Page 62 of Hidden Gem
Jason’s forehead wrinkled. “Nothing’s over yet. You can do whatever you want. What’s stopping you?”
“I waited too long to start. If you do crazy stuff at my age, it’s called a crisis.”
“Crisis is not necessarily a bad thing.” He tried to touch her arm, but she pulled it away.
“I don’t want to steal your time.”
“You’re not! What does that even mean?” His hand squeezed her thigh, emphasising the point.
She wanted that touch, she wanted it so badly it scared her stiff. She’d fallen for him, all the way. And now she’d have to make her way out. “There was this story in the paper I read a long time ago, of a girl who lost her new phone in a long-drop toilet.”
“Like, in the...”
“Yes, right in there. So, she went in to get it.”
Jason made a gagging face. “Is there a point to this story?”
“Well, she passed out. So, her boyfriend went in to save her.”
Jason blew a sigh. “Okay, that’s a bit extreme, but if you fell in a barrel of shit, I’d fish you out. I promise.”
“No! You’re not supposed to! He died. He passed out from the shit fumes, and they both drowned.”
Jason stared at her, perfectly still, his hand still resting on her thigh. Was he holding his breath to avoid breathing in metaphorical shit fumes?
Marnie wanted to kick herself. Why did she say these things? Falling in love had washed off all her filters. She opened her mouth to apologise, when Jason pulled her in for a tight hug. “You really think you’re dragging me into a barrel of shit? What if it’s the other way around?”
She breathed in his heady scent and tried to calm her heart.
Jason stroked her hair. “Let’s get some breakfast. I’m so hungry I can’t think straight.”
Chapter 29
Marnie searched thecupboards, locating eggs and a can of beans. Her chest felt heavy, every cell in her body ached to the point that she couldn’t tell the difference between arthritis and other kind of pain. It was all the same –haywire signals shooting in and out of her fingers and toes, as well as her heart. Hadn’t she known this all along? Hadn’t she tried to prepare for the end? If only she’d looked ahead, she would have seen this all unfurling in the distance, like a car crash. She could have taken an earlier exit. It hurt so much worse now.
She glanced at Jason. He sat at the dining table, staring at something on his laptop. He seemed to have faith for the both of them, but was it enough? He couldn’t change reality. He couldn’t make her any younger, even if she felt braver, more alive. Even if she could take the media attention.
