Page 78 of Ethan & Grace

A scandal had erupted a few years ago when an affair Frederick was having with his twenty-year-old nanny came to light. His marriage had survived the infidelity. What was it about these men that made their wives seem willing to forgive them anything?

I put my phone away when the Tube reached my stop. Along with a dozen other people, I left the station and made my way home. Once inside the flat, I kicked off my shoes and followed the sounds coming from Jason’s room.

He was sitting on his bed. The TV was on, but his eyes were glued to his phone. He had a grin on his face.

“Are Mum and Dad here?” I asked.

“No, they went to the cinema,” Jason replied without looking up. “Mum left us some money in case we want to order food. I want pizza.”

“You always want pizza.”

“Mmm,” Jason grunted absentmindedly, focussed entirely on his phone. I was pretty sure he was messaging with Tamil and couldn’t help but smile. I remembered my first crush, how new and exciting everything had felt. Almost like it did now with Ethan.

I left Jason to his phone and ordered two pizzas, which were delivered while I was in the shower. Jason had opened the door, but by the time I came into the kitchen just moments later, my hair still dripping, he’d already retreated back into his room with his pizza. I grabbed my box, sat on my bed, and put on one of my comfort anime shows to unwind after work.

I had just started the second episode when my phone buzzed. A message from Ethan. Two days had gone by since our conversation about his past, and I still got goosebumps thinking about it. Knowing what he’d endured as a child made his behaviour over the past years make so much more sense. I just wished he would talk to Henry about what had happened to him. Because even though he’d managed to climb out of the hole his dad had dug for him, it was clear he was still far from over the physical violence and emotional abuse. If you could ever really get over something like that.

I doubted it.

Ethan:

I talked to Edgar today. He’s on it.

Me:

Amazing. Did he say how much it’ll cost?

Ethan:

No. It depends how long it takes to dig up the information we need. But if it’s too much, I’ll put something towards it.

Me:

Over my dead body!

Ethan:

I’m not a violent guy, but maybe I’ll tie you to the bed.

Me:

Are you into that kind of thing?

Ethan:

Not really, but I’m open to it, if you want to try?

The thought of being tied to the bed by Ethan made me flush, even though I knew he was only trying to distract me from his offer of paying Edgar. But I would manage alone. I not only had the money from Rakesh and the others, but also some savings of my own.

Me:

Let’s hold off on the bondage until I’ve found out what my favourite position is. One thing at a time.

Ethan:

You can come over to experiment, if you want.

Me: