A surprised shriek sounds through the air, and Kit and Haf turn to see Laurel and Christopher standing very closely together. Like they were just kissing.
What the hell is going on?
‘Are you two all right?’ asks Christopher, straightening his suit jacket.
Her stomach roils. He’s not her boyfriend, obviously, but she feels like she betrayed him. ‘Is anything wrong?’
‘No, nothing,’ she says hurriedly.
‘Somethingiswrong, Christopher,’ Kit sniffs angrily, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.
‘Kit, wait, please,’ Haf begs.
She just wants a moment to explain to Christopher before it all comes out. To apologise. To admit that even though she tried to keep away from Kit, tried to push everything down, she failed. And this failure has compromised everything they’ve been doing. The whole fucking point of all of this.
But she’s too slow. Kit charges over and it all spills out.
‘We kissed. I kissed her. Your horrible sister kissed your lying girlfriend,’ she spits.
‘Oh!’ cries Laurel.
At this, it’s almost as though Kit realises that Laurel has been there the whole time.
‘Wait, what are you two doing?’ Kit snaps, and Laurel moves her hand to her mouth to cover her very smeared lipstick.
Which is also all over Christopher.
‘Were you two out here kissing?!’ Kit shrieks.
‘Uh-oh,’ Haf mutters.
‘Only a bit,’ laughs Laurel, who is clearly a bit drunk. ‘We came to see the horses and then, you know, one thing led to another! Ha ha ha!’
Kit’s whole body flushes.
‘What the fuck is wrong with us all?’ she yells. ‘For fuck’s sake, Christopher, I just kissed your girlfriend! While you were apparently busy cheating with your ex!’
‘Kit,’ says Christopher softly, approaching her like a wild animal. ‘She’s not my girlfriend.’
What is he doing?
‘Christopher, you don’t have to do this,’ Haf whispers.
‘I would hope not after all this,’ Kit says, another round of hot angry, shameful tears rushing down her face. ‘Apparently we’re all justhorrible people.’
‘No, Kit listen to me,’ he says in that same soft voice that makes Kit look up at him for the first time. And with that, Christopher blows everything up.
‘Haf was never my girlfriend. It’s all a lie.’
Chapter Seventeen
Time stands still as Kit looks slowly from Haf to Christopher and back again.
‘What do you mean, it’s all a lie?’
The flow of tears ceases, drying against Kit’s skin, except for one large drop that hangs on to her lip for dear life. Kit blows it away with a huff.
‘Exactly that, Kit. We’re not together.’
