‘Do you think there’ll be good cake?’
‘There is bound to be an excellent cake,’ Anna said. ‘Nia throws really good parties. We’re leaving in about fifteen minutes, okay?’
Ten minutes later, while Anna was writing Theo’s birthday card, Thomas appeared and took his shoes out of the chest bythe front door. Anna made eye contact with him and smiled, and Thomas shrugged.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
When they arrived at Nia’s flat, she ushered them inside and made a face at Anna. ‘Everything okay?’ she mouthed.
Anna gave a little groan. The boys had gone in ahead of her and were already out of earshot. ‘Just one of those days,’ she said. ‘Got any wine?’ She followed Nia through to the kitchen, where her friend poured her a large glass of red and handed it over.
‘I hope it wasn’t about the party,’ Nia said.
Anna shook her head. ‘Teenage stuff,’ she said.
‘Is work okay?’
‘Work is good, really picking up. If anything, I have too much of it.’
‘That’s brilliant. Oh, and I have a book for you. Here’ – she picked it up off the kitchen counter and held it out – ‘it’s about a decades-long friendship, like ours, and I loved it. I thought you might too.’
Anna looked at the book, saw that it was published by her old company. ‘Thanks,’ she said, wondering who had worked on it. Mostly, she didn’t miss her old job, but when she saw that familiar logo, it always took her back.
Aidan came into the kitchen then, with Theo in his arms. ‘Anna!’ he exclaimed, swooping down to kiss her cheek.
‘Hello, birthday boy,’ Anna said, taking hold of one of Theo’s chubby hands.
He grinned and pulled his hand away, did a couple of claps. He was wearing skinny jeans and a blue shirt covered with little embroidered cars.
‘God, he’s adorable,’ Anna said. ‘Were my two ever like that?’
She knew they had been, but it was hard to remember.Thomas was tall and clumsy, his hands and feet enormous and his skin greasy. And Sam was caught in that in-between stage, not quite a little boy but not yet a teenager, and his teeth were a little goofy. He needed a brace. Anna looked at Theo, all cheeks and eyes, fluffy hair and wobbly steps, and she remembered when she’d thought it wouldn’t get any harder.
Anna realised she was still holding Theo’s present. She gave it to Aidan and he handed Theo to her so he could open it, and she enjoyed the warmth of his body, the way he put his hands on her, trusting.
‘Thank you,’ Nia said.
‘It’s just clothes,’ Anna said.
‘Perfect. He doesn’t need any more toys and he’s growing like a weed.’
All through the afternoon, Anna felt aware of Thomas sulking. He stayed in the corner of the living room, his phone in his hand, barely looking up. Sam mostly stayed with Anna, and she could tell he was bored, but he didn’t complain about it. There were a few other kids around his age there, and he played with them a bit, and he jokingly joined in the games of pass the parcel and musical statues.
Edward arrived a little after six, looking hot and bothered from a day at work and the Tube journey home. He joined Thomas, leaning against the wall, looking at his phone, and Anna thought how alike they could be.
‘Right, let’s eat,’ called Nia, gesturing over to the kitchen counter, where she’d laid out cold meats and cheeses and bread. Anna looked over to Edward, tried to catch his eye. He was typing. A work email or a tweet? Out of nowhere, she thought that perhaps he was having an affair. Perhaps he was standing in the corner of her best friend’s son’s first birthday party sending a message to his lover. And she was consumed withfury, as if she knew for a fact that it was true. She went over there.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
‘What do you mean?’ He looked up, slipped his phone into his pocket.
‘I mean you’ve just arrived and you’re playing on your phone. It’s rude. Thomas is doing it, and he’s thirteen. It’s what thirteen-year-olds do.’
Edward rolled his eyes. ‘Come on, Anna. I couldn’t get here any quicker. I was at work! I’ve given up my Friday night to come to a first birthday party and now I’m not allowed to check what’s going on in the world while we’re here? Did I miss something important during pass the parcel?’
Anna bit her tongue, hard. She hated it when he acted like this, the way he sometimes twisted anything she criticised him for to make her feel small and petty.
‘I don’t know why you came,’ she said, ‘if you’re going to be like this.’
