night talking about the plot of a film we’ve all watched on Netflix. By the time we get home, I’m so full of curry and wine I feel like I have to be rolled upstairs to bed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Jess
11th September
The next morning, so early that the birds are only just starting to stir and the streets are quiet and empty, I kiss James goodbye on the doorstep. I don’t remember him getting into bed after he jumped in the shower when we got home. I think I was so full of food I basically passed out.
‘I’ll see you later,’ he says, curling a hand into my hair and pressing a final kiss on my forehead.
He’s reliable, he’s handsome, he’s solvent, and he calls when he says he will. My God, he reminds me of that Taylor Swift song. And my friends love him. I think of Alex for a second and then shake my head.
He’s basically the perfect boyfriend. I watch him striding down Albany Road, turning to wave goodbye before he disappears out of view.
I turn around and head back upstairs. There’s a moment when I pause outside my bedroom, one hand on the door, and I look across at Alex’s door. I wonder if he’s asleep, or if he’s lying staring at the ceiling like I used to when he was sharing a bed with Emma. I shake myself. Of course he’s not.
Alex
I put a hand up to lift my phone and check the time. A groan of exhaustion escapes almost unbidden. It’s half five. I’d been woken in the middle of the night by the thud of Jess’s bedroom door closing, and the sound of soft laughter, followed by silence. So I’d put a pillow over my head, determined to block out the sound – and the idea – of Jess in bed with James.
I roll over and stare at the ceiling, hands behind my head. James is a nice enough bloke, as far as I can see. Easy-going, stable, a proper grown-up – all the usual stuff. We’ve exchanged pleasantries in the kitchen a couple of times over the past few weeks since Jess started seeing him, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of hiding how I feel. Feeling anything wasn’t on my list of things to achieve this year. I’m not quite sure how Jess snuck in under the radar, but I have, in fact, decided the best way to deal with it is to just face up to their relationship head on (because Jess is a friend, and therefore I am – like a good friend – very happy that she has met someone nice), so I’ve suggested to Jess that she bring James on one of our London walks. We’re going to head up to Hampstead at the weekend and take a wander round. We’ll have something to talk about, a set route, and an end point at the pub, where I can have a pint with them, then leave them to it and head back home to my room.
And then I’ll have a cold shower or punch a pillow or something like that. Yep, completely sorted. Everything is under control.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Alex
15th September
All we have to do is take a walk around Hampstead. Normally, we would set off from home, jumping on the bus or the tube as necessary, grabbing a coffee on the way, and then walking, soaking up the atmosphere. But this time, with James joining us, Jess has switched things around. I think she’s probably feeling a bit edgy about it. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Anyway, she’s suggested we meet at Kenwood House instead, and set off from there.
‘You off out?’ Emma says when we meet in the hall as I come downstairs.
I nod. ‘You look nice. Off somewhere interesting?’
Emma flips her long dark hair over her shoulders and smiles. She knows she looks good. I like her for that. ‘A third date, actually.’
‘Nice.’ Is this awkward? I wonder. But, you know what? I think maybe it’s okay.
‘Yeah.’ She looks at me for half a moment with an odd expression on her face, and then she grins. ‘He’s a lawyer, funnily enough.’
She’s dressed beautifully as ever, her hair hanging in a shiny curtain down her back. There’s a rumble of music from downstairs – Rob must’ve woken up from his post-work sleep, and be getting ready to head off to the restaurant. I pick up the pile of letters and rifle through them, checking none