Page 58 of The Spark

‘No,’ Felix says, thoughtfully. ‘I still play. And believe it or not, I’m even more passionate about what I’m doing now. It feels useful in a way that tennis didn’t. And the field I’m in is just so exciting. But I’m still involved in sport. I’m actually hoping to set up some kind of a tennis academy one day. But that’s more of a long-term goal.’

‘What brought you to London? When you met, I mean,’ I ask, keen to hear the story from his side.

‘I was here on business,’ Felix says, sipping his water. ‘I had some meetings lined up, and a friend of my agent invited me to a party.’ He looks over at Lara. ‘And we got talking, and... well. Let’s just say, I didn’t go home for the next six weeks.’

Ash laughs appreciatively.

‘We had five nights in the Savoy,’ Lara says, ‘then he came to stay with me in Twickenham. You’d love my flat, Neve. It’s on the top floor of one of those lovely old mansion blocks. And it has views of the Thames.’

‘Mmm,’ Felix says. ‘If you squat at an exact height, tilt your head and squint.’

Ash laughs, and I want to too, but something about the way Felix says this makes me bristle. Even though I’m sure he’s not intentionally being unkind. It takes me back to what she said about him being the first guy she thought I might approve of. But am I seeing what she sees?

Lara tells us more about being a production designer, the various shows she’s worked on, the ups and downs of freelancing in the entertainment industry. She says she’s between projects at the moment, which is why the timing’s been perfect for her to come back to Norwich for a while.

At this, I notice her exchange a glance with Felix. She squeezes his hand, and I wonder what it means. Whether the truth is that in fact, he doesn’t really want to be here at all, marooned in this small English city, sleeping in the spare bedroom at her parents’ house. I wonder if perhaps she had to beg him to come; what she had to promise him in return.

Is that a man who knows her worth?

‘How long are you taking a break for?’ Ash asks.

‘Oh, you know. Pieces of string, and all that.’ By her side, Felix doesn’t take his eyes off her. She shifts in her chair, sips her water. Then she asks Ash what he does for a living.

He turns to me in slight surprise, then back to her. ‘Oh. Well, I’m an architect.’

Is it me, or do her eyes double-take slightly? ‘Really? In Norwich?’

‘Yep. At a company called Crave & Co.’

‘Great name,’ says Felix, finally shifting his gaze away from Lara.

‘Do you enjoy it?’ Lara asks.

‘I do. I love it. I was born to it, I think.’

‘What kind of stuff do you like to work on?’

‘Well, mostly I just love a challenge.’

‘What sort of thing?’ asks Felix.

Ash sips his wine. ‘Well, an example might be... persuading a client to go for a rebuild, instead of refurbishing. Or adding modern design to period properties in a way that feels really innovative, but still does justice to both elements, you know? And clients with particularly niche requirements – they’re always fun.’

‘Like what?’ Lara says.

I smile into my drink. Knowing Lara, she’s probably thinking sex dungeon.

‘Well, right now, I’m designing a property around the precise movements of the sun. And the clients want a moat to swim in, too.’

‘A moat? What the hell are you designing, a castle?’

‘I suppose you could say it’s the modern-day equivalent.’

‘Has Neve shown you pictures of Felix’s place?’ Lara says, excitedly.

Ash turns slightly in my direction again, then smiles at her and shakes his head. ‘Not yet, no.’

‘Oh,’ she says. I can just detect the brightness fall from her voice. ‘Well, I’ll show you some other time. But the design is just... breathtaking. Open-plan, four-storey, views of Monterey Bay. And a tennis court, of course.’ She puts her elbows on the table, making a cradle for her chin with her hands. ‘So, what’s your absolute dream project?’

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