Page 18 of You Belong With Me

‘I’m so glad you’re here,’ Elliot said. ‘Sorry everything was more fraught than intended earlier.’

She could tell he was awkward about breaking down in front of her, and she didn’t blame him. Edie recalled loathing her own public fainting and weeping fit on his set when being trolled online, what felt a lifetime ago.

‘I very much want to be here for anything fraught or less fraught and all stories about your incontinent brother.’

Elliot groaned and laughed, squeezing her in tacit gratitude.

As he went to sleep, Edie looked up at the slab of night sky in the window above them and thought that, while it was true they had compatibility, they didn’t have stability. Today was yet another reminder that their village was built inside a volcano.

9

‘Oh, I forgot to tell you, you got away with the Christmas Day selfie. The ruination of your maidenhood with me remains a dirty secret,’ Elliot said conversationally at the breakfast bar.

Edie leaned over the expanse of marble worktop separating them and kissed his two-day bestubbled cheek.

‘What was that for?’

‘Looking accidentally beautiful while eating a croissant.’

‘So do you. Though you’ve got some in your hair,’ Elliot said, brushing lightly above her ear.

Edie felt this was the likely outcome when she was trying to be accidentally beautiful plus pastry. The unexpected contact sent a tremor down her.

‘How do you know I got away with it?’

‘My publicist Lillian got a call from a bloke at theMailand successfully convinced him that I was in America. And that it must be an old photo if it even was me, and that I was definitely single. It probably helped that she really believed what she was saying because obviously I’d yet to tell her any different.’

‘Oh right,’ Edie said. She was relieved the unscheduledannouncement wasn’t being made. It was, however, a qualified relief, as the issue of how itwasmade remained. She was certainly glad Jessica didn’t get to be town crier.

‘Lillian wants a Zoom with you to say hi. Is the day after tomorrow OK? Is it all right if I pass your number on?’

Edie froze, mid-chewing, and frog-swallowed. ‘Say hi? To me? Why?’

Elliot started laughing and then couldn’t stop.

‘What?!’ Edie wailed.

‘Why do you always look like you’ve been caught wanking in a hedgerow by torchlight whenever anything comes up to do with this becoming public? Am I that big an embarrassment to you?!’

Edie reddened. ‘How dare you accuse me of hedge wanking!’

When Elliot had recovered, he said: ‘It’s absolutely by the numbers stuff, dos and don’ts about calling her if a reporter’s bothering you. I told her we were in a committed relationship – I hope that was allowed. Though I’m starting to wonder …’ He grinned at Edie. ‘I will be arriving at Carrington in a bed sheet with spectacles over the top, and if anyone asks, I’m Chris Pine.’

Edie snorted and muttered yes to Lillian, though she thought it was pretty weird to have a job interview about seeing someone. How had this happened? She could barely get a plausible match on Hinge for the rest of her thirties. From The Girl Nobody Chose (© Louis) to The Girl He Chose.

‘Actually, I need to talk to you about something else work-related before I go,’ Elliot said.

‘OK?’

They’d agreed Elliot’s dawn departure wasn’t a good fit with Edie staying over in a house with a high-tech burglar alarm system, so the plan was to part ways early evening. She was additionally dismayed they’d be having separate New Year’s Eves, despite having investigated the feasibility of Edie going over there. The stubborn timings made it two days in the air to be ships that passed in the night.

No point complaining. It was what it was. He was who he was.

‘It’s about a role I might take.’

‘Right.’

‘That involves a sex scene.’

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