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Hope you enjoy the next part x

Chapter 4

He was nervous but that was to be expected. Time had dragged all day and the run up to eight o'clock was of no exception. It was a given, however, that as soon as the weary hands brushed onwards towards midnight, precious minutes and hours would slip away in quick succession.

For the first time in living memory he was able to locate his car keys straight away but this only served to add to the mounting nerves in the pit of his stomach. In truth, part of him had expected her to call with an excuse which would prevent her from coming, but that had not come. This could only mean that she hadn't opened the gift he had handed her before swiftly retreating from her office that afternoon, or that she loved it as he had hoped she would when he found it.

Feeling optimistic, he elected for the latter as he rapped lightly on her front door. Surprisingly, he found himself with time to collect his thoughts because her arrival was not immediate. He lifted his hand to knock again, but before his knuckles met the wooden panel, the door was eased open and her petite frame, still covered by her work clothes, filled his eye line.

"Rachel?"

"Eddie? What…you're early? Or am I running later than I thought?" He shifted
awkwardly on the doorstep, one hand rising to tug at the collar of his white shirt whilst his eyes darted towards the ground. She studied him for a moment before stepping aside and ushering him into the airy hallway. "God sorry, come in! I wont be long; I must have dropped off and when I woke up I –"

"Rach, it's fine, honestly." She caught his gaze falling towards the stain on her shirt and her hand rose to brush the material down. "Dare I ask?"

"You may. Red wine."

"Did you put white wine on it afterwards?"

"That's an urban myth. It might work on cream carpets but it doesn't appear to work on clothes."

"So you tried it?"

"Yes. I then knocked the wine everywhere and had to clean that up so that's the reason I'm running so late. When's dinner?"

"Not until nine so you have plenty of time. That's if you still want to…"

She caught the questioning tone in his voice as he trailed off and felt the need to immediately reassure him. "Of course I do…And before I forget, thank you so much for the journal. It was so…thoughtful but then you always are, aren't you?" She tried to keep this light but it was fused with feeling. This was further emphasised by the flush which rose swiftly onto her cheeks and mirrored in the smile that had danced
across his lips. "Why were you embarrassed about me opening it in front of you?"

"Oh, erm…I don't know. Its kind of personal, isn't it? A diary that is. I didn't want you to think I was trying to cross the line professionally or in any other way."

Under any other circumstances, such a sincere and frank explanation would have caused her to divert her glance away in shyness but his honesty ignited a new sense of understanding between them. She folded her arms in front of her and fixed him with a serious expression.
"Would crossing that line necessarily be a bad thing?"

"I don't know Rach, would it?"

She had never thought it would be possible to lose herself in someone's eyes and yet, as he watched her intently, waiting for a reaction, she found herself spiralling. Her control was relinquishing and with every second that passed, she found herself drifting further into oblivion.

Love, in all of its shimmering glory had relieved her of her senses and infused a spectrum of colour into her heart. The shore was still in view but it would never provide her with the safety she now craved.

"I don't think it would…" She held his gaze for a second longer than necessary before turning on her heel and walking towards the staircase. "Make yourself at home; I'll be twenty minutes, tops. I'd offer you wine but obviously there's none left but there might be a beer in the fridge."