Page 33 of Begin Again Again

“You’d fucking think, hey?” Beth swished her hair over her shoulder. “Anyway, that’s my line in the sand. No public toilets. Not for Byron. Not for anyone.”

Not that it was a valid choice—he still hadn’t messaged, and she couldn’t reach out again. She knew what zero messages the day after you hooked up meant.

“You gonna text him again?” Lara said, reading her mind.

“Nah. The ball’s in his court.”

“Fair. Hey, are you still heading to touch rugby tonight?”

Beth’s stomach squirmed; the sensation far more pleasurable this time. “Yeah, I’m super keen.”

Lara shook her head as though Beth was planning to car-bomb a church. “I can’t believe there’s enough people around here who like rugby enough to join a touch league.”

“Can’t argue with the numbers, Ginger.”

“Yeah, yeah. So, what’s your team name?

“No Woman, No Try.”

Lara chuckled. “That’s pretty good. Okay, I’ll support you in this new rugby-related bullshit. Me and Angus can come watch you play tonight?”

Beth hesitated. She wanted Lara to come, to make her first touch game familiar and fun, but that wasn’t why she’d joined the team. She wouldn’t make any new friends if she was focusing on her old one.

“I should probably go by myself,” she admitted. “Anyway, I’ll make sure we’re not shit before you spend forty minutes watching us.”

“Sure.” Lara’s smile was wistful, but Beth watched her let it go.

They continued walking, Angus snoring a little in his pram. Beth’s phone buzzed against her thigh. She extracted it from her jeans, her fingers shaking slightly and saw a WhatsApp message from her brother, Ruben.

Clara and I got engaged last night. We’ll be at mum and dads on Sunday if you want to call.

Beth walked on, putting one foot in front of each other on instinct. She should be happy for her brother and Clara. She should have known this was coming—Ruben had always been a nester and he and Clara had been together for two years. She should appreciate him telling her when to call, not feel like a chastised dog being brought to heel. But that was how she felt.

“What’s up?” Lara said from somewhere far away. “Byron?”

Beth fucking wished. “Nah, I had some news from home. Ruby’s engaged.”

“Fuck off!”

“Yup.”

Lara clapped her hands to her mouth, Home Alone-style. “How old is he? Twenty-five?”

“Twenty-four.”

“Fuck!”

“Yup.”

They walked on. Beth was going to be asked to be a bridesmaid. She just knew it. Clara was twenty-two and the idea was mildly humiliating. She’d look like an ageing backup dancer supporting Olivia Rodrigo or something.

“How are you feeling?” Lara asked.

Beth sighed. “Like I should stop thinking and just be happy for them.”

“Are you not doing that?”

“I guess because it doesn’t seem real, my baby brother getting engaged. In the back of my mind… I guess I always thought we’d do it in order.”

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