Sidequest for Love by L.H. Cosway

“Wow, how did you manage all this on that tiny little cooker?”

“I prepared the vegetables and the sauce this morning, so I only had to throw everything into a pan and fry it up.”

I grinned. “You’re a genius. And thank you for planning this whole trip. It should’ve been my job to plan it. I was the one who invited you, after all.”

He shrugged and lowered to sit next to me. “I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to planning.”

“I noticed that.”

We ate quietly for a few minutes before Neil asked, “So, what were you and Adam talking about?”

“Are you trying to find out if he made a move on me?”

Again, he shrugged and focused on eating.

“He didn’t make a move. Turns out he doesn’t fancy me at all. He fancies our online friend, Winona. That’s what we were talking about. I was encouraging him to tell her how he feels.”

“Oh,” Neil replied, and I noticed his shoulders loosening at this information.

“So, now there’s egg on my face. He laughed so hard when I asked if he had a crush on me. He said he thinks of me as a little sister.”

“Well, you said you didn’t fancy him either, so at least you don’t have to go through the awkwardness of turning him down. Unless, of course, you were lying and you do like him?” He glanced at me questioningly.

“I wasn’t lying,” I replied. “Besides, I actually like someone else.”

Neil frowned so hard the familiar line between his eyebrows deepened. “Who?”

“You wouldn’t know him,” I lied.

He exhaled a breath, still frowning as he aggressively chewed his steak. When we finished dinner, Neil produced two red velvet cupcakes. “Grandma made these. She was kind enough to let me steal two for the trip.”

“As if I needed any further cause to adore your grandmother,” I said, taking a bite from the cupcake with relish.

“She likes you, too. She thinks you’re a hoot,” Neil replied, a fond note in his voice.

I smiled wide. “I am a hoot. They should put that on my gravestone and credit Phil with the quote. I can’t wait to come to dinner at her house again, though I’m trying to be polite and wait for an actual invitation,” I said, shooting him a pointed look.

“You’re welcome any evening. Just text me first to let me know, and I can pick you up on my way over.”

The offer gave me a warm shimmer in my chest. “How chivalrous. Okay, I’ll do that.”

“Grandma will be thrilled. She rarely has visitors. After Mum and Dad passed away, a lot of our family and friends started keeping their distance. It was like some of them thought the tragedy was contagious. Or maybe they feared being asked to help care for Rosie and me.”

I glanced at him, a sadness hanging over his handsome profile. “That’s awful. Why are people such arseholes?”

Neil shrugged. “I don’t know. They just are.”

I took another bite of my cupcake as silence fell between us. A few moments later, I asked, “How old were you when it happened? When your parents died, I mean?”

His eyes were looking out into the distance at the darkening horizon. “Thirteen. Rosie was only seven. Grandma had been minding us while Mum and Dad went to Paris for the long weekend. On the drive home from the airport, they had a collision with a truck.”

My stomach hollowed listening to him speak. I had a big family, and they were all busy with their own lives, but I never really thought about how quickly and easily something terrible could happen to them. A simple drive home from the airport had snatched Neil’s parents right out from under him.

On instinct, I placed my hand on his, my palm resting over his knuckles. “Rosie said you work so hard because you feel the need to take care of her and Phil. I think it’s admirable how you stepped up and filled the role your parents left behind.”

Neil let out a small breath. “I didn’t have another choice, but I wouldn’t have it any other way either.”

“They’re very lucky to have you.”

He shook his head. “I’m lucky to have them. I love them both so much. They’re my rocks.”

My gaze met his, and so much affection for him filled my chest that I felt like I might burst. He was such a wonderful person, and I had so many feelings for him now it was dangerous. They were going to come spilling out someday, and I would be helpless to prevent it from happening.

A little while later, we joined the others. Neil and I sat side by side, drinking a few more cans and staring up at the sky in the hopes of spotting something. Well, I hoped to spot something. Neil hoped to prove me wrong. He seemed to be on his best behaviour, though, because he didn’t try to argue with the group as we discussed the possibility that an extra-terrestrial life form might’ve visited earth. And I could tell he was itching to point out the flaws in our logic. I reached out and squeezed his knee, thanking him for playing nice. His eyes met mine, and there was heat there, the kind of heat that came with the consumption of three cans of lager while sitting in a field in the middle of nowhere, Cornwall.

It was almost two in the morning before we eventually decided to call it a night. Everyone was disappointed that we hadn’t encountered any flying saucers, but I knew it was always going to be a long shot.