Page 85 of Rat

He straightened in his chair, biting his lip as he tried to make sense of the soft thumps on the other end of the phone.

“There,” she said, speaking in her normal voice again. “I’m at the cinema,” she explained.

“Oh.” He brushed a hand through his hair. “I’ll go. I didn’t mean to interrupt—”

“Don’t be stupid. I missed you last time. Are you okay?” There was a hint of desperation in her voice. “Please tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m okay,” he promised. “Not long now, only two more months.”

Morris tutted, but Rory ignored her.

“What are you watching?”

“It’s a horror movie about some possessed doll.”

Rory shuddered.

“I know, I know,” Erica said. “You hate them.”

Rory quirked an eyebrow. “I wonder why…”

“Wait a second! You begged me to sneak you in to seeSaw. It’s not my fault you freaked the fuck out.”

“I was twelve…”

“Whatever. Danny loves horror movies. He’s not a wuss like you.”

“Harsh.”

“You know I love you.”

“Date night?”

“Date day,” Erica corrected with a laugh. “Oooh, we’ve booked this cabin up in the peak district next month.”

“The peak district? Isn’t that long walks and nature trails?”

Erica hummed. “I doubt we’ll be leaving the cabin much, but we’ll have a pretty view out the window.”

Rory rolled his eyes. “Why not check in to some cheap travel lodge if all you’re planning on doing is—”

“Hey,” Erica snapped. “Because I’m not a cheap girlfriend, thank you very much.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Yeah, we’re official.”

“I’ve not vetted him yet.”

Erica laughed. “You’ll like him. As long as you can keep police officer Rory separate from my brother Rory.”

Rory covered the end of the phone, hoping to muffle his voice from Morris. “What does that mean?”

She sighed. “It means he thinks speed limits on the motorway are optional and weed usage is a human right.”

“Erica…”

“I promise he’s not that bad.” She snorted. “A million times better than Craig.”

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