Keli had no words of comfort. ‘I’ve no idea. My brother’s wife did the same thing to him. An affair with his best mate for years. My only answer is that some people are just crap. That’s all I’ve got.’
A voice in Keli’s head chose to remind her right then that she’d somehow chosen to fall for one of those crap people. And that right now, in the bag that was sitting on the bar next to her, was a pregnancy test that would tell her whether or not there was a possibility that she could be connected to that crap person for the rest of her life. Only her anger was stopping her from dissolving into tears and searching for a dark corner to cry in.
‘Shit, your poor brother. Is he okay? I hope he cut both of them right out of his life. That’s unforgivable.’
‘It’s a long story,’ Keli replied. She’d thought Noah had said a permanent goodbye to Anya, but with her showing up this morning, that might have changed. ‘His friend is no longer in the picture,’ she didn’t feel this was the time, the place, or the conversation to deliver all the bombshell facts. ‘But his wife is now his ex. It was awful for a long time, but he’s a really good guy, so I just keep believing something great will work out for him.’
‘I kinda wish I’d met your brother instead of the one I picked.’ Laurie was obviously joking, but maybe there was something in that. Maybe if they all came out of this in one piece, and if Noah ever broke up with Cheska… Keli stopped herself. Focus. One problem at a time. And her anger was making her bravery rise.
‘Look, I know you need to talk to Ryan and you have a three-year relationship at stake here, but…’ She stopped, too unsure to continue.
Laurie was waiting for the rest. ‘But what?’
Fuck it. Boundaries had already been broken here, and she had nothing to lose, so it was time to just go for it. ‘Is it crazy that I want us to confront him together? That I want to march right round to wherever the hell he is right now, you and me, and see what he has to say?’ There must be something in this tea. Bravery pills. Or some other concoction that was making her act completely out of character.
Laurie bit her bottom lip as she pondered that for a heartbeat, before replying, ‘No.’
Oh well. Worth a try. Keli could feel the first stirrings of deflation, which were rapidly banished when Laurie continued.
‘No, it’s not crazy. To be honest, I’d appreciate the support and I’ve got a feeling that the only tiny hint of joy I’m going to getin this whole fricking mess is seeing his face when he knows that he’s been caught. Besides… it’s the only way that he won’t be able to fob me off with some bullshit story or another pack of lies.’
That thought energised Keli. She sat up, leaned in. ‘Do you know where he is right now?’
Laurie checked her watch. ‘Probably still at work or at the gym. He rarely gets home before now. That’s no use, though. Too many people. I want to embarrass him, not us.’
Keli didn’t disagree. The last place she wanted to face him was at his day job. No. This had to be done on their terms, not where he controlled the narrative.
Laurie pulled her phone out of her handbag. ‘One way to find out for sure. He still thinks I’m in London, so he’ll have no reason to lie.’
Holding the handset between them so that they could both see the screen, she typed…
Hey babe, how’s your day? Still at work? Missing you xx
She pressed send and Keli’s butterflies made a grand reappearance as they waited for a reply, both of them staring at the phone. But nothing.
This was insane. Madness.
Laurie’s shoulders sagged. ‘He might be in the middle of something. Or maybe driving. Shit, my hands are shaking.’
The thought struck Keli that if she’d met Laurie in any other way, the two of them would probably hit it off and become friends.
Ping. They had synchronised sharp intakes of breath, as the reply flashed up on Laurie’s screen.
Hey beautiful…
Another wave of nausea almost took Keli down. Until the whole ghosting thing, that’s how he’d always answered her too. This was him. The guy she’d thought that she was falling in love with. And okay, it had been fast, and brief, and she could see now that there were a dozen red flags, but that didn’t make this hurt any less.
She read the rest of the text.
I miss you so much too. Hate it when you’re not here. Also horny, so there’s that ;)
Oh fuck, a wink emoji. Seriously? What a tit. Had he ever sent a message like that to her, and she’d been so wrapped up in him that she hadn’t realised how corny he was? Seeing this guy through a different lens was shaking her to her core.
Laurie’s fingers were suspended over the screen. ‘Oh shit, I’m sorry but if we want to find anything out, I’m going to have to play along and reply as if nothing is wrong. Is that going to freak you out?’
What did it say about this woman that they were in this situation, and she was still being considerate of Keli’s feelings? Yep, they would definitely be friends.
‘It’ll absolutely freak me out…’ She saw Laurie’s face fall. ‘But we’re already in too deep, so let’s just go for it. Screw him.’