Page 18 of Resisting Mr Black

“Hello, darling.” Her shrill voice calls from out on the landing. I’ve pulled on the summeriest clothing that I own, faded light-blue denim shorts and an off-the-shoulder baggy grey t-shirt. I hurry barefoot out of the bedroom and along the laminate hallway, opening the door with a ready smile.

A green and yellow floral print kaftan swamps Magda’s short plump figure. Her wavy silvery grey hair is pulled up on top of her head in a haphazard bun and her coral-pink lips are smiling.

“Darling!” she enthuses as she bustles past me and begins pacing up and down the hall, pausing every now and then.

She’s always been a little eccentric, but I’m genuinely confused. “Magda, are you okay?”

“Yes, yes dear.” She waggles the index finger of her right hand in the air and peers down at the floor. “I’m just trying to find it.”

I have no idea what she’s talking about and I’m almost frightened to ask. “Trying to find what?”

Magda pauses halfway between the bathroom doorway and my bedroom doorway. “I think it’s round about here.”

“What is?”

“The spot where the electrician found the asbestos in my ceiling, so it could be underneath your floor.” Her coral lips purse together and her grey eyes shine with sadness. “I’m sorry, darling. Have you found anywhere else to stay yet?”

I rub the bare sole of my right foot over the laminate floor and heave a defeated sigh. “I’ve looked, but I can’t find anywhere I can afford that isn’t a dump.”

“Oh, darling.” Her lips stretch into a tight smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I don’t mean to rush you, but this asbestos thing is dangerous and you need to get out as soon as you can.”

I jump as a rap sounds at the front door directly behind me. I didn’t hear anyone climb up the stairs from the street but then again, Magda is loud.

Her dark pencilled eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “I wouldn’t have invited friends over with the asbestos thing in here,” she says disapprovingly.

“I haven’t.”In fact, I have no bloody idea who it is.

I swing the front door open wide in annoyance to find Art standing outside on the landing. My mouth drops in surprise and my heart starts to hammer ten to the dozen at the sight of him.

What the fuck is he doing here?

His dark eyes sparkle as they take in my stunned reaction, and he smiles, looking very pleased with himself. Without waiting to be invited in, he side-steps round me into the hall.

Cheeky git!

“You must be Magda. It’s lovely to meet you,” I hear him say as I slowly close the door and recalibrate my brain to try and work out what the hell he’s doing in my flat.

A tight grey round-neck t-shirt shows off the lean cut of his body to perfection over faded blue denim jeans. God, he’s huge! He makes the place feel about half the size. It’s like some effortlessly sexy giant has just barged in.

Magda, who I think is in her late sixties, grabs his outstretched hand and shakes it. “Sophie, who is this?” She gives a tinkly little laugh, which I’ve never heard before. Jeez! Is no woman free from his charms?

Magda finally lets go of his hand, and he props himself against the hall wall, sliding his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.

“This is Art, he’s my bo—”

“Friend,” he cuts in and I frown at him.Is he really?“Sophie told me about the situation with the asbestos, and I just so happen to have a friend who owns an apartment that’s in need of a tenant.”

He’s watching me carefully and Magda smiles with relief.

“Oh, darling, that’s fantastic news,” she cries. “I’m glad you have somewhere to go because it’s really not safe for you to stay here any longer, and it could take forever to sort out.” She gives an over-exaggerated shrug. “It’s got to go through the insurance, so it could be Christmas.”

So, wherever I move, I’m going to be there indefinitely.

He and Magda are both waiting for me to say something and I know I should be jumping for joy, but something seems off.

“Why didn’t you mention the apartment this morning?” I ask him.

“I didn’t know about it then.”

---