Page 97 of All I Want for Christmas

Her only solution – to extend her overdraft and buy another dress – was an imperfect one. Nothing could be done today, on a Sunday, and the overdraft would take a day or two to arrange, meaning there was no chance of switching the dresses before Freja got back. She would have to come clean aboutwhat she’d done andthenmake it right. It solved 50 per cent of the problem.

It was the other half that was the worst half. The real issue was the breach of trust, and this solution meant Freja would know what she’d done. Darcy had worn her dress without permission; to all intents and purposes, she’d stolen it, taken something precious like it was nothing and destroyed it.

It didn’t help that she had no idea when her flatmate would be back. Tonight? Tomorrow? Rest was impossible, and Darcy’s attention leapt to the door any time there was a sound outside in the hall, as if their neighbours’ comings and goings suddenly carried threat.

‘I’ll open this, shall I?’ She held up the wine bottle with a degree of apprehension. This was either the last thing she needed, or the very thing. Would it distract her from her troubles? Would he?

‘Great.’

‘Would you mind taking off your shoes there?’ she asked over her shoulder as she headed into the open-plan kitchen-living room. ‘Freja’s a bit of a stickler for not bringing outdoor germs through the place. She’s a microbiologist, so she’s pretty hot on that stuff.’

‘Fair enough.’ He followed her in his socks into the sitting room, his gaze wandering over the two blue Ikea sofas positioned opposite one another, the cushions limp and unplumped; the TV playing on mute, the gas log-effect fireplace, nail polish and cotton wool balls on the coffee table. ‘Nice place you’ve got here.’

She reached for the wine glasses in the wall cupboard. ‘We like it. It’s warm, which is the main thing. And there’s always hot water.’

‘Crucial. We had a mains leak a few months back and theyturned off the supply for three weeks. Had to use bottled water for showers, brushing teeth, filling the kettle. It was a nightmare.’

‘I can imagine,’ she said, turning the oven on to preheat and tipping the popcorn into a covered pan.

‘How long have you lived here?’

She unscrewed the cap and poured the wine, all the while wondering whether or not it would be an advantage to have him here if Freja did return tonight and found the dress was no longer hanging on her wardrobe door. (It was hidden at the back of Darcy’s closet. She couldn’t even bear to look at it.) Would it stop her from screaming, throwing Freja out? ‘Um...since August.’

‘Nice.’

She came over with the wine. ‘Shall we sit soft...?’

‘Great.’ He was still nervous, she could tell.

They settled down on the sofa together, sitting close but not touching. Darcy tucked her legs up and angled herself to face him. Behind her, the TV still played on mute.

‘Well, cheers,’ he said, holding up his glass.

‘Cheers.’

The silence in the room resounded as they both took a deep gulp of wine.

‘So, have you had a good week?’ she asked him, resting her glass on her thigh. The question sounded stiff, as if they’d just met.

‘You mean, apart from feeling like a prize idiot for fumbling—’

‘Aksel,’ she chided. ‘Forget about it.’

He rolled his eyes. ‘It was decent, I guess. Although we had the dog back in – you know, the one who suffered the makeshift castration at the hands of his owner?’

‘He tied the elastic bands...?’

‘Exactly. Well, he died. The infection took hold and we couldn’t get it under control.’

‘Oh no, that’s so sad!’

‘I know. The guy was trying to save himself some money and all he did was cause suffering to that poor animal and end up losing his beloved pet.’

‘I don’t know how you don’t shout at these people,’ she muttered. ‘They’re idiots.’

‘Verbally abusing the clients is frowned upon, unfortunately, though some of them definitely deserve it.’ He looked back at her. ‘You?’

‘Mm, I’ve had better weeks.’

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