Page 40 of You Belong With Me

It was barely worth Elliot taking his coat off, but he did anyway, and they spent a foolish yet rewarding half hour entwined on the sofa, trying and failing to concentrate on a conversation.

‘Making out in someone else’s front room. This feels like teenage babysitting,’ Edie said.

‘Right, I knew leaving you this soon would utterly suck, but I best head back,’ Elliot said, checking a fancy watch.

‘This is the craziest thing anyone has ever done for me,’ Edie said.

‘I dunno, kissing you on a wedding day when you weren’t the bride was probably crazier.’

Edie put her palm over her eyes.

‘Seriously. All I care about is that you’re OK,’ Elliot said. ‘And that we’re OK. Also, I should’ve remembered from that fight in the street we had what a terrifying adversary you are. Apart from anything else, I’m too scared to fuck around and find out, I promise you.’

Edie fake-smiled because, on both occasions, the belief she was being rejected by him had turned her near-feral. Did he not understand the ferocity was in direct proportion to the fear?

They walked to the door and up to the end of the path, holding hands.

‘Oh – warning, Fraser called me when I was at JFK, so I had to tell him where I was going and why. He knows not to tell our parents and worry them. I also told him not to contact you even if he thinks he’s being helpful, which means he’s nailed on to contact you and make it worse.’

Elliot hugged her tightly one last time and whispered in her ear, words about how much he cared that made her blush.

Spun around and set back down by Hurricane Elliot.

As the Range Rover drove away and pulled Edie’s heart behind it like newlywed-car tin cans, she saw she had a WhatsApp from Fraser.

PLEASE PLEASE DON’T DUMP MY BROTHER HE WILL BE FUCKING UNBEARABLE AND WILL GET HIS GUITAR OUT AND TRY TO PLAY ‘LOVE WILL TEAR US APART’ AGAIN, AND HE CANNOT DO THE INTRO PART *AT ALL*. PLEASE PLEASE I BEG I WILL PAY YOU TO KEEP ON BEING HIS GIRLFRIEND, GIVE ME YOUR SALARY SCALE AND I WILL MATCH IT[folded hands emoji]

Edie snort-laughed and couldn’t resist typing back:too late x. Only after she pressedsenddid she realise the polite kiss turned a two-word joke into a potentially serious statement, in the strange way that smartphone interactions operated on miniscule margins. Like whenOK!was friendly andOKwas sullen.

Fraser

Shit, please tell me you’re joking? I was kidding, but seriously, I don’t think he’s looked at another woman since he met you. Those photos in New York are how he acts when one of my friends is all over him and he’s texting me EXTRACTION PLEASE under the table. He’s got really used to staying calm when people go weird around him.

Edie tried to reassure Fraser, but she couldn’t get the WiFi to hold steady for long enough. While she was pressing send in vain, another message arrived.

Fraser

I am only doing this because it might be necessary and NEVER tell him, because he’d kill me and it breaks bro code. But he’s not going to bother lying to me, is he?

Attached was a screenshot of their WhatsApp chat:

Fraser

Purely theoretically, are you in there with Ines then? Was all the ‘PDA’ an invitation to bang? It did LOOK like she’s keen on you.

Elliot

Yes, thanks, that was very much the problem. I’d prefer it if she isn’t. I don’t need the drama, and I only hopeshe’s not destroyed my life with the person I do want to sleep with. FFS you nearly had me typing ‘bang’ there.

Fraser

Ines needs a very stern talking to about being too erotic a creature. I should visit you and deliver it. I’d go so far as to call what I am planning ‘a proper dressing down’.

Elliot

What would I do without your wisdom and sagacious counsel.

Fraser

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