She pulled up short. f**k. Wait.
Alex watched her with wide eyes, silent.
She took a breath. “Look. I just haven’t seen a good track record of relationships, all right? My own mother went … b****y bonkers over it.”
“Over a relationship?”
“Yes!” she burst out. “Well, no. No, I guess not, it was just a bit of a catalyst … Look, the point is, I want us to try. I want to be with you. But you never even asked. So maybe—maybe f*****g ask for once.”
They stared at each other for ages. Izzy didn’t even know what she wanted to happen next. She was keyed up and spent all at once.
Then Alex sagged down, dropped his head back, and said, “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m—I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” She had, she realised, been expecting him to argue. She’d been ready for it, in fact. She could have gone ten ro
