Page 21 of Just for the Season

I feel the sofa dip as a large weight settles next to me, and then I hear Marcus’s voice in my ear. ‘As your boyfriend-for-the-night, I can’t actually leave you here to sleep and just go off and enjoy the party or go home. No nice boyfriend would do that.’

‘You’re right,’ I say with my eyes closed. ‘That’s a bugger.’

‘Tell me about it.’

We sit there in silence for a minute, and I begin to feel very sleepy.

‘So,’ Marcus interrupts my almost-snooze. ‘You might not like this but I’m thinking that I should walk you back sooner rather than later, so you don’t go into such a deep sleep that you have to spend the night here.’

I heave a very deep sigh. ‘Marcus. You’re right again. I don’t like it.’

‘Yeah, I’m always right.’ His voice sounds smiley. ‘So, you’re going to open your eyes now? And then stand up? And then we’re going to start walking?’

‘I suppose so.’ I don’t move, because my limbs have become extremely heavy.

‘Right. Sorry about this but I think it’s the only way.’

The sofa suddenly springs up a little next to me; he must have stood up.

And, yes, next thing, he’s taken one of my hands in each of his and is hauling me to my feet. He applies a bit too much pressure, because I suddenly find myself almost flying through the air and landing smack against him.

‘My goodness,’ I say, looking up at his face. ‘Your chest is like a brick wall.’

Marcus laughs, a bit weirdly, and kind of manoeuvres me away from him, still holding on to my arms.

‘You okay?’ he asks. ‘As in, can you stand up without falling over?’

‘Totally.’ My voice is suddenly bizarrely loud because standing next to him like this is making me feel a bit odd. ‘Totally,’ I repeat in a whisper.

‘Great.’ He’s kind of laughing at me again. ‘So I’m going to let go of your arms but if I think you’re going to fall over I’ll catch you again.’

‘Okay, cool,’ I say.

He lets go, I stagger a bit, he grabs my arms again, and then he turns me round and kind of marches me over to where a lot of kids, including his two, are in a side room off the kitchen watching TV, and he says goodnight to Ruby and Sam, and then we go over to Miranda, where Marcus says goodbye and thanks her heartily for the party and I do the same.

And then, still holding on to me, with my left arm clasped very tightly through his right, he marches me out of the room.

‘Did you bring a coat?’ he asks.

‘Maybe. Maybe not. I can’t remember.’ My head is fuzzy, like I’ve just woken up from a very deep sleep, I’m aware that I really should not have embroiled Marcus in my stupid lie, and I’m even more aware that my life is a complete disaster. I just want to go to bed and stay there for a very long time.

‘Okay, it isn’t that cold. You can get it tomorrow.’

He’s wrong about it not being that cold. It’s been one of those gorgeous late September days where it’s actually really warm, so you wear quite summery clothing, and then late at night it’s absolutely bloody freezing and you really do need a coat if you’re out.

We walk in silence down Miranda and Rob’s long drive, while I add probable imminent hypothermia to my list of problems, until Marcus says, ‘You’re shivering,’ and takes his jacket off and hands it to me.

‘Oh no, I couldn’t.’ I don’t think I should be adding making him cold to the crime of forcing him to be my fake boyfriend in front of his children.

‘You could. I’m wearing a jumper too, look, and I’m a little too warm.’

‘Really? But it’s freezing.’

‘I’m a warm person.’ He holds his jacket for me so that I can slip my arms into it.

I am really cold and there’s only so much temptation one freezing person can take, so I decide to accept his offer.

‘Thank you.’ I put my arms into the jacket and then wrap it round me. ‘Wow, that’s so lovely and warm. You’re right. You are a hot person. Warm, I mean. Not hot. I mean, I’m not saying you aren’t hot, you’re obviously very handsome…’ I tail off, thinking shut up to myself, and take a sideways look at Marcus and see that he’s sniggering.