Page 71 of Crying in the Rain

“Hi,” Ade greeted breathlessly.

“Hi,” Kris replied, offering to take Ade’s bag, but he waved the offer away.

“I’ve missed you.”

Kris had a huge smile on his face.

“What?” Ade asked.

“I’m glad you said that, because I’ve missed you too.”

Ade took Kris’s hand, and they set off towards taxi rank. “I’m a bit nervous about this party.”

“Because of meeting my friends?”

“Maybe a little. More because I’m not used to going out.” As soon as he said it, he wished he hadn’t, as Kris flinched. “Hey.” He squeezed Kris’s hand. “I’m made of sterner stuff than you think.”

“I know.”

“Have you been thinking about it a lot?”

“Trying not to. But since you told me…or maybe even before that, because I kind of knew from the get-go, I can’t get it out of my head.”

“And you’re struggling to process it,” Ade said.

Kris nodded.

“That’s understandable. It’s not normal, is it?”

“It’s selfish. This is about you, not me.”

“Yes, well, I don’t want to talk about it. So…”

“Right, OK.” Kris nodded and obediently changed the subject. “How was Julia? Did you have fun?”

“Oh, she was wonderful, and yes, I did. Thank you for asking.”

“You’re most welcome,” Kris said theatrically.

Ade laughed. “Seriously, it was so nice to spend time with her, and the kids have grown up so much! It’s amazing—you only have to miss out for a few months and they turn from babies to toddlers, to preschoolers, and before you know it, they’re starting high school. I can barely get my head around the fact that Emmett’s almost a teenager. Was it like that for you with Krissi?”

“Yep. Baby one minute, at school the next, then suddenly she’s a grown-up with her own apartment.”

Ade gave Kris’s hand another reassuring squeeze. “I can’t wait to meet her. I bet she’s a credit to both of you. And I don’t think they notice how much time has passed, you know? Emmett’s convinced I was there for his birthday last year, but my wrist was splinted, so I know for a fact I wasn’t. I told him the truth, too, because he was asking awkward questions, and there seemed little point lying, especially afterthe excalled me again, but I felt ashamed.” So much for not wanting to talk about it. At times, he wondered if that was all he was, the sum of what Fergus had made him. He bit down on his bottom lip, quite hard, banishing the thought. “Anyway, I promised Emmett I’d make it up to him. He loves the theatre too, so we’re going to catch a couple of shows together.”

“Any excuse,” Kris teased.

Ade laughed. “Quite right.”

“Emmett’s an unusual name.”

“It is. Julia and Russ are totalBack To The Futurenuts. Like, for instance, when I told them about the MG, Jules said, ‘At least it wasn’t a DeLorean.’ They had one as their wedding car.”

“That’s fun!”

“It was a great day, if not a bit geeky. Their wedding cake was on a hoverboard, and of course,the exhad to point out it wasn’t real, like we didn’t all know that. He made such a fool of himself that day, but at least he had the decency to pass out in the hotel lobby and not ruin it for anyone else.” He was doing it again.Back to the future, Ade. Take the hint.“So, Julia and Russ have been together fifteen years. Emmett’s thirteen next month, and Jenny’s just turned nine.”

“Oh, right.” Kris looked bamboozled but didn’t comment on Ade’s flitty chatter, so he carried on once they were in the taxi.

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