Page 44 of Someone Like You

The questions, right. Ian had completely forgotten about those. They didn’t seem so important now. He would’ve been more than happy to just keep watching Phil wolf down crackers and cream cheese like they were the world’s greatest delicacy.

“So, in the epilogue,” he said, “Alba tells Beauchamp the sunflowers are from her boyfriend, but that’s because she doesn’t trust him. They aren’t actually from Paul, right?”

Cracker. Dip. “What makes you think that?” Mouth.

Ian made a face. “That prissy cunt buyingsunflowers? He would’ve bought the worst kind. Probably red roses.”

“Very observant.”

“It was her brother, wasn’t it?”

“Who knows?” Cracker. Smirk. “Read the books and you’ll find out.”

“And the hot doctor who laughed at Alba’s joke about her leg…. There was definitely something there.”

“Can’t exclude that.” Dip. Mouth.

Ian snorted. “How long do I have to suffer before they get together?”

“Who says they will?” The seraphic flutter of Phil’s eyelashes wouldn’t have been half as infuriating if it hadn’t also been so allusive.

“They had a whole three scenes together and in all of them their chemistry was through the roof. I can take a hint.”

“Can you?”

“Ye’re doin’ my nut in, old man.”

“Sorry, don’t speak Glaswegian.”

“Ach. After months here you still haven’t learned the basics…”

Phil smirked again. Cracker. Dip. “Just read the books, big boy.” Mouth.

Mouth.

Ian needed to stop staring at his mouth. He pulled the two books Phil had brought him to the centre of the table. “You going to sign these for me?”

Phil sucked some cream cheese off his thumb and index finger. “Already have.”

Curious, Ian opened the book on top,Moon Lie, second in the series.

‘To the obnoxious guy who ran into me at the park. Suffer.’

“I will,” Ian lamented, “if Alba doesn’t dump that prick.” Then he openedStar Captor, the final volume of the trilogy, and this time the dedication prompted a smile out of him:‘To my daughter’s other dad. You’re gonna like this one.’

“Is this a spoiler?”

“Maybe.” Cracker… No dip. Phil glanced down at the empty tub and Ian cackled at his disappointment.

“There’s more in the fridge.”

Phil licked his fingersagain, looking at the devastation he’d left on the table: only cracker crumbs left in the box and barely a smudge of cream cheese at the bottom of the plastic tub.

“I’ll deplete your pantry if you enable me.”

“Still hungry?”

“Fucking starving.”

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