‘No sign of Dan and Lizzie,’ Jake observes as the train pulls in.
‘No,’ I agree. ‘And this is the last train and it’s delayed.’ I wonder whether they’ve already found themselves a hotel for the night.
Jake follows me into the same carriage and sits diagonally opposite me in a four-group of seats, and I don’t object, because, given those drunk men, his company is obviously the least of the evils that could befall me right now, especially if we don’t talk.
Jake, however,isspeaking.
‘Still don’t believe in love?’ he enquires. ‘After seeing such a blatant case?’
‘Love?’ I’m delighted to be on very sure footing for once. He’s so clearly wrong and I’m so clearly right on this. ‘That wasn’t love. That was mutuallustat first sight. Which might totally turn into lifelong love, definitely. But right now, it’s just lust.’
Jake nods, a hint of a smug look that I don’t like on his face. ‘Absolutely. But there’s definitely the potential for it to turn into love, isn’t there?’
Seriously. He cannot possibly think I’m going to fall for this argument.
I shake my head sorrowfully. ‘Yes, there is. ForLizzie and Dan. Not for me.I’mnot going to meet anyone. You aren’t here to prove thatpeoplefall in love. We all know they do. You’re here to prove thatIwill fall in love. Which I won’t. So you cannot win.’
A small frown furrows Jake’s handsome brow for a moment, before he says, in a suspiciously friendly voice, ‘Why is it that you don’t think love is for you?’
I sit back in my seat. ‘Interesting change of tack,’ I observe.
‘Sorry?’ He’s still doing the friendly voice.
‘Trying to see whether I just have a nebulous “I don’t think love is for me” feeling or whether there’s a concrete reason for me saying I won’t be meeting anyone, which you might be able to talk me out of.’
To give Jake his due (which I do not like doing), he laughs.
Then he says, ‘But how can you say never? I mean… surely never say never?’
‘I just can.’
‘Fine.’ He drops the friendliness and leans back against the seat and closes his eyes.
Ihadwarmed to him very, very momentarily, but there’s something about the extreme self-confidence of someone prepared to snooze, or at least have a very serious rest, in public that really annoys me. I mean, to be fair, whenotherpeople look as though they’re preparing to sleep on a train, I don’t really mind. When Jake does it, however… it’s extremely irritating. Is he not worried that he might dribble? Or snore a tiny bit? Or just look ridiculous?
Oh. Maybe he just really, really doesn’t care what I think of him.
Or maybe he’s pretending, to avoid me striking up another inane beverage- or fish-related conversation.
I should be grateful, not annoyed.
As the train pulls out of the station, I’m sure that Dan and Lizzie haven’t arrived and caught it; I think we would have seen them.
At leastsomeone’s enjoyed this evening.
Actually, I did too, in part. The alpaca part. And now I’m going to put this train journey to good use by googling the different variables that would be involved in setting up an alpaca farm, and then thinking about the plot of my next book.
I can’t concentrate, though.
I really want to know what Jake’s thinking about Lizzie and Dan. It’s so sweet. I genuinely think itcouldturn into a relationship. From Lizzie’s side, anyway. What about Dan, though? Is he likely to treat Lizzie well?
She’s had some very bad luck romantically, and been very hurt. It’s rare that when one of your best friends meets someone you have the opportunity to ask a close friend of the person they’ve met what their intentions are… I really don’t want to give Jake the opportunity to be rude to meagain. But I feel that Iwould be letting Lizzie down if I don’t at least attempt to ask him about Dan.
I’m just going to come straight out with it.
‘Jake.’ I wonder whether he’s genuinely asleep. His chest is rising and falling slowly, like a fit person’s would be when they were asleep, but he could obviously be pretending, to avoid speaking to me. ‘Jake?’ I give his foot a little nudge with mine.
‘Freya?’ He doesn’t open his eyes, which annoys me.
