I reel it off and he inputs it into his phone, then calls me, hanging up after a few seconds.
‘You have my number now,’ he says.
‘Great. Thanks. I’ll be in touch soon.’
He’s so confident. So sure of what he wants.
Not at all like his brother in that respect.
He wasn’t always that way, my mind whispers.
‘Oh, Finn said to say hi,’ he calls over his shoulder as he’s leaving.
My face is on fire as I watch him go.
When I turn around, Tom is regarding me quizzically.
‘I’d better get back to work,’ I mumble.
Later that night, I return home after one of the worst shifts I’ve had in a long time. I can’t stop brooding over the fact that Finn told Tyler to say hi to me. I still have no idea if he’s coming back for Amy and Dan’s wedding in August – Amy said he hasn’t RSVP’d. She’s promised to tell me as soon as he does, but not knowing is unsettling.
As I approach my front door, I can see light through the curtains of Tom’s bedroom window. For a moment I wonder if he’s waiting up for me, but I dismiss the thought. I haven’t had anyone wait up for me in years.
The memory of Mum makes me feel suddenly and desperately alone as I enter the hall, closing the front door behind me. Tom’s door whooshes open and I jump.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,’ Tom says. ‘I just wanted to check you were okay?’ Concern is shining in his eyes even before he notices the tears in mine. ‘Oh God, you’re not, are you?’ He starts through the door and abruptly halts.
I wince and swallow, but the lump in my throat is going nowhere.
‘Do you want to come in for a drink?’ he asks.
I should probably head straight upstairs and try to sleep off my mood, but my body is already turning towards Tom’s.
When I’m nestled into the corner of the sofa in the living room, a glass of red wine in my hand, Tom tells me that he was worried about me. He’s sitting at the other end of the sofa, facing me.
‘You seemed a bit shaken when that guy came in,’ he says. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’
The swelling in my throat hasn’t completely gone down, so I know it’ll be a struggle to speak without sounding upset, but I decide to try.
‘I have history with his family,’ I divulge. ‘Specifically, his brother.’
‘Finn?’
It feels surreal to hear Finn’s name coming out of Tom’s mouth.
I nod.
‘Is he your ex?’ he asks.
‘He was never really mine in the first place,’ I reply flatly.
‘Where is he now?’
‘In LA. Where he’s always been. We kind of had an on-and-off relationship for a few years, but it was impossible to maintain it long distance.’
Tom sighs and looks away, scratching his lower lip with his thumbnail. He appears contemplative.
‘Yeah, that’s tough,’ he says eventually. ‘I wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to see his brother at work every day.’
