Page 82 of The Missus
Keira looked at Kelly with mild horror. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’
Kelly frowned. ‘Come on, you knew it had to happen sometime, didn’t you? I love Benjamin, but people like us, we need to do stuff like this sometimes. It doesn’t matter as long as no one finds out.’
Keira took a deep breath. ‘No, Kelly.No. I can’t keep saying that to you.’
Kelly tutted, irritated. ‘Then don’t say it. Stop denying yourself.’
Keira was so frustrated she could scream. ‘I thought you’d gotten your shit together, and look, here we are, square one.’
Kelly’s mouth slid downwards. ‘You don’t have to be mean about it. I just thought we could… I mean, that’s your thing, isn’t it? Before you tried to box yourself in with Alanna. Casual sex? I saw you on the apps all the time.’
Keira tried to picture that time, tried to feel it. She couldn’t remember now what she’d needed that for. It felt like a different life. It didn’t matter if she never saw Alanna again. She’d changed Keira. She couldn’t deny that any longer. ‘Actually, I think that part of my life might be over now.’
‘What, sex?’ Kelly asked, horror-struck. ‘You becoming a nun?’
‘I don’t know what the fuck I’m becoming, but sex with strangers, I don’t know, it just feels different now. It was fun while it lasted, but I think I’m over it.’
‘I’m not a stranger, though,’ Kelly pouted. ‘We’ve been together. So it's still—’
‘Kelly, for fuck’s sakes. Why won’t you stop this?’ Keira asked quietly, trying not to let this situation draw attention. ‘It’s horrible for us both, did you know that? It pains me every time I reject you because I do actually feel things, Kelly. And I don’t like hurting another person like this. Maybe youneedthat hurt, I don’t know. But I can’t keep supplying it like this.’
‘You don’t know me,’ Kelly growled.
‘That’s right. I don’t. And you don’t know me,’ Keira told her.
‘Neither does your girlfriend, though. Right?’ Kelly said, threat in her eyes.
Keira felt a stab of fear. ‘Kelly…’
But Kelly was off, heading for Alanna. Keira chased her, hoping to head her off. But she was angry, and she was fast.
As they reached Alanna, she was right in the middle of saying, ‘Jonty, please don’t drag me into this—’
‘Hey!’ Kelly said, loud enough to make the entire room pause and turn. It was even loud enough to cause Benjamin to pop out from the kitchen, marigolds up to the elbow.
Alanna turned to Kelly, seemingly aware that something was wrong. You really couldn’t miss it. ‘Is everything OK?’
‘Everything’s fine,’ Keira said, putting a hand on Kelly’s shoulder, intending to draw her away. Kelly shook it off like an angry dog that didn’t want to be patted and locked on Alanna. ‘You know she doesn’t love you, right?’
Alanna glanced at Keira. Keira didn’t know what to say or do, so she did nothing.
Alanna looked back to Kelly. ‘Oh?’ she said neutrally.
Kelly looked angry that Alanna hadn’t seemed particularly shocked by that little revelation. ‘Yeah. She’s been hiding out every night at a twenty-four-hour coffee shop on Stafford Street. Tapping away on her laptop, all sad looking because she doesn’t want to come home.’
Keira looked down at the ground, not wanting to meet Alanna’s eyes. Because thiswasa revelation, if not for the reasons Kelly believed. Keira had never felt so exposed. Alanna was going to know.
Thirty-Three
Alanna was talking to Jonty. He’d cornered her by the nibbles for a ‘chat.’ She knew why he was doing it. He liked her mother, so he was trying to make nice with her to grease the wheels. The poor fool thought her opinion on her mother’s love life mattered.
He was making some excruciating small talk about his pharmacy business, and Alanna was nodding away, politely smiling. Until he said, ‘So, err, Alanna, I was… I need to ask something of you. A rather big favour.’
Alanna’s jaw tightened. ‘A favour?’
He laughed nervously. ‘Yes, I… I was wondering…’ More dreadfully fake laughter. ‘I was wondering if you’d give me permission to, um, perhaps, if you wouldn’t betooaverse, you might let me… marry your mother?’
Alanna didn’t know what magic her mother had, but men fell fast and hard for her and tended to propose hastily, so this wasn’t exactly a shock. But she didn’t want to be pulled into the narrative. ‘I can’t permit you, Jonty. I think that’s usually given by the person you’re trying to marry.’
