Chapter Fifteen

‘ T hank you.' Erin took the bulging bag of party bits from the shopkeeper.

‘You're very welcome. I hope you and the little superheroes enjoy the party.' Holding up his hand, he waved.

‘I'm sure we will.' Erin turned towards the door before pausing and slipping the magazine and pen into the bag. Looking through the glass panels of the door, Erin frowned and watched as Tim spoke to a woman pushing a cream buggy before kneeling down on the pavement and doing something with one of the front wheels.

She smiled. He was fixing it for her. The wheel must have come loose or come off altogether before Erin had spotted what he was doing, and he was fixing it. As she watched, the small toddler in the buggy reached over and tugged Tim's hair before pushing a small yellow teddy in his face.

Erin could see Tim looking up at the child and saying something, before taking the teddy and moving its legs as though it were dancing. She laughed. Once the toddler had taken their toy back, Tim's attention turned once again to the wheel and after a few minutes, Tim stood up and spoke to the woman again.

And this was it. This was the reason Tim had been her best friend for years, for most of her life, because this was who he was. He was the helper in the crowd, the person who went out of his way to be kind and make someone else's day a little easier, a little brighter. A friend, a family member, a stranger, it didn't matter to him. He was the kind of person to help others without needing, expecting, or wanting anything in return.

He was a true superhero. Her hero.

A warmth rose from her chest, and she swiped the back of her hand across her eyes as she felt tears sting the back of her eyes. Suddenly, standing here and watching him, it all made sense. She felt such a raw love for him. A love which was based on friendship but was something entirely new to her, too. Something real.

She pulled the shop door open and, waiting until the woman had pushed her buggy away, Erin ran the few quick steps across the path to him and dropped her bag by her feet. In one movement, she cupped his cheeks with her hands and pulled him towards her. As their lips finally met and she felt his lips beneath hers, all the fears, all the worries and concerns she'd had dispersed and in that moment she knew she wanted them to work, she wanted this relationship between them to blossom, to grow beyond friendship, to last.

Pulling away, Tim blinked and took her hands in his before meeting her eyes. ‘Wow.'

‘Now, that wasn't awkward.' She grinned so much her cheeks hurt.

‘No, no, it wasn't.' He ran his tongue across his lips before drawing her into his arms and whispering, his lips millimetres from hers, ‘Let me just check...'

She kissed him back as she felt his hand at the nape of her neck, supporting her, holding her. This felt like something else. This kiss, being in his arms, felt like so much more than she'd ever had with Kyle. Their connection was so much stronger. Leaning back, she took a shuddering breath. ‘I'm so sorry I ducked away when you tried to kiss me in the shop. I don't think I was ready, but now, I know this is what I want. I know I want more than friendship with you.'

‘And you're sure?' Tim's eyes searched hers.

‘One hundred per cent. I really am sure. Watching you fix that buggy, being the hero you always are, it sparked something in me. It reassured me to know that whatever happens, whether or not this relationship works, we'll always have each other. I don't need to be afraid that I'll lose you.'

‘You'd never lose me.'

‘No, but I think that's what was holding me back. I think I was worried that if this fails, things would never be the same again.' She ran the pads of her forefingers over his cheeks. ‘I now know that won't happen. That we'll always have each other. No matter what.'

‘No matter what.' He grinned and turned as a man tapped him on the back.

‘Is this yours?'

Stepping back, Erin looked at the tub of bubbles the man was holding and then at the floor, the bubbles had all rolled across the path and the banner was dancing its way down the street, its silver metallic self being swept up on the breeze. ‘Oops, the bag must have split when I dropped it.'

‘Thanks, mate.' Taking the tub of bubbles from the man, Tim ran down the street and retrieved the rest of them along with the banner.

Dropping to her knees, Erin bundled the packs of balloons, face paints and the numerous other items she'd bought from the shop back into the bag, careful to stuff them in away from the split in the plastic. She watched as Tim knelt down beside her, returning the bubbles and the banner to the bag before bundling it all up in his arm.

Chuckling, he held his free hand out towards her.

Taking his hand, Erin let him help her up before leaning her forehead against his chest and laughing. ‘What a day!'

‘A day we won't forget too easily.' Tim grinned as they began walking back towards the car park. ‘We'll remember this day as the anniversary of us throwing caution to the wind and deciding to give us a go.'

‘Haha, that's very true.' Placing her arm around his waist, she hugged him to her as they turned the corner.