Page 27 of I Knew You Were Trouble

‘Oh, I bet – the cheerleaders, especially.’

His eyes narrow. ‘I think you may have a distorted view of who I am, Kate,’ he says, his tone turning serious.

I’m about to backpedal when there’s the sound of a key in the lock. We both look towards the door, the air charged with anticipation.

Then I watch, mesmerised, as Adriana enters, a yoga-mat carrier and calico bag slung over her shoulder. She closes the door behind her and when she turns around and sees us, she stops, standing perfectly still.

She’s taller than I expected – at a guess, two or three inches taller than me – and her long, yellow-blonde hair is pulled up into a thick ponytail. She has a square-shaped jawline and pert nose, wide-set blue eyes, the same colour as Willem’s, full lips, and expertly arched, light-brown brows. Even without makeup, she’s beautiful.

Adriana reaches up to her ear and presses the stem of her earbuds to mute whatever she’s listening to.

‘Hallo,’ she says warily. To Willem, she says something in Dutch, her tone indicating that she’s less than impressed to find me here.

Wait until she learns who I am.

Willem replies, first in Dutch, then in English, which is clearly for my benefit. ‘Why don’t you get changed, then join us.’ This isn’t posed as a suggestion, more of an instruction, and Adriana’s terse expression sours even more.

‘I have things to do,’ she says pointedly. She storms off, swinging open the patio door and heading towards the studio. She doesn’t seem to notice Margot, who’s curled up on a rattan armchair at the edge of the patio.

‘I’m sorry about that,’ says Willem, standing. ‘I’ll be right back.’ He goes after his sister, crossing paths with Margot, who joins me inside, her face creased with confusion.

‘What happened?’ she asks. ‘Did you tell her who you are?’

‘We didn’t get that far,’ I reply, my eyes trained on Adriana’s door.

‘Well, one thing’s for sure – she’s even hotter than her brother.’

‘Margot!’ I chide, my head snapping in her direction.

‘Oh, don’t “Margot” me. I’m not apologising for stating the obvious.’

Before I can say anything more, shouting erupts from the studio. Unsurprisingly, it’s Adriana, and Willem’s low, rumbling voice fills the few silences between her rage-filled words.

‘We should go,’ I say, standing abruptly and sloshing coffee down the front of my jeans. Wonderful, now I look like I’ve wet myself.

‘We shouldstay,’ says Margot, tugging on my hand.

I drop back onto the stool and we wait out the siblings’ argument in silence while I fish a tissue out of my jeans pocket and do my best to mop up the wet patch.

Eventually, Willem comes back inside. He lets out a heavy sigh, running his hands over his head and clasping them behind his neck, making his biceps bulge. Noticing this amid the mayhem makes me chuckle.

Realising my faux pas, I attempt to pass it off as a cough –unsuccessfully. Willem drops his hands, eyeing me curiously, and Margot looks over with a baffled expression.

‘Sorry,’ I tell them. ‘A little overcome by the absurdity of the situation.’ Another half-truth. I seem to be accruing them like crumpled tissues in a coat pocket.

‘It is very strange,’ Willem admits. ‘Maybe we should?—’

‘Hallo.’

Three heads swivel towards the patio where Adriana lingers just outside the door, peering in at us with an inscrutable look on her face.

‘Hi,’ I say instinctively.

She studies me, her expression guarded, as she leans against the doorframe. ‘Willem tells me you claim to be engaged to Jon,’ she says evenly.

It stings, the accusation that I’m outright lying, but there’s a vulnerability in her eyes that softens my heart. She’s hurting, like I am.

‘That’s right,’ I reply.

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