‘Of course,’ I reply, scooping a bit of fallen candle wax onto my finger. ‘That’s a great idea.’
‘It might be a bit heavy-going, but that’s why I bought the pudding,’ he explains as the microwave pings. ‘I thought a little dessert would giddy us up.’
‘Dessert and reading – always a winner.’
‘On that we can agree.’
He tips the puddings into bowls, places one onto the table in front of me and then takes a ginormous spoonful, sighing in delight as he does.
‘Looks like Auntie was correct,’ he says, doing an oddlittle dance of joy as he sits back down at the table, eyes meeting mine. ‘This dick is fuckingdelicious.’
I take a huge spoonful myself. ‘Yep. Best dick I ever tasted.’
River catches my eye then, his lip lifting into a smile he seems to be trying to suppress.
I feel myself blush, a strange giddy feeling bubbling in my chest.
‘What?’ I ask as he continues to look at me.
‘Nothing,’ he replies as he returns his attention to his own pudding. ‘Nothing at all.’
‘You were going to say something!’ I laugh.
River shakes his head. ‘Must have repressed it.’
CHAPTER THIRTY
Jim tells me that he thinks you saw me with Marisol? Gert, you have to answer your phone, let me explain. Please. H
Text undelivered
When I wake up the following morning, River is already up, settled at the kitchen table with a pot of coffee and studying one of the books Aled gave us, Squish laid by his feet. I notice that the pillow and blankets he used last night are folded up neatly on the arm of the sofa.
‘How long have you been awake?’ I ask, rubbing my eyes and grabbing my glasses from the side table.
‘Up with the dawn. Old habits.’
I glance at my alarm clock. ‘The dawn was three hours ago? What have you been doing all this time?’
River puts down the book. ‘I took Squish for a run.’
‘You did?’
‘Yeah. We found a garden square nearby. And check this out.’ He stands up, towering over Squish. ‘Squish,sit.’
Squish immediately tucks his bottom beneath him, lifting his head proudly.
‘Whoa, Squish! Good boy!’
Squish darts over to me, jumping on the bed and kissing my nose in excitement at the praise.
River laughs. ‘He’s smarter than he looks. Only took me thirty tries and two whole sausages.’
‘Incredible.’
I climb out of bed, slip on my robe and head over to where my phone-in-a-tub-of-rice sits in the centre of the kitchen table like the world’s least aesthetic centrepiece.
‘Still in recovery,’ River grimaces. ‘I checked it first thing, but nada. Maybe you could talk to it, if you get a chance. I read somewhere that even while they’re in a coma, the phones can hear you. And just knowing you’re there, that you are rooting for them to pull through, could make all the difference.’
