‘Urgh!’ she growled out, her expression a mixture of frustration and confusion. ‘Because … because a man like you isnotinterested in a woman like me.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Pav asked, his smile dying and a frown creasing his forehead.
‘You know exactly what I’m –’
‘No, Millie. I have no idea what’s in your head.’
‘Is it like a sport to you?’ she asked him, and his head jerked at the apparent change of subject. ‘A game?’
‘What are you –’
‘Because it’snota game to me, all right? And even if it was I would have no idea of the rules.’
‘Millie, I’m not playing games with you. I don’t know why y–’
‘You … you call meNuclear Winter,’ she blurted out, and Pav froze. ‘I know you do. I’ve heard it. And … and that time in my office … what you said …’
‘Millie … I …’ Pav trailed off and scrubbed both his hands down his face as his stomach tightened at the memory of what an insensitive prick he’d been. ‘I’m sorry about that nickname. I should have never used it.’ At this juncture he did not want to get into the fact that he was the one who had actually made it up; he didn’t think that would do his case any good at all. ‘And that time in your office, I was angry,’ he went on. ‘I didn’t know –’
‘You didn’t know that I was a … a freak,’ she muttered. ‘You just thought I was rude. If you’d have known I was a freak you would have feltsorryfor me instead, which is even worse than thinking I’m an outright bitch.’
‘Millie, please listen to me,’ Pav pleaded, reaching for her, but she flinched away again.
‘Kira!’ Millie shouted, and he shook his head slowly.
‘What about her?’
‘She’sthe type of woman a man like you is interested in. For all I know, you and her …’ She trailed off and dropped her head down to rest it on his chest again.
Pav snorted. ‘Kira and I would kill each other in the first five minutes. Is that’s what’s in your head?’
Millie shrugged. ‘You’re both so confident, you’re both funny, social,’ she paused a moment before continuing in a barely audible whisper, ‘attractive, beautiful.’
‘And because of that you think we’re together? I don’t under –’
‘You weretouchingher,’ Millie mumbled as she looked up at him, and he saw her face flood with colour. ‘People don’t … well, people aren’t like that with each other unless … I just assumed …’
‘I mess about with Ki-Ki like I would an annoying younger sister, brother even, given the number of head-locks I’ve put her in – she’s pretty scrappy. Don’t you have any siblings?’
Millie bit her lip, flicked her eyes up to him and away again, but he felt her body relax slightly.
‘No, I don’t,’ she told him. With three older sisters, life as an only child was totally alien to Pav, but he’d assumed that for Millie it made sense. ‘That still doesn’t mean that you and me … I mean, it’s ridiculous … I’m not … Look, I don’t know what’s going on but I can’t –’
‘So,’ he cut in, and watched Millie’s eyes flash. Finding her on switch and watching actual emotions flicker over her face was fascinating, ‘I’ll show you how a man interacts with a woman who he does not consider his little sister, okay?’ Millie shook her head, her expression morphing from anger to panic. ‘I’ll pick you up tomorrow at eight and we’ll start there.’
‘I can’t tomorrow,’ Millie said, perking up considerably. ‘I’m busy.’
Pav narrowed his eyes. ‘Doing what?’
‘Er … I’m going out.’
‘On a date?’
‘Y-you don’t have to sound so shocked,’ she told him, her chin going up a notch. If possible he found her even more attractive. He decided to leave it for now.
‘We’ll see, baby,’ he said before kissing the tip of her nose and pulling away. The strategically placed ‘baby’ had the desired effect. Millie was too dazed to offer any further objections. He smiled wide at her, then sauntered to her door. ‘Tomorrow then,’ he said as he pulled it shut behind him.
Walking back to his car in sub-zero temperatures was a ballache … and he smiled the entire way.
