Page 68 of Last Christmas in London

‘Y’think?’

We blinked at each other for a moment. ‘Coffee?’

‘I’d love one.’

‘Do you want to have a shower?’ I added, pottering about in his kitchen and trying to sound casual. The Shiraz still seemed to be clinging to his skin.

He laughed but said nothing. I returned with his coffee, black no sugar.

‘So why,’ I began, ‘if you recognised you were drunk, did you remain annoyed at me? For days, I might add.’

‘I didn’t…’

‘Go on.’

He stared into his coffee as if it might suddenly offer him wisdom. ‘I didn’t mean to drop you in the shit.’

‘Well, you did,’ I shot back. ‘I understand why you were mad at me in the moment, but a whole week, Josh? I thought we weren’t those kinds of friends.’

His eyes flicked up, guilt flashing through them before he masked it with an eye roll.

‘Guessing you haven’t spoken to Megan either?’

He shook his head.

‘Same. She won’t take my calls, but she’s back in Kent with Denise and Bob.’

‘Not with Alex?’ His concern broke through his apparent exhaustion. ‘Do we even know what happened yet?’

‘No.’ I didn’t want to admit my conversation with Alex to anyone but Megan. ‘I don’t think they’ll be getting back together, though.’

‘Oh, fucking fabulous!’ He threw his head back. ‘That’s going to make her even more pleasant.’

‘Josh, really?’

‘What? She threw a drink on me—’

‘And you spoke about your affair with a married man when we were supposed to be comforting her after her husband had left. I mean, come on. Pick your timing next time.’

He went to speak but I cut him off. This was my time to be angry, not his.

‘And you dropped me in the shit, for good measure. Why did you choose that moment? Drunk or not: why?’

‘I was just…’ He stopped and exhaled. ‘I don’t know.’

‘And me? Why did you ignore me?’

He threw his head back and I felt the familiar feeling of wanting to let it go. To say ‘No worries’ as I usually did, to let the moment pass and be done with it.

But it was about time someone else did some work for a change.

‘Well?’ I pressed.

‘I don’t know. I was… embarrassed? Frustrated? I just didn’t want to deal with it.’

‘Great! Love that for me. Especially when I only have two weeks left in London.’

He winced. A direct hit.