“There’s a reason why I’m marrying her. Can you talk to Wren about Marie?”
Max got that Wren was one of the few people who understood how screwed up I was. He’d had half the story about the night I’d nearly told her I was in love with her when I was drunk on whisky and tequila and didn’t know my last name.
“I don’t know.”
“Jesus, Callum, don’t tell me you’re fucking yourself up over there?”
This was Max, my biggest brother. Best friend in many ways. “She kissed me.”
“Okay.”
I inhaled deeply. “I punched her ex.”
“Nice one.” Because Max would’ve done exactly the same thing. In fact, if anyone ever lifted a finger to Vic they were likely to lose it.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Don’t over think it.”
Whatever I expected him to say, it wasn’t that.
“Don’t analyse it too much, just go with what happens. She’s a big girl, she can make her own choices.”
“What if those choices leave me like they did last time?”
“They won’t. You’re in a different place. And Callum?”
“What?”
“You need to talk to Dad.”
“We’ve got nothing to say.”
I heard Max sigh. “You’ve plenty to say. He has stuff he needs to tell you.”
“And you know this how?”
“We talked. Ages ago. I shouted, a lot and then he talked. I don’t know if you’ll like what he has to say but it explains a lot.”
I was silent, letting his words settle around me. “I will. But not right now. When Mum’s better.”
“Good. Go stroke a tiger or whatever the fuck it is you do out there.”
“General check-ups on elephants today. Did you not see my story on instagram?”
“Fuck off. I don’t have time for that shit. Vic probably watched it though. Take care. I’ll text you tomorrow when we’re back in Oxford.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” He hung up, no ceremony, because that was Max and I wanted to laugh, because that was Max all over.
But I couldn’t.
I headed into my room in the lodge where we were all staying. It was a fairly big building, totally taken over by the production team for the duration of our filming here and it had been good so far. We’d settled in with each other now, the long days spent together meaning that we were pretty comfortable, some of the crew a bit more intimate than others.
Everyone was outside, those who weren’t heading out for an evening of filming were getting beers and settling in chairs. A make-shift family.
I sat down on my bed, the sheets freshly changed, the room part-traditional, part-luxury but none of that interested me right now.
