Page 51 of The Jealous Girl

I reached for Ryan. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah,’ he said, already moving past me towards the exit.

I trailed behind him, my suitcase feeling heavier and more resistant than when I’d entered.

Charlotte drove towards the stables as Ryan’s mum sat in the passenger seat, her body angled back towards him, answering his questions about the doctors, the tests, the next steps.

I sat beside him, desperate to reach out for his hand. To offer comfort. Reassurance. But his hands were clasped tightly in his lap, his shoulders rigid, his gaze locked on his mum.

I turned to the window instead, watching the hedgerows blur past, trying not to notice the space between us. Or how deliberate it felt.

Was he ashamed of me? Did he regret bringing me here?

‘We didn’t realise you were in Malta with someone,’ his mum said lightly. ‘Did you meet there?’

‘N-no. At university,’ I replied.

‘Oh.’ She didn’t even attempt to hide her surprise. ‘We knew Ryan had had girlfriends at university, of course. But he never brought any of them home, so we assumed…’ She trailed off.

My gaze shifted to Ryan. Girlfriends? Plural?

I pressed my lips together. ‘We’ve been together since the start of university.’

Ryan hadn’t had multiple girlfriends. He’d had one. Me.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise,’ she said. ‘Ryan never mentioned your name…’

I inhaled sharply. Three years and he’d never said my name. Why?

Why hadn’t he told them about me?

Why hadn’t he invited me to visit the stables during the holidays?

Why hadn’t he introduced me to his parents?

It wasn’t the first time those questions had crept into my mind, but I’d never asked them aloud.

Because, if I had, then he’d have wanted to meet my family too.

The sky was beginning to dim as we drove down the long driveway to Blackwater Stables. I peered up at the farmhouse as we pulled in, the darkened brickwork and dipping roof, old and imposing.

The smell hit me the moment I stepped out of the car. Manure.

Ryan was already unloading the cases. I moved to help him, but Charlotte reached him first, her hand brushing his arm as she spoke quietly.

I hesitated. Unsure where I fitted.

They turned and headed towards the house, and I fell into step behind.

Charlotte dropped the case she was carrying in the hallway and moved straight into the kitchen, flicking on the light, filling the kettle with easy familiarity.

‘Tea?’ she asked, already reaching into cupboards.

‘I don’t know what I’d do without you,’ Denise said, squeezing her arm as she passed. ‘Charlotte has been such a help while you’ve been away,’ she added, turning to Ryan.

‘Of course,’ Charlotte said. ‘You and Martin are like family to me.’ She glanced at me. ‘Are your family happy to have you home from Malta, Kirsty?’

‘Um.’ I hesitated. ‘They’re up in Birmingham.’