Page 51 of You Belong With Me

She sussed that meekly waiting for people to disperse wasn’t going to work.

‘Elliot, can I borrow you for a minute?’ Edie said, at an assertive pitch.

Eyes trailed her resentfully as she took him by the hand and pulled him out of the group and back up the side of the pool.

‘Apologies, that became intense, and I don’t want to offend Fraser’s friends,’ Elliot said.

‘I want to go back to our old table, but it feels like that looks too pointed now? Like we’re not making the effort,’ Edie said.

‘See what you mean.’ Elliot looked over her shoulder. ‘You know, if you kissed me, that would probably deter approaches. Just a thought.’

‘In spy films, the man always suggests they kiss so peopledon’tnotice them.’

‘Either works for me.’

Edie’s reticence to be linked with Elliot had only ever been about avoiding the deluge of attention, and meanwhile, she’d forgotten to value the part where he was always happy to go public with her.

Nick had said in the Dales: ‘Don’t spend so much time looking for red and beige flags that you start taking the green for granted,’ to which Edie had replied: ‘Wise,’ and social media allergic Hannah said: ‘Jesus Christ, you understood that shite?!’

27

Some time – and a proper reunion, featuring no ‘Galway Girl’ – later, Elliot and Edie lay awake against starched square pillows, room illuminated by pools of honeyed light from chintzy lamps, picking over the evening’s events.

Edie wasn’t surprised to discover that Elliot was a stern critic of the imminent nuptials.

‘I’m going to have to talk to Fraser ASAP, and I’m absolutely dreading it. I rate my chances of getting through to him very low and my chances of making myself persona non grata very high. I know the nice brotherly thing would be cheering it on. But he has friends to do that. Unlike them, I can see where it ends. He’ll take being a thirty-year-old divorcee very hard, however he may come across.’

‘You definitely think it’ll fall apart?’

‘Marrying his girlfriend this quick? After six months together? I mean, it’ll be a miracle if it pans out, won’t it? My parents are no doubt chagrined but won’t be as direct as I’m going to be. Fuck’s sake, I know he can be hyperactive, but this latest clownery is stretching credulity even for him.Shotgun weddings.’

‘You don’t think …?’

‘Oh, nah. Speaking figuratively. She was hard on the champagne.’

Edie shook her head: ‘I guess … if they’re happy …?’

‘They are, though whether there’s anything like enough between them to get married is another thing.’ He paused. ‘Please don’t repeat this next part, because I won’t go anywhere near it with Fraz, but I think I may be a factor.’

‘You?’

‘Yep … I hate talking about it, because there’s no way I can without it coming across as self-obsessed,world revolves round meshit. This is why it’s good to know Cam – he and I can privately compare notes on the insanity with no one calling us ego-ridden megalomaniacs.’

‘Allow me,’ Edie said.

Elliot laughed. ‘There’s nothing I can’t share with you. A thing Cam said to me early on was: “getting famous is like winning the lottery.” All good when they’re handing the big cheque over, but it affects everyone around you. You can’t foresee the impacts. This is absolutely confidential, but Cam bought a large house outright for his sister. Her deadbeat, dodgy ex-boyfriend, who they hoped had gone for good, came straight back and proposed. Nothing Cam could do – it’s her life. Not like you can revoke a gift like that, based on choice of spouse. He’d accidentally honey-trapped an absolute wastrel. Your success is a butterfly wing flap effect. More of an eagle wing flap.’

‘Fuck!’

‘Yeah, so you see why being nice doesn’t always cover it.No danger of that here, in as much as Molly’s family are well off, a little dynasty in their bit of Suffolk, I think. But I got the distinct feeling they’ve gone wild on Fraser as a son-in-law prospect because he’s a package deal with me. Fraz is immensely good-natured, and that’s the kind of thing he misses. I’m far more cynical and alert to it. They bombarded me with inappropriate questions when I met them. Molly’s dad took me on a tour of his wine cellar. They’d volunteered to host Fraser’s birthday – which seemed a lot – then specifically asked he bring me. Fraser saw it all as the generosity of their welcome and to me it felt more like the hospitality you get as veiled corporate aggression. “We’re in charge here. We’ve ordered for you.”’

‘Maybe they were a bit overwhelmed by your status, and mishandled it?’

‘I know. I allow for that. I know the difference between natural curiosity and how it feels to be sized up as a valuable acquisition. My instincts said, fame groupie social climbers who want the connection. I know that sounds awful. And in what world do you say:they’re using you to get to me, and not expect your brother to hate you?’

‘You don’t think Molly is?’

The fact Elliot hesitated, Edie thought, said a lot.

---