Page 22 of Painted Truths

We both spend the entire hour filling our faces and laughing ourselves silly. We're wholly unbothered when more than a handful of tables nearby watch us like we're crazy.

I take the opportunity to tell him face to face about my new apartment.

With the receipt of my first payslip, I just took the plunge. Ringing several leasing agents, finding somewhere within walking distance of work, and within my budget, didn't seem possible.

Until the other night, I'd arrived home to find Jo's laptop open on the coffee table with the advertisement for the most perfect place within my price range, which was miraculous, seeing as city rental prices are astronomical.

"I must have a guardian angel or something!"

"Liv, that's amazing! I'm so fucking proud of you."

His delight at my newfound independence makes my heart happy.

Reaching for him, I take his hand in mine, which he squeezes gently. "It's all thanks to you, my friend."

You and your unwavering faith in me.

"Speaking of the concert, did you want to do a double date again?"

Throwing my head back, my loud guffaw draws even more eyes to our table as I try to pull myself together. Eventually, I wind it down to hiccupping snorts while Alex continues to deadpan me across the table.

"I rather enjoyed the last double date night we had—"

I cut him off, raising my hand between us.

"No way. No. Way. The last time that guy, Rhys, got way too handsy, and you had far too much fun laughing at me while shoving your tongue down Gwen's throat."

Not missing a damn beat, his response is nothing less than I'd expect from my best friend, the adorable lady-killer he's become.

"That wasn't the only part of my anatomy that met her tonsils that night—"

Clapping my hands over my mouth, I can't stifle the bark of laughter that erupts from my lips as his lopsided grin takes pride of place on his delighted face.

"Nola and Jo, it is then, yeah?

CHAPTER SEVEN

Henry

The events of the night my life changed so drastically will be forever ingrained in my memory. So many things happened in such a small space of time, some good, but mostly shit.

After forming a thought-provoking connection with Peaches, I’d left her in the Powder Room at Velvet, but my phone had rung before I’d ever even entered the VIP area to find the boys, and all previous plans flew out the window. The caller was a woman called Charlotte, or Lottie, who, I’d later find out, my father had been living with for years.

She was calling from his phone to let me know he’d just been brought to the Royal London hospital by ambulance after going into cardiac arrest while at dinner. He was currently in theatre, and it wasn’t looking good.

Knowing that now was the time to make amends despite our less than stellar relationship, I lit out of Velvet like the hounds of hell were at my heels. Somehow, in the backseat of the cab I’d flagged down, I remembered I’d left Peaches with no explanation.

I quickly shot off a text in our group chat.

ME: Can one of you find the girl I was with tonight and give her my number?

CADE: I’ve just left. No sign of her.

NATE: She left with your brother.

Shit.

The next couple of days were nightmarish. My dad was in and out of lucidity, so Lottie and I set up camp at his bedside, and it was then I discovered I had a younger half-sister, Mila—the one bright light to come from the whole sorry mess. She turned fourteen the day before our dad gave up his fight and passed away, surrounded by the three of us.