Page 75 of The Plot Twist

‘Oh,’ she managed. Not wanting Jess to bear the weight of her confusion and impending sense of loneliness, which she was undoubtedly going to experience in the weeks, months,yearsahead, when Allie would be in London and Jess would be…gone…

Jess’s face scrunched up, her eyes going a little bit watery. ‘That’s all you’ve got?’

‘Well, erm, I guess I’m a bit surprised?’

‘You won’t forget me?!’ Jess lunged forward and grabbed both of Allie’s hands dramatically.

‘What? No! Of course not.’ Allie said, startled by Jess’s announcement and her behaviour. ‘But erm, can you catch me up on this … news?’

And so Jess told Allie that this was something she and Tom had been thinking about for a while. Tom had never been as keen on London as Jess had, viewing it as a necessary evil to being close to the office, although a necessary evil with the benefits of pubs and bars and cab rides and Tube trains attached. But now that things were more flexible in terms of office location, he had been pushing to move back closer to where he (and Allie) had grown up. Allie had to shake off her shudder at certain childhood memories when Jess had told her this. And Jess had said she was feeling restless, ready for something new, maybe a different pace of life. Maybe a dog?

‘Not kids then?’ Allie had asked.

‘No. I mean, I feel less adverse to the concept than I did previously, but not so much in favour that I’m ready to just whip out my IUD.’ Allie had winced at the thought and wondered whether she would ever need to worry about contraception ever again before pulling herself back into the present where Jess now had her phone out and was showing her pictures of houses she and Tom had been looking at.

‘So you’re pretty far down the line then?’ Allie had asked, trying not to sound too hurt and judgemental that Jess had been going behind her back with property websites.

‘Yes and no,’ Jess admitted. ‘We’ve decided on location, but haven’t found anything quite right yet.’

Allie’s mind went back to the phone call she’d had with Jess the other day, the midweek one where she and Tom had been in a car, going somewhere mysterious. ‘That’s where you were going the other day when I called you?’

‘Uh-huh, you know the good thing is that if we find somewhere close to that, we won’t be far from your mum! So, it’ll be easier to visit?!’ Jess said, sounding somewhat desperate for Allie’s approval.

‘Except when she’s in Spain,’ Allie couldn’t help shooting back.

‘Well, yes, I guess,’ admitted Jess reluctantly. ‘But it does mean you could stay with us rather than at her house every time!’

Allie brightened at that prospect although she wasn’t quite ready to allow Jess to revel in the realisation that actually it would be pretty nice to be able to stay with Jess and Tom and not have to sleep in a box room for a week every Christmas.

‘Promise me you’ll find somewhere close enough?’ she said reluctantly.

‘Yes! Promise!’ Jess grabbed on to the idea enthusiastically.

‘And you promise you’re not going to become smug and lazy?’ Jess frowned at Allie. ‘I mean,’ she explained, ‘not always going on about howthe country is so much better than London, because let’s be clear, it’s not.’ Jess bit back a smile at Allie’s tone. ‘Or too lazy to ever come into London again?’

‘I promise,’ Jess said solemnly. ‘Never too smug or lazy.’

‘Even when it’s winter and dark and cold?’ Allie said challengingly.

‘Even when it’s winter and dark and cold,’ Jess agreed.

‘Even when there are train strikes?’

‘I promise not to turn my nose up at rail replacement bus services.’

‘Even when London is sweltering in forty-degree heat, the Tube is like a furnace and the tracks are melting?’

Jess fixed Allie with a look. ‘Allie? Be reasonable.’

‘OK, fine,’ she grumbled. ‘I’ll come to you then.’

Jess clapped her hands in delight. ‘And guess what?’

‘What?’ Allie asked reluctantly.

‘The place we’re looking at this weekend has a sex shed.’

‘A what?!’

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