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call me so quickly," Alison teased. The way she looked at him when she'd said it didn't suggest she minded. If anything, she looked rather pleased to be here. Through the varied scents hanging around the place, Jamie couldn't ignore hers. Irresistibly sweet and intoxicating.
    "Well... Life's too short to put a good thing off, don't you think?"
    The incredibly efficient twenty-or-so guy who had taken his order appeared again with Alison's drink, placing it on the table in front of her. "Can I get ya anything else?" he asked.
    Jamie shook his head. "Thanks."
    "You're right. Life
is
too short," Alison repeated.
    The scent of her arousal was more pronounced the longer she sat in front of him. If Jamie didn't bring up their history now, he'd never manage the presence of mind to do so later.
    "I do have to admit, though, that I'm afraid I had a hidden agenda asking you to meet me here..." Jamie said.
    Alison cocked her head to the side and folded her hands on the table. Those green eyes staring at him almost made Jamie lose himself again. A deep breath helped him regain focus.
    "Applecross Bay, 1995." Jamie paused and observed Alison's reaction.
    She pressed her lips together and all the color seemed to drain out of her face. Her eyes darted back and forth between Jamie's and random spots around the room. She reminded him of cornered prey, and although it was in his instinct to always maintain an advantage in any confrontation, he felt uneasy about putting her in this position.
    "That's it. That's why you looked familiar," she whispered.
    Alison loosened her hands and rested her face in them for a moment, before looking up at Jamie again through the gaps between her fingers.
    "I guess that's it then," she said, under her breath.
    "What?" Jamie asked. His mind was racing. Although he was certain that he'd been dreaming of her every night since, it was still a shock to hear her admit that she'd been there. He hadn't lost his mind after all.
    "The game's up, eh?" She blinked a few times and Jamie could see that her eyes had glazed over slightly.
    She was visibly upset, and although he should be furious that this woman had had anything to do with what had without a doubt been the very worst day of his life, he couldn't muster anything other than sympathy. She'd been only a child back then, like him.
    Jamie reached across the table, resting his hand on top of her arm. To ignore the intense attraction he had for her, especially while touching her was a tall order, but he managed to suppress it somehow. "Alison."
    She sniffled and reached into her handbag, retrieving a pack of tissues with her free hand. After struggling to get one out of the wrapper, she dabbed the corners of her eyes with it.
    "I can't explain it, I should be angry. I should demand answers. I should... I don't know. Really, I just want to know what happened," Jamie whispered.
    "And I should be scared right now," Alison responded, a thoughtful, though still teary-eyed expression on her face. "But..."
    "So let's talk. Figure it out." Jamie gently squeezed her arm, enjoying the warmth as it filtered out of her skin and into his fingertips. It was too easy to touch her, so tempting to do so much more...
    "He's safe, you know. Your little brother. I don't know where he is now, but he's safe," Alison whispered.
    "Matthew. That was his name. We used to call him Matty." Jamie took Alison's hand, threading his fingers through hers. He hadn't said his brother's name out loud in years, it had hurt too much. For some inexplicable reason it felt good to open up to
her
of all people.
    "I know. Matthew." A lone tear ran down her cheek as she looked up from their entwined hands resting on the rugged wood of the table. "It was Dad's idea. I had no choice but to go along."
    "I know. It's okay," Jamie tried to comfort her. His own pain paled in comparison to the regret and guilt emanating from her. It was heart wrenching, to sense her emotions so keenly.
    "It was all part of an experiment.