I size him up, trying to find another detail that might catch him out. In the end, I lean forward and sniff him.
‘What the fuck, Nell?’
Okay, now I feel embarrassed. I’m not sure what I expected him to smell of. He smells like he always does, freshly showered and definitely not reeking of – I stop myself because I’m not sure I want to finish that thought.
‘Sorry. You’ve been a bit quiet, that’s all. Is everything okay?’
Before he can answer, my phone pings. It’s Tig telling us to meet them at the restaurant in ten minutes.
Yan checks his phone, too. Is it my imagination, or does he look … disappointed?
I fire off a text to Pen, then, taking a wild stab in the dark, say to Yan, ‘Are youpiningfor someone?’
He doesn’t meet my eye and instead mumbles something about needing the loo. He tries to get up, but I don’t let him.
‘Yan, you dark horse. Has the serial shagger finally been tamed?’
He lets out a breath. ‘Do not say awordto anyone, okay?’
I grin, amazed at my lucky guess. ‘Cross my heart.’
‘I met him the night of Tig and Theo’s engagement party.’
‘Yeah, I wondered where you’d snuck off to.’ I wait for him to keep talking, but he doesn’t. ‘Come on, tell me more.’
‘Not a chance.’
‘Why not?’
‘I don’t want to jinx it, and besides, it might not matter. I haven’t heard from him since I got to Cyprus.’
‘You’ve been here less than a day.’
‘Yeah, but—’
I hold my hand up. ‘Relax. Twenty-four hours does not count as ghosting.’
‘I’m just not used to it, you know? I feel so out of control.’
I give his shoulder a squeeze. ‘Enjoy it, Yan.’
‘Enjoy it? Are you mad?’
‘Don’t worry, Ned will text.’
‘Who’s Ned?’
‘Well, seeing as you won’t tell me his name or anything about him, I’m picturing Ned Flanders.’
‘Fine, call him Ned. It won’t work – I’m still not going to tell you his name.’
We speed-walk to the restaurant because we’re five minutes late. It’s not ideal because, after the chilly embrace of the AC, it feels twice as hot outside, and when we arrive, I’m wiping sweat off my upper lip. Not a great first impression. I don’t get any more details out of Yan because the only seats left are at opposite ends of the table. Still, at least we’ve saved granny Athena the embarrassment of sitting near the unshaven/sweaty members of the family.
Both my grans are/were quite terrifying, but the matriarchal line in Theo’s family isn’t quite so formidable, and Granny Athena seems very taken with Tig and, dare I say, the rest of the Praxitelis clan.
Chapter 32
It’s three in the morning, and I’m lying in bed with the sheets kicked off, torn between making aproperattempt at sleep or going in search of the last Sesame Snap. If I don’t nab it tonight, Yan will beat me to it tomorrow morning. Just as I decide in favour of shut-eye, I hear a car.
