“You’re here!” She exclaims, and accosts a startled Jordan with a hug. “Mia said you’d be here, I’m so glad we finally get to meet properly.”
Ricky and Ezra both laugh and clap Jordan on the back.
“Picked up already, brother,” Ricky teases.
“I guess so,” Jordan replies, and extracts himself from Char’s embrace. “Am I to suppose a lovely lady like you is Mia’s sister?”
Char squeals again and gives me a wide, open mouthed smile. “Ah, he’s so smooth!” She turns back to him and clears her throat. “I’m practically her sister, I’m her best friend. We met back when we started out modelling a million years ago, she lived in the flat next door to mine.”
“Char had no roommates and I had four,” I say over her shoulder, and Ezra and Ricky both chuckle.
Char smiles sweetly over her shoulder. “Yes but that’s why I let you have so many lovely sleepovers at mine.”
“True, true.” I turn to Ricky and Ezra as Char continues to chat animatedly to Jordan. “Sorry I missed the last game. Guess I really am your good luck charm.”
“Ah, it’s alright, Ezra wasn’t on his game that night.” Ricky gives Ezra a sly, sideways smile. “We can blame it on him.”
“Yeah yeah, some defender you are,” Ezra says, shaking his head, and the smile on his face is tight with irritation. “Anyway, how are you, Mia? You know, how… how are things?”
“Fine.” I force a smile, not wanting to even hear Archie’s name tonight. “Really good, yeah. You know, the usual work and all that. I was sick at home for almost a week, this is my first time out.”
“I saw that,” Ezra says. “Dominic’s post on instagram, you poor thing. Was it the flu?”
“Dominic’s post?” I ask with a frown. “What post?”
“The one where he was cooking in your kitchen,” Ezra says, reaching into his pocket to fish out his phone. “It was so sweet, honestly.”
“What a good papa,” Ricky says with a grin. “It’s nice you two are so close now.”
Ezra turns his phone around to show me the post. It’s a photo of Dominic’s forearm, his hand planted flat next to a chopping board covered in vegetables. My eyes drop to the caption, and my throat goes dry.
Looking after the family always comes first. Sorry everyone, but my girl is sick and she needs me.
“See? So sweet.” Ezra tucks his phone away again, and looks at me questioningly. “Mia?”
My girl needs me.The room tips a little, and my face feels hot.
“Very sweet,” I say softly. “That’s… it was really nice of him.”
My girl needs me. Why would he put it like that? Why would he label me like that? What must everyone be thinking? Oh god, no wonder Billy called me. Fuck, he suspects. Jesus Christ, suspects WHAT, Mia?
Ricky puts a hand on my arm, his face clouded with concern. “Hey, you look pale.”
“I’m fine, I just need… Oh it’s just hot in here, I think I need to cool off for a minute.”
I grab Char away from Jordan, and drag her towards the back of the foyer to the balcony doors.
“Mia, what is going on? Mia?”
I slam my hand against the door and shove it open, cold river air hitting me right in the face and flooding my lungs.
“It’s bloody freezing out here,” Char protests, rubbing her arms. “Let’s get our coats, you were just sick.”
“Did you see his instagram post?”
Char stops short. “Whose? Jordan’s? Did he post already?”
“No, not Jordan’s,Dominic’s.”
