Don't Look Back by Nicola Graham Read Free Book Online Page A

sneaking in and out. I'm here at the hotel tonight, and then I’m going to play the tourist up in London, which I’m very excited about.” I laugh, sipping my wine nervously, keeping my fingers on the glass as they long to touch the man who is inches away from me.
    “Well, you can certainly play the tourist with that terrible American accent. Bloody hell, Kate, it’s awful!” Matthew is teasing me now, playfully laughing.
    I counter, “My accent! What about yours? At least mine has some English left in it. You sound like a complete Aussie.” I swipe him childishly on the arm with my coaster, grossly exaggerating, momentarily forgetting we are adults. He grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly, forcing the coaster to fall to the floor.
    “Even though you sound different and look a little different, it’s good to see you haven't changed, Kate.” He holds my eyes for a moment, staring deep into me, as if searching for the girl he once knew. I'm unable to look away; my eyes sting, the choke of emotion creeps up my windpipe. I swallow hard to clear my throat, but I know it's too late. He’s already seen my tears. Damn him!
    Just then Terry and Diana come bouncing up.
    “Oh my God, Sully!” Diana flings herself into Matthew's arms. “I can't believe you’re here, too.”
    Matthew looks over at me, rolling his eyes. “Seriously, Diana, no one calls me that anymore.” He teases her about his old nickname, wrapping her up in a giant hug. “Happy birthday! It’s great to see you again, and you don't look a day over twenty-five, sunshine!” Matthew gives her a big kiss on thecheek, and she blushes with delight.
    “Can you believe my best friend made it all the way here from Los Angeles for my birthday?” Diana is standing between Matthew and me, the three of us leaning against the bar. She drapes her arm around my shoulders, although I'm a few inches taller than her. I steady her, putting my arm around her waist.
    “I love you, darling, you’re absolutely the best friend in the world.” Diana looks at me, misty eyed, her emotions heightened by her tipsiness. “I don’t know what I'd do without you, Katie.” She sniffles.
    Luckily, Terry, sensing his wife’s fragile emotional state, jumps in and redirects her attention before the flood of tears starts. “Hey, everyone, it's time for birthday cake. Kate? Matt? Won’t you join us?"
    “About bloody time.” Diana is reenergized by the thought of birthday cake, and grabbing Terry’s hand, she marches him off toward the beautiful two-tiered cake as the DJ announces that everyone will be singing “Happy Birthday” momentarily.
    “Shall we?" Matthew extends his hand to me. Without even questioning it, I slip my hand into his as if in a trance, our fingers naturally interlocking. The act is so innocent, yet so sensual. For those brief moments as we walk across the room, I feel like everything fits: Our hands blend seamlessly, our bodies walk to the same rhythm, like two long lost halves reunited. I feel like I am witnessing an insight into what our lives could have been in some parallel universe. As we join the others, Matthew releases my hand, and everyone starts to squeeze in toward the corner where Diana is standing with Terry undera purple arch of balloons.
    Their daughter, Annie, is eagerly awaiting the lighting of the candles, probably hoping to help blow all forty of them out. Matthew is behind me, not quite touching me, but close enough that I can still smell his cologne. I am dumbfounded by how much he is affecting me. I have spent the majority of the last twenty-something years trying to forget him, dismissing what we had shared as simply adolescent love, putting his memory to rest. Yet here he is. I can feel the pull of his body, and somehow I know that if I take one step back I will mold perfectly into his chest and hips. My skin shivers with goose bumps, and chills surge up my spine and into my head, making my hair stand on edge. I remember his