Page 43 of Bad Friends

“So, you’re off soon, then?”

“Yep, three days left. Gave up my rented room, had to hire a man with a van to bring all my shit home.”

He rubs a finger under his eye and I notice a tiny purple mark, like maybe he recently had an altercation with someone. I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of Theo, he does martial arts or something and is the tallest man I’ve ever known.

“You seem… what’s the world… released?”

“I think I am,” he agrees, “you just don’t know what it’s like living down there until you do. Maybe it’s just not for me.”

“Maybe.”

He looks good today in a leather jacket, black jeans and t-shirt. He looks… kind of like he couldn’t care less. Perhaps that’s the difference: he just stopped caring suddenly.

“How about you?” he asks, slurping his coffee. “What’s new?”

I feel colour rise from my neck upwards and my nerves get the better of me. I decide to say it before my mouth turns to sand. “Me and Paul have kind of…”

He waits for me to say more, leaning in, lips pursed. “Kind of…?”

He doesn’t look disgusted yet which means he hasn’t anticipated what it is I’m about to say.

“We’re together.”

Elbows on the table, he steeples his hands in front of his face, resting his chin on two outstretched thumbs. “Come again.”

“We bumped into one another… his dad was in the hospital… it just happened. He’s living with me now and starting a new job, next month.”

Theo screws his eyes up and rubs his face, like he’s irritated.

“He didn’t tell me he was back. He hasn’t even told Adam otherwise he’d have told me.”

“It’s been a hectic time; his dad had a liver transplant. Paul had to fly back from Japan suddenly and, there we go, that’s the whole story.”

The food arrives and Theo doesn’t even look down at it. The steam from his rarebit toastie wafts up into his face and he’s still staring into space, not saying anything. This isn’t normal because Theo loves his grub and he should, there’s a lot of him to feed. Equally my panini is going uneaten and I’m starving, too.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

His jaw’s clenched. “I dunno.”

“You have something to say, you’re just too polite to say it.”

My hand begins to tremble and he reaches for it from across the table.

“Maybe I’m just sad that our pact is screwed up now. I know you love Paul and if anyone can help him get his act together, it’s you.”

I swallow hard, my face softening because I can see he means it. “What do you mean, get his act together?”

Theo finally takes a bite out of his sandwich, then once swallowed, he says, “His dad’s an alchy, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Theo shrugs and looks at me, as if I’m meant to know exactly what he’s referring to.

“Paul’s hardly drunk anything lately, if that’s what you mean.”

Theo looks down at his food, mumbling, “Maybe leopards do change their spots, then.”

“I would know if he had an issue, Theo. I’m a fucking psychologist.”

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