Page 71 of Arden and the Girl Downstairs

“No, it’s reallynot,” Chad says with finality, but I don’t think this is over.

Julia makes her way over and grabs Logan by the arm. “Come on, I need a drink,” she says as she drags him away.

I glare at the back of Logan’s head as he disappears. I do not approve of whatever is going on with him and my sister.

Others make their way over to Ella and hug her. Besides Logan’s response, everybody recovered pretty well. I think his distraction probably gave them some time to regroup and have a new plan of action.

I stand there watching while everybody gives their condolences and hugs my wife. It’s making me twitchy, all these people touching her. I may need to bathe her in hand sanitiser later.

Yes, these people are our friends, but I just want her to myself for a while, especially now I know she loves me as well.

While we’re chatting with Mumma Nat, Pace makes his way over and interrupts us.

“Yo, Arden, what’s going on?”

“You know what’s going on. We’re here for a memorial service.”

“Yeah, no, that’s not what I’m talking about.”

I stare at my friend and wonder what the hell he means.

“Where have you been this year?”

Oh...

I’ve seen Pace a handful of times this year, but we definitely haven’t hung out as much as we originally planned. This year hasn’t gone to plan at all, what with the whole Julia in a coma, drinking every night, rehab, Ella having surgery, and getting tricked into marrying a girl I didn’t like, but fell in love with anyway. Yeah, lots happened.

“A lot has been going on,” I say.

“Yeah, I know. Everybody else has filled me in. But why didn’t you? You could have told me while we were hanging out last week.”

“I’m sorry. I promise now that things are settling down, I’ll be able to hang out more. I do have a bone to pick with you, though.”

“Whatever it is, I didn’t do it,” he says defensively.

That’s Pace’s go to. Deny it until he can’t deny it anymore.

“I remember most of the things that happened while I was drinking. All those memories I was blocking came back...”

“Oh . . .” Pace becomes pale. “You remember?”

“What the fuck, Pace? Why would you put gelatine in the fish tank?”

During our housewarming party, Pace put gelatine in my floor to ceiling fish tank. It didn’t have any fish in it, as had only just been filled that day. But he still managed to turn the water to jelly. Which meant I had to pay to get it cleaned out and refilled.

“Did you really expect anything less from me?” he jokes.

Pace is definitely our resident prankster. I’m scared for when he and Ella get to know each other more.

“You know I’ll get you back . . .”

“Bring it on, Chuck.” He throws out the nickname Yasmin gave me last year when we met.

Ella comes to stand beside me, and automatically I drape my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

“Pace, I’m sorry,” she says to him. “I’m responsible for Arden being a little distant the last few months. It wasn’t my intention. When he went to rehab, the plan was for him to come back and work on himself. I wasn’t going to be in the picture.”

I don’t miss the fact that Ella is apologising for me.

---