Page 55 of One Night in Edinburgh

‘You won’t be saying that when you hear me snoring,’ I joke, in an attempt to divert the attention.

‘I already have.’ He nudges me affectionately. ‘It’s adorable.’

Well, that shut me up.

I spend the rest of the wait for our chips smarting with embarrassment and wondering what I sound and look like when I snore, imagining the worst. I’m thinking wildebeest: big snorty noises, my mouth hanging open, and a lot of drool. Horrified at this mental image, I decide I must ask Connor about it when I get home.

Jamie insists on paying for the chips and even offers an upgrade to a fish supper, which I politely decline, because a portion of chips alone always fills me up. Then, armed with our food and a couple of cans of juice, we retrace our steps along Bernard Street and wander in the direction of Albert Dock, where we make ourselves comfortable on a bench overlooking the water and the imposing Victoria Swing Bridge.

‘These are delicious,’ I announce with great enthusiasm. ‘The small crunchy ones are the best.’

‘I agree.’ Jamie nods vigorously. ‘Sometimes I wish they’d sell those just themselves. Reckon they’d do a roaring trade.’

‘Oh, me too. I’ve thought that about chip shops in general so many times.’

‘Ah, we’re so in sync.’ He slips his arm around me with a satisfied grin, while I dare a glance at him. As I catch his eye, I’m certain he’s feeling everything that I’m feeling.

There’s obviously no need to worry about his stark style of text messaging. If that’s his way, then that’s his way. Although maybe I’ll casually mention it at some point.

Turning my attention back to my chips, I focus on the feeling of bliss coming from eating tasty food in the early spring sunshine, while sitting next to the hottest and most incredible man I’ve ever clapped eyes on. However, my zen only lasts until I feel my phone buzz in my pocket a minute or so later. Tempted to ignore it, I continue eating until it buzzes again, and curiosity takes over. Wiping my greasy fingers on a napkin, I pull my phone out of my pocket, illuminate the screen and gasp in horror as my eyes dance across the message preview in front of me.

‘Oh, you little—’

‘Everything OK?’ Jamie asks.

‘Um… yeah… sorry. It’s fine.’

It’s so clearly not fine, but I need to know the extent of the damage before I share any further. Unlocking my phone, I go into my family WhatsApp group to read the message in full.

Kayleigh:

Guess what?! Steph’s got a new bloke and he’s quite the dish. Bumped into them earlier. He was a bit elusive though. Calls himself an entrepreneur, so that could mean he’s a multi-millionaire or another waste of space. I’ll keep my list of potentials on ice in case we need to step in again.

I’m incensed at Kayleigh’s audacity, feeling myself start to tremble inside. Howdareshe. I fully expected she’d go and run her mouth off the moment she had the opportunity, but to make those comments about Jamie without knowing anything about him is completely out of order. As I’m silently fuming over this, another message pops into the group, then another and another.

Mum:

Interesting… I do hope it’s the former.

Mikey:

As long as he’s good for a pint in the pub then that’s enough for me. But saying that, he’d better not be a waster. My wee sis deserves a solid bloke.

Dad:

Agree with you, Mikey. She does. By the way, when are you coming by the house to help me with the garage clear out?

I feel myself reddening again, but this time it’s due to white hot anger.

‘Oh,piss off, the lot of you,’ I hiss at my phone, before I even realise what I’m doing.

‘Hey…’ Jamie glances at me, but thankfully remains respectful of my privacy and doesn’t try to look at the messages. ‘You’re not fine.’

‘No, I’m not.’

‘Want to talk about it?’

‘Not really. You can probably guess what or who it is though, from our earlier run in.’

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