‘What?’
She nods. ‘It’s true. You told me what I didn’t want to face.’
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
‘Esther slept with the boy I was seeing when I was eighteen. And on top of that, when I met Karl, he confessed to cheating on his last girlfriend. I stupidly assumed I would be different.’
‘You didn’t tell me this.’
She fiddles with a strand of hair. ‘It’s not something I wanted to shout about. I still miss you, Nelly. I miss laughing so hard my belly hurts. I miss our drunken makeovers, I miss our attempts at the latest TikTok dance craze, and I miss our cocktail nights. I am also glad you have cured me of red-haired love rats.’
Something inside me shifts. I realise how much I have missed her.
‘Can we start again, Nelly? Can we rewrite our friendship ending?’
‘But – what if…?’
She holds up her hand. ‘I don’t care if you touch me and never see a happy ending with a fella. Your friendship means so much more to me.’
‘Eva, I could put you off love for life.’
A grin spreads across her face. ‘I’ll still be your friend. That’s enough.’ She opens her arms to hug me.
I step back and avoid her hug. It’s too soon for physical contact. To my relief she smiles.
‘I’d like to be friends again, Eva.’
She pulls out her phone. ‘I still have you on WhatsApp, so I’ll message you and we can go out.’ A huge grin spreads across her face. ‘Speak soon, Nelly.’
After she’s gone, I head into the flat feeling lightheaded and buzzing. Eva and I are going to be friends again.
‘I’m off out,’ says Oliver, striding down the hallway and putting on his jacket.
Everything Eva told me comes rushing back. If he’s going out, that means I can do some internet sleuthing on Oliver Shadwell.
* * *
Someone is calling me. My phone is vibrating on my bedside table. Opening a bleary eye, I groan. My clock tells me it’s three in the morning. Who is calling me at this hour?
Panic takes hold of me.
It could be Aunt Polly.
Oh, God.
Grabbing my phone, I stare at the screen. It’s Oliver. Irritation courses through my veins. This is it – he will have to leave. I can’t carry on like this.
I haven’t had a good night’s sleep as my ceiling started leaking at midnight due to the heavy rain outside. Once I’d pushed a bowl under it to catch the drops, it took me ages to fall back asleep. Now this.
‘Nelly,’ he says, ‘I’m sorry, but I’ve lost my flat keys. Could you let me in?’
After I open the door and perform a merry dance to stop Lenny from escaping, Oliver enters. He’s drenched. His jacket is soaked and hair is plastered across his forehead. Flicking his gaze to the floor, he bows his head. ‘Nelly,’ he murmurs. ‘I’m so sorry.’
I am so annoyed that I don’t say anything. I open the door wide, so I don’t have any physical contact, and let him in. His trainers squelch as he passes me. ‘Did you lose your umbrella as well?’
He looks at me and there is a ghost of a smile. But then it fades. ‘I’ve been walking and thinking.’
‘In the pouring rain?’
