Page 60 of Knowing You
I almost cry. Lenny shredded our love story and left it in bits. Yet here I am now, feeling like this, part of something new that feels as if it could really be worth something.
But I can’t let my emotions interfere with the plan that’s almost fully executed.
‘It was a difficult day. I fell out with my neighbour.’
‘How so?’
‘Oh, this and that…’
Casey takes a mouthful from his pint. He knows I’m holding back. I can’t bear to see him hurt.
‘She doesn’t approve of my flatmate, Bella.’
‘Why?’
‘Since she’s moved in, I’ve kind of overhauled my lifestyle.’
‘In what way?’
‘I got fit. Bought a new wardrobe. Just had a refresh but Kath doesn’t like change. She misunderstands things that she thinks she knows about Bella. It’s complicated. She even called her a parasite.’
A shiver runs down my spine as I recall how angry Bella was this morning when she came home, and I let slip that Kath had been in her room. It all came tumbling out of my mouth – what Kath had discovered in there. How she didn’t approve of my new flatmate. I’d never heard Bella shout before.
‘Don’t you ever forget what a pathetic creature you were before being friends with me.’ Bella’s chest heaved and her ponytail cut through the air violently. ‘Don’t you remember? You let Lenny walk all over your self-esteem. What happened was no surprise. You were hardly competition for someone like Beatrix.’
I curled myself into a ball on the sofa. ‘Bella. Please,’ I said in a small voice. ‘I’m sorry. I hate to see you upset. I stuck up for you. You’ve got to believe me.’
She pursed her lips. ‘I’ve made you what you are today. And how do you repay me? By talking about me to other people?’
‘It wasn’t like that.’ My voice wavered. ‘You must know how much I respect you.’
Finally her frown disappeared. She sat down next to me. We’d hugged and once more my world felt all right.
Bella was right to remind me that before meeting her, I was a nobody.
She’s turned my life around.
I mustn’t ever forget that.
‘What did you used to look like?’ Casey pushes his pint away and leans forwards.
I give a nervous laugh. ‘Let’s just say not quite as on trend.’
‘Is that so important?’
‘Clearly you follow fashions, so you don’t need to ask me.’
He looked genuinely puzzled and gazes down at his Hawaiian T-shirt, which somehow looks cool with his leather jacket. ‘No I don’t. I just buy what I like.’
‘Then you must be blessed with an innate sense of style. Anyway, enough about Kath. Have you thought about Felicity’s invitation?’
‘Yes, and I’d love to. I’ve heard about the Anubis and it’s supposed to be an eye-popping venue. But until I’ve signed a deal, I don’t think it’s appropriate. It sends out the wrong message to the other publishers. I’ll email Felicity on Monday.’ He reaches for the menu and passes it to me. ‘I don’t need to look. Roast with all the trimmings for me.’
Keep your head. I look at my watch in the way men have sometimes done whilst talking to me in the past.
‘Somewhere else to be?’ he says and smiles.
And that’s why I like Casey. Straight to the point. He deserves the same in return.
