Page 48 of Almost Ours

On those words Ewan’s head snaps towards me. Brooke's hand stills halfway back to her plate, and the pair of them look at me like I've just announced I'm dropping out of uni to join the bloody circus.

I frown, looking between them. "What?"

Ewan has a smug smirk. "You like her."

"Oh, fuck off. I don't know her."

"Didn't say you knew her." He points his fork at me before helping himself to another mouthful of eggs, never taking his eyes off me. "I said you like her."

“Leave it out, I’ve known her about five minutes.”

“So what? That’s more than enough time. I knew I liked Brooke the moment I clapped eyes on her.” He reaches out and grazes the back of Brooke’s hand. “I fell in love with her within a week.”

He isn't lying either. I watched him fall headfirst. One minute we were getting ready for some house party, the next he wouldn't shut up about the ‘sexy black girl’ that he kissed there. They've barely spent a day apart since. Might as well have her sewn into his fucking skin for all the time they spend apart.

"Yeah, well, that's you." I stab at my eggs with my fork. "You fall hard over fuck all."

"And?" Ewan demands.

"And I'm not you."

"No," he agrees around a mouthful of eggs. "You're much slower. In all aspects. Which only makes this all weirder, because normally you take a month to text someone back or spend time with and yet you willingly do both with Ruby.”

My phone buzzes on the counter. I reach for it automatically, but Ewan beats me to the notification, his eyebrows going way up to his hairline. "Hah! Did that just say Ruby?"

I shoot him a look before glancing at the screen.

RUBY (11.38): just had to run for my fucking life!!

Attached is a blurry photo of Bernardo charging across the grass, wings spread, neck stretched low, another student in the background looking terrified. I can't help it. A laugh escapes me, embarrassingly loudly.

"What?" Ewan’s leaning across, trying to see the screen. "What is it?"

"Nothing." I turn the phone face-down again, too late, because he's already caught enough of it to know it's a photo and not just a text.

"Nothing?" Ewan sputters, abandoning his breakfast. "You've just laughed. And that was a picture.”

"Is laughing a crime now?”

"Lemme see." He reaches for my phone.

I get there first, sliding it out of reach before he can snatch it. "No fucking way.”

"He's hiding it," Ewan announces to Brooke, as though she's somehow missed the exchange. “Reckon his football captain’s sister is sending him saucy pictures?”

Brooke glares at her boyfriend. “Stop it.”

He spins back to me. “Why are you hiding the picture?”

"Because I know what you're like."

My phone starts ringing then, vibrating across the breakfast bar hard enough to rattle against my mug. I eagerly snatch it up, hoping for Ruby and begging for it not to be Bonnie. The screen lights up with Dad, and the amusement I'd been trying to suppress disappears as quickly as it arrived.

Ewan notices it straight away, his eyes dancing between my face and the phone. "Everything alright?"

“Yeah." I answer too quickly, swiping to accept the call before it has chance to ring a third time. "Give us a minute."

I carry my mug into the hallway and pull the front door closed behind me, leaning against the brickwork outside as I lift the phone back to my ear. "Morning."