Page 74 of One Night in Edinburgh

‘Why not?’

As if on cue, my phone buzzes again as the inevitable flurry of messages from my family starts to appear on my phone screen – following up my dad’s message on the group chat. With a defeated sigh, I hand the phone to Connor, and he reads them out loud in real time as they stream in.

Mum:

Can you also invite Jamie to dinner at ours afterwards? I can roast a lamb shoulder for us all. You’ll need to let me know quickly, because I’ll have to put in the order with the butcher to make sure I get organic.

Dad:

Good idea, Marjory. A solid meal for us after a brisk few hours on the course will be just the ticket.

Mikey:

How do you know Jamie eats meat, Mum? He could be veggie, like Connor, or even vegan.

Mum:

Don’t be silly, Mikey. A strapping young man like Jamie can’t be vegetarian or vegan.

Mikey:

You really show your age, Mum.

Dad:

Mikey, behave yourself. You’re not even part of this conversation.

Mikey:

Funny that, because I’m pretty sure you messaged the whole family.

Kayleigh:

Ignore him. Mikey’s not got anything better to do than wind you up. Actually, Steph, can you pass on my Insta details to Jamie? He said before he was interested in looking at my stuff.

‘That’s why Steph can’t ignore it,’ Connor adds by way of a conclusion. ‘The longer she stays silent, the more she’ll get harassed for an answer. Tell them now, Stephy. It’ll be painful in the moment, but once it’s done, they’ll get on to the next thing fast enough.’

‘Poor you.’ Anna exhales heavily, then rubs my shoulder sympathetically. ‘I think I’d go spare if my family were that annoying.’

‘This is only a taster.’ I grimace. ‘OK, Connor, pass me the phone. It’s the only way.’

He does as I ask, and I quickly craft a response and send it without thinking. There are only so many ways to say ‘I got dumped’. I know technically speaking that’s not what happened, but it certainly feels like that. My heart is broken and Jamie could have stopped this happening by being honest – provided said honesty didn’t confirm one of Anna’s many dark conspiracy theories.

‘What did you say?’ Anna interrupts my rambling thoughts.

‘I said something along the lines of, you can all settle down, as Jamie and I have broken up, wasn’t meant to be, etc.… Oh, here come the reactions.’

Connor clutches my free hand supportively as I read the replies.

Dad:

That’s a shame. He seemed a charming young man. I could have gotten on well with him.

Mum:

Very disappointed to hear this, Steph. He was exactly the kind of boyfriend who would have helped you blossom. Is there no possibility of a reconciliation?

I shake my head at the intrusiveness of this question and the suggestion that somehow, I need improving. Within seconds, two further messages pop up on my screen, almost simultaneously.

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