Page 60 of The Book Swap

“Do you think of him when you hear something funny?” Cassie asks. “Like, ‘Edward would find this funny.’”

“Oooh, good question.” Georgia is nodding like Cassie has just asked me something that could change the state of the world. Solve global warming. Begin world peace.

“Yes.” I push a piece of the silkiest ravioli I’ve ever eaten into my mouth, unable to focus on anything else except the taste.

“Knew it. Have you imagined what he looks like?” Cassie pokes a fork of carbonara toward me.

“Clive Owen,” Georgia interrupts with a mouthful of pizza, as Cassie claps her hands together.

“Brilliant.”

“A young Clive Owen,” I correct. “Think Closer. Sin City. Dark hair. Chiseled. Piercing eyes.”

“That’s so weird. That’s exactly what my imaginary boyfriend looks like.”

I glare at Georgia. “I wish I’d never told either of you.”

“Nooo, don’t say that,” Cassie says, drinking some wine. “I think it’s so romantic. Honestly. People have met in way weirder ways.”

“Name one,” Georgia says, and I can tell by the way she’s already treating Cassie like family that she likes her.

“Fine. When I was twenty I met a guy by walking off with his suitcase at the airport, and he chased after me. Genuinely got so excited. Thought it had to work out, but unfortunately, he was fucking boring, so...”

Georgia cackles and I laugh, using it as my excuse to add some clarity.

“You see. I can’t get carried away. Edward could be awful. Boring, like suitcase man.”

“He won’t be,” Georgia says.

“Oh, but I did meet my ex-girlfriend because of him, so—”

“Oooh,” I interrupt Cassie because I know this story, but I’d forgotten all about it.

“She was in the same bar, sitting alone and she’d been stood up, so I left boring suitcase man, and went and sat with her instead. We were together two years, so in a way...it worked out. She was the last person I dated who I met in real life. It’s been depressing online date after depressing online date ever since.”

“I refuse to online date anymore,” Georgia says, nodding. “I mean...not that it would be a good look right now anyway.” She looks down and the three of us erupt into laughter. “I met one too many terrible men and that was it for me. Deleted the apps. They weren’t serving me anymore.”

Cassie’s eyes light up. “I love that. They weren’t serving you. That’s so true.”

“Yup. Anything that isn’t serving you, get rid of it.”

“I’m going to do it,” she says and I roll my eyes at Georgia being the voice of inspiration, the way she always is.

“But Mystery Man...he’s serving you, right? Are you getting any clues that he feels the same?”

Heat rushes to my cheeks as my mind immediately flashes back to every single line he’s underlined that’s given me hope. I don’t want to seem strange by quoting them all.

“Yes. Well... I think so.”

I look down at my bag. I’ve got On the Road and The Bell Jar with me, in case I pass the library on the way home. Both Georgia and Cassie follow my gaze, and for a woman who’s now sporting a small bump, Georgia’s on her feet faster than I was expecting, snatching at the straps of my handbag.

“No way,” I say, grabbing the other strap and pulling. “It’s private.”

“Nothing’s private from sisters,” she says, clenching her teeth and pulling back.

“As someone who has three, I can confirm that’s true,” Cassie says, shrugging as she wraps the last of her carbonara around her fork.

“That’s bullshit,” I say, yanking as hard as I can.

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