Alphabet Weekends - Elizabeth Noble [108]
But Natalie knew from the twinkle that briefly hit his eyes when she arrived. She’d brought grapes, and a copy of Heat magazine. ‘Both for me, I’m afraid. There’s a limit to the gifts I can bring you, and I’ve passed it. Promise I’ll only read the magazine when you fall asleep on me.’
He hated doing that. Sleep came often, and without warning, and he was powerless to stop it. It made Natalie laugh. ‘At least with you I know when I’m being boring,’ she joked. Although she never was.
She plonked herself down on the corner of his bed, and started on the grapes. ‘Well, the fascinating saga of my life has an exciting new chapter today,’ she said. ‘I know you’re agog to hear it. Tom, it appears, has fallen in love with me.’ Nicholas grunted once, and gave his half-smile. ‘Aha, venerable elder pleased,’ Natalie said, in a mock-Oriental accent, placing her palms together and giving a little bow. ‘Oh, and Simon has come back and asked me to marry him. Do you have a grunt for that?’ Apparently not, but Nicholas gave her a half-eyebrow that left her in no doubt.
‘Actually, I told you those things in the wrong order. I guess that proves which one I was more excited about…’ That hadn’t occurred to her before. ‘So, I’ll start at the very beginning…’ Nicholas’s eyelids closed. ‘Now, I know you’re not asleep. How could you doze through these revelations?’ She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back.
‘Finally, all these months after breaking my bloody heart, Simon pops up on my answering-machine, and says it’s all been a big mistake, basically. That he’s had time to realise what he gave up, blah, blah, blah, usual stuff. I foolishly agreed to have dinner with him, and even more foolishly slept with him. Sorry, Dad, I know you’re not really interested in the squelchy bits, me being your daughter and all. But it is relevant, I promise. Meant he slept over, didn’t it, and meant I woke up next to him. Which was when I realised that, actually, some time in the last six months I’d sort of stopped feeling quite so desperate about him. And that, actually, I was kind of pissed off with him, and that, on reflection, maybe the last few years hadn’t been so marvellous after all, and that he hadn’t treated me quite as well as I deserve – yes, deserve – to be treated. And that maybe I didn’t love him any more. Which was, frankly, so exciting!’
She paused for breath, and looked at Nicholas, who’d opened his eyes. ‘Love these little tête-à-têtes, Dad. Although I suppose they’re actually just têtes, aren’t they? Haven’t told anyone else this, by the way. You’re a very safe receptacle for a girl’s secrets, just now, do you know? So, anyway, sent Simon packing. Done and dealt with. Haven’t had a flicker since, which is a huge relief. Weird, isn’t it?
‘And then there’s Tom. Somehow – I must ask him, come to think of it – he found out about Simon, and sort of went mad. I said sorry and everything, and then he came out with all this stuff. Said he’d fallen in love with me, these last few months, when we’ve been spending so much time together. And that if I was trying to make a decision between him and Simon, I should be armed with all the facts.
‘I know, Dad, not the most romantic declaration, but it was very touching – you had to be there.’
Nicholas tried very hard to form a word. ‘And?’
‘And I’m still farting around. There have been moments, no doubt, when I’ve looked at him and thought stuff I haven’t thought before. Whether that’s love or not I don’t know. I know that I want to keep being with him. I love that. Being completely myself. You don’t have that with many people in your life, do you?’
Nicholas shook his head.
Natalie sighed. ‘I’m just confused. I’m used to falling hard and suddenly. Not slowly and gradually. So I don’t know if it’s what I think it is. Don’t quite trust myself.’
She smiled at her father. ‘And with my track record, why would I? Not sure what to do now. Want someone else to make the decision for me. Why don’t you do it, Dad?’
Nicholas laughed, and looked mournfully at her.
‘Go on. Raise your left eyebrow