Page 6 of You Belong With Me

She clicked on story views and scrolled through a long list of friends, relatives, colleagues, and cringed. She impulsively deleted the picture.

Just as the image digitally vaporised, Edie realised this, too, was an error. If it made its way beyond her profile and into the public domain, she’d removed the list of suspects. Plus, its disappearing stank of panic. It rather confirmed any suspicion that she’d been indiscreet. It flagged,yes, that was a Story-story.

Nor, on reflection, could she post a wheedlingthrowback photo, guys, feeling nostalgic!disclaimer, as when it came out that it was true down the line, people who knew her might be justifiably irritated at being bullshitted.

Oh my God, you absolute tit. You managed what, a grand totalof six to eight hours of keeping this to yourself?Edie couldn’t believe she’d gaily broadcasted it. Her boss, Richard, once told her she was her own worst enemy, and though the title of her worst enemy had been a keenly fought competition, he might be right.

She was near-tearful with hungover-dickhead remorse as Elliot stirred, turned over, and rubbed a puffy face worth a fortune. It had recently graced the cover ofEmpiremagazine, strapline:staring into The Void has never felt so good.

He smiled at her. ‘Morning.’ His eyes settled on her expression. ‘Shit. What’s wrong?’

3

‘I posted a photo of us on my Instagram.’

‘I know.’

‘Do you?!’ Edie’s powers of recollection tuned in and out.

‘Yeah, you were really proud of it. You were going to put a Taylor Swift song over it, but I think by that point you lacked the motor skills … ‘Snow on the Beach’, was it? I’m not the expert on her you are. I hope it’s not about a freak event ruining a nice holiday.’

Edie wailed: ‘Why did you let me?!’

Elliot shrugged bare and gym-developed shoulders. (‘Once I’m inThe Voidcostume, it’s only my lower jaw and upper chest left doing any acting.’)

‘Aside from the fact I’d had a skinful, too, why not? Are we hiding this?’

His nonchalance went some way to calming her. It had to be said, this was his area, not hers. If he wasn’t bothered, should she be? Like when a plane had terrible turbulence and you were convinced it was The End, then you saw the cabin crew who do the route six times a day having a laugh.

‘What if someone screen-grabbed it? I mean, they almostcertainly will have for the purposes of WhatsApp chats. Then it ends up in the press.’

Elliot shrugged again. ‘They’ll write about me anyway, and last night you were very much of the attitude we should let them.’

‘Oh for fuc— Drunk me should be shot.’

Elliot smiled appraisingly. ‘Hey up. Not sure I ever spotted that drunk Edie is a chaos gremlin. Though to be fair, there have been signs.’

He lifted the duvet that was bunched at his chest half an inch and gingerly peered under, as if inspecting damage, to embarrassed scoff noises from Edie.

Elliot hesitated. ‘If you can’t remember posting that photo, can you not remember anything else after? That would be a shame.’

‘Weirdly, it’s like I have an hour or so outage around the photo, and then I can remember again. I must’ve eased up on the Co-op Merlot.’

‘Not weirdly. Some things are so incredible, even a hippocampus that’s been holed below the waterline still insists on recording them.’

‘No way to refer to me,’ Edie said, and they both stupid-laughed, before Elliot held out his arms to her.

As before, Edie had discovered that having sex with someone who was held to be a symbol of sex was, in abstract, terrifying. In practice, it was just two people in bed who wanted to be there.

‘There’s something I failed to mention yesterday as I didn’t want to spoil the vibe,’ he said, as she settled into his embrace.

‘Oh, here it comes.’

‘I have to go back to America on the twenty-ninth. New York this time.’

‘For how long?’

‘I’m not sure, probably at least a few weeks. I’ll get back as soon as I can.’

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