Page 28 of Obedience

‘Yes,’ Greta replied. ‘I’m aware it’s Saturday.’ Dylan pulled the imaginary trigger on the gun fingers she had put to her temple. ‘I’m free. Shall I come to your—’

‘No. No, not here.’

‘Roommates?’ Greta’s judgmental tone bled through.

‘I live with my mum. Not because I’m the world’s oldest mummy’s girl. It’s a long story.’

‘I see,’ Greta replied softly.

‘I could come to you.’

Greta paused as if the mere suggestion had caught her off guard. ‘No, not here,’ she said firmly.

Dylan chuckled nervously. ‘Why? You’re not married, are you?’

‘I’m widowed actually. My wife, she—’

‘Oh Fuck,’ Dylan silently banged her palm on her screwed-up forehead while mouthing ‘fuck!’ at the ceiling. ‘I’m sorry, I…I had no idea. I’m so sorry.’

‘Yes, well, why would you?’ Greta’s tone was changing. Dylan was losing her.

‘What about a hotel?’ Dylan suggested quickly. ‘I’m not saying anything needs to happen, but we can talk undisturbed, for as long as we need to.’

‘Okay. I’ll book and send you the details.’

‘Great. Thank you. I’ll see you soon then?’

‘See you soon.’

‘Today, yeah?’ Dylan added.

‘Today, Dylan.’ Dylan detected a smile in Greta’s voice.

‘See you in a bit.’

A short while later, Dylan’s phone buzzed with a WhatsApp notification.

Greta:

‘Cow Hollow. Northern Quarter. 4pm. I’ll text you the room number’

Dylan didn’t reply. She just double-tapped to attach a heart to it. Too much? Too little? She wasn’t sure. She thought about it for a moment.

Dylan:

‘Can I go straight to the room? Or?’

Greta:

‘Of course.’

A beat. Dylan’s phone buzzed again in her hands.

Greta:

‘You’re not coming as Remi’

An overwhelming sense of relief washed over Dylan. Greta didn’t want Remi. The clarification hadn’t happened the night Greta had come to her house, and she arrived as Margot. She didn’t want that to happen again; Dylan knew above all else that she definitely did not want Margot Grenson.