Isabella again.
Merry Christmas!Did you hear?I’m top of the UK charts!
The punch of pride took him by surprise, even though he’d never doubted her success.
She’d made it to the top.She’d won her gold, and she deserved it.
He hadn’t replied to her messages yesterday.He hadn’t even thought about them.
Not much, anyway.
But he typed back now.
Congratulations.
Her reply beeped through before he’d put his phone down.
Thank you.How are you?Take a look at this.
She sent him a link.He tapped it.It took him to her social media post, and there she was—dressed in white, barefoot on a golden sandy beach, talking about how great it was that he was looking so well and rested and how she looked forward to seeing him again.
I’m promoting your videos.I miss you, Dan.Want to talk now?
Dan’s thumb hovered to connect a call.Then Karim said something.“Be right with you, kid.”He put his phone aside on the table.“I think we should do some drawing now,” he said to Karim.There were certain things Dan didn’t want to unpack, certain things he couldn’t deal with.And Isabella was one of them.“I’m sure there’s a pen and paper somewhere.Maybe Father Christmas has brought you some.”
Libbywokewithastart.
Bright daylight flooded the room.This wasn’t the dawn light she usually woke up to.She bolted upright.No Karim—and she was still in Dan’s bed.
Naked.
Shit.
She snatched at the sheet tangled around her legs, grabbed her nightclothes off Dan’s floor, and dressed as she darted to her room.
Empty.
“Karim!Honey?Dan?”
“Hey, we’re here!”
Libby whirled round to the kitchen, her heart thumping.
“You okay?”Dan asked.
Karim was kneeling on a chair at the table, his sleep shirt covered in crumbs and damp patches of what she assumed was milk.She breathed again.“I… I… Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You looked like you needed the rest.”
“Hey, baby.”She stroked Karim’s hair and brushed food crumbs off his cheek.“I’m sorry, honey.I overslept.”
“He’s been absolutely fine.”
“Mommy didn’t hear you.”
“Libby, he’s fine.We played cars.Had breakfast.And we were just about to do some drawing.”
“You should’ve woken me.”
