Page 57 of Plot Twist

Riley burst out laughing. ‘Are you mad?’ he said. ‘That’s not true.’

I narrowed my eyes at him. Did he really not know?

‘Erm, yes, I think you’ll find they were. And I know you’re seeing Eimear but when do you actually go out with her anywhere? I’ll watch Ivy for you, if you want to go on a date, by the way. You just need to say.’

I tried to stop the words from tumbling out of my mouth but they paraded out, dancing in front of us like I didn’t care if he swanned around with Eimear while I was left holding the fort at home like the Utter Nutter.

‘Youwantme to go on a date with Eimear?’ He frowned.

He moved his hand to shield his eyes and took a sip of Champagne with his other hand. His face flashed with annoyance, although I wasn’t quite sure why.

‘If you want.’ I shrugged, trying to act like I wasn’t bothered. I vowed to help Riley and, whatever it took, I was going to do it.

How could Riley be so naive to think the women in the yoga class, and pretty much everywhere we went, weren’t interested in him? He was obviously just so wrapped up in the past, in Jackie, that he couldn’t see what was going on around him. Couldn’t see all the women ready to fall at his feet once he just opened his eyes.

‘OK, so just for talking’s sake then, you think if I open up a bit more about my past with Jackie, I might be able to write more about a new romance– or the possibility of one?’

Riley’s bright green eyes met with mine. I nodded, excited that he’d finally uttered her name in my presence. This was progress.

‘And I want to know what happened because I’m nosy,’ I added, smiling at him.

He threw his head back and laughed.

‘At least you’re honest,’ he said. ‘I just struggle sometimes, you know?’

‘Struggle with what?’ I asked.

He looked down into the bubbles, as though he was searching for something he’d dropped.

‘To know exactly where it all went wrong.’

24

TEN YEARS AGO

‘I’ll fucking kill him,’ Drew said, pacing up and down in Rae’s bedroom.

My arm was flung around Rae’s shoulders on the bed and she was cuddled into my chest, like a small child.

‘See, this is why I didn’t want to tell him,’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘He thinks he’s fucking Rambo.’

I stroked Rae’s hair. It made a change from holding it back while she spewed over a toilet after a heavy night out. I missed those days. I missed that Rae.

‘Drew just wants to look out for you,’ I said. ‘Do you want to talk about what happened? Drew can leave, if you want to keep it between us?’

‘I’m not going anywhere,’ he said. ‘Unless it’s giving me free rein to hunt him down and kick his ass.’

‘Like that would help,’ Rae said, rolling her eyes. ‘You need to calm the fuck down, Drew. He’s not going to admit to anything. I don’t think he even thinks he’s done anything wrong. Let’s just say it didn’t work out between us and I’ll move on. It’s not worth getting all dramatic about.’

She curled up in a ball, like a broken doll. The slim, confident, tanned and beautiful girl that I aspired to be was lying in a heap. Her shoulder blades stuck out of her body underneath her vest top. How had I not noticed how skinny she’d become?

She hid it well, though.

And of course, I was so wrapped up in my own relationship that I hadn’t noticed what was going wrong with Rae. All I’d cared about was Drew.

‘I just feel like such an idiot,’ she said. ‘People told me he was nasty, but I couldn’t see it. I was totally besotted with him.’

‘You’re not an idiot,’ Drew said. ‘It happens.’