Page 87 of Last Christmas in London

‘I wanted to support you.’ She looked from me to Josh. ‘And to see you both. I didn’t think you’d come to my place if I called.’

‘We would have,’ Josh said, a little harsher than he probably intended. Then, grimacing, he sighed. ‘I was a complete cun—’

‘Josh!’ Megan and I cried in unison.

‘What?’ he asked, genuinely baffled. But it broke the tension, and Megan and I started laughing.

‘Not in the workplace,’ Megan teased, waving a hand at the pristine backstage corridor.

‘Well, I was… one of those,’ Josh said. ‘I was so mind-blowingly self-centred I thought the word apt.’

Megan let out a small breath of laughter, but there was something tentative about it, something hesitant. She shifted on her feet, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

‘I was selfish too,’ she admitted, her voice quieter now. ‘I should have reached out sooner. I should have—’ She stopped, shaking her head. ‘I should have been a better friend. To both of you.’

Josh, who had been bracing for an argument, blinked in surprise.

‘It’s been a hell of a few weeks,’ she went on, swallowing hard and trying to laugh through it, but she was struggling. ‘And I know I’ve been… absent. I just…’ She exhaled sharply and looked me in the eye. ‘I’m really sorry, Evie.’

The sincerity in her voice hit me like a gust of wind, catching me off guard.

For two weeks, I’d gone over and over what I’d say to her when we finally spoke. I’d imagined angry words, sharp retorts, long explanations. But now, standing in front of her, I realised none of that mattered any more.

‘I missed you.’

Her face crumpled. ‘I missed you too.’

And just like that, the dam broke.

I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around her. Megan clung to me just as tightly and for a long moment we stood there, the noise of the theatre around us fading into nothing.

When we pulled apart, she gave me a wobbly smile. ‘I should have told you everything from the start. About Alex, about how things were, even before Alfie. I wasn’t honest with you – or with myself.’

I tilted my head, waiting.

‘We were broken before we even became parents. But when I found out I was pregnant, and…’ She trailed off, looking away for a moment. ‘We tried. We really tried. But we gave up on each other. We stopped being a couple a long time ago, and I… I don’t want to try any more. I should have just been honest with him. And you.’

I nodded, processing her words. Allowing her to let it all out without interruption.

‘We’re separated now,’ she continued. ‘We’re co-parenting, and it’s… well, it’s not perfect, but it’s peaceful – or it will be peaceful.’ She hesitated, but I said nothing as I got the sense she was talking to herself more than me anyway. ‘I trust him. And I do love him. Just not in the same way.’ Her voice cracked at the edges, something inside her finally giving way. ‘Not in the way I did when we were first married. We’re just friends – I hope.’

I reached for her, rubbing her shoulders gently. ‘That’s all Alfie needs.’

Megan nodded but her lips wobbled as she tried desperately to maintain her composure.

‘Two parents who love him, even if they’re not together.’

Megan gave me a small, grateful smile. ‘Yeah.’

Josh let out a loud exhale, throwing his hands up. ‘God, it is so refreshing when people act like adults about break-ups. I feel like I should record this conversation and play it for half my exes.’

Megan chuckled, appreciating his age-old levity.

‘Well, I can’t take full credit,’ Megan began. ‘I had a minor breakdown and hired a life coach.’

‘It’s been, what, a fortnight?’ I pointed out, unsure whether to laugh at her efficiency or be jealous of it.

‘Don’t be impressed, I think I’ve been paying him to have someone to talk to about The Traitors more than my own issues.’