Page 91 of The Snag List
‘So, what’s the news you only wanted to share with me?’ Eddie asked, reading her mind.
Roe drew in a long, measured breath, holding his gaze. ‘I’ve been invited to take part in a West End musical.’ She smiled sadly.
He nodded slowly. ‘That’s great, Roe. It really is.’
‘Is it something you could see yourself doing … with me?’
He sat all the way up now. ‘Do you actually want that, Roe? Truly?’
‘I … I … do. Of course I do.’
‘I’m not sure you do, Roe. Maybe we’ve outgrown each other. It happens when people get together in college. Half the guys here got with their wives in their early twenties and now they’ve grown up to be completely different people. It’s a mess.’
‘But have you outgrown me?’
‘You don’t get to give me Sad Voice. You lied to me. For months.’ He shook his head. ‘Look, Soren wants us all to take some time. I need to get my head straight. So do you, to be frank. When’s the opening night ofVoices of Glory? It’s the nineteenth?’
‘It’s been pushed to the twenty-third now.’
‘Fine. Just … let’s just be apart. I can stay here if you want to go home, and we’ll just give this all some room to breathe.’
‘But with this musical, Eddie, I have to let them know. Would you come with me?’
‘Roe, you’re on your own. You need to make this decision for you, not me.’ With that he stood. ‘Soren? Tom? You guys cool if I go?’ He moved to the centre of the room, taking the spot Tom had just vacated, and proceeded to wail.
Ailbhe, Lindy and Roe all started to move as one towards the stairs.
On the next floor down, they stopped to regroup, though with the screaming above and the drunken chanting coming up from below, it wasn’t much of a reprieve. At least the Monteray Mama was gone.
‘I have no words for how bizarre that was.’ Lindy was shaking her head. ‘In college, we covered some pretty out-there therapies. In a state-funded facility in Canada they had patients with psychopathy counselling each other. Naked. On acid. But that …? As mid-life-crisis behaviour goes, I’d nearly prefer Adam’s stupid affair.’
Roe nodded. ‘Tom’s a bad influence. Where the hell did he find Soren at such short notice?’
‘The night I met Tom he had a guy with him who’d just been on a screaming retreat in Donegal. I guess he got him down? Tom can be unstoppable when he wants something.’ Ailbhe’s gaze drifted up to the ceiling as more shrieking continued. ‘Maybe there’s something in it? The screaming, like.’
‘Yeah, maybe.’ Roe wasn’t convinced.
‘Remember when seeing a therapist was the most outlandish thing you could do in Ireland? And now everyone has them,’ Lindy said, checking her phone. ‘Oh God, what now?’ She held her phone away from her as if it was infected by something. ‘It’s Adam. I can’t cope with his shite. You read it, Roe.’
Roe accepted the phone and examined Adam’s text.
I’ve just seen TubeDramZ. I have no words, Lindy.
Roe could see he was still typing.
‘What’s TubeDramZ?’ She asked, trying her best to sound casual.
Lindy’s eyes flashed with fear. ‘TubeDramZ is a YouTube drama channel. It’s all gossip and scandal about YouTubers and it’s massive. Probably a million subscribers at least. Why are you asking?’ Lindy started pulling on her lower lip nervously, her face suddenly ashen.
Roe glanced down to see a new message from Adam:
Your jealous little stunt has cost us the company and robbed Max of his innocence. You sicken me. This is deliberate corporate sabotage. I think we’ll have no problem ruining you in commercial court now, Linds. My guy’s already submitted the application and is petitioning for a fast track given the involvement of a minor. Thanks for making it all so easy.
‘Eh …’ Roe kept the screen tilted away from Lindy.How am I supposed to read this to her? Fuck, fuck.
‘Something’s on TubeDramZ.’ Lindy sounded resigned. ‘I cannot believe it. If it’s the—’
‘Let’s not freak out unnecessarily,’ Ailbhe jumped in. ‘Maybe it’s a small thing. Maybe they’re just talking about your hair or something.’
