Page 61 of Happily Never After
‘You’re not making any sense. Have you been spending too much time in the sun?’
‘If I’m not making any sense, it’s because nothing about you being here makes sense. I thought I made it perfectly clear that I didn’t want to see you again.’
‘You were very fierce,’ he admits. ‘But that’s what gave me hope, don’t you see?’
‘How?’
‘If you no longer cared about me, you wouldn’t have been so angry,’ he says, smiling so beatifically you’d think he’d just discovered the meaning of life.
Once again, I’m rendered speechless. There’s so much wrong with what he’s just said that I literally have no idea where to start unpicking it.
‘Let me get this straight,’ I try. I feel like I’m drowning and I need something, anything, firm to grasp on to. ‘You decided, all on your own, that I was no longer what you wanted, disappearing pretty much overnight.’
‘Bit dramatic, Laura. You make it sound like I ran away to join the circus or something.’
‘You did. Only you ran away to sea instead of the circus.’
‘We did talk about it.’
‘No. You told me the night before you left and abandoned me to deal with the fallout.’
‘OK, we’ll have to agree to disagree on that.’
‘No, we won’t. It’s what happened. Anyway. While you were playingPirates of the Caribbean, or whatever the hell you were doing, you suddenly decided, equally out of the blue, that you wanted to come back home?’
‘I missed you.’
‘How many opportunities did you have to tell me that?’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘You could have called, messaged, emailed, whatever.’
‘There isn’t any reception at sea.’
‘It’s a cruise, Angus. I’m no expert, but don’t they stop at ports on a fairly regular basis? And don’t these ports have internet?’
‘It seemed too personal for a call. I wanted to talk to you face to face.’
‘Bullshit. You either didn’t miss me at all, or you were too cowardly to pick up the phone and call. Neither exactly shows you in a good light, does it?’
‘I did miss you,’ he repeats mutinously. ‘And you were the one who blocked my number.’
‘Not for two bloody months. You had plenty of opportunities to get in touch. Anyway, for whatever reason, after months of complete radio silence, you somehow thought everything would just magically go back to how it was if you rocked up at my door with a bunch of wilted petrol station carnations. Talk me through that plan.’
‘They were expensive, from that florist next to the bookshop, if you must know.’
‘Oh. Well, that changes everything!’ I exclaim sarcastically. ‘Still way too little, way too late.’
‘I thought, if we just had an opportunity to talk?—’
‘We did talk, Angus. On the phone. And I told you to get lost. I think I was pretty clear.’
‘Yes, but like I said, you wouldn’t have been so angry if you didn’t care. So I tracked you down and, when Hugh told me a room had come free, I knew it was meant to be. Fate, you know? So I booked my tickets and here I am. I’m sorry I hurt you, but I’m here now and I promise you I’m not going anywhere again. I’ll do whatever it takes to win you back, Laura.’
Dear God, he actually means it, I realise as I look into his face. How the hell am I going to get rid of him?
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