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‘You and your mum—’
‘Gran, that has nothing to do with this thing with Melanie, whatever it is and no one, no one ever mentioned love. I’m simply helping out someone I like. I think you’re overthinking this whole thing.’ Paige hadn’t mentioned love. Not out loud but she couldn’t deny the idea had been floating around her brain.
‘I think you need to tell her about the app.’ Connie’s voice was stern.
‘She gave me access to that app,’ Paige said defensively.
Connie said nothing, but her face said it all.
‘OK fine. I’ll tell her about the app.’
‘And maybe open up to her a little more in general?’ Connie’s nose was scrunched up.
‘Huh?’
‘Look, all I’m saying is that princesses can defeat their own dragons and become stronger for it. Just like you did, and now you’re a badass. You’re not the knight in shining armour, but you can hold her sword until she needs it.’ Connie slowly nodded, a small smile on her face as if she’d just bestowed the most amazing piece of knowledge.
‘I’m holding her what now?’
‘Ah, forget it.’
‘Oh, wise Connie, please do tell me more of your tales,’ Paige said with a bow.
‘She could love you, Paige, you. And guess what? You are deserving of love just as you are. But you have to share yourself with her in more ways than one, and I know you, Paige. You don’t share. I bet you don’t even tell the girls what’s really going on for you, do you?’
Paige said nothing, neither wanting to confirm nor deny. So instead, she nodded. ‘I’ll tell her about the app.’ But she did share with her friends. Granted only in the last week or so had she really started. And even then not completely. But she’d told Melanie about the tattoo. Which was . . . Rubbish, it was rubbish.
‘Good.’ Connie looked around. ‘It’s quiet so you could go tell her right now.’
‘Now?’
Connie nodded. ‘And if it gets busy here, I can always slip behind the bar and—’
‘Oh no. Nope. Not after what happened the other night. No way.’
‘It’s not my fault I didn’t know a slippery nipple was a cocktail,’ Connie replied with a shrug.
‘We both know you knew full well.’
‘Just go.’
‘Fine, but I’m going because I know it’s the right time, not because you told me.’
‘Oh and Paige, I won’t be here—’
Paige cut her off, not ready to hear what she was about to say. ‘I know . . . Just . . . I know, OK?’
Paige ducked around until she was back on the punters’ side. ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’
As Paige hit the fresh air and drizzle of the Manchester air her mind reeled with what Connie had said. She hadn’t been trying to save Melanie, she was simply helping her out. And she had shared plenty of herself. Fine she’d mostly been either grumpy or they’d been having sex but still.
‘Eurgh,’ Paige said out loud. She knew better than to argue with Connie. Her gran had been the only one able to get through to her. Paige had tried time and again to get some common ground with her mum, but they clashed, and yes on some level Paige could see how her gran might think Paige equated love with gestures. But that wasn’t the case at all here.
But then Paige stepped into Lulu and saw the woman in question.
‘Shit.’ Paige felt like a plaster had been ripped off her heart. It stung and it felt strangely exposed. Connie had been right. Again. As usual. Paige wondered for a moment if it might just be powerful lust. She didn’t discount it, but her instinct or gut whatever, was pulling her towards Melanie heart and soul, and at that moment Paige saw two scenarios play out in her head. One where they were both back in Paige’s flat, and Melanie was working at the kitchen table, Paige was watching Alfie and everywhere she looked she saw signs of Melanie. The other was Paige as her life was like before Melanie, but where before Melanie she had been quiet and content, now it felt empty and disrupted. Paige wanted to turn around, to go back to her flat and lie down with a Disney film, maybe Tangled this time. She went to turn.
‘Paige? Is everything OK?’ Melanie walked towards her.
