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The apartment is quiet.
‘We’re looking at you like this because Jasper’s a dick,’ Jack answers softly.
‘No, he’s not. He’s really wonderful. Caleb has met him. Caleb, he’s lovely, isn’t he?’ I look to Caleb to tell them.
‘Well…’ Caleb starts, just as the doorbell starts to ring.
He jumps up to try out the new spyhole, then immediately springs back and puts his finger to his lips while mouthing something. We look at each other, confused.
‘Nicole!’ he whispers when he gets back. Tim and Jack shake their heads disapprovingly.
‘Caleb, you need to talk to her,’ I whisper, pleadingly. ‘It’s not fair.’
‘Let’s pretend we’re not here,’ he whispers back.
‘I know you’re in there,’ Nicole shouts from the other side of the door. We hear her kick it.
‘Shit.’ Caleb gets up and opens the door slightly, puts it on the latch and lets himself out. ‘Hey, Nicole…’ is all we hear before he shuts the door behind him.
‘I’m glad he did that.’ I smile at the guys. We resume eating but just as Jack is in the middle of a funny story, we hear the door being flung open loudly.
‘Aha!’ Nicole barges through the door, startling the three of us. ‘This doesn’t look like you’re nursing a migraine.’
Caleb follows, looking exhausted. ‘These are Ariella’s friends.’ He puts his palms together in prayer behind her, mouthing the word ‘Please’. Jack narrows his eyes at him, then sits in front of Caleb’s food.
‘Hello, Nicole,’ I call out.
She grunts at me. Even grunting, she is stunning. She is wearing a plum-coloured fitted dress that stops at the very top of her thighs, matching patent plum heels and a navy trench coat. Her beautiful blond hair falls in loose curls down her back. A sly smile crosses Jack’s face.
‘Tim, we shouldn’t let this go to waste. Ariella’s housemate barely touched it; he was in so much pain.’
Jack splits the steak into two and invites Tim over. Tim happily joins him. I try not to laugh at Caleb’s face when they start eating his beef.
‘Nicole, can I offer you—’ I start.
‘No,’ Caleb answers, ushering Nicole into his room.
‘I don’t know how he does it.’ Jack shakes his head with a mouth full of Caleb’s steak.
‘I know. She’s beautiful, isn’t she? And she always looks like that,’ I tell them. ‘I have an apple and ginger sorbet for dessert. You guys want in?’
‘Yes!’ they both respond.
After finishing Caleb’s steak, they insist that I leave the washing up to them. Poor Caleb. Thankfully, I bought six steaks, intending to play with two. I pull one out of the fridge for him and leave it on the countertop to get to room temperature for later. I can’t help chuckling, though. I like his friends. They know how to get at him.
Just as they sit down for sorbet, Nicole’s impossibly long legs make their way across the living area in what seems like five strides before she slams the front door behind her. Caleb emerges seconds later.
‘You two would’ve been more convincing if you’d turned up in drag pretending to be my sisters.’
‘Didn’t buy what you were selling then?’ Tim laughs.
‘We’ll see when she comes round tomorrow night.’ Caleb smiles smugly.
‘Mate. What are you doing?’ Jack asks.
‘What? Did you not see her? She’s smoking. Avoiding her is the only option I have to end this. She’s very, very convincing.’ Caleb raises an eyebrow.
Tim shakes his head and looks at me. I shrug.
