Page 57 of When London Snow Falls

When I’m here, I become beige, too.

“No thanks. Don’t let me stop you, though.” I nod at the drinks.

Michael’s come tonight fresh from work in his suit and tie. His suitcase is doubtless packed with military precision. He’s not military, but a solicitor, which is close enough. The man likes orders and rules. He’s not all bad, though. Michael’s come through for me when I’ve needed backup dealing with our parents.

While Michael pours Talisker into a tumbler, I flop into a leather armchair.

“How’s uni?” he asks, taking a seat opposite me on the three-seater sofa. Naturally, it’s brown too. Mum would call it dark chocolate.

“All right. Busy, I guess.” Uni feels like a million years ago since Ben. Another lifetime. Like some other Charlie goes about his classes.

“You’re not sure?”

“Busy,” I confirm, more certainty in my voice this time. That part’s true. “Working a lot. How about you?”

“Busy. Working a lot.” Michael gives me a wry look as he sips on his drink.

Checkmate.

I lift my eyebrows at Michael.

“Everything’s fine. Jenna’s fine too. We’re going skiing for a weekend getaway. Swiss Alps.”

“Oh yeah?” The idea of visiting the Alps is about as foreign as taking a quick weekend getaway to the moon. I should find a rocket to take Ben sometime, maybe for our New Year’s date.

“Yeah. Special occasion and all that. I’m planning to propose.”

Maybe I should have had that whiskey after all. I blink. It takes me a moment to recover from his news. “That’s serious.”

Michael laughs. “Well, we do love each other. And we have been dating for over two years.”

“Shit, really?” Time’s snuck up on me when I wasn’t looking. When I was busy staying sober and trying to do right by Emily and Carys. “Well, congrats.”

“Don’t congratulate me yet. She hasn’t said yes.”

“You think she won’t?”

“I don’t want to get cocky. The universe has a way of throwing that back in one’s face.” Michael tilts his head slightly, swirling his whiskey.

“Fair point.” About then, my phone buzzes a notification. I fish it out of my pocket. Tomorrow, I’m due to go to Wales to see Carys and Emily.

But it’s not Emily texting. It’s Ben.

A smile crosses my lips.

Miss you already. Making a new scarf with our wool. B xx

The smile gets bigger.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in ages,” says Michael. “Who was that?”

“Oh, nobody.” It’s a reflex response when my family asks about my personal life. Aside from staying clean, I try to keep them separate. Not that I have much of a life between uni, work, and Carys.

“You’re sure?”

“Well…” A pang of guilt hits me then, because Ben is far from nobody to me. “Somebody. A friend.”

“A friend?” Michael looks curiously at me.

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