‘William is going to South-East Asia in January?’ My voice is asking Bee, but my face is asking Arthur. He nods, shrugging his shoulders.
‘And he wants to besinglewhen he does!’ Bee shrieks, and I yank my phone even further away from my face. Even speaker isn’t safe.
‘So, he broke up with you?’
‘Oh no, that’s the best part. He just wants to break upfor that monthand thenpick back upwhere we left off after he has fucked who knows how many university-aged backpackers in mixed dormitories like the disgusting creeper he is.’
‘Did he actually say all that?’ I blurt.
Arthur facepalms in response and that’s frankly a little rude even if a completely fair reaction to my question. Soft sobs echo through the speaker.
‘It’ll be all right, Bee.’
‘No, it won’t!’ The loud sobs are back, and for another thirty seconds, I just let her get it all out (I’ve recently learned it’s cathartic), but then the line goes dead.
I stare at Arthur. He stares at my phone, dangling from my limp hand. He sighs. ‘You’re going to go home, aren’t you?’ Although it’s clearly rhetorical. We both know I’m going back. I nod. He’s still not looking at me, but I know he sees it.
‘So, will all be forgiven?’ I don’t like the tone of his voice now. It sounds…resigned. With a hint of judgmental.
‘I don’t know.’
‘Do you think she would do this for you?’
‘I don’tknow.’
‘Yes, you do.’
I cross my arms. ‘Even if that’s true, I’m not going to lower my standards for myself based on how someone else might choose to behave.’
‘You mean, less than twenty-four hours after you finally stood up for yourself, you’re immediately asking “how high” the moment she says “jump”.’
‘That’s not fair.’
He stands up now, and we’re chest to chest. ‘It’s entirely fair. Or did I not hold you while you cried yourself to sleep last night because of her?’
‘It’s complicated.’
‘I’ll make it very simple: she would never be there for you like this. If the situation were reversed, she would never have picked up the phone.’
I let out a frustrated cry. ‘I don’t need a lecture from Mr Perfect right now! I need my pants, and I need to go.’ Walking away towards his bedroom, I add, ‘I’ll wash the jumper and return it to you.’
Then I catch a glimpse of his face. And he looks like I’ve slapped it. I guess the jumper thing does sound a little finite. Concluding. Endy. Not at all what I intended.
His phone goes off, and he pulls it out of his back pocket. Oh, distraction, you sweet, sweet saviour.
‘William’s texting me.’ He’s frowning down at his phone.
Wait…‘Did you know about this? That he was going to do this?’
He looks up, insulted. ‘I mean, I knew he had a holiday booked, but I didn’t know aboutthis.’
‘You’re right, of course, sorry. He would never tell you a plan like this because you’d tell him he’s a flog.’
‘We don’t talk about his relationship. But how are you so sure that it was a plan?’ he asks, and pointedly doesn’t agree that he’d tell William he’s a flog.
‘Why go to the trouble of introducing her to all his friends if he couldn’t handle being in Asia for a month with a girlfriendat home? He love-bombed her, roped her in and then droppedthisbomb on her.’
Arthur takes a deep breath. ‘Yeah, that doesn’t look good.’
