He scoffs and slouches onto the sofa next to me. “Just speak. If I nod off, you know where the door is.”
“Aren’t you going to ask me how Dad’s appointment went today?”
“I’ve already called Mum.”
“Right.”
“Who also mentioned something along the lines of you being an arse.”
I knew it. Nothing can stay secret in our family.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“If your ‘nothing’ is the same as at least half of Ryan’s ‘nothing’…”
“I was only there to give them a hand, in case they needed it.”
“Here’s what we’re going to do.” Ian lifts himself away from the backrest and turns towards me. “I’m going to get straight to the point, you’re going to speak without me having to gouge the words out of your mouth, and then I’m going to go back to bed.”
I nod.
“What the fuck happened with her?”
“H-her?”
“What did you think we were talking about? Unicorns and fairy dust?”
“What?”
“Sorry, I’m knackered and all those bloody kids’ songs don’t help. Let’s get back to us. We were talking about Casey.”
“I don’t think we were talking about her. We were talking about Dad.”
“Nick, please. I’m starting to get pissed off. Don’t test my patience.”
“I don’t understand what it’s got to do with her.”
“Well, let’s just say that you guys haven’t seen each other since you left for New Zealand.”
“More or less.”
“And, knowing you, you probably didn’t even send her a message in all the eight years you were gone.”
“Maybe… I can’t remember…”
“And seeing her at Mum and Dad’s made you think that karma was fucking around with you.”
“Have you spoken to Ryan about this?”
“And finding her standing in front of you brought up some old memories.”
“Now you’ve taken it too far.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Can I ask you something?”
