‘Come on!’ she said to Lieffe between her happy laughs.
She used her hands to move herself along the ceiling and out of the room. Her happiness and her new-found lightness meant her feet didn’t touch the ground, literally. She floated up the stairs, Lieffe hot on her heels. Before she could float all the way to the top of the building, Lieffe grabbed her ankle and guided her to the seventh floor, where he pulled her downwards until her feet finally did touch the ground. She gave one huge happy sigh and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
‘Are you all right?’ Lieffe chuckled.
‘Yes,’ she said happily. ‘I’m OK. More than.’
‘Good. I’m glad. Well, Evie,’ he gave the tops of her arms a squeeze, ‘this is where I leave you.’
‘I will see you again, won’t I?’ Evie asked, suddenly panicked.
‘Whenever you want! Through that door is your heaven. If you ever want to invite me in for tea, I’ll be there, but this time, it’s your turn to make it.’
‘Of course. I promise. You’re welcome any time.’ She hugged him, hard. ‘Thank you for everything, Lieffe. I never would have got this far without you.’
‘Oh Evie. I know you. Of course you would have.’
‘Maybe, but it would have taken me twice as long.’
‘Well,’ Lieffe said, ‘it’s been a true pleasure.’ He hugged her back, even harder.
After a long moment, Evie finally pulled away. ‘Time to go,’ she said.
Lieffe gave her a final smile of encouragement before she turned away and walked purposefully down the corridor.
When she reached Apartment 72, the excitement she’d been feeling a second ago gave way to the fear that her keys would refuse to turn again. She moved closer to her door and leaned her forehead against it, praying that there wasn’t something she’d forgotten, something else that she’d need to go back and fix. Just then, she heard a noise coming from inside. She pressed her ear against the wood. She was certain it was the sound of clinking porcelain and boiling water. Her curiosity eclipsed her last-minute worries and she scrambled to get her keys out of her pocket. Her hands shook, flustered, and she missed the lock several times, scratching the wood of the door, before she finally slid the key perfectly into the keyhole. For the first time in a long time, she could feel her heart thumping in her chest.
One, she counted in her head, two … three … She pushed the key with her thumb to the right.
It turned.
Her breath caught in her throat. She turned the doorknob and it swivelled easily. Carefully she pushed on the door and it opened. Just a crack at first – it was all she could manage – then with one deep breath she shoved it all the way open.
The room was warmly lit, just as it had always been when she’d lived there. The green armchair sat by the door, looking comfortable and slightly worn. The rug was where it always had been, the sofas were in their rightful places, everything was as it should be. Evie was turning around to close the door, putting the keys in her pocket, so happy to be home, when she heard a noise behind her: the unmistakable flutter of wings.
Slowly she turned, her back against the door, and looked out through the doors to the balcony. Against the setting sun, she could see the silhouette of Little One perched on the railings.
He wasn’t alone.
Evie couldn’t breathe. The scruffiness … the shaggy hair … the green eyes … The one thing the apartment had been missing. The one person her life had been missing for far too long.
‘Vincent?’
The man on the balcony stepped into the room. His face was stubbly and flushed, the smile under his rounded nose was kind and crooked, but it was his eyes, his green eyes, shining through his raven hair, that made Evie’s heart burst into a thousand speckled pieces.
‘Evie?’ he said, his voice breaking.
Evie ran into his open arms, and the feel of him against her body was so real. He took her face in his rough hands and brushed his nose against hers, convincing himself that this wasn’t a dream, she was real too and she was there with him. Evie rested her hands on his chest, feeling his heart beating beneath his skin, and she ran her fingers up through his hair, convincing herself of the same thing.
Vincent moved his lips to hers, and just before he kissed her Evie whispered, ‘At long last.’
Acknowledgements
Firstly I’d like to thank all the people who helped this book to physically exist in the world. My agent Hannah Ferguson, without you and the faith you’ve put in me, my ideas and stories would still be pages in notebooks that no one’s ever seen. Thank you for your continued support! My editor, Manpreet Grewal. You’ve been spectacularly patient with me and so wonderful at accepting my truly mad ideas. Thanks for not screaming wildly down the corridor when you read that Horace the cat would swallow the heroine and that Evie and Vincent would be using a bird as a notebook! To Stephanie Melrose who has arranged many an event, flapped many a book and taken many a photo with those who have come to said events. You work so hard and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. To Rhiannon for always putting up with me being scatty and late for deadlines. To the designer, Bekki Guyatt, and artist, Helen Crawford-White, of this book’s cover, it’s truly beautiful and I couldn’t have dreamed it better. To Hannah Boursnell, for being just as excited about this book as you were the last! Also to Sara Talbot, Rachel Wilkie and Marie Hrynczak for making sure everything runs smoothly and for being so behind this book and for always providing tea and treats whenever I visit!
Secondly, to all the people who helped this story exist. Evie is a woman I aspire to be like myself and without my incredibly strong, brilliant and slightly crazy friends, I wouldn’t have had half the inspiration to make her who she is. Celinde Schoenmaker, my Dutch mermaid! We may not share a dressing room any longer but you’re always there and I will love you, always. Ik hou van jou. Louise Jones, you are the slug to my lettuce and boy have we been through it all! But here we are, stronger than ever, ready to take on the world with our words and our sass …TOGETHER. Katy Secombe, never have I ever had the pleasure to meet and work with someone as truly bonkers as you! Thank you for all your stories and your magic. Calling you my friend is an honour. Zoe Doano, your kindness, patience, peace and love towards this fast-paced and frightening world is a rare gem and I am lucky to have spent so much time surrounded by your aura. Here’s to a long and lovely friendship! Emma Kingston, what can I say? You’re just brilliant! You deserve so much success and I can’t wait for the day I’m pointing at your name in the programme of your own hit Broadway show and I’m disrupting the audience by yelling about how we used to work together. (I won’t take any photos during the show though, promise! :P) There are so many people I can’t go without mentioning! Hazel Hayes, Dodie Clark, Emma Blackery, Rachelle Ann Go; you’ve all inspired me in ways I can’t begin to express. Thank you!!!
Thirdly, I have a lot of love for the friends who inspired the men in On the Other Side too. Alex Banks, your friendship is one of a kind. You’re hilariously wonderful in every way and you never fail to make me laugh. Gary C, you are a star. Always there and always shining. I have so much love for you. Jack Howard …I am so proud of you, Jackaroo. Simply for the man you are. Everything else you do knocks me flat. You hugely inspired this book and I hope you always know how highly I think of you. Rock ‘n’ Roll. Always. Pete Bucknall. My Big Tree. You understand me better than anyone ever has and you’re always there to lean on. Even when we both know I’m being utterly crazy. I love you so much.
Fourthly, to my family! My mum and dad, you’re the most loving, supportive, crazy people and I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me and for all you continue to do. Nan and Grandad, I couldn’t have coped without your support over the years. So much of this book is about marriage and relationships and if you hadn’t set such a shining example of what a marriage should be, I wouldn’t have been able to write this book. Thank you! Tom and Gi, you’re always there with words of wisdom an
d silliness and watching you both work so hard AND juggle your own lives is a huge inspiration. I don’t know how you do it. You’re superheroes! Buzz and Buddy, you’re both too young to read this book or to know that I’m thanking you but your gorgeous little faces make me want to be a better person and create a better world for you to live in when you’re older. I’ll always be here if EVER you need me.
Fifthly, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me, helped me and believed in me over the years. Marc Samuelson, thank you for putting your faith in me. Without you, I never would have got here as quickly and I won’t ever be able to thank you enough. Ray Lamb, my singing teacher when I was a young’un. You taught me the true meaning of confidence and that knowledge has been invaluable. I owe you more Rolos than you could ever know! Mr David Brown, my English teacher in secondary school. Thank you for putting up with all of my overenthusiastic attempts at writing a novel when I was in my teens. I reckon this one’s a bit better than whatever I used to dump on your desk and ask you to mark. Sorry for that but thank you for always being so encouraging. That’s something I’ll never forget. Dr Ian Roche, my secondary school music teacher. You weren’t just a teacher but a friend and you always pushed me to be my best. Thank you for getting me out of physics and maths lessons to focus on the things that mattered to me most. And to everyone at Northwood College who taught me and supported me in my time there. I will always make sure that the knowledge, confidence and encouragement you gave me will always be put to good use. And to Helen, Simon, Nick, Jono and Ang for accepting me into your group with so much warmth and love. You all mean the world to me.
Sixthly, to all at Curtis Brown. I can’t begin to thank you enough for being so supportive, being there every step of the way and believing in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. You’ve encouraged me to try new things which in turn has helped me develop, not just as an actress and a singer, but as a person too. So thank you, Fran, Jess, Emma, Flo, Alastair and Helen. I am SO lucky to have you all by my side.
Finally, thank you to those who have supported me over the years from afar. Anyone who’s ever watched a video, read my books, come to see me perform in shows or simply sent me a tweet of kindness. It’s all so appreciated and although I can’t reach out to everyone individually, I do see it all and I am often overcome with your love and support. THANK YOU!
Carrie Hope Fletcher, On the Other Side
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