Page 6 of The Way We Fell

His smirk drops and his face takes on an expression of thunder as he slams my final few items through and flings them carelessly towards the bagging area. I load them back into my tote bag with a cheery smile and offer him a finger wave as I step away. I’m not usually quite so mean or confrontational, but after cleaning up that man’s messes a few too many times, I just can’t help myself anymore. I’m outside at the bus stop when a lady joins me, arms laden with several shopping bags.

“Don’t listen to that arsehole in there.” She nudges my shoulder. “He’s always a miserable prick. Everyone needs some smut.”

I grin, and stick out my hand to wave down the approaching bus as its headlights illuminate the soft drizzle in the air.

The following night, I find myself at another of Ruth’s dinner parties. She’s really going all-in on making sure her brother doesn’t sit alone and stew; this is the second time she’s invited us all over in less than a week. Not that I’m complaining. It’s nice to have my best friends in the same place, even if it’s just for a couple of hours.

After Amie and Cam reunited again last September, and all of the drama that went along with it, Paloma booked her busiest winter season since opening her photography studio. Ruth has been working from her employer’s New York offices a lot recently, too, and all of it has left me feeling a little—well, a little lonely, honestly. I’m just working shifts at the supermarket, shuffling between work and home, and I feel like I’ve barely spent any real time with my friends recently. So, as much as I’m a homebody, and as much as I’d quite happily curl up and spend the evening reading about dirty-talking cowboys, I’m going to take advantage of Ruth’s hospitality and her willingness to cook for me.

I pad across the flat from the kitchen to the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over the Thames. I stare at my reflection in the dark glass for a moment, before whirling around to face—

“Jay, hi!”

“Hi, Katy.” He greets me with a curious smile. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I—” Iwhat? He steps closer and his cologne fills my senses, something fresh and spicy and sexy, and it floods me with warmth. “I’m good. How are you?”

I’m so flustered around this man. He’s beautiful: a tall, dark, handsome God of a man, but it’s not like I’ve never seen an attractive man before. For example, Cam is, objectively speaking, very good-looking, but both my brain and my mouth function normally around him.

“Yeah, good, thanks. I, uh, I like your hair like that. Very 90s.”

I reach up and touch the ends of my hair a little self-consciously. I’ve fashioned two braids from my temples leading into two small pigtails formed from the front sections of my hair. It’s very Baby Spice, particularly with my fresh highlights making my blonde hair even lighter.

“Thanks,” I say, a shrug pulling at my shoulders. God, brain, he’s hot, and you’re horny. We get it. Pull yourself together. “I didn’t realise you’d be here tonight.”

“Yeah, parents have gone away, and Roofus took pity on me,” he says with a wry laugh.

“Almost like she doesn’t trust you to feed yourself,” I laugh.

“Yeah.” His lips curve into a sardonic smile. “I was just about to say the same. I don’t think she realises I’m capable of cooking and feeding myself, but I’m not complaining if she wants to cook for me.”

“Roofus,” I say with a smirk. “Remind me to take the piss later.”

“Oh, she’ll love it,” he laughs. “Wait ‘til I’ve gone home, though.”

Ruth’s intercom buzzes insistently, and a moment later, Paloma’s squeal announces her presence before she walks into the room. Amie follows with Cam in tow, and I smile. The gang is all together. It feels good to have all of my favourite people in the same place.

Ruth has set up a taco station on her breakfast bar with everything you could ever want in a tortilla shell, and more. No one ever leaves Roo’s flat hungry. I fix myself a plate and plop down onto the end of the sofa beside Amie, whose eyes are fixed on Cam and Jay, deep in conversation at Ruth’s breakfast bar. Roo and Paloma are on the other side of the sectional sofa, heads bent over Paloma’s phone.

“The boys seem to be getting along.”

“Yeah, they’ve bonded,” Amie murmurs, never taking her eyes off them. “It’s nice.”

“Yeah… I think it’ll be good. For both of them.”

“He’s staying, you know.” Amie finally turns to me, glassy-eyed and smiling softly. “He’s not moving to Boston. He’s moving here.”

My eyes widen.

“Wha—but—”

“Yeah. He’s just gonna commute from London.”

“To Boston?”

“Yeah. He’ll be there for two weeks, and here for two. It’s long, but…”

“But it means he’ll behere. He’s so crazy for you, Amie, a blind fool can see that. He’s moving across an entire ocean for you, girl. And Maisy… he looks at that little girl like the whole world spins around her.”

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