Page 53 of Best Summer Ever

‘Oh,’ I said, pulling my T-shirt over my head, ‘tall, beautiful, talented. All the things I hate in a woman. That was a joke,’ I instantly added, without drawing breath. ‘I really didn’t mean that. I’m all for supporting women. Even the stunning ones who make the rest of us feel like… gargoyles.’

Josh laughed at that.

‘I should think so too.’ He nodded.

‘Should go without saying really, shouldn’t it?’ I sighed. ‘What do you think of her?’

I braced myself internally for impact.

‘Who?’ he asked, playing me at my own game.

‘You know who,’ I tutted.

‘Oh, she’s lovely,’ he said. ‘Sheisbeautiful, and like me, she’s really kind too.’

‘The whole package then,’ I sighed wistfully.

They’d make a perfect couple. Not unlike Josh, Marguerite apparently didn’t have any flaws either, but I felt like I was stacking up my own by the bucketful.

‘And she has the hots for you,’ he said.

‘What?’ I spluttered.

‘She asked me about you last night,’ he carried on, as he slid his boxers on and stood up. ‘When I went to the bar to get a round in, she asked me if we were properly together or just friends.’

‘She did not.’ I blushed.

‘Yes, she did. She wanted to know if you were single. And gay. She’s gay and single and hoped you might be too.’

‘I don’t believe you.’

‘Are you flattered?’

‘I would be if I thought it was true,’ I told him. ‘But why would a woman like Marguerite look twice at someone like me?’

‘Because,’ he said, reaching for me and pulling me back down onto the bed, ‘you’re lovely and kind and beautiful too.’

I wriggled out from under him.

‘I don’t think I can believe that,’ I told him. ‘I’m not always kind.’

‘Given that your last boyfriend treated you like crap, I think you’re allowed to slip up in the relationship kindness stakes once in a while.’

‘Do you really?’ I asked.

‘Yeah,’ he said softly. ‘I do. I really do.’

‘So,’ I carried on, bravely or foolishly testing the water, ‘you wouldn’t think badly of me if I told you that I had felt jealousthat you were going back to the pub without me today and that I’m only now feeling all right about it because Marguerite has said that she fancies me, not you?’

Wasn’t that terrible? Where was my sisterly solidarity? Why had I even entertained the idea that Marguerite – who I had known nothing about – might jump on my summer fling? And why had I again done Josh wrong by considering the notion that he might reciprocate if she did? I was an awful, awful person.

‘No,’ Josh said, ‘I wouldn’t actually.’

‘Really?’ I gasped.

‘Really,’ he said earnestly. ‘I know it was only yesterday when you said that you’d never think badly of me again—’

‘Oh god,’ I groaned, putting my hands either side of my head, ‘it was yesterday, wasn’t it? Just yesterday. Only twenty-four hours ago and I’ve failed already.’

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