Theshouldn’t behung there like one of my socks on the back of a chair. It was, now I thought about it, the first time I’d really seen Oliver run up against something he couldn’t solve. That we couldn’t solve between us.
“Unfortunately,” he went on, “we might have no alternative.There’s already campaigns about this. MPs have brought it up in Parliament. We couldpossiblysue the security company, try to force a test case. Only…”
“Only I can’t imagine that being remotely what Jaz wants?” I said.
Oliver nodded and let himself slump against me so we made a sort of mismatched A shape on the sofa. “Probably I shouldn’t even have taken it this far.”
I took his hand and squeezed it. “No. No, you should have. What they did was fucked, and when something’s fucked, you can’t just sit around and not say, ‘That’s fucked.’ You have to stand up and, and…”
“And say, ‘That’s fucked’?”
“Yeah.”
Oliver squeezed my hand back. “Still, I’m not sure Jasmine would appreciate it.”
That felt like an understatement. “I don’t think it’s about being appreciated, though, is it?”
“No. No, I suppose not.” Beside me, Oliver shifted through tense into restless into active in the space of three heartbeats. He stood up, unnecessarily decisively. “I think Iwillemail Jennifer. It can’t hurt and she might value the distraction.”
“If you think it’s best,” I said, not quite wanting to go fullDon’t get your hopes up.
“Besides,” he added, “I’ve been meaning to chase her up about that dinner party.”
Oliver was still looking deeply dissatisfied. “If it helps,” I said, “I think it’s kind of hot that you tried.”
“To organise a dinner party? Lucien, I know you’re easily pleased but—”
“To help. To make things right.”
He gave me a weak, slightly self-recriminating smile. “I’m notsure I did either of those things. I think I just wasted a lot of people’s time.”
Leaning forward, I beckoned him towards me, and when he came over, I took him by the fingertips and drew him down into my lap. I let my forehead rest against his so our eyes blurred together, Oliver’s this perfect silvery horizon. “One of the many, many annoying things that you’ve taught me is that standing up for what you believe in isnevera waste of time.”
“I’ve taught you that?”
I gave an exaggerated shrug. “I mean, it was you, Disney movies, or motivational posters. But either way, it’s true.”
He laughed. And then when he was done laughing, he kissed me.
Chapter 22
Bangbangbangbangbang.
“Ruffruffruffruffruff.”
“Lucien, can you possibly get that? I’m in the middle of braising tofu.”
Bangbang.
“Ruffruffarooou.”
I’d had worse starts to my weekend. But not, admittedly, recently.
Bangbangbang.
Making my way apprehensively into the hall, I wondered who the hell was hammering on our door so aggressively at such a boring time on a Saturday evening.
After I opened the door and the noise abruptly stopped, I still wondered who the hell had been hammering on our door at such a boring time on a Saturday evening because it took me a few seconds to recognise the angry woman in the denim utility jacket and satin athleisure trousers glaring at me from the doorstep.
