Read Online An Autumn Crush by Milly Johnson - Free Book Online Page A

dressing-gown, her large watery eyes and a perfumed cloud of strawberries around her had set off a primal explosion inside his chest cavity, sending the
blast down to every neurone and blood vessel in his system. He had been knocked sideways into a pit so deep he doubted he’d ever be able to climb out of it.
    He had replayed the scene in his head so many times that, had it been videotape, it would have snapped through over-use. His heart was fluttering like a bag of moths as he cringed afresh at the
memory of him barging into the coffee-table and sending everything scattering to the floor. He didn’t even stop to help clean up.
    He exited the memory with a shudder, as Steve returned with two pints.
    ‘You should ask her out,’ he said.
    ‘Who?’ asked Guy innocently.
    ‘You know who I mean, you berk,’ tutted Steve. He was actually quite excited that Guy was fancying someone. He was always trying to get him to go out with Gina, who more or less
slavered like a hound over a bone whenever Guy was within touching distance. But after a lifetime of knowing him, Steve was all too aware that Guy was a man of straight lines. He wouldn’t
have gone out with anyone he didn’t fancy. He never had – not even when their hormones were raging as teenagers. Sex and affection were inextricably tangled up for him. But this was
encouraging news. Guy had seen the woman once and was already hooked. Love was a curious beast, he had to admit. Then again, that’s probably why he was in love with two very different women
himself, neither of whom would deign to give him the time of day.
    ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ Guy went on. ‘That I fancy her because my first thought was that she looked like Lacey Robinson. Well, I don’t because she
doesn’t.’
    ‘I wasn’t thinking anything of the sort, actually,’ Steve defended himself. ‘I was, however, thinking that Lacey Robinson shouldn’t even be in your brain any more.
She’s fucked it up quite enough already.’
    ‘She’s as short as Lacey, but that’s as far as the resemblance goes.’
    ‘Good. Because one Lacey Robinson is enough for one lifetime.’
    ‘Don’t,’ said Guy quietly. ‘She was a damaged soul.’
    ‘I know what she was.’ Steve knew that Guy would never talk ill of Lacey Robinson, because he had never managed to quite rid himself of the guilt of not being able to save her from
herself. To Guy, Lacey Robinson would always be a vulnerable woman whose heart had been broken one too many times and couldn’t live with the pain. To Steve, Lacey Robinson was the equivalent
of a suicide bomber. She didn’t care how many people she would take down with her when she pressed the final self-destruct button.
    ‘I made such a massive arse of myself in front of Floz.’ Guy dropped his head into his hands.
    ‘You need to go back to the flat and act normal, not fall over furniture and run off,’ Steve suggested. ‘You cocked up the first impression so you need to make a very good
second one.’
    ‘Yes, I realise that,’ said Guy. ‘I don’t know what happened to me. She’s so not my usual type. But it was like . . .’ He shook his head because it
sounded daft.
    ‘A thunderbolt?’ Steve suggested. He knew all about thunderbolts. He’d been hit by a very big one in primary school. He felt its reverberations still.
    ‘Yes,’ nodded Guy. ‘I’ve never known anything like it before. I thought when people said they’d fallen in love at first sight, they were just talking bollocks. But
that’s exactly what it felt like – love at first sight. At least for me. Not quite sure it was the same for Floz.’
    Steve’s brain started to whirr.
    ‘Your Juliet was on about that damp patch on the kitchen wall. I’ll go with you to the flat. We’ll check it out with a view to replastering it. That’s a genuine reason
for calling on them.’
    Guy thought it sounded a bit contrived, but Steve was on a roll now. ‘Yep, we’ll do that. If we