Page 84 of Shout Out To My Ex

‘Hah! I don’t think that word haseverbeen used to describe me.’ Something else comes to mind. ‘Can I ask? That first night, at the restaurant, when you showed up late and all… tosserfied.’

‘Tosserfied?’ he asks, amused.

‘Well, come on. What was that outfit? And you were all’ – I cross the floor in an exaggerated swagger, then turn back to him – ‘I mean, whatwasthat? You looked like a right prat. Youbehavedlike a right prat.’

He laughs. ‘Wow, don’t hold back on my account.’

I cross my arms and blink at him, waiting for an answer.

‘Okay, well, the outfit was for a photoshoot – something Aunt Serena set up – and it ran long, and I didn’t want to be late, so I just got in a cab and came to the restaurant.’

‘Okay, fair. But what about the rest of it? Your behaviour?’

He presses his lips together, then sighs, and I sense yet another revelation coming. ‘Armour, I guess,’ he says.

‘Armour? How do you mean? Against what?’

‘Against you. I knew I was meeting you. I figured it out as soon as Aunt Serena put the meeting on my calendar.’

‘Wait, what? But you were surprised – when you saw me, I mean.’

‘Iactedsurprised.’

My mouth falls open as I struggle to find my words. The only one that comes is, ‘Why?’

‘Why the ruse?’ he asks. ‘Because I didn’t know how you’d feel about seeing me and I wanted to protect myself in case you?—’

‘In case I shouted at you, then stormed out.’

Which, of course, is exactly what I did.

He nods, and frustrated tears prick my eyes, blurring Leo and the workroom, as dozens of questions fly through my mind, questions Istilldon’t have answers to, including why he felt the need to ghost me. Family duty, I can understand. Cutting off all ties – not so much.

And then there’s the pervading question, one that has elbowed its way to the forefront: what the fuck is going on between us? That moment at the museum earlier – there’s no way I imagined that.

I blink back the tears – I will not cry in front of Leo Fucking Jones. And as I glare at him, another question comes to mind: is Leo’s engagement to Franzia just another ruse, a publicity stunt? And that brings me full circle to the original question. What the fuckisgoing on between us?

Nope. I can’t do it. I can’t be here. There’s too much confusion, too muchhistory. I push past Leo and run down the stairs, him calling, ‘Ellie, wait!’ at my back.

26

POPPY

‘So, Shaz,’ says Jacinda, ‘with Lauren off to Finland, what willyoube up to?’

It’s Monday night and the four of us – Tristan and me, and Shaz and Lauren – are around at Jacinda and Ravi’s for Lauren’s send-off, and we’ve just sat down to Jacinda’s famous chicken biryani.

‘Uh, the usual…’ Shaz replies. ‘Work, mostly… Hanging out at Poppy and Tristan’s to play with Saffron.’

‘No other plans?’

Oh my god, Jass, leave it, I think, willing her to drop it. Only Jacinda isn’t paying any attention to me; she’s too busy putting Shaz in the hotseat.

Shaz smiles lovingly at Lauren. ‘Well, I’ve booked a trip out to visit Loz one weekend.’

‘It’s gonna be great, babes. It’s the first time either of us has gone to Finland,’ Lauren tells us. ‘We’re going to explore, do some touristy stuff.’

Oh, I adore these two together. They complement each other perfectly, while being exact opposites in appearance. Shaz: tall and curvy and blonde with the kind of natural beauty thatscreams ‘Norwegian shower gel advertisement’ and Lauren: petite and dark-haired with delicate features that remind me of nineties-era Winona Ryder – or today’s Winona, come to think of it. They’re perfect for each other – and that’s my professional opinion.

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