‘No. Trust me, you don’t want to hear about it.’
‘I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t interested. I sense somehow this was more personal. A friendship? A romance?’ I nod because it was both of those things. ‘A problem shared is a problem halved, so they say.’
I laugh softly because oh, the irony. ‘This isn’t the kind of problem that can be halved. It’s the kind of problem that multiplies.’
‘Multiplies?’ Beckett looks at me, then the glass, and for the first time this evening, I can actually see what he’s thinking.
‘No, sir. Not me. I’m not, what do you call it? Up the duff? There’s no multiplication going on here. It’s the penny problem’s ex-girlfriend.’
‘It sounds soap-opera worthy.’
‘Try Korean soap-opera worthy.’ His expression is languid and a little seductive, and makes my little heart go pitter-pat. ‘And that’s a secret, by the way. You didn’t hear it from me.’
‘My lips are sealed. Whoever he is.’
‘I mean it,’ I add with a giggle. Maybe I should feel bad for telling him. Maybe I’ll feel bad tomorrow. Or maybe I won’t care then, either. ‘Are you sure you want to hear this?’ I find myself asking next.
‘More than I want my next breath,’ he answers with a humorous glint.
‘This guy I know, we met at UCL, and the attraction between us was pretty much one-way.’
‘Which way?’
‘What? Oh. I was friend-zoned by him and barely a blip on his potential girlfriend radar because this boy is, was, total boyfriend material. I think if I chopped off his head, the wordsserial monogamistwould be ingrained through his body like words in a stick of rock.’
‘Don’t tell me. After today, you can see yourself doing just that.’
‘Chopping off his head?’ The idea is appealing. ‘No. Not even a little bit.’
‘Why don’t I believe you?’
‘You’re saying I look like a murderer?’
‘I’m saying that I think you’re a good actress. And for the record, so far in our short acquaintance, I’ve been on the receiving end of a number of your murderous looks.’
‘Glaring at you isn’t the same. I’m not evil.’ I find myself glowering across the table at him, which just seems to make him smile more.
‘Perhaps not, but you’re not as nice as you would have people believe.’
‘Wow.’ The word comes out as disbelieving chuckle.
‘It’s okay. I’m not very nice, either.’
‘Oh,thatI already guessed.’
‘But you were telling me about your penny.’
‘I was. But now I’m also wondering what word would run right through you.’
‘If you chopped off my head, you mean?’
‘Why is the prospect suddenly tempting?’
‘Because I’m getting a glimpse of the real you, and most people don’t?’
‘You know nothing about me.’ My tone is even, uninterested, and completely the opposite to how I really feel.
‘I also know nothing about your university penny, but you were about to tell me.’
