Page 53 of The Riviera House Swap
‘Yes,’ he said, removing his helmet, his hair squashed flat against his head. He smiled at her and it was impossible not to reciprocate.
‘Sabine’s still asleep, I’m afraid,’ she told him. ‘I can…’
He put a hand on her arm. ‘No, please don’t. It was you I came to see.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes, I am on my way to my friend’s house, but I want to stop and wish you good luck,’ he said. ‘I hope all goes well with your pétanque and with Pierre.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, her mouth feeling slightly wobbly. It was great that Antoine and Sabine seemed so invested in her love life – and sometimes quite a comfort to know she had people rooting for her. But there was a pressure there too; because if today went badly, people would know about it. They’d see her foolishness for what it was.
She had a sudden urge to book a taxi, jump on a plane and write it all off as a huge mistake.
But that was old Nina talking. New Nina took risks, seized the day. Did all thatcarpe diemstuff. Or at least, she was trying to.
‘Do you want…?’ she said, making an obligatory gesture towards the house and hoping he realised that she meant coffee rather than breakfast or something less wholesome.
But he shook his head. ‘I must go,’ he said, lifting his helmet ready to slide his head inside. Then he stopped, closed his eyes and took a breath, expelling it in a sudden, enormous sigh. Opening his eyes again, he fixed his gaze on her. ‘But I want to say, too, that if this Pierre… if he does not fall at your feet, then he is a fool,’ he said. ‘I wanted to say this last night but my words would not come.’
‘Oh!’
He shrugged. ‘But of course. You are beautiful, Nina. You are brave and clever and you came here for him. There are many men, I am sure, who would want to trade places with this man.’
She began to scoff. Then she realised that there was something behind his eyes, something underneath his words that he was trying to tell her. ‘Oh,’ she said, more softly.
He looked over her shoulder and for a moment, she followed his gaze, confused. But it seemed he was looking at nothing, thinking, perhaps about what to say next. ‘Sabine tells me that you are trying to be braver,’ he said. ‘With your naked swimming and your rollerblading.’
‘I wasn’t actually nak?—’
‘And I will try to be brave too,’ he said. ‘Nina, I know you have your heart set on someone else. That you have this dream of Pierre. But since I first saw you, I felt something. As if,’ he stopped, a look passing over his face, ‘as if I have already known you for many years, but also as if it is the first time. It is hard to explain.’
‘Oh,’ she said.
‘I do not expect you to say anything now. It is the wrong time to tell you this. And if Pierre, he feels as you do, I hope that you will find happiness. But if not, perhaps you will find in time, there is room for someone new,’ he said. ‘And I’d like to be that person, Nina.’
She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again.
‘You came here looking for an old love,’ he said. ‘But maybe he is not what you remembered. And perhaps you are not the person you used to be either. Maybe it is time for anewlove. Someone who sees you as you are now and thinks that you are perfect.’
‘Antoine… I…’ she began, not quite knowing what she was about to say, her heart thundering against her ribs and a tremble moving through her body. She recognised his words, she realised. Almost as if she’d known what he was going to say.
He slid his helmet on. ‘It is OK, you do not need to say anything. I know that this is something you must do,’ he said. ‘It is important to see Pierre and find out – answer this question. But I cannot help it if I hope for a different ending to your story,’ he shrugged. ‘Love is always complicated!’
She nodded, finding her voice. ‘It is,’ she said. ‘It really is.’
Moments later, he’d disappeared around the corner in a buzz of low-powered battery noise, and she was left stunned. She’d been so sure that Antoine was just an attentive brother, just helpful to her because of Sabine. But perhaps she’d misread the signs all along?
28
THEN
‘Where are we going?’ Nina asked breathlessly as she half walked, half ran behind him into the dark courtyard. She knew it was misguided to disappear with a boy she barely knew, but something about Pierre made her feel safe. She would trust her intuition.
Around the back of the hall close to the school field which lay in almost complete darkness, he stopped and turned to her. Distant lights shone on the road beyond the playing field and she could hear the traffic make its way along the nearby road. They were so close to civilisation, so close to everyday things. Yet this was… well, it felt magical and amazing.
Then his lips were on hers. Gently, softly, taking his time in a way none of her previous boyfriends had done. They’d been all tongue and braces and hopeful, groping hands. He kissed her like they were in a movie.
‘Nina,’ he said, pulling away. ‘I think I am in love with you.’
