Page 78 of Book People

So maybe it’s his suspicion that makes me reach for Kate’s hand and thread my fingers through hers. ‘Of course,’ I say.

She blushes the most adorable shade of pink.

Lisa and Clive stare at our joined hands.

Clive relaxes into parade rest.

Lisa gives both Kate and me a delighted look. ‘Oh, how wonderful! You two are together?’

‘Yes,’ says Kate.

‘No,’ I say, at the same time.

We glance at each other, but Kate looks away first. Her smile is still beaming at a hundred watts, but I can see that there’s something else going on behind her grey eyes.

Did she not like me saying no? We’re not actually together, that’s the thing. We agreed last week, when we started seeing each other, that it was only going to be casual.

It’s been going fine, too. We spend most nights with each other, alternating between her place and mine, and we have some truly sensational sex.

Not only that, though. We have great conversations too, mostly about books. Arguments as well, since we are who we are and neither of us likes being wrong. Also, she’s been insisting on some ridiculous things for the festival – a cosplay cocktail party, for God’s sake – that I’ve tried to veto. Emphasis on the ‘tried’.

Because not only is she stubborn; she can also be very persuasive when she wants to be, usually in bed, and I’ve found myself swayed on more than a few occasions. Which means the cosplay cocktail party has unfortunately entered the programme, as has a ‘date with a book’ lucky dip. She even mentioned a couple of days ago something about a treasure hunt, but I pretended not to hear it.

So if sex, arguments and conversation can be termed ‘being together’, then, I suppose I was wrong and, yes, we are together.

I’m sure Lisa has picked up on our strange moment, because she’s glancing at Kate, then me, and then back again, her gaze curious. I feel vaguely like an insect under a microscope.

I smile at Lisa, hoping it comes across as pleasant. ‘What I meant to say is that we’re together casually,’ I say.

‘How wonderful,’ says Lisa. ‘It’s almost like fate, isn’t it?’

Kate pulls her hand from mine and heads to the door of Portable Magic. ‘Come on,’ she says, tugging it open. ‘It’s just across the road.’ Her smile is a tad fixed, but if Lisa notices it, she makes no comment.

Neither do I as we all troop across to Blackwood Books. Mainly because I have no idea what to say. I don’t know what’s bothering her, and I’m not sure I can offer anything even if I did. I thought she was happy with the way things were going, but the way she pulled her hand from mine, as if I’d burned her . . .

Clearly she’s not and I’d like to know why.

She chatters away to Lisa as we go into the bookshop and then I take over, giving Lisa the grand tour. She’s charmed and I can’t help but feel smug. Blackwood Books is a calm, quiet oasis, an escape from reality, and that’s the way I like it.

‘I’d love for your Q&A to be here,’ I tell her. ‘It’s small, but we can set up a video camera for streaming.’

She is nodding approvingly, looking around. ‘Oh, it’s perfect. Nothing worse than a large place with a small crowd. Much better to have a small place with a large crowd.’

‘I’ll have a desk set up for a signing.’ I indicate where I’d envisaged putting it. ‘Over there should be a good spot.’

‘Oh,’ Kate says, looking pointedly at me. ‘I thought we’d agreed that Lisa would do a signing at Portable Magic.’

I frown. I don’t remember us discussing that. ‘Did we? I’m not sure we did.’

Lisa once again looks at me, then at Kate, then glances at her husband. ‘Clive, why don’t we go upstairs? I’m sure I saw an atlas that you might like.’

Clive, clearly a man of few words, nods and follows his wife up the stairs, leaving us staring at each other uncomfortably.

‘We discussed it,’ she says stubbornly. ‘I remember.’

‘I don’t.’ I’m irritated now. ‘It makes more sense to have her Q&A here and then the signing here too. No one wants to go across the road.’

‘It’s not a hike up Everest, Sebastian. It’s a two-second walk.’

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