Page 139 of Fe
“What are you telling her?”
“I’m fine. Had my phone on silent. Sorry. Have a lovely holiday. Merry Christmas. Kiss, kiss.”
“Tell her you’re with me.”
Fen added that to the message.
Ripley strode further into the flat. “It’s cold in here.”
“The electricity’s off. The water’s on though.” Fen had come after him.
Ripley saw Fen’s backpack on the floor in an empty bedroom. Next to it was a box of Crunchy Nut cereal, a bottle of water and an orange.
“Christmas dinner? Or are you going to lie again and tell me you called in here but aren’t staying?”
“There’s no bed.”
Ripley stepped right into Fen’s space and was surprised Fen stood his ground. “No, there isn’t. You were going to sleep on the floor though, right?”
Fen pressed his lips together, then nodded.
Fuck!“What the hell is all this about?”
Fen tucked his hands in his pockets. “You didn’t want me there at Christmas. I didn’t believe you were going to your mother’s.”
A lump formed in Ripley’s throat. “What did you think I was going to do?”
“Stay in the house. Think about Alejandro. Remember the last thing you did together, the last dinner you ate, the last time you made love. Think about how if you’d known it was the last time, what would you have done differently? You’d decided Christmas couldn’t be a happy time. You didn’t want to smile and laugh with me. Easier to get drunk. And I wanted to make it easier for you so I told you I was going to my mum’s. It’s fine. I can stay here until Boxing Day.”
“No you fucking can’t. It’s like a fridge in here. Pack up your stuff.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are not fucking fine. Do as you’re told. Please.”
Fen put everything in his backpack. “Are you going to your mother’s?”
“Of course I’m fucking not.”
“You’re swearing a lot. Stop being so cross. We were both trying to do the right thing. Just that it’s turned out to be the wrong thing.”
“Lock the door and post the key. You’re not coming back here.”
As they made their way to the lift, Ripley said, “Your mother isn’t the only person I heard from.”
“Oh?”
“Mateo called me.”
Fen’s shoulders dropped. “I didn’t think anyone would be there at that time in the morning. I put some flowers on Alejandro’s grave. It’s what gave me away. I’m sorry. I wasn’t intending to interfere. It was supposed to be a quiet word between me and him, but Mateo came after me.”
The lift doors opened and they stepped in.
“What did you want to say to Alejandro?”
“I told him I was trying to make you happy.”
Oh Fen.Ripley’s heart ached.“Do you think he could hear?”
