Page 100 of The Day After Christmas
‘Just relax. It’ll be fine. He’s a keeper. No way he’s going anywhere. Trust me.’
‘I’m trying. Honest.’
Sophie raised an eyebrow. Then her perfect face crumpled. ‘Seriously though, what am I going to do without you, Fliss?’
Felicity smiled. ‘It’s not even on the cards properly yet.’
‘Oh, I think it is,’ said Sophie. ‘And more to the point, I think it’s an amazing idea. Or at least I would if it didn’t mean I had to lose you.’
‘You couldneverlose me,’ said Felicity, her voice catching in her throat.
‘Ditto.’
‘So that’s fine then. I mean, we’ll make it work. Anyway,’ said Felicity, draining her own cup of nice plain breakfast tea, ‘have you seen Bex at all? How is she?’
Sophie’s perfect brow crinkled even more deeply. ‘Not good. Seriously not good. I’ve never seen her like this before, to be honest. She’s barely eating, she’s lost loads of weight. She’s not even washing her hair.’
Felicity let out a little gasp. In Bex’s world, that was an emergency. ‘What can we do?’
‘I don’t know. She doesn’t want to see anyone, she says. She’s just hiding in her flat, she’s not been to work, nothing.’
‘That’s not like her,’ said Felicity, instantly trying to think of ways to fix it.
‘I know.’
‘We have to give her time I suppose but how long before maybe we need to stage an intervention?’ asked Felicity.
‘Let’s give her a few more days and then see.’
‘Okay. Good plan. Poor Bex.’
‘I know.’
But they didn’t need a couple of days.
On Wednesday evening, Bex showed up at Felicity’s house. The weather was turning colder, autumn was upon them, and there was Bex, standing on the doorstep with not so much as a jumper over her crumpled linen dress, shivering. Sophie had been right, she looked absolutely dreadful, even worse than before. Her usually glossy black hair was limp, her clothes were hanging off her and her face was tear-stained.
Felicity led her through to the living room, and sat Bex down in an armchair, wrapping a blanket round her shoulders. Bex didn’t even react. Felicity headed for the kitchen area to make her a nice hot cup of tea and sent an emergency text to Sophie:
Bex is here, help!
Then she sat opposite her friend and tried to think of something to say. Bex clutched the tea as if it was a lifebelt, and said nothing. Just when the silence had gone beyond awkward into downright embarrassing, Sophie rang the doorbell. Not for the first time, Felicity whispered a silent thank you prayer for the existence of Sophie in her life. And for the speediness of her posh car.
They both sat opposite Bex and waited for her to speak.
‘I’ve heard from Adam,’ said Bex. Her voice was raspy as if she’d been crying all day again. Which, for all they knew, she had.
‘And?’ said Sophie, ever so gently.
‘He’s not in a good way. He wants to see me.’
‘Really? How do you feel about that?’ said Felicity, her voice wobbling. She knew from all too bitter experience that the last thing Bex should do would be to give Adam the time of day. He had a way of wheedling his way back into her heart that she’d never been able to fully explain. In this state, Bex wouldn’t stand a chance.
Bex put her head in her hands. ‘I don’t know. I don’t think I want to. But what if I tell him to get lost and he actually gets lost? I don’t want that either.’
Sophie took a deep breath. ‘You’re not seriously considering taking him back, are you?’
Bex spoke through her fingers. ‘No. No, of course not. Maybe.’
