Marry Me Tomorrow: The perfect, feel-good read to curl up with in 2017!

It was no good. I was going to have to say something.

‘Not really!’ I snapped. ‘Do you know how stressful it is to drive a car with someone criticising your every move?’ His expression changed instantly to one of alarm and he sat up straighter. ‘Do you know how much you’ve pissed me off today? I am so angry right now, I want to hit you.’

‘Now, hold on a minute! I didn’t make any women driver comments on the way here. The only time I said anything was when you took the wrong turning at the roundabout. In fact, I thought you did very well.’

‘There you go again, patronising me. Being a woman does not affect how I drive, nor does it affect my taste in music.’

Sam’s eyes seemed to grow and grow with alarm. ‘I was only joking! Jeez, calm down, will you?’

‘You were not joking!’ To my embarrassment, tears of frustrated anger started to run down my cheeks and I swiped them away angrily with my hands.

‘Oh my God, are you crying? Please stop now! I’m sorry, all right? I didn’t realise I was offending you.’ He reached for my hand but I slapped him away, lifting my bag up onto my lap and rummaging inside for a tissue.

‘Oh you didn’t, did you? Well maybe you should think before you speak in future.’

‘Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.’ He leaned forward, horrified, but I turned away from him, blowing my nose angrily into a tissue. I couldn’t believe I was crying and felt so angry with myself for being so weak. I drew in a deep shuddering breath as I pulled a clean tissue from the pack.

‘You’re like the world’s worst passenger; do you know that?’

‘I’m sorry, I just like to be in control.’

‘Oh well that’s ironic seeing as your life is totally out of control,’ I snapped.

‘True.’ Sam went very still and I immediately felt like a complete bitch. I stayed with my back to him, picking at the tissue with my fingers.

‘What do you want me to do?’ Sam asked, at last.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Do you want me to go?’

‘Of course not.’ I turned around slowly to look at him. ‘I just want you to stop commenting on my driving.’

‘Okay.’ He nodded. ‘I could drive, if you w –?’

‘No.’

‘Okay.’ He raised his hands and turned back to face the front.

‘Is my mascara smudged?’ I blinked at him, running a finger under each eye and sniffing. He shook his head, his eyes wary. I settled back down against the seat and looked away, across the lounge.

‘Are you nervous? About seeing your mum again?’

I shook my head and then shrugged.

Sam watched me. His laid-back stance of just a moment ago had disappeared and now he sat defensively, legs and arms crossed in front of him. ‘What’s she like? Is she scary?’

‘No.’

‘So why are you so wound up?’

‘Because of you! You wound me up!’

He frowned. ‘Oh come on. I think this is about more than just me.’

‘Bloody men! See, things like this are why I don’t have a boyfriend.’

‘Things like what?’

‘You, trying to shirk responsibility for upsetting me. Men never admit fault; it’s always the woman’s hormones or something else that’s stressing her out.’

‘Did I mention hormones?’

‘You didn’t need to. I could see it in your eyes.’

His eyebrows shot up. ‘In my eyes? Wow. You women, you’re so intuitive.’

‘Oh shut up!’

He laughed and nudged me with his elbow. ‘Hey, I said I was sorry, didn’t I? I’m not saying I didn’t upset you, but your stress levels went up as soon as we reached this airport. Why are you so wound up about seeing your mum?’

‘I’m not wound up about seeing her!’

Sam sighed and looked away. ‘I’d give anything to see my mum again.’

I opened my mouth to reply and then shut it again. There wasn’t much I could say to that really. And it was true; I was lucky to still have my mum around, even if she did constantly nag me to find a man.

‘I’m sorry,’ I said at last.

‘You’re sorry, I’m sorry.’ He shook his head and shrugged. ‘So, tell me about your ex-boyfriends then? Were any serious? Did you ever consider marrying any of them?’

‘Not really.’

‘Really?’ Raising an eyebrow, he leaned his head towards me a little. ‘Are you sure you’ve ever had a boyfriend?’

My mouth fell open at the sheer audacity of his questions. He was really pushing his luck tonight. ‘Yes I’ve had boyfriends. God, what is it with you?’

He laughed and shrugged. ‘Just trying to make conversation.’

‘If that’s the best you can do, don’t bother.’ I stared off into the distance and we sat in tense silence.

‘Wow, this is great.’ Sam breathed. ‘It’s uncanny really, you know…’ he leaned forward to try and make me look at him ‘…because this is what marriage is actually like.’

Suppressing a smile, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and he pressed his arm against mine.

‘I was only joking.’

‘Am I so ugly that you think no one would ever want me?’