Page 96 of Last Christmas in London

‘EVIE!’ Josh was vicious when he was woken up, as I knew all too well. ‘What are you doing to me?’

‘Sorry, sorry. It’s Simon.’

‘Simon who?’

‘The busker.’

I’ve never seen Josh sit up so quickly; I was worried for his vascular health.

‘Answer it!’ he said, his voice steady while my hands were shaking.

‘It’s 6.00 a.m.’

‘So? Answer it.’

‘Josh, I—’

‘Evie Frost, answer the goddam phone.’

‘O-okay.’ I pressed ‘Accept’.

‘Hello?’

‘Hey, I didn’t wake you, did I?’ Simon sounded as panicked as I felt. ‘I did, didn’t I? Was that text from yesterday? Did it just send?’

‘No, no!’ Josh was bouncing up and down on my bed so loudly the springs were at risk of breaking – or waking the whole house up. I rushed to my feet and ran outside, shutting the door and clamping it shut so he couldn’t escape. ‘I just sent it, I’m at my… erm, my parents’ house.’ It felt nice to say, but also strange. ‘I didn’t know if I would hear from you.’

‘Doug gave me your number,’ he said. ‘The knife-thrower.’

‘Thanks, Doug.’ I rubbed my eyes, feeling the flakes of mascara I’d failed to take off the night before coming off against my knuckles.

Josh was rattling my bedroom door but I retained an iron grip on the handle.

‘Are you okay?’ Simon asked, amusement or concern in his voice.

‘Yes, sorry.’ I cleared my throat so that I sounded a tiny bit more human. ‘I’m trying not to wake anyone.’

‘Oh, yes. I sort of saw your text and called. I didn’t even look at the time.’

‘You were just up at 6.00 a.m. on Boxing Day?’

‘Well, I volunteered at the shelter last night.’

I laughed. ‘You are after a sainthood, aren’t you?’

His smile resonated through my ear – and I know it’s a physical thing that can’t do that, but it did! I could see it, I felt it, and it was wonderful.

‘How was your Christmas?’

‘It was amazing,’ I admitted. ‘Though my head aches a bit this morning.’

‘Ah,’ Simon replied knowingly. ‘How’s the hangover?’

‘It’s… it’s there.’ It felt like the back of my eyes were burning. ‘Nothing a shower won’t sort, though.’

‘Fingers crossed.’ He paused. ‘So Ethan told me that you came by on Christmas Eve.’

‘Yeah, I did.’ Josh had managed to open the door a crack.