«Well, this is a surprise,» murmured Emily, her voice steady despite the pounding in her chest as she looked up from her book to see her husband standing in the train compartment doorwaywith another woman by his side.
«Daniel, have you seen my blue scarf? The one you gave me last Christmas?» Shed been rifling through the wardrobe earlier, pretending to be absorbed in the search.
«Check the top shelf, behind the shoeboxes,» Daniel called from the kitchen. «You stuffed it there after your last business trip.»
Emily froze. There was something odd in his tone. After fifteen years of marriage, theyd learned to catch every tiny shift in each others voices. Theyd also both become experts at pretending not to notice.
«Found it!» she declared cheerfully a moment later. «Youre rightbehind the boxes. Youve always had a freakishly good memory for these things.»
«Occupational hazard,» he smiled, stepping into the room with two mugs of tea. «Long-haul lorry drivers need to remember routes, turns, rest stops»
*And excuses,* Emily added silently. Out loud, she said, «Guess what? Theyre sending me to Manchester last-minuteright before New Years! The higher-ups insist I be there in person to finalise the annual report.»
She busied herself packing, avoiding his eyes. There was no report. There was only James, the regional manager from Brighton, whom shed met at a corporate event three years ago. Since then, theyd arranged «business trips» every few months.
«Funny coincidence,» Daniel said, perching on the edge of the bed and handing her a mug. «Ive got a last-minute haul to Liverpool. Client needs it delivered by the 29th.»
Emily suppressed a smirk. She knew there was no urgent delivery. There was only the phone hed left on the kitchen counter three months agothe texts from a woman named Sophie, a dispatcher from Liverpool, the photos shed glimpsed before slipping it back into place. Shed known exactly where hed really been going on those «Liverpool routes.»
«How long will you be away?» Daniel asked casually.
«Should be back by the 29th,» she said. «Got to prep for the holidays. You?»
«Samehoping to wrap it up by then.»
They exchanged a smile, both knowing the other was lying. Emily had a hotel booked in Manchester until the 30th. Daniel had planned to spend those days with Sophie at her countryside cottage.
That evening, they sat at the kitchen table sipping tea, discussing holiday plans with practiced ease. Theyd mastered the art of keeping up appearances.
«Should we invite your parents over for Christmas?» Emily asked.
«Theyre visiting my sister in Edinburgh,» he said. «Yours?»
«Off to my brothersnew baby in Bristol.»
Both felt a flicker of reliefno need to invent more excuses for family.
The train compartment was warm, the rhythmic clatter of wheels against tracks soothing. Emily settled by the window with her book and a blanket. Ten minutes until departure. Outside, passengers hurried past, voices and announcements drifting in.
«Excuse me, is this your bag?» A womans voice carried in from the corridor. «Think it was left near the carriage door.»
«No, mines with me,» replied a mans voiceone Emily faintly recognised. «Let me help you find your seat.»
Her stomach dropped. She knew that voice. It *couldnt* be. Slowly, she looked up just as the compartment door slid open.
There stood Daniel. Beside him, a striking woman in a camel coatSophie, unmistakably. In person, she was even lovelier: tall, auburn-haired, green-eyed.
For a breathless moment, the three of them just stared.
«Well, this is awkward,» Emily said lightly, though her pulse roared in her ears. «Thought you were headed to Liverpool?»
«I» Daniels gaze darted between them. «Last-minute route change.»
«Funny, since you mentioned an urgent *delivery*,» Emily smiled thinly.
Just then, a tall man in an expensive navy overcoat peered in. «Sorry Im late, love. Meeting ran over» He stopped short, taking in the scene.
«James,» he introduced himself stiffly.
«My husband, Daniel,» Emily said. «And his colleague?»
«Sophie,» the woman murmured.
A conductor appeared, checking tickets with a frown. «Theres been a mix-upyouve all been assigned the same seats. Happens sometimes with holiday bookings. Ill have to reseat you.»
«Dont bother,» Emily said suddenly. «We might as well talk. Plenty to discuss, yeah?» She glanced at Daniel, catching something like relief in his eyes.
«Suppose fates handed us a chance,» he agreed.
James and Sophie exchanged uneasy looks but stayed.
As the train pulled away, the four of them sat in heavy silence. Daniel stared out at the frost-kissed fields. Sophie twisted a pendant around her neck. James scrolled absently through emails. Emily pretended to read.
«How long?» she finally asked Sophie.
«Three years,» came the quiet reply. «Met when his lorry broke down near Liverpool.»
«And you?» Daniel asked James.
«Corporate event in Manchester. Two years back.»
Emily laughed humourlessly. «So we both started looking elsewhere at the same time.»
«Why?» James blurted. «You two seem fine»
«*Fine*,» Daniel echoed. «Thats the word. Wake up, work, eat, sleep. Repeat. Like clockwork.»
«I missed *talking*,» Emily admitted. «We used to chat for hours. Then it was just bills and weekend plans.»
«And I missed you *asking*,» Daniel said. «You never worried when I was late.»
«Because I knew where you *really* were,» she shot back. «Saw Sophies texts on your phone months ago.»
«And I found that Manchester hotel receipt in your bag. Along with photos of James.»
«You *knew*?» Sophie gasped.
«What was I supposed to say?» Emily shrugged. «*Darling, I know youre cheating, but so am I*?»
«Easier to pretend,» Daniel admitted. «We had our routines. Our little escapes.»
«Escapes,» Emily repeated. «But what about the big things? That cottage in the Cotswolds we always talked about? The dog? Travelling together?»
«I think about it every time I drive past those villages,» he said quietly.
«And I save listings for country houses,» she admitted. «*Couldve been us*.»
James and Sophie shifted uncomfortably.
«Daniel and I never talked about the future,» Sophie said suddenly. «Just the present.»
«Same with us,» James added. «Think we always knew this wasnt real.»
Emily turned to Daniel. «*Is* there a future for us?»
He was silent a long moment, watching the winter landscape blur past. Then: «Remember how we met? You missed the last train, and I offered a lift in that beat-up Astra.»
She smiled. «Broke down halfway. We sat on the kerb for hours talking about *everything*.»
«Exactly. Then we forgot how.»
«Maybe its not too late to remember,» she whispered.
As the train slowed into Manchester, James stood. «EmilyI think this is goodbye.»
«Same, Daniel,» Sophie said softly. «We should stop before it gets messier.»
On the platform, Emily and Daniel watched them disappear into the crowd.
«Home?» he asked finally.
«What about your Liverpool delivery?»
«Never existed. Unlike your annual report.»
She smirked. «Saw a lovely cottage near Oxford yesterday. Two bedrooms, big garden. Room for a dog.»
«A big one?»
«*Massive*. And a garage for your lorry.»
They boarded the next train to London, talkingreally talkingfor the first time in years. About their mistakes. Their fears. How much theyd *missed* each other.
Six months later, they bought that cottage. Adopted a boisterous Labrador. Daniel started bringing Emily coffee in bed; she began waiting up when he was on late routes.
They realised, after fifteen years, they werent just spousesthey were *family*. And that reckless, ridiculous train encounter? It became their favourite story to tell over wine on the patio, laughing at how a wrong turn had led them right back to each other.
