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‘Then tell you what…get yourself packed and our bags into your car and pick me up from my flat for that time.’ I turn to Frank. ‘Frank, you and I can get over to Westfield to pick out a gift for her.’
Leo’s gaze meets mine. A shower and everything that would have followed can wait. At least he gets it. He bows his head to signal his understanding.
‘Really?’ Frank asks me, looking at his watch in relief.
‘Really. I’ve started this so I need to follow through. I can’t have this going tits-up because you gave her talc.’
Frank sniggers at my choice of expression and I shake my head at him.
‘Thank you,’ he tells me, putting his hands together.
‘Go, let me get changed,’ I tell him.
He nods, obviously not keen to see me topless again. He turns to leave and I hear his feet shuffling into his room and down the stairs. I grin, not before feeling Leo’s presence next to me, a bra in his hand.
‘Trade you this for my jumper?’ he whispers, his face grazing mine.
I smile and take off the jumper immediately.
He looks down. ‘Just to say, I don’t mind seeing your assets. Actually, as many times as humanly possible over Christmas would be great.’
I nod. ‘Deal.’
‘Deal. I’ll see you later?’
I give him a slow tender kiss, putting a hand to the back of his head. ‘Definitely.’
TWENTY-THREE
‘I’m glad your eyebrows have healed,’ I tell Frank as I stand next to him on the Tube. It’s Christmas Eve and this carriage is filled to the brim with festive revelry, a buzz of anticipation about what tomorrow may bring – a mixture of children bundled tightly in winter hats and scarves, last-minute shoppers, tourists in Christmas jumpers studying the Tube map in wild confusion. We all heave forward as the train grinds to a halt. Since we left their place, Frank has been mildly hysterical, still scarred from seeing me topless and unable to engage in conversation or look me in the eye.
‘I used Sudocrem,’ he tells me. ‘Like you told me to. Norah also said it’d be good.’
I smile to see his face light up at the mention of her name.
‘She did, did she?’ I force him to look at me, widening my eyes in front of his face.
He pulls a face at me. ‘Don’t make things awkward.’
‘Just be normal with me, please,’ I plead. ‘So much has happened in the space of a few days, my brain may bloody explode. I can’t have things be weird with us. Remember, I pretended to be your girlfriend.’
He seems sympathetic for a moment. ‘You did. Thank you again for that. Everyone was very charmed by you at the wedding, even my mum.’ I smile quietly. I thawed the ice queen; that was an achievement in itself but I wonder if she’s talked about our rooftop conversation with him. ‘Well, catch me up then. Did you have fun with Jasper?’
‘I did.’ I get out my phone to show him some pictures.
‘Are those…dogs?’ he asks.
‘Foxes. The middle one who looks a bit sleepy is you. That ratbag is Jasper, he’s the one who bit me,’ I tell him, holding up my plastered thumb. I scroll through to a selfie I took with Miles and Jasper at the Christmas cocktail party.
‘Fancy. I know him, that’s Miles…’ Frank tells me and we both look at each other for a moment.
‘You’ve met Miles?’
‘Yeah, Jasper’s housemate. He’s really good atCall of Duty– you definitely want him on your team.’
I smile, not divulging any more information as he paws over pictures of Moormount and multiple pictures of posh things I saw there like stag heads, big stone fireplaces and his dad’s collection of vintage letter openers.
‘I’m glad you had a nice few days,’ he tells me.
