Page 53 of The Layover
I’ll give Kay that – she and Marcus always seem on an even keel. Equals. There’s a sense of mutual respect, even if they snipe at each other sometimes.
(Is that the sort of thing you can put in a wedding speech? It’s not very romantic, but it is honest, at least.)
But Francesca, wholiterallylet herself get trodden on by that guy in the coffee queue earlier …
No. It’s not my place.
She’s already chosen Marcus anyway, right?
I open up one of the pizza boxes, and offer it to the girls.
They both dive in, and the tension breaks. I feel it snap, loosening the air around us, the tightness bleeding out of my shoulders. I watch Gemma sit a bit straighter where she’s leaning against the wall, crossing her legs more comfortably beneath her, and Francesca gives a little wriggle, relaxing too.
We pour some more drinks, and barely come up for air as we scarf down the food, all three of us ravenous. The long day, the amped-up emotions ahead of the wedding, the late hour and the stress culminate in us absolutely tearing through our picnic like a pack of vultures.
We eat ourselves into food comas, until I can barely see straight and Gemma is groaning and unbuttoning her trousers to rub her stomach, and Francesca is struggling to find a comfortable position. She ends up going for a wander to walk off the food.
When she’s gone, Gemma swirls her drink around the little paper cup. This one is more Coke than vodka, I noticed. She seems to be making a concerted effort not to look at me, which gets my attention as much as if she was staring daggers through my skull.
So I ask her, ‘What’s up?’
‘Just … That stuff about my dad …’
‘Oh. I won’t say anything to Francesca; it’s okay. I’m sorry I brought it up.’
‘No, it’s … I mean, you were right. If I quit – if I walk away, I’m no better than him.’
‘It’s a job, Gem. Not a child.’
She grimaces; I could’ve worded that more tactfully. But before I can apologise, she’s already saying, ‘I don’t just mean the job.’
It takes me a beat to realise. ‘Kayleigh.’
‘Yeah. I can’t just turn my back the second things get hard. And she … You guys did so much for me when we were kids.Shedid so much for me. I wouldn’t have made it to where I am without her.’
I nod, even though I know I’m only just beginning to understand. The way she talks about Kay – the things she says Kay’s done, not just in general butto Gemma… At the very least, it’s unhealthy. If she were saying those things about a partner, I’d be telling her those were classic signs of an abusive relationship, or at least a toxic one. She can’t be happy. She certainly doesn’tlookhappy.
A couple of people in white T-shirts scrawled with silly nicknames and things like ‘Mate of Honour’ trip past us, leaning on each other and laughing on their way to the toilets. I wonder if the wedding they’re building up to is as hellish as this one.
Gemma scoffs a little, rolling her eyes like she’s thinking the same thing.
My heart is sitting heavy in my chest, and I feel restless and unwell in a way that has nothing to do with overeating.
For all I’d convinced myself on the flight out that I was on a mission to put a stop to the wedding and get Kayleigh back for the family’s sake, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, if this is who she’s become. Who she’s always been, maybe. It’s feeling more nauseating by the minute, actually.
It’d break Mum’s heart to feel like Kay ditched us for her new life with Marcus, but wouldn’t it be worse to know Kay cut us out because she simply doesn’twantus in her life? Not that we’ve been replaced, just – abandoned.
I glance again at Gemma.
‘I’m not saying you don’t owe her for being your friend and being there for you. But you don’t have to sacrifice your whole life just to try and make up for that. And if you walked away from… from the job, from whatever, it doesn’t mean you’re no better than your dad.’
The smile she gives me is wan.
‘Easier said than done.’
Chapter Twenty-seven
Francesca
