Page 55 of Happily Never After
‘It was nothing,’ I tell him. ‘I’m just glad I could help.’ Why is this conversation so stilted?
‘You did more than that, trust me.’
‘Well, you helped me out of a few plot holes too, so I guess we’re even.’
He smiles. ‘Thinking of which, there’s definitely something weird going on with the others. Gina and Lynette were in the library when I came out, and it looked like they were being nice to each other.’
‘Lynette’s helping her with some Tudor sex.’
‘Not a phrase I think I’d ever have expected to hear before coming here. It’s been an eye-opener, that’s for sure. I’ll miss our walks.’
‘Me too.’
‘Tell me if this is too presumptuous, but I’d like to keep in touch, is that OK? Can I give you my number?’
‘Of course you can. I’d like that.’ I hand over my phone and he types in the details. When he’s done, I open WhatsApp and send him a series of emojis including smiling face, prayer hands and crossed fingers.
‘That’s for luck tomorrow,’ I tell him. ‘Also, you’ve got my number as well now.’
‘Thanks. For everything. And good luck with the Double-Doubles. I feel like I’m abandoning you.’
I get to my feet and wrap him in a brief hug. ‘I’ll be OK. Don’t worry about me. Go and sell your show. Who knows, I might even watch it.’
‘If I sell it, I’ll invite you to see it being filmed, how about that?’
‘I’d like that. I’ve never been to a TV studio before.’
‘I’ll see what I can do. Right, I’d better get going.’
I watch as he disappears up the path and into the house. My emotions are conflicted. Should I have told him how I feel? Maybe this is fate telling me it wasn’t meant to be. Maybe I’ve been misreading the signals all along, and this is for the best. It doesn’t feel like it’s for the best, though, and I’m dreading telling Liv. She’s bound to have plenty to say on the subject.
‘So, he just upped and left?’ Liv’s voice is predictably cross when I tell her the next morning. I’m out walking on my own. It feels weird without Finn next to me, but I was awake and didn’t fancy lurking around the house. ‘Thanks for digging me out of a hole but I’m off?’
‘I think you’re being a bit harsh. It seems like these pitching slots are super rare, so you don’t mess about if you’re offered one.’
‘Hm. Just seems like very bad karma to me. Angus pitches up here, upsetting the status quo, and somehow your new guy gets summoned back to London on the very same day? Who have you been upsetting?’
‘Nobody. I’m sure there’s nothing supernatural going on, Liv. It’s just the way these things pan out sometimes. Anyway, enough of my woes. Tell me about Donna. How was the drink?’
Her smile is so wide it tells me all I need to know before she opens her mouth.
‘It went well then,’ I observe.
‘Brilliantly. Honestly, I just felt like we connected on so many levels. It turns out she did quite a bit of travelling when she was younger as well, and we think we might actually have been in Cambodia at the same time. What are the odds of that, eh?’
‘So you’ll be seeing her again?’
‘Tonight. She’s coming round for dinner.’
‘I’ll give you this, Liv. You don’t hang around, do you?’
‘What’s the point? If I like her and she likes me, let’s not waste time playing games.’
‘Well, I just hope you have more success than me.’
‘Mm. I will admit to being disappointed for you. This Finn guy sounded promising. At least you’ve got his contact details so you can stay in touch. Maybe he’s more of a slow burn, and something will happen when he invites you to the filming.’
‘If he invites me. He hasn’t even sold the show yet, and there won’t be any filming to invite me to if he doesn’t.’
