Christmas at Tiffany's by Karen Swan

against the wall . . . for a second . . .’
    Cassie waited while she got her breath back.
    ‘Phew! That was good – twelve storeys in seven minutes. A PB.’
    ‘A what?’
    ‘Personal best, dummy.’
    Cassie rolled her eyes. As well as kickboxing lessons every other evening, and the seven o’clock training runs each morning, Kelly was also a devoted tower-runner, even in heels. Cassie had been let off a few runs – on compassionate grounds – but she was ‘due’ out again tomorrow.
    ‘Anyway, look, the reason I called – I’ve left the file for the Breitling presentation at the office. Can you go back there and bring it over for me?’
    ‘But I’m with Bebe. We’re in the middle of the casting session for the show.’
    ‘We both know Bebe doesn’t actually need you there. Just tell her there’s an emergency at the office and you have to go. Take a cab and get a receipt. The address is on the folder. We’re on the twelfth floor. ’
    And she hung up.
    Fifteen minutes later, Cassie was standing in the lobby, impatiently pushing the ‘up’ button. She had no intention of racing up the stairs, even if she did have to wait seven minutes for the lifts to come back down from the heavens.
    The doors opened and after the stream of occupants had spilled out she stepped in.
    ‘Cassie! Hold the doors!’ called a voice as they began to close. She quickly turned back to the panel, looking blindly for the ‘doors open’ button, but there was no need. Henry suddenly leapt sideways through the half-closed opening, falling heavily against the mirrored wall at the back. Cassie pushed herself to the side wall in fright – not that her face registered it. The Botox doctor Kelly had taken her to the day before hadn’t been quite as light of touch as she’d hoped, and every time she went to the loo, she spent ten minutes practising lifting her eyebrows in the mirror, like a sumo wrestler heaving a foot off the floor.
    ‘Hi,’ he smiled, and then stopped at the sight of her expression. He straightened up and looked away from her as the lift started moving up the shaft.
    They stood in silence for a few moments.
    ‘Are you in on this meeting too, then?’ he asked.
    ‘No. I’m just the delivery girl,’ she said, holding up the file.
    ‘Ah.’ He slid his eyes over towards her, watching the way her lips silently read the changing numbers on the display.
    ‘Look, Cass . . . I’m sorry if I overstepped the mark the other night,’ he said, staring straight at her. ‘I crossed the line saying those things to you. I confused knowing you since birth with knowing you now. You have every right to . . . rebuild your life however you see fit.’
    ‘Thanks, Henry,’ she said, smiling weakly. ‘I appreciate that. I couldn’t bear to think of you feeling so . . . disappointed in me.’
    ‘You could never disappoint me, Cass,’ he said hurriedly.
    A moment passed and they watched the numbers zoom up on the LED display.
    ‘Oh. I got you this!’ he said, holding up an envelope. ‘By way of apology. I was going to give it to Kelly at the meeting. I didn’t expect to see you again before I go.’
    ‘When are you off?’
    ‘Tonight.’
    ‘Oh.’ They’d only just become reacquainted, and the other night hadn’t been an unmitigated success. It made her feel sad to think he was going again so soon. She needed all the friends she could get at the moment.
    She took the envelope. The contents rattled loosely, like rice.
    ‘What is it? Confetti for your wedding?’ she joked, before suddenly blushing as she realized she might not be invited. Old friends didn’t mean close friends. ‘Lacey seems lovely, by the way.’
    ‘Yes. She is.’
    ‘Absolutely gorgeous.’
    ‘Yes. She’s very pretty.’
    The doors pinged open and Kelly practically fell in. ‘There you are!’ she said, rushing forward and taking the file from her arms. ‘Oh, Henry!’ she said, catching sight of Henry stepping out after her. ‘You’re here