house, as though she’d never been there at all.

For several days he’d tried to call her and every time the number came up as disconnected, and eventually he began to wonder if he hadn’t imagined her and their entire relationship. And then a mutual friend mentioned her in passing. Mentioned how much she was enjoying Rome with someone called Andrew.

James suddenly realised what he was doing and pulled back quickly. “What’re you doing here?” he snapped with far less anger than he’d intended.

“Sadie called when no one could find you,” she looked up at him, those big doe-eyes full of concern. “I was so worried! But then she called yesterday to say you were back and … Well I don’t know what happened but I had to see for myself, to make sure you were ok.”

“Ok?” he narrowed his eyes at her. “Since when have you ever cared if I was ok?”

“Of course I care Jamie!” she exclaimed, looking hurt that he would even suggest she didn’t. “I care about you a lot, you know th—”


She’d stopped mid sentence as she glanced in the direction of the kitchen and caught sight of Maze. James followed her gaze and almost laughed when he saw the look on Maze’s face. He was still holding the large kitchen knife and looking like he desperately wanted to use it.

“Who’s that?” Alicia tilted her head to one side and smiled at Maze. He didn’t return the smile.

“None of your business,” James snapped and looked back down at her. “You lost the right to ask questions in this house when you left.”

“Can we please just talk Jamie?” she begged quietly, obviously not wanting Maze to hear her. “Please? In private.”

“Well it’s not as private as I’d hoped,” Alicia laughed as she made herself comfortable on the couch beside him.

“It’s as good as it gets,” James narrowed his eyes at her. “We don’t need privacy.”

“Is he your boyfriend?” she asked suddenly, gesturing towards Maze who was in the kitchen seasoning their dinner with far more aggression than was necessary.

“What?” he gaped at her. “No of course not, he’s just a friend. You would think you of all people would remember that I’m not gay.”

“A friend?” she raised an eyebrow. “Who cooks dinner for you?”


“He lives here, he’s cooking for himself,” James lied. “And if he wasn’t, it’s not of your business what happens in this house remember? You made that choice all by yourself when you took off with Andrew.”

“Biggest mistake of my life,” Alicia sighed and looked down at her lap. “Not a day goes by that I don’t wish I’d never left Jamie.”

“Don’t call me that,” he frowned. Was this all another show or did she actually regret her choice? “No one calls me that.”

“I remember,” she looked up at him again with a small smile. Was he imagining it or had she leaned in closer? “No one is allowed to call you that. Only me.”

“Don’t,” he tried his hardest to sound angry but her closeness was throwing him off.

He was certain she hadn’t been that close a few minutes ago but now she was so close that the familiar smell of her filled his nostrils again and wreaked havoc on his mind. Was she truly sorry for leaving? There was only one thing he had to know.

“Why?” he asked quietly, not trusting his own voice. “Why did you do it?”

“Does it matter?” she shrugged slightly and leaned even closer to him.

God he’d missed her. He was gullible, and an idiot, and a million other things for ever thinking she could settle down, but he had missed her more than he’d ever let himself admit.