I really am very sorry about Charlie’s black mood, but I can’t find it in me to stress about what happened with Vince. I’m too excited about the prospect of Thailand.
Charlie hasn’t booked his tickets yet, so I put him in touch with Marty. It would be amazing if we could go on the same flight, if not from Heathrow – that would be a bit of a trek for him – then at least from Bangkok.
I try to perk him up as we say goodbye.
‘Will you be all right?’ he asks, seeming reluctant to leave.
‘I’ll be fine!’ I exclaim. ‘Thailand, remember?’
‘And you’re sure you want us to all be there at the same time? We won’t be gatecrashing on a romantic getaway for you and Elliot?’ He looks concerned.
‘No. He probably won’t be able to make it, anyway.’
I go outside to wave them off, my heartstrings twanging as they round the corner, then I return indoors and play Honeyblood’s ‘Super Rat’ as loudly as I can without riling the neighbours through all four walls. When the chorus kicks in, I sing, ‘I will hate you forever’ at the top of my voice. It’s an ode to Vince, but, despite the sentiment, I can’t stop smiling.
Sara calls me the next day. She falls silent when I tell her I don’t want to write about Vince.
‘I’m sorry, but he never had a piece of my heart in the first place,’ I say.
‘But you can write about that,’ she replies emphatically. ‘It will make a fabulous chapter.’
‘I don’t want to.’ My voice is sullen.
‘That would be a missed opportunity,’ she cautions. ‘Does Elliot have anything to do with this change of heart?’
‘No, I haven’t spoken to him. He’d probably tell me to write about it, too,’ I mutter.
‘Perhaps you should call him, then,’ she says boldly.
The fact is, Elliot and I haven’t had apropercatch-up since I’ve been back. It’s never felt like the right time. He was very surprised to hear that Charlie and April were coming to see me. Surprisedandapprehensive. I told him Charlie didn’t want me to visit Vince on my own and that ruffled his feathers a bit. I had to convince him he was just looking out for me, as any friend would, but it made him suspicious.
‘Is there anything I need to know?’ he asked me, a wary undertone to his voice.
‘No,’ I replied.
‘Because I’ve always trusted you.’
‘And you are right to,’ I said firmly.
He left it at that.
How am I going to tell him that Charlie and April are coming to Thailand? The truth is, hewouldmind their ‘gatecrashing’, as Charlie put it.
I try not to fret unnecessarily. There are only three weeks until we set off, so, if Elliot hasn’t got his act together yet, chances are he never will.
I’m wrong. He FaceTimes me the next morning, wanting to know how it went with Vince. I tell him. Unsurprisingly, he agrees with Sara.
‘She’s right, Bridgie,’ he says with easy nonchalance. ‘Itwouldmake a good chapter.’
I feel a spark of anger. ‘You weren’t there, you don’t know what he was like. I couldn’t bear to give the bastard the attention!’
Charlie was there, and he agrees with me...I don’t say it out loud.
‘All right, calm your tits,’ he replies with a grin. ‘I’ve got some news that will cheer you up.’
‘What?’ I ask, still smarting.
‘Guess who’s coming to Thailand...’
