He grabs a sheet of kitchen roll and wipes his brow. ‘My ex-girlfriend, the one I have just split up with, well… she finished with me actually… anyway she wanted kids. Now that I’ve heard your experience, I think I might have had a lucky escape.’
Feeling guilty for talking about Felix I follow up with, ‘He misses Rory.’
Tom grabs a second piece of kitchen roll. ‘Wow – that kid will go to any lengths to see Rory. So, you’re not missing Rory then?’
I go silent and tie up the recycling bag.
‘He talks about you both a lot.’
My head shoots up at lightning speed. ‘Really?’
Tom nods. ‘Yes, he does. I get the feeling he thinks he’s messed up his chances of getting back with you.’
‘Why do you say that?’
Tom props himself up against the kitchen counter. ‘When he’s pissed, he always goes on about you and how you misunderstood him. He then starts to talk about what an idiot he was.’
I try to suppress a smile. It appears for a few seconds as my mind pushes the subject of Beth to the front of my thoughts. ‘And Beth?’
Tom folds his arms across his chest. ‘I think Beth is more into Rory that he is her.’
‘Why do you say that?’
Tom chuckles. ‘On their second date they went to a restaurant, and she spent the whole meal lecturing him on her trip to America. He met me in a club later and said he didn’t get a chance to talk the entire evening.’
‘Do you think he’s with her, Tom?’
An awkward silence descends upon the kitchen. He keeps his eyes on the recycling bag and mumbles, ‘I think he might be.’
With Felix engrossed in a video game I grab my phone and go out into the flat hallway to phone Lizzie. She answers straight away.
‘Why am I here, Lizzie?’ My voice is thick with emotion.
She sighs. ‘You were manipulated by a nine-year-old. What’s happened?’
‘Rory’s not here.’
I can hear her knock something over in surprise. ‘What?’
‘His flatmate Tom has no idea where he is.’
Lizzie relays the message back to Bill in the background. ‘What are you going to do?’
‘The weather is bad,’ shouts Bill.
‘Yes, the snow is bad, Ems,’ agrees Lizzie. ‘I wouldn’t travel back tonight. Can you stay over in his flat?’
‘We are going to stay over in Rory’s bedroom.’ The thought of Rory coming back later hand in hand with Beth makes me clamp my hand over my forehead and groan. ‘What happens if he and Beth come back here later and find us in his bed?’
‘Well, you will get to see the real Rory – won’t you?’ replies Lizzie. ‘If he staggers in drunk with that woman, you’ll know he’s moved on with his life.’
Felix’s face appears in my mind and my heart aches. ‘That will break Felix’s heart.’
Lizzie sighs for a second time. ‘Felix masterminded this entire thing. This could teach him a valuable lesson about the consequences of his actions. Bill wants to know how Felix got on a train to Leeds without a ticket?’
I take a deep breath. ‘He used my credit card without me knowing.’
Lizzie’s screech is so loud I pull my phone away from my ear. ‘HE DID WHAT? OMG he used your credit card without you knowing?’
