No sooner had she pressed send than her phone had given another vibration in her hand.

“Haha, yes your mum has a knack of inopportune moments.”

“Wow, you do know her well.” Sophie replied, smiling as she remembered the afternoon’s impromptu kiss, the moment of wonderment when they drew back from one another, eyeing each other and looking for regret, only to see none and lunge again to carry on the embrace.  Only for the shrill voice to break through the door and catapult them back to reality.

“Yes I do, if there is one thing I know about her it’s that subtlety is not a strong point.”

“I’m glad you stayed to dinner though :) even if we did have to talk about self drive cars!” Sophie replied, knowing that even though there were in the company of others, she felt their connection through the glances, the slight brush of their hands when passing the salt, the momentary brush of Paula’s thigh against hers when she adjusted her chair.

“I’m glad too! I hope you didn’t mind me stealing your business card :)”

“I’m very glad you did…”

“I know I asked you earlier, but I need to check – for my own sanity – you don’t have any regrets do you?”  

Sophie read the message, feeling that Paula needed some air of almost a reassurance.  She thought Paula was self assured and confident, but that message felt slightly different, was she regretting what had happened today?

Sophie quickly replied, easing her own thought process that Paula might be having regrets, “none whatsoever. I hope I’m not hearing any from you either?”

“Absolutely none. I meant what I said, I really would like to see you again… alone :)”

“Actually, thinking about it – there was one thing I regretted about today” Sophie smiled, hoping for a split second that, not in an unkind way, that Paula would have a slight panic.

“Oh dear God Soph – what? Did I do something, did I upset you by being too forward?”

Sophie smiled as she read the message, Paula called her ‘Soph’, she couldn’t wait to her that as a sound coming from those lips with that smooth quiet voice.

“Sophie, what have I done??” Paula was clearly thinking something was amiss.