Page 42 of Enemies to Lovers

‘You missed Hawaii,’ Jamie says, pointing at Laurie’s sheet of paper. ‘And Missouri,’ he adds, forcing me to scream, ‘Adonis! Hi. Jamie – fucking stop it.’

Jamie holds up his hands in surrender like he didn’t realise meddling was such a big deal, and Adonis approaches with his brow furrowed, wondering what the hell is going on.

‘Oh, New YorkState,’ I mutter to myself, going back over my list and forcing myself to remember what I’m missing.

‘You didn’t even get New York State?’ Laurie teases, before obviously writing it down himself.

I am determined to beat him. Absolutely determined. Kate, Jamie and Alex have gathered around us like we’re playing a grandmaster chess final in fifties Soviet Russia, everyone with bated breath and narrowed eyes, trying to figure out who has the smarts to emerge victorious.

Mum and Dad wander over, Dad saying, ‘Adonis! Hello.’ Alex points at my list and says, ‘You need to think about what others begin withM …’

I’ve got Maine, Massachusetts (which I don’t think I’ve even spelled right), Michigan … Gah, this is so annoying! I know Americans all learn a song that helps them remember the states, but as a Brit I never have, and it turns out I might lose this stupid competition because I can only think of thirty-nine.

‘You’re seeing Florence at her most authentic right now,’ Mum explains to Adonis. ‘In competition with her brother, over something inconsequential but deadly serious …’

Adonis laughs. ‘I think she might have achieved her strength this way, no?’ he offers, and Dad laughs.

‘Oh no,’ he says. ‘That’s from her mother. All of our children are incredibly pig-headed and, quite frankly, we’ve got no idea where that’s from, have we, Vee?’

‘None at all,’ Mum laughs.

‘Minnesota!’ I blurt out, when I eventually think of an M state that’s missing.

‘Finally,’ Alex comments, and I give him the finger without looking up.

‘I’m on forty-three,’ says Laurie.

‘Bullshit,’ I hoot. ‘No way. Somebody check his working,’ I instruct. I hear Adonis say to Jamie, ‘So the game is … writing down places in America?’

‘All the states, yeah,’ nods Jamie, not altogether warmly.

‘I saw your friend Jasmine at the food market,’ Adonis tells him, and I hold my pen still above my paper to listen.

Laurie has paused too, though – we’re both running out of steam.

‘She’s not really my friend …’ Jamie says, and Adonis cocks an eyebrow.

‘I understand,’ he replies, butting his shoulder against Jamie’s arm.

Jamie sees me look up. ‘It’s not like that,’ he presses on, telling Adonis but, oddly, looking at me.

I cast my eyes back down quickly. It’s none of my business if Jamie’s ‘friend’ Jasmine says hi. Jamie said he wants me not to hate him, but this is a mark in the ‘he must have just said it drunkenly without meaning it’ column.

‘Laurie has thirty-nine states,’ Dad announces, leaning over Laurie’s shoulder and putting a line through his duplicates. ‘You’re neck-and-neck.’

‘Siri,’ Alex says to his phone, ‘set a timer for ninety seconds.’

Siri beeps confirmation and Kate stage-whispers to both of us, ‘Neither of you has the Dakotas!’

I scribble downNorth DakotaandSouth Dakota, and that triggers a mental map that means I suddenly remember Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nebraska.

‘Stop her from writing,’ Laurie yells, pointing at my moving pen. ‘She’s cheating!’

‘How can I be cheating?’ I say, full of glee – Laurie hasn’t written anything after the Dakotas.

‘Five …’ Alex says, holding up his phone. ‘Four …’

Everyone else joins in now. All of us, bar Laurie, shout: ‘Three … two … one …’

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