Page 58 of Birds of a Feather

He directed me to the guest bathroom, which was as tastefully decorated as the rest of the apartment. His home was distinctly masculine. But unlike the shared houses I had experienced through Jarrah over the years, where ‘masculine’ was an adjective used to describe a space where giant pyramids were constructed out of beer cans, bongs doubled as vases, and milk crates were used for everything from coffee tables to bed bases, this apartment was the epitome of masculine sophistication.

As I entered the bathroom, I noticed his copy of Toilet Paper Origami was perched on the edge of the vanity. I immediately looked to the current toilet paper roll and saw the next few sheets had been folded several times to create an impressive origami swan. Despite it being a waterbird, it seemed such a shame to send it down the waterways, so I reached for one of the spare rolls in the basket next to the toilet instead.

‘Impressive swan,’ I said as I emerged from the bathroom. ‘It’s great to see the universe’s plan for you to become a renowned toilet paper artist is really working out.’

‘Oh yes, thanks,’ he replied coyly. ‘I’m glad you appreciate it. I went thought half a roll perfecting that.’

As we emerged from his building we found the rain has stopped, but it felt like the temperature had taken another dive. We continued towards Kensington Palace, hands in our pockets, and chatted about everything from Meghan Markle to his attempt at the London Marathon (which robbed him of eight of his toenails and the ability to walk up or down stairs for a fortnight). I had become accustomed to people searching the room for someone more interesting with whom to speak, or becoming distracted by other things, but he seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.

Apart from the thirty minutes he’d spent with his eyes clenched shut on the London Eye, Nick looked at me when I spoke. Directly at me. Even if it meant craning his neck, or turning backwards. I enjoyed the feeling of being seen and heard.

A trio of men, all wearing broad grins and duplicates of the blue-and-maroon scarf Nick had left at his apartment, were making their way towards us.

‘Hello mate,’ said one of the men.

I looked to Nick, who was shaking his head and smiling in warm recognition. ‘Hello, lads. Fancy seeing you here.’

Nick extended his hand to the man who’d first greeted us. They joined hands and pulled each other into a quick man-style hug. He repeated the ritual with the other two.

I felt an all-too-familiar itch of self-consciousness and instinctively held back. I assumed Nick wouldn’t want to introduce me to his friends or, if he did, it would only be to make it clear that I was just the granddaughter of his great-aunt’s lover and nothing else.

‘Beth,’ Nick said motioning towards me instead. ‘Come and meet these three renegades. This is Chris, Simon and Anil. We went to school together, and they’ve been making my life a nightmare ever since.’

‘Mate! You don’t know how good you’ve got it,’ Simon said, giving Nick a wry smile and moving towards me with his hand out.

‘You alright?’ he said, shaking my hand. ‘I’ve heard lots about you.’

I looked to Nick for clarification, assuming he was mistaking me for someone else.

‘Yes, it’s nice to meet you, Beth,’ Anil said, reaching in to shake my hand. ‘He’s filled our group chat with details about what you’ve been up to since you arrived.’

‘He has?’ I said, flummoxed that Nick had been talking to his friends about me.

‘I hope he’s been a gracious tour guide,’ Chris said, taking his turn to shake my hand. ‘It sounds like you might be returning the favour before too long, if Nick gets his way. I think he’s already started to pack his bags.’

Nick glared at him theatrically to indicate it was in good humour. ‘Yeah, well, I do hope to get to Australia someday. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.’

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I spotted a tinge of warmth to his cheeks. Could he have been blushing?

‘What are you two doing today that meant you couldn’t come and watch the game with us?’ Anil asked, flapping his blue-and-maroon scarf provocatively.

‘This would be the first game you’ve missed in … how long?’ asked Simon.

Nick laughed awkwardly. ‘I’ll catch the replay later. Beth has a soft spot for the royal family, so we’re headed to Kensington Palace for a tour around the gardens.’

‘Nice one,’ Anil said. ‘Well, meet up with us for a drink afterwards, if you’re keen. You too, Beth. We’d love a chance to get to know the person who has captured the attention of this one for the past few days.’

He elbowed Nick’s arm.

‘Sod off, you lot,’ Nick said playfully.

‘If we don’t see you later, Beth, it was really nice to meet you,’ Anil said. ‘I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay.’

‘Sorry about all that,’ Nick said after we’d said goodbye. ‘They can be a bit much sometimes.’

‘They seemed really nice,’ I said. ‘You’re lucky to have such good friends.’

He nodded in agreement.

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