‘Because you instructed them,’ Jake says. ‘Or they would not have known.’
‘You’ve had peoplestalkingus,’ I say.
‘Freya, it’s in the public interest,’ Sonja tells me, eyes wide and fake-soulful. ‘We need our romance authors and our divorce lawyers to be straight with us.’
Iwantto rant at her, because it is not pleasant discovering that you’ve been followed and videoed so much, but decide that our best bet is to say nothing further.
Jake is also currently silent. His expression is extremely forbidding and I’m glad I’m not the person on the end of it.
Sonja seems unaffected by the stern look.
‘How would you say the challengeactuallywent for you?’ she asks.
Okay, I amnotgoing to announce on national television that I am now if I’m honest hoping to spend the rest of my life with Jake. It’s very soon to feel this way, anyway, and I certainly wouldn’t want to terrifyhimby saying it now, so I’m not saying it to anyone else.
‘Early days,’ I say, forcing a laugh. ‘We’ll have to come back to you on that one.’
Jake nods.
‘Oh, really?’ Sonja goes all wide-eyed faux-innocent. ‘Because you look pretty loved-up to me. Pretty much as though Jake has won the challenge.’
‘Listen to this.’ She indicates the screen again, and Jake and I both turn to it.
Jake’s looking even more tight-lipped and I’m internally panicking big time, my mind on a what-now-what-now-what-nowloop.
And then she plays us a video, with sound, of us from last night, clearly taken through Jake’s window by some stranger, on Jake’s sofa, exchanging I-love-yous.
I’m stunned. It’s so beyond intrusive it’s untrue.
‘A little more than early days, wouldn’t you say?’ Sonja’s smiling very widely now.
Jake and I both say nothing.
And then Sonja turns to Jake. ‘Have you been straight with Freya, Jake?’
‘Yep,’ he says, very shortly.
‘Really?’ she says. ‘Let’s have a look, shall we?’
We all turn to the screen yet again.
I feel very cold and shivery, like flu has suddenly set in. I don’t knowwhatSonja’s about to show us, but I’m certain it isn’t going to be good.
It’s footage of Jake talking to his friend Pete. Who of course agreed to be videoed, unlike our other friends. It’s from after the karaoke night.
‘You could still win,’ Pete says. ‘Soften her up on the team-building weekend.’ There’s a bleep during which Sonja mouths ‘shag’ at me. ‘—her. Get her to fall in love with you. Then you’ve won.’
‘Yeah, nice,’ Jake says.
‘Two hundred quid says you can’t do it.’
Jake laughs. ‘You never know.’
‘A serious bet?’
‘Sure.’ Jake sticks his hand out and they shake.
I myself am now shaking, all over, and my stomach’s churning.
