Page 114 of The Grosvenor's Ghost
She turns back to me. “George’s men.”
I frown. “He’s spying on you?”
Athena rolls her eyes. “Not like that! Just making sure I’m safe.”
“And why wouldn’t you be?” Spencer pipes up.
“I don’t know, he just loves me,” she says casually, popping a slice of grapefruit in her mouth.
“Where’s Lottie?” I ask. “Is she coming with Charlie?”
“No,” Athena shakes her head. “They’re in Gibraltar for some business stuff. He’s coming over for tonight and then straight back to London for some training football camp thing—whatever.” And then she leans in, slides her sunglasses off.“But between us, they’re on a bit of a break at the moment. You know,” she nods at me. “Her depression is back and before you think I’m a terrible friend, I actually begged her to let me stay with her while Charlie was gone but she wasn’t having none of it. She was all, ‘If you don’t go you’ll have to help me change the baby’s nappy’ and I was like ‘I’m your best friend but even I have to draw lines.’ You know?”
She shakes her head. “Shitty nappies is where I draw the line.”
“Oh, right,” I nod slowly.
“Anyway,” she leans back, crosses her long legs. “Will Digby be popping over?”
I groan. “I don’t see why he would. All we do is have sex, there’s not exactly loads to talk about.”
“Is it even good sex?” Spencer butts in.
“Ohmigosh!” Athena squeals. “That’s so marmy! You can’t ask people about that stuff, Spence!”
“Get over yourself!”
“To answer your question,” I swing my head around to look at Spencer. “It’s not. It really isn’t. It’s so boring, you know? Like, no excitement, no sparks—with Arthur it was always exciting.” I turn back to look at Athena. “Might wanna cover your virgin ears for this bit.” Back to Spencer. “With Digby it’s just in, out, roll over and go to sleep. It’s what I imagine married people sex is like—I mean, this is my prime! I’m twenty-one for crying out loud. I shouldn't be having boring, old people sex! I should be like…”
“Swinging?” Spencer fills in. “Whips and chains?”
“Fuck off,” I shove her. “But you know what I mean, right?” I turn my head to look at both girls.
They both nod and for some reason that makes me feel even worse. Like, maybe I was just making it up in my head that the spark I once felt with Digby has truly fizzled out. Then again,did I even feel a spark in the first place? Was I just running into the first pair of open arms I found? Filling the hole Arthur left in me?
∗ ∗ ∗
We dock in Monaco and go for dinner at La Môme after the boys decided to give us a rather theatrical entrance via helicopter.
We meet the boys at the restaurant because Athena had a wardrobe malfunction on the way and then Spencer wanted to change her shoes and then she had to do a wee (a nervous one, I think). And then I forgot my phone and then Spence had to do another wee (definitely a nervous one).
But eventually we get there, bladders empty and stomachs ready to fill.
My eyes land on Arthur because obviously they do anyway but I wasn’t expecting him to be here. I thought he was staying in London because he thought Digby was going to be here and he wouldn’t have wanted to make it awkward for me.
But no, he’s here, sitting at the table, next to Connie.
“How comes you came?” I nod at Arthur as we sit down.
That weird tension that’s been lingering between us recently isn’t lost on me either but I keep my tone fine, casual, no high lilts, no low drops to make it sound like a really important question.
“I got him to come,” Connie smiles proudly, pats him on the back.
“With all this setting up, we should get you to host the next season of Love Island.”
He gives me a dirty look while Arthur snorts.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” He throws at me with the same pretend fine-ness in his voice.
