Page 33 of Meet Me in Berlin

‘I bleedin’ do. That one from Berlin you never got over.’

My phone buzzes with a message. I stretch to grab it off the coffee table. It’s Eva.

Going for dinner with Leila. Meet us?

Before I have a chance to reply, my phone rings.

‘Hiya,’ I say.

‘Hi, babe. Are you on your way back yet?’

‘No. I’ve not long been here, and…’ I take a deep breath. ‘I’m going to stay the night.’

Eva’s silent for a moment. ‘I’m sorry about the chef, okay? I should’ve talked to you.’

I soften, but I don’t want her to be nice to me because it thickens my guilt. ‘It’s not that. I’m tired from last night. I’m full from the huge meal we just ate, and I’d like to spend time with my family since I won’t be around next weekend for Dad’s birthday.’

‘But I’ll be all alone.’

‘Leila can stay with you, can’t she?’

‘She’s not my fiancée, and I wanted to post some content of us together. You never let me post about you, and no one can follow you with your account on private.’

‘I don’t want people to follow me,’ I snap.

‘Okay, no need to bite my head off!’

I sigh. ‘Sorry. I’m just really exhausted, yeah?’

‘Fine,’ Eva sniffs. ‘Well, we’re going out, so I can’t promise I’ll be home if you change your mind.’

‘Go out. Have a good time. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

Once I’ve hung up, Jaz gives me a slow clap. ‘I am dead impressed with you. Although I totally would’ve come with you so I could get off with Leila.’

‘Didn’t you get enough last night?’ I ask.

Jaz shrugs. ‘I’m just looking for my soul mate. Because I want to feel for someone the way you feel about her.’

I shake my head. ‘I don’t feel?—’

‘She’s the only person I’ve ever seen you cry over,’ Jaz says.

‘What we talking about?’ Mum says, walking in with the sponge cake. She places it on the coffee table and sits in the other recliner.

‘Holly,’ Jaz says.

Mum raises her brows at me. ‘Holly? The one from Berlin? You still pining over her?’

‘I’m not pining,’ I say, a little pine-y.

‘You are,’ Jaz says.

‘I just…’ I shrug. ‘I’m curious about what happened to her, is all. How her life turned out.’

Mum shakes her head and switches on the telly with the remote. ‘You’re going to get yourself in so much trouble one day.’

‘She’s already in trouble, Wendy,’ Jaz says.

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