Alone on the station platform, Josh huddled further into his coat and tugged his collar up against the freezing rain. His train was overdue, running late, he supposed. Such was his luck lately. If it could go wrong it did, spectacularly. Everything he touched seemed to fall apart. What he’d done to make the women in his life hate him he still didn’t know. He breathed in hard, his throat feeling raw from the spirits he’d tipped down it after his teaching colleagues had left the retirement do he’d felt obliged to go to this evening. Bad idea. It had only brought his problems into sharp focus.
Reeling, he heaved out a sigh and checked his watch. It would help if he could see the bloody thing. He closed one eye and squinted at it. Christ, he felt bad. He’d felt rough when he’d woken up that morning, having drunk more than he should after the gut-wrenching conversation with the woman who’d thwarted his every attempt to support her. Trying not to think about it, at least until he’d spoken to his stepfather, he moved further towards the one light on the platform that hadn’t been smashed, checked the time on his phone and then attempted to read the text his stepfather had sent him. Adam had agreed to meet him at Worcester station. He was a decent bloke, whose opinion Josh valued. He knew he could trust him not to relay anything back to his mother.
He could barely read the text, feeling disorientated as the words swam out of focus. He hoped he wasn’t going to pass out. Lying on a railway station platform in sub-zero temperatures, he’d probably freeze to death before the train arrived.
Had the train he was waiting for been cancelled? He checked the app, succeeding after two fumbling attempts, only to find that it had. Great. There was no way now he would make his connection at Birmingham. So what did he do? He could hardly walk to the centre of Birmingham in this state. He debated whether to call Adam and ask him to come and fetch him. Adam would be okay about it, and it would mean they could talk on the way, but Josh was loath to ask him to drive out here after being at work all day. Deciding it was probably his only option, he was about to call when he saw another text from him.
Do you want to message me when you’re at Evesham? I’ll set off as soon as I get it.
There’s a problem with train times, Josh texted back. Will call you.
He’d just selected Adam’s number when his phone rang.
Dammit. His heart rate ratcheting up as he realised who it was, he was about to answer when something dark and sleek darted past his feet, almost causing him to jump out of his skin. Christ, what the hell was that? If it was a rat, it was a big bugger. His heart palpitating, he inched cautiously towards the worn yellow band at the edge of the platform and peered over. He sighed with relief when he saw two alarmed green orbs blinking up at him. It was a cat. A black cat, lucky if it crossed his path. Definitely not a rat. He laughed shakily as the cat, clearly as spooked as he was, imparted its feelings with a feral hiss, then leapt back up onto the platform in one swift move and slinked warily past him.
Jesus. He’d be imagining werewolves next. Taking a breath, he hit return call, praying silently as he did. He was half expecting it to go to voicemail, but she picked up. ‘You called me,’ he said, his stomach knotting.
‘To tell you I’m deleting your number,’ she replied curtly. ‘There’s no point you ringing and texting me, Josh. We’ve said all we have to.’
‘You have,’ he retorted, disbelieving. He had a lot more to say, if only she would give him a chance. ‘Why are you doing this?’ he asked, anger churning inside him when she didn’t reply. ‘Look, I’m trying here. Can we not both just act like adults, given the situation?’
‘Perhaps you should try looking at the situation from my point of view,’ she suggested. ‘I’m going.’
‘Don’t,’ Josh said, swallowing back a knot in his throat. What in God’s name was he supposed to do if she wouldn’t listen to anything he had to say? ‘Look, can’t we at least meet up again? There has to be some way we can—’