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Leah, stop being so childish, answer your goddamn phone.
Leah, answer your phone, now.
Leah, I never realised you were this petty. I hope you’re happy that you got me banned from Tristan’s. Your bitch friends?—
The voicemail cuts off before he can finish.
Leah, fine if you want to be like this... two weeks. Then I want you out of the apartment.
The voicemail cuts off again, my heart sinking this time. I shouldn’t have turned my phone off. I’ve clearly poked the bear.
Leah... bloody hell, answer your fucking phone. I’m taking legal advice. Yasmin and I will move in in two weeks, so you need to leave.
The phone clicks this time, indicating he’s finished the call. I run a hand over my face and rub the centre of my chest. He mentioned them moving in last night, that he decided against selling. But two weeks... I’ll never find somewhere in time. Not anywhere I want to live. I’ve already received a message about three of the apartments I am scheduled to view. They’re no longer available, having already been snapped up. I called the estate agent, only to be told, decent apartments are few and far between. “Anything decent goes on the day,” she says. “There’s no dallying, especially if you’re on a tight budget.”
Kind of her to tell me after the event. Especially as I am on a tight budget. Gabriel pays me well, but it still won’t stretch very far with bills and taxes. Not on my own.
I sink onto the sofa and drop my head in my hands.
“No,” I say out loud. “Get your act together, Leah. No more moping.”
I straighten my back, pulling my hair into a topknot. Time to speak to the girls and get to these viewings—the ones left, anyway.
I pull up our group chat and dial. It takes seconds for Stella and Nat to connect.
“Hey, beautiful lady, how are you doing this morning?” Stella asks.
“I’m okay,” I say, realising I mean it, even after Vincent’s latest bombshell.
“Really?” Nat sounds incredulous.
“Honestly, Nat. I’m more embarrassed than anything.”
“Why? What have you got to be embarrassed about?” Stella asks.
“I got back to the office, and Gabriel turned up... I wasn’t a pretty picture.” I sigh, thinking back to the black eyeliner and mascara streaks that made me look like a reject from an eighties heavy metal band. “Think disastrous makeup job, and you might be somewhere close.”
“Oh.” Stella coughs, well, it sounds more like she’s choking.
“I take it something happened after I left,” I fish. “Vince left me a few angry voice messages.”
“Er…” It surprises me when Nat speaks up. “That was my fault. I heard what Yasmin said, and I kind of got into it with her.”
My mouth drops open. Sweet little Nat got into it. My pacifist friend, who has never argued about anything with anyone.
“She smirked and I saw red,” Nat continues.
I stare at the phone in my hand, not quite sure what to say. My friends are loyal to a fault. “Thank you, Nat, both of you. I’m not sure what I’d do if you weren’t in my life.”
“Vince is a lowlife. I can’t believe he’s knocked her up. Not after all his excuses,” Stella says.
A pain lances through my chest. “I know, but it is what it is.”
I tell them about Vince’s voicemails and my two-week notice period.
“Can he do that?” Nat asks.
“It’s his apartment. He can do what he wants,” I say, knowing I need to be practical. Fighting him won’t make a difference. It will only prolong the inevitable and cause me more distress in the long run.
