‘Oh, they’re the best of friends now,’ Liam muttered into his pint.‘Terrifying is what it is.They gang up on me, the three of them.’
I chuckled, despite myself.I could picture the three of them wrapped around my brother’s little finger.Particularly Abigail, who was playing her part of surly teenager so well I was sure the academy would be in touch any day now.Suffice to say, I was proud.
‘She still rinsing you for that face stuff?Pissed Giraffe?’
‘Drunk Elephant.She’s rinsed my bank account and I’m ninety-nine per cent sure she doesn’t need the stuff.’
‘Well, isn’t that lovely?Everyone playing happy families.’
Jack and Liam exchanged looks as I gulped my pint.
‘Right.This is an intervention,’ Liam announced.‘Starting now, we’re having a very frank conversation about your… mental health.’
‘My mental health,’ I repeated.
‘Yes.We’ve done it before.So we’re doing it again,’ Liam said, in a strangely formal way, like he’d prepared a speech.
Liam wasn’t wrong.We did talk about my mental health, now and then.He took me to the GP in the worst bouts of my depression when I was younger.He kept me fed and watered through it, even when I didn’t have the energy to bring a fork to my mouth.I couldn’t deny that one of my brother’s best qualities was how he looked after the people he loved, even if he rarely understood me.
‘No depression.I’m still on my meds, and they work better than the ones I was on a few years ago.’
Peggy sat up, nudging my thigh with her nose.I sighed and scratched her, the warmth of her solid presence grounding me, even just a little.
Liam nodded.‘Good.’
We took a sip of our drinks.
Jack glanced between us.‘That’s it?That’s the big intervention, big strong men talk about their feelings?’
Liam shrugged.‘He said he’s fine.And I believe him.’
‘We made an agreement years ago that as long as he knew the necessary details, then he wouldn’t pry in my head.’
Jack looked at us like we’d grown four heads, respectively.
‘You can’t be serious.That’s all you’re going to say?’ Jack pointed at me.‘He’s not depressed.He’s lovesick, Liam.It’s Lydia.’
I hissed, shooting looks over at the bar.‘Will you keep your voice down?’
‘What?’Cos her mum is six feet away from us?Newsflash, mate.She already knows.Everyone does.Everyone is talking about how fucking weird the vibe is between you.Pat almost scheduled a super-secret emergency meeting when you came back so that everyone was on the same page, but it got cancelled ’cos of the rain.’
My gaze swung to Liam.‘Did you know about this?’
Liam looked anywhere but at me.
‘You did.Some brother you are.’
‘Look – I know what it’s like being under the scrutiny of this bloody town.Last year, they were salivating whenever Kat and I were in the same room.Plotting to get us together.’
‘But youaretogether,’ I shouted, my fist landing on the table.Liam’s and Jack’s eyes widened in shock.I dropped my voice.‘There is no hope for me and Lydia.Case closed.She doesn’t even want me as a friend, let alone… anything else.’
Liam’s eyebrows shot up.‘And you want… anything else?’
Jack raised his hands.‘Of course he does.Are you blind?Those two have been joined at the hip since school for a reason.They’ve been pussy-footing around it for years now, but everyone knows they’re meant for each other.You could even ask Peter and the miserable bastard would agree.’
Our heads swivelled to Peter, who grunted, and lifted his huge newspaper, blocking him from sight.
‘See?Peter’s a big softie really.And Ren’s been in love with her for years, even if he didn’t realise it.And I’d guess she is with him too.’
