“Is it?” He cocks his head, watching me.
“Isn’t it?” I frown. “Aren’t you happy it’s sold so quickly?”
Hope flares in my chest that maybe he’s as conflicted about this as me, but that’s quickly smothered when he smiles.
“I mean, yeah, obviously. I don’t want to be waiting months for someone to buy it.”
No? Just me hoping for that, then. And I hate myself a little for thinking it, because that’s incredibly selfish. Of course Reed wants his house to sell so he can get on with making this freshstart a reality. Because as much as I like, nolove,the idea of him staying here for months, I need to remember that Reed wants his own place. He wants to get settled somewhere permanent, and not stay in my spare room forever.
It’s only been a month.
I thought we’d have longer.
“So,” I say, when he doesn’t add anything more. “When do they want to move in?”
He’s watching me closely, like he’s trying to read me, and good luck with that, because my emotions are all over the place at the minute. “Not sure,” he says eventually. “I guess there’s all the legal shit and whatever else needs to be done these days. I’ll need to talk to my solicitor. It’s not like it’s going to happen overnight, though.” He sends me a pointed look, andoh.
He can read me better than I thought.
I may have overreacted a touch, because he’s right. Selling a house takes time. And nothing will even start to happen until the new year anyway. He’ll be here for another month at least. And he’s still got to find a house of his own.
“You know you can stay here for as long as you want.”
He nods. “Yeah, I know. Thank you.”
“At least you don’t need to find a house straight away, so there’s no chain. You can look at your leisure, take your time.” Take all the time you like.
Reed shifts in his seat, and I know what’s coming. “I’ve already started looking, actually.”
“Oh?” I’m torn between wanting to feel hurt that he’s already looking and being the friend I promised I would be.
Come on, Jerry, you’re better than this.
I shake it off and find a smile for him. “Found anything yet?”
“There’s a couple, but...” He eyes me warily again, and fuck that.
“Want to show me?”
That surprises him. “Really?” His expression brightens, his smile that little bit wider.
And that’s all I need to see, because this is whatheneeds. Someone to share this with, and that’s what I’m going to be for him right now.
His friend.
I stand, smoothing down my pyjama pants—it’s Sunday, I’m allowed to be lazy today—and set a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll make us some breakfast. Then you can show me all the places you’ve been looking at. If you want?”
He puts his hand on top of mine and squeezes. I don’t miss the way the tension slips from his shoulders. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
So that’show I spend my Sunday morning, on December twenty-second. Looking at potential properties for Reed to buy. The places he shows me are nice enough, but they’re not my cup of tea. They might be Reeds though, so I choose my words carefully. “Which ones are your favourites?”
He draws his bottom lip between his teeth, flipping through the listings on his phone. “I don’t know. I mean, out of the houses themselves, I probably like this one the most.” He scrolls back to a semi-detached house with a small front garden, but with a drive and a garage.
It looks more modern than the others, and if I had to choose, I’d probably pick that one too. “I like that one.” I glance at him, and he’s frowning, so I give him a nudge. “But...?”
He sighs. “I don’t know...” He meets my eyes, his earlier excitement dulled. “I’ve kind of got used to living here.” He looks back at the screen. “And these houses aren’t...”
They aren’t located in anywhere like Charnwell, that’s for sure. “Have you tried looking at more rural properties, if that’s what you like?”
