‘He left his wallet under her bed and told Miranda he lost it. His ex-girlfriend turned up at his office last week to tell him she’s pregnant. The weird thing is that before they split up, they were trying for a baby. Nothing was working. Fifteen years later she’s pregnant with his child. He’s told Miranda a child won’t change his life. He claims he still loves her, and that they would be silly to throw away fifteen years of a relationship.’
‘It will change him,’ says Oliver in a serious tone, which makes me glance in his direction. He bows his head.
‘Nelly,’ says Jamie quickly. ‘I hear you and Ollie are sharing a bed, and he’s built a pillow wall.’ I sense Jamie is trying to change the conversation. I look at Oliver, who is still staring at the wooden floor. Something is going on, and I intend to find out.
‘Yes, Oliver is a man of hidden talents.’
Jamie chuckles and tucks into his meal.
For a few minutes, we all devour Oliver’s food in silence.
When he finishes, Jamie looks at his phone. ‘I’d better get off as I have a first date tonight. She’s called Nia, likes paddleboarding, chess, and sushi.’
I smile and hope she likes his aftershave. ‘Good luck.’
He nods. ‘Fingers crossed. I’ve not had much luck when it comes to romance.’
‘Join the club,’ scoffs Oliver, shaking his head.
I watch as Jamie glances at Oliver. ‘Will you be okay tonight?’ he asks with a concerned look. I recall Oliver telling me he had to go out so much in the evenings because Jamie was lonely. That wasn’t true. My curiosity has piqued. What are these two hiding?
Oliver checks his phone. ‘I need to go out too now.’
‘You can phone me if things don’t go to plan,’ says Jamie.
‘Are you going anywhere nice?’ I ask Oliver.
He shoots me a strained smile. I can see his jaw is clenched and his face is taut. ‘I have to go see someone.’ He gets to his feet and heads for the kitchen. I notice his phone is lying on the floor. I’m about to pick it up when Jamie casts me a worried glance, which throws me off track. What is going on with these two? What is Oliver up to?
‘See you, Nelly. I’ll walk Ollie out.’
I hear them walk down the hallway, open the door, and I hear Oliver shout, ‘LENNY!’
With a groan, I rise from my chair. As I race towards the hallway, I pray they haven’t let him escape. To my relief, Jamie is holding Lenny. He strides up the hallway towards me, carrying my cat. As he approaches, I remember my theory. This will be my first experiment. I make sure our fingers touch. There’s a flash of white light, and I can see Jamie standing, talking to a young woman with long brown hair. She’s telling him that she wasn’t playing chess the other evening; she was in bed with her ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be her paddleboard instructor. Poor Jamie. I can now say my curse works on him.
Jamie laughs as he hands over my cat. ‘Lenny is a menace.’
‘I’ve forgotten my phone,’ says Oliver, still by the front door. He races up the hallway, smiles, and as he passes, I make sure our hands touch. ‘See you tonight, bed partner.’ He chuckles.
I wait for the white light. There’s nothing but silence: no white light and no vision. I gulp. My curse doesn’t work on Oliver.
This is odd. My head is bubbling with thoughts. I can’t just do one experiment on each of them. I need more validation.
‘Jamie,’ I say, thinking of an excuse to touch him. Spotting my loose lace, I ask, ‘Will you hold Lenny while I tie my shoelace?’
He comes over, grabs Lenny and in doing so, our hands touch. There’s a flash of white light, and the same vision I saw earlier. This validates my thinking. My curse works on Jamie.
After tying my shoelace, I take Lenny back, who is now casting me one of his evil feline stares. If there is one thing Lenny hates, it is being passed around like a hot potato.
‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper.
As Oliver walks back down the hallway with his phone, I smile and once again make sure our arms brush. Nothing happens. No flash of light. No vision showing how love ends for him. My theory is confirmed.
Why is my curse not working when I touch Oliver?
The sound of my flat door closing behind them triggers an avalanche of thoughts inside my head. I put Lenny down, and he scowls at me before hurrying away.
What is going on with my curse? Why does it stop working with Oliver?
