An hour later,Jack,Phil, andIwere shouting at the screen asIfailed to land a jump inFallGuys.Weweren’t much for couch co-ops, preferring to shout over one another’s shoulders and backseat drive.Andas infuriating as it was, my brain was much further fromTeddythan it would have been had we been playingMarioKart– or anything, really, that didn’t take my entire brain space.I’dmessaged them as soon asI’dgotten out of the shower and realised it hadn’t actually fixed anything, desperate for some brain-off time.
Adding to the distraction werePatriciaandAlan,Jack’sparents, who were bickering over something in the corner.
“Jackie, come here, please,”Patriciacalled, andIfelt rather than sawJackmove away from my shoulder. “Tellyour father that we can’t build the bay that close to the pond.It’lldestroy the loosestrife you’ve got there.”
“He’s not wrong,Mum,”Jacksaid, just as, in the game,Ipulled ahead from the pack. “Ifyou go over any further, you’d have to centre it on that side, otherwise it would look weird, and it would interfere with the chimney.AndIcan move the loosestrife.”
“Are you renovating?”Iasked over my shoulder without looking away from the screen.
“Yeah, just some small stuff,”Jacksaid. “Afew changes here and there.”
I dashed across the finish line, then turned to look atJackwhilstIwaited for the next stage to start; renovating his house wasn’t small stuff.He’dbuilt it with his own two hands years ago, and it hadn’t changed one bit since then, other than adding an extra chair whenMorganhad joined film nights.Ithad been modern and minimalist when he’d built it, and he’d only made the tiniest of adjustments– new cushions here, new artwork there– to make it cosier.Nothingeven close to this magnitude, though.
No, something was up.
I passed the controller toPhilto take over, then stood up and moved around the sofa to where theEvansesstood.
“What kinds of changes?”Iasked, andIsawJackattempt to summon a suitably dismissive response, butAlananswered for him instead.
“We’re adding a box bay with a window seat here in place of this picture window,” he said, motioning to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the pond, “then expanding the bedroom forward and flattening the ceiling in there to create a bit of loft space, and fitting some custom wardrobes on the interior wall.”
I narrowed my eyes atJack. “Thosesound like very comfortable changes,”Isaid. “Especiallythe window seat.Ifonly we knew someone who missed her window seat desperately.”
WhenJackandMorganhad first gotten together, she’d lived in a cute, terraced house with a bay window seat.Ithad been her favourite spot in the world, but then the owner had sold the house, so she’d moved in withFatima.Thathad been nearly two years ago now.
Jack glared at me and spoke through gritted teeth. “Saya word, and you’re dead,Barlow.”
I gasped in genuine shock. “Shedoesn’t know about this?”
“Who doesn’t know about what?”Philasked, a hint of panic in his voice.Welooked over to see him struggling to bounce over a rotating obstacle, then continued ignoring him.
“She will eventually, obviously,” he said, his voice low, as ifMorganmight appear in the doorway at any moment. “She’shere often enough to see it happening.”
“She’s not an idiot,”Istage-whispered. “She’sgoing to know why you’re doing it.Youcould just ask her, you know.”
Jack’s jaw set, andIcould see the agony on his face, the vein in his forehead looking like it was about to pop.Poor, repressedJack,Ithought.He’dspent so long beforeMorganignoring what he wanted, and now, years later, he still didn’t really know to ask for it.Hewas probably hoping he wouldn’t have to at all; that it would be obvious once he’d done it, andMorganwould just piece it together and say yes to a question she hadn’tactuallybeen asked.
“I will,” he said, his whisper less paranoid and more embarrassed this time. “I’llfigure out how to do that.Butfor now,Ican dothis.”
I patted him on his obnoxiously toned bicep.Menwere so stunted.
As soon asI’dhad the thought,Isaw a spark in his eye, andIknew before he even opened his mouth what he was going to say.Howhe was going to deflect onto me.ButIcouldn’t open my own mouth fast enough to stop him.
“And how are things going withTeddy?”
I groaned, then turned back towards theTV.Philwas in the middle of the final level of the episode, butIyanked the controller away from him anyway.
“Hey!” he cried. “Iwas winning!”
“I am not talking about this with you,”Isaid, pushingPhiloff the cushion in front of theTVand resuming my place.Philhad decidedlynotbeen winning.
“What?”Jackasked, crouching next to me. “So, you can drill me about my relationship, butIcan’t ask about yours?”
“Are you datingJen’sniece?”Patriciaasked with a gasp, tuning in from across the room. “That’swonderful!”
“I am not,”Isaid, my eyes glued to the screen asIset a trap for another player. “Andthat’s the difference,Jack.I’mnot actually in a relationship, amI?”
Jack scoffed. “Right, so you’re going to tell me there’s absolutely nothing going on between you two?Nothingat all has happened on those weekends away?”
