‘A lot of wine,’ Callum said. ‘A truly impressive amount, honestly.’
‘First thing in the morning then,’ I said. ‘Literally not another word to another person living under this roof before you go.’
‘You’d really send us back to a freezing flat when you’re swanking it up here in the Traitors’ castle?’ Joel said with watery eyes. ‘For shame, Laura.’
I gave him a look that could’ve stripped paint.
‘You’re leaving.’
‘My arse, we are. I’ve done enough driving today to last me a lifetime.’
Desi scoffed. ‘You did two hours.’
‘That’s two more than I was planning on when you opened that second bottle of wine last night,’ Joel volleyed back.
‘Christ, maybe you can pull off cosplaying as a married couple,’ I muttered, pushing my hair back from my face. ‘Either way, you shouldn’t have come and you can’t stay.’
‘Fine, whatever, we’ll leave in the morning,’ Desi sighed, moving on as though I didn’t recognise her “I’d like this conversation to be over” voice. ‘Now, I believe someone said something about whisky?’
‘I believe someone said something about bed,’ I corrected. ‘The sooner you’re asleep, the sooner you can be off.’
‘Anyone would think she wasn’t happy to see us,’ Joel muttered as the four of us cleared the plates and took them into the kitchen. ‘This is the thanks we get for trying to help.’
‘They can stay.’
My head had never spun around so fast. I stared at Callum, not sure I’d heard him right.
‘They can stay?’
‘They can stay,’ he repeated wearily. ‘It’ll be a nightmare drive down to London on Christmas Eve, fourteen hours at least, and I’ve had some experience with panicking about you when you don’t answer your phone. They were worried about you.’
‘I was mostly worried your family was planning to sacrifice her to the old gods but thank you,’ Desi said graciously. ‘You are a benevolent master.’
‘Don’t push your luck,’ Callum said with the first thing approaching a smile since they arrived. ‘I could still change my mind.’
‘Please do,’ I said. ‘Immediately if not sooner.’
Desi wound her arm through mine, looking up at me from underneath her hair, and fluttering her fluffy false eyelashes. ‘No, Lau, it’s going to be fun,’ she said in her most wheedling tone. ‘It’s Christmas, we’re all together, I’ve even brought your Chocolate Orange up with me.’
Joel cleared his throat and sliced his finger across his throat.
‘Oh, right,’ she added. ‘Sorry, we ate it just outside Stoke-on-Trent.’
‘We’ll be so well behaved,’ Joel promised. ‘All we have to do now is keep up the pretence that you’re a vegan Swedish masseuse, Desi is the adopted love child of Kate and Leo, and I’m straight. What could possibly go wrong?’
Callum’s smile froze.
‘Nothing,’ I said wearily. ‘Now please just go to bed.’
When I heard the door to Callum’s room click closed behind us, I could’ve happily collapsed to the ground and slept on the spot. It had been the longest day in history.
‘I don’t even know what to say,’ I began but he was already waving away my words.
‘Don’t. They were worried about you, I could never fault anyone for that. They’re good friends. Terrible liars but good friends.’
A reluctant laugh sounded through my closed lips as he turned on a bedside lamp. His room was a similarsize to mine, the fireplace, I guessed, backing onto the one in my room, but instead of having the vibe of a cosy, boutique hotel, this room felt entirely personal.
‘Welcome to the place where the magic literally never happened,’ Callum said with an uncomfortable chuckle. ‘And no, they haven’t changed a thing since I moved out. I don’t think they’ve changed a thing since I was sixteen, come to think of it.’
