‘It’s Mimi to you,’ she scolds, still smiling.
And then we’re back in the car for another forty-five minutes or so in traffic until we get to Leicester Square.
What if things look stilted? Awkward and uncomfortable between us? There’ll be a story in the papers tomorrow about how there’s clearly already trouble in paradise, and people will pretty quickly put two-and-two together.
We haven’t even discussed how we’ll act in public. We’re about to crash and burn on our first proper outing together. We should have planned this more. Had a meeting this afternoon. Been briefed by Jess.
‘Just be yourselves,’ is not a great plan when we’re, firstly, not in love and, secondly, avoiding a pretty big conversation about what I did to him.
We used to talk all the time. We used to be awake for most of the night talking about everything: our families, our dreams for the future, our childhoods, what we’d done that day and what our upcoming plans were. And any silence we did have was comfortable. We didn’t have to fill it to enjoy each other’s company.
That’s probably what made me feel settled.Toosettled.
This is Luc we’re talking about. Why is he being so nice to me? Why is he not breaking down my door for an explanation of why I would leave him with no explanation and then show up ten years later with some bizarre plan about turning the tide of public opinion? And what happened with Rose? What is he not telling me? Why did heactuallyagree to this stupid plan?
Why did either of us agree to this stupid plan?
‘You okay?’ Luc’s eyes are searching my face, hunting for clues, for the route to the answer quicker than my mouth can say it.
I nod. ‘Absolutely fine.’
‘What actually happens at a premiere?’ Luc asks.
My mouth drops open. ‘Have you never been to one?’
He laughs. ‘Normal people don’t make a habit of going to movie premieres.’
‘I know that. But you literally worked forEric Lancaster’s Laughswhen I met you. You createdHostile Minds– yeah, I looked it up. You’re ascreenwriter. You’re not exactly a normal person either.’ I swear he winces, but I continue anyway. ‘It’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that you may have been invited to a premiere at some point or another. I actually think you’re more likely to be the one to go to premieres out of the two of us, considering you write things for the screen.’
I hear him swallow. ‘You’re right. I have been invited to one before,’ he admits, a hard edge to his voice. ‘But I didn’t go.’
‘Why?’
He goes quiet for a few seconds, like he’s trying to carefully word what he wants to say. I turn around and he simply shrugs. ‘Didn’t want to go on my own.’
A beat of silence which feels so unlike the silence between us ten years ago.
‘And I didn’t really want the attention. You know me.’
When we were together the first time, he would always wear a hat and sunglasses, sometimes a face mask too if it was really busy so that no one could recognise him if they saw us together.
‘You must really want to get back at Rose if you’re doing this now.’ I regret the comment as soon as it leaves my mouth.
His eyes glass over. ‘Drop it, Sienna. Please.’
More silence.
‘So, what happens at one?’ he continues.
‘There’s lots of walking, talking, pictures, and then you sit and watch the film.’
‘Oh, it’s literally a movie premiere.’
‘What did you think happened when you got inside?’
‘More walking, talking.’
A laugh escapes me in a huff, tension dissipating slightly. ‘I mean, you’re not completely wrong, but we do watch the film too… Usually.’
