He’s got some nerve criticising Tig in her own flat, where he’s just turned up uninvited,andshe’s happily feeding him. It’s one thing for our family to tease Tig about being overbearing, but Mark needs to check himself. And it’s hard not to catch the implied dig about his supposed best mate. And it’s not the first one tonight, either.
‘What gives you the right—’ I don’t finish because Theo returns with two plates of steaming Thai green curry. It smells amazing, but my appetite is suddenly gone. He looks between Mark and me, picking up on the undercurrent of tension.
‘Is everything okay?’
Mark doesn’t deem it necessary to reassure Theo, so it’s down to me.
‘Yeah, all good here. But Mark might have to shoot off. I’m sure I heard his bleeper.’
If Mark’s as uncomfortable as I am, he’ll bloody well take the hint and leave.
He doesn’t say anything though, he just silently glares.
‘Did the hospital call?’ asks Theo.
‘Nope.’
‘Was it Brigitta?’ he asks hopefully. ‘I knew she’d change her mind!’
‘No one has called or texted.’
‘But Nella said she—’
‘Nella’s wrong.’
‘It would be awful if you missed Brig—’
‘Please stop with the Brigitta stuff,’ says Mark, anger creeping into his voice. ‘I get it. You feel guilty that I stayed for you and messed things up with her, but I’m an adult. I make my own decisions. And so does she.’
‘But you’re being stubborn for no reason.’
Mark’s eyes flash. ‘Jesus, just drop it, Leo!’
Chapter 13
It takes Mark a second to realise his mistake.
‘I’m sorry,’ he says in a shocked voice. ‘I don’t know where that came from.’
I do, but I’m not about to say. When Mark and I are in the same room, Leo is always there, too.
‘It’s funny, our names rhyme,’ says Theo shakily. ‘Never noticed before.’
Mark looks at him in a daze. ‘Neither did I.’
‘I guess I must have been mistaken about the call,’ I mutter.
It’s not much fun after that, especially once the rain starts. It hits the French doors so loudly we can barely hear each other’s stilted conversation. After Theo clears the plates and asks if anyone wants coffee, I tell them I need to get going.
Tig immediately jumps in. ‘You’ll drop her home, won’t you, Mark? She can’t walk in this shitty weather. And we’ve had too much wine to drive.’
I’m not in the mood to sit in a car with Mark. ‘Not to worry, I’ll get an Uber.’
‘That doesn’t make sense. It’s just round the corner,’ says Mark.
I hesitate. The rain isn’t letting up, and it feels pointless to argue if he’s offering. Besides, I’m not sure I’ll find an Uber for such a short ride.
It’s five minutes. What’s the worst that could happen?
