Page 169

at Forbidden Planet

on Thursday, November 28, 2019 from 6 P.M. to 7 P.M.

The basement of Forbidden Planet bustled with comic fans, early Christmas shoppers, and curious tourists, snapping up the girls’ debut before heading out into November’s chill. Freddie weaved between bodies, filming their comings and goings for a fandom feature on his YouTube channel.

“Thanks so much. Lovely to meet you.” Alex beamed and handed an autographed copy of Strangely Gifted to the last person in line. She glanced at Lucy, sat to her right. “Wow! That hour flew.”

“I’m gobsmacked.” Lucy checked the time on her phone. “People actually showed up!”

“Isn’t it cool?” Alex neatly stacked the remaining books. “I want to hug each person, buy them a drink…‘thank you’ just doesn’t cut it!” She flipped her phone over. The screen glowed with texts.

Naomi: Sorry, babe! Can’t get away. Catch up tomorrow? x

Dad: Call when you can. Let us know how it all went. x

Niamh: So excited for you both, have a wonderful night! Gracie, Rhys & I send our love. x

“Aw, Niamh.” Alex nudged Lucy. “You have to meet her. She’s so supportive.”

“Like mother, like son.” Lucy scrolled through Instagram, stopping on a photo of Mark reading their novel on the Tube. “This—fucking genius! It’s now got over 8,000 likes. We owe Keegs—majorly—he sure pulled in the punters.”

Alex leaned in, smiling. Mark’s Instagram photo also signaled his limited return to social media. Long gone were his Wink-era Twitter and Snapchat accounts, and his website had undergone a complete makeover, ditching the brooding Harley shots in favour of professional photos from Lairds and his plays. A new category had been added, too—awards—including images of Mark posing with his Olivier for Best Supporting Actor for A Doll’s House.

Her foot nudged two empty boxes and she glanced down at the floor. On top of her bag sat the latest issue of Time Out, opened to an interview with her boyfriend. The piece talked about his latest movie, filmed in Estonia last spring, hitting cinemas that day. He also spoke the previously unspeakable—taking a stand for their relationship. Her eyes caught a paragraph.

“I don’t talk about my personal life in the press, but I’m making an exception. In a few instances—online comments, in restaurants, at stage doors—a line has been crossed. If you’re a fan of my work, please show my loved ones respect. They don’t deserve to be followed or treated badly because I love them. They didn’t sign up for this—I did.”

Alex nodded at Lucy. “I can’t thank him enough.”

“You’ll find a way!” Lucy shot a look at Mark, laughing with Harry as Freddie filmed them near a shelf packed with books. “Oi! Keegan!”

Mark sauntered over, followed by their friends. “Hey, comic queens…that was quite the crowd, eh? How many sold?”

“All but three.” Alex put the remaining books into a Forbidden Planet bag. “But we can sell out if you, Harry, and Simon each buy one.”

“I have mine already.” Harry leaned over to kiss Lucy on the forehead.

“Don’t I get a freebie for sleeping with the writer?” Mark cheekily raised his eyebrows.

“You’re cute and all but…” Alex crinkled her nose. “No.”

“Well, it was worth a try.” Mark winked and slipped her a ten-pound note. He squeezed her hand, refusing to let go.

Lucy kneaded her left wrist, her grin slipping into a grimace. “How do you do this all day, Keegs? After thirty minutes, my hand was about to snap off—”

“Hey!” Simon appeared over Mark’s shoulder, wiping perspiration from his brow. “Sorry! Traffic from London Fields…”

Mark nodded. “Tell me about it. The roadworks…let’s just say that Mare Street lives up to its bloody name.”

“You can say that again, mate.” Simon gasped, out of breath, and slapped Mark on the back. “Am I too late?”

Freddie turned off his camera and hugged Simon from behind. “Lex saved you one.”

“Aw, cheers!” Simon slapped ten pounds on the table as Lucy pulled his copy out of the bag. “I didn’t want to miss out.”

“Only one left now!” Lucy signed her name with a flourish and passed the book to Alex. She began writing a heartfelt message.

Simon turned to Freddie. “I’d like to have a browse…”