“Then she’s right. You can’t waltz in with an insincere apology. That’s just another opportunity for you to get talking and make your point again and she’ll see right through it. What is it that you won’t apologize for, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I told her that her boyfriend was… unsuitable.”
“Ouch.”
“And that things were moving way too fast and she was being an idiot and didn’t know what she was doing.”
“Wow.” I nod, leaning back in my seat. “I see you’ve taken the role of overprotective brother rather seriously. I’m sure she loved being told what to do by someone who took revenge on his cheating ex-girlfriend by getting a tattoo on his back of an eagle wearing a monocle.”
He laughs, rolling his eyes. “When you say it like that.”
“Why is her boyfriend unsuitable in your opinion?”
“He’s in his late thirties.”
“So are you.”
“Hey.” He points a finger at me. “I’m early thirties. Thirty-three if you’re interested.”
“Not particularly. Why is it a problem that he’s in his late thirties?”
“She’s twenty-five.”
“You don’t like the age gap?”
He runs a hand through his hair. “It’s not the ages so much that I care about, it’s the stages of their lives. She’s only just starting her life in the big city and he’s ready to settle down and get serious. She’s already moved in with him.”
“How long have they been together?”
“Two years.”
“What?” I look at him in surprise. “I thought you were going to say a couple of months or something! If they’ve been togethertwo years, that’s quite a while. It’s not exactly a whirlwind romance.”
“But that’s the thing, they met when she was twenty-three.”
“What are you worried about exactly?”
He sighs. “That she’s wasting her twenties.”
I had to stop and ponder that one for a moment. After a brutal end to the relationship that had taken over a decade of my life, I had had similar considerations. Matthew wasted my twenties, I thought on several occasions, wailing into my pillow. All those people I didn’t meet, all those decisions I didn’t make, all those paths I never took, because of him and my commitment to our relationship. What a waste.
“Do you think years you spend loving someone are wasted, even when it doesn’t work out?” I ask, not sure of the answer myself.
“How do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I see why you’d be concerned for your sister but if she’s genuinely happy, and he truly cares for her…” I shrug, looking out at the clouds. “That’s what we’re aiming for every day, isn’t it? Happiness. The people in our lives to be loved properly. For her right now, that’s him. So, I’m not sure that could be considered a waste of time. It would be a bigger waste to give up on it in case it goes wrong.”
Jamie watches me carefully. “Now who’s the writer?”
“We all have our moments.” I smile at him. “Look, the way I see it is you have to work out if being right is worth risking your relationship with your sister. Personally, I don’t think it is. Is this guy horrible to her? Does he treat her badly?”
He shakes his head. “No. He’s a good guy.”
“Then, she’s safe and happy. If it all goes well, then marvelous. If it all falls apart, you’re there for her. Either way, stop being a dick about it and apologize for calling her an idiot and notknowing what she’s doing when you work for a company with a logo of a brown bear holding maracas.”
He pauses, letting out a heavy sigh. “I guess I may have been a bit too harsh to Layla. I’ll talk to her and apologize. Properly this time. My parents will be happy about that.”
“They don’t like it when you two argue?”
