Wedding Night

file.”
    “Correct!”
    “A
railroad track
?” Melissa looks from face to face. “Can I appeal that?”
    I beam at Ben and raise my fist in a victory salute. But he doesn’t respond; his eyes are out of focus as though he’s still remembering.
    “Couple Two?”
    “Wait!” says Ben suddenly. “I haven’t finished my answer. That time on the railroad track—that’s when I realized I was in love with my wife. But the moment I realized I
loved
her …” He glances over at me with an unreadable look. “That was quite another time.”
    “What’s the difference?” says Melissa petulantly. “Are you trying to wind us all up again?”
    “You fall in and out of love,” says Ben. “But when you really
love
someone … it’s forever.”
    Is that a line from the show? I don’t recognize it. I’m feeling a bit confused here. What’s he talking about?
    “The day I realized I loved my wife was right here on the island of Ikonos, fifteen years ago.” He leans toward themicrophone and his voice rises, now resonant. “I’d had the flu. She nursed me all night. She was my guardian angel. I still remember that sweet voice telling me I’d be OK. Now I realize I’ve loved her since that day, though I didn’t always know it.”
    He finishes to silence. Everyone seems thunderstruck. Then a girl from the audience whoops appreciatively, and it’s as though the spell is broken, and applause breaks out, louder than ever.
    I’m so gripped, I barely hear the others give their answers. He was talking about us. Not Dirk and Sally: us. Ben and Lottie. A warm glow has stolen over me, and I can’t stop smiling. He’s loved me for fifteen years. He’s stood up and said it in public. Nothing so romantic has ever happened to me,
ever
.
    The only tiny, minuscule niggle is …
    Well. Just a teeny point, which is that I still don’t remember it happening. My mind is blank. I don’t remember Ben having the flu, nor do I remember nursing him. But, then, there’s a lot about that time I don’t remember, I reassure myself. I’d forgotten all about Big Bill. I’d forgotten about the poker tournament. It’s probably buried somewhere deep inside me.
    “… you know it was on that picnic! You’ve always said so!”
    Abruptly, I become aware that Melissa and Matt are still squabbling about his answer.
    “It wasn’t on the picnic,” says Matt obstinately. “It was in the Cotswolds. But the way you’re carrying on, maybe I wish I hadn’t!”
    Melissa takes a sharp breath, and I can practically see smoke puff from her ears.
    “I think I know when we fell in love, Matt! And it wasn’t in the bloody Cotswolds!”
    “Which brings us to the end of our contest!” Nico puts in deftly. “And I am delighted to say that our winners are Couple Three! Ben and Lottie Parr! You win a special open-air couple’s massage and will be awarded the Happy Couple of the Week trophy at our gala prize ceremony tomorrow evening. Congratulations!” He leads an uproarious round of applause, and Ben winks at me. We take a bow, and I feel Ben squeeze my hand tightly.
    “I like the sound of this couple’s massage,” he says into my ear. “I read about it earlier. They do it on the beach in a special curtained arbor with essential oils. You get glasses of champagne, and after they’ve finished, they leave you alone for some ‘private time.’ ”
    Private time?
I meet his eyes. At last! Ben and I alone on a beach in our own private space, with the waves crashing on the shore and glasses of champagne and our bodies slick with oil …
    “Let’s do it as soon as we can.” My voice is thick with longing.
    “Tonight.” His hand lightly brushes against my breast, making me shiver with anticipation. I guess we’ve abandoned the no-touching rule. We bow again to the audience and then head down off the platform. “And now let’s go for a drink,” adds Ben. “I want to ply you with alcohol.”
    Turns out there
are
advantages to having a butler. The minute we say that we want a celebratory drink, Georgios swings into action, securing us a corner table at the posh beach restaurant,complete with champagne on ice and special lobster canapés brought down from the main restaurant. For once I don’t mind the fuss and bother as the butlers dance around us. It feels right. We should be fussed over. We’re the champions!
    “So!” says Ben when at last we’re left alone. “Good day, as it turns out.”
    “Very good.” I grin