‘So the trip was useful in more ways than one?’
‘There’s no need to look quite so smug!’ I smile, watching Mum slice another piece of garlic baguette.
‘Have you told Mila yet? I bet she’ll be thrilled to hear your good news, especially after her troubles with Mike recently.’
Istop chewing. ‘What troubles with Mike?’
Mum pauses in her tracks, her eyes widening.
‘Mum,whattroubles is Mila having with Mike? She hasn’t told me about them.’
Mum sits down, rubbing her hands along her forest fern apron.
‘I’m sorry Jasmine, I assumed she’d have told you. I really shouldn’t have said anything.’
I fidget uncomfortably on the floor. Has Mila been confiding in Mum? Why couldn’t she come to me if she had things on her mind? And more importantly what’s going on with her and Mike? The feeling that I’ve let my best friend down when she needs me, for whatever that reason may be, is painful.
‘Is she okay? We texted just the other day when I got back from Edinburgh. . .’ I pull out my phone and scroll through our conversation. It’s a mix of me talking about my dates, me scoring my dates, her cheering me on, or us discussing what food we should eat on our next night out.
I look up from my phone, my face falling. ‘Fuck. (Sorry Mum.) I’ve been so wrapped up in my own stuff that I haven’t thought to check in with her properly. Is that why she’s been talking to you?’
‘Mila and I have always been close darling, you know that. But yes, recently she has been confiding in me more.’
‘Oh god. I haven’t been there for her!’
‘In many ways you have, and she knows that you have a lot on your plate at the moment. . .’
‘But it sounds like something serious is going on with Mike and I haven’t even picked up on it. I just assumed. . .’
‘Youhave always thought that Mila’s life was perfect, Jazzy. She comes across as extremely confident and like she has her life sorted, everyone can see that. I think recently she’s been having a bit of a wobble and she didn’t want to burden you with it.’
‘Shit. I’ve been banging on about myself the entire time! Now that I think about it, there have been a couple of times when I’ve asked about Mike and she’s brushed my question aside. I am the worst for letting her do that, why didn’t I push her?’
Mum rubs my hand. ‘It’s not the end of the world darling. But perhaps it is time that you stopped seeing Mila’s life as blissfully happy. She’s human, just like the rest of us, and right now I think she could use a snuggle from her best friend.’
Hitching my kit bag further up my shoulder, I turn my face to the sun. Today I’m going to get shiz done! It’s the start of a brand new week and rather than feeling like I wanted to burrow myself under my duvet until Monday is over, I woke up full of energy. I’ve a budget-friendly surprise in mind for Mila and as I munched my Weetabix this morning, I started hatching a plan on how to deal with Violet. I even decided to walk to her flat, upping my step count and saving some money in the process. Can I get a hell yeah?
So, here’s what I’m thinking. Violet is not going to be happy when I explain that my holiday request is for a shoot in Denmark, but it’s the most incredible opportunity and Violet saying no is not an option. My first idea was to stage a fake kidnapping and have Violet locked up for the entire week I need to be away, but that seemed a smidge extreme. The second was to see if Chip could whisk her away for a break but I already tried calling him and he’s not answering. Which leaves me with option three.
It’s the most sensible, adult approach of the lot. No kidnapping. No coercing. Just. . . telling the truth. Tell her how much it means to me. Try to appeal to her. . . kind side? Thethought makes me chuckle. So maybe not Violet’s kind side. But she has been quite thoughtful at times recently and I’m convinced that she’s not all monster. Maybe just ninety-seven per cent. Feeling fired up, I let myself into Violet’s flat and prepare to blurt out my mission statement.
‘Emmy!’ Violet’s best friend is standing in the hallway. I love Emmy. ‘We haven’t hung out since Cannes! I didn’t expect to see you today. . . Are we shooting together?’
I checked our shared work calendar last night before I went to bed, though it’s not unlike Violet to pull a surprise on me last minute.
A tiny frown is etched across Emmy’s exquisite face. She’s also wearing all-black. Emmy never wears black. Her spirit animal is a mermaid with a tail made of rainbows. ‘Violet called me in a frenzy last night. She was in tears when she asked me to come over and said I should pack only black things because we’re in mourning. It’s Chip.’
‘Is he DEAD?’ I gasp, definitely not feeling slightly miffed that my Option Two is now out the window, because that would be awful of me.
Emmy shakes her head. ‘No.It’s worse.He’s been cheating on Violet and they split up at the wedding this weekend.’
So, not actually worse than him being dead then.
There is a black veil across Violet’s face. Underneath, her skin looks almost translucent without the usual CC / BB / WTF cream. She’s wearing a floaty black maxi with billowing sleeves – the kind of thing I’d accidentally trap in car doors or drag through my dinner – and some black Chanel pumps. Violet sighs at me and glides through to her kitchen. Emmy and I exchange glances and follow suit.
Idecide to make a round of teas (builders for me, matcha for the bloggers) and set the drinks down on the kitchen island. Under Violet’s veil (and once we’ve all gotten over the fact that she’s wearing a veil in tribute to her late relationship) I can see deep purple bags under her swollen eyes and I’m overcome by a strange sensation. I actually feel sorry for Violet, like I want to bundle her into my arms for a snuggle.
‘It turns out that Chip was shagging that girl he got papped with when we were in Switzerland. And a whole heap of other girls, too. Basically every time I was away he was busy taking his pants down. Urgh. And do you want to know the worst bit of it? He actually worepants! Like a tiny boy child. They were white and tight and everything. . .’ Violet starts to sob.
