‘It’s going to be a long journey.’ Bryn sighs.
He’s not wrong. The train stops and starts, and even when it is going, it’s moving so slowly that it may as well not be.
Seeing her disaster of a dead phone, Bryn offers her his so she can text Ambrose a travel update. It’s just a simple flip phone, taking her back to being a teenager.
‘Your friend replied with just three train emojis and then an aubergine. What does that translate to in words?’
‘I wish I knew. I just presume it means okay and try not to think too much about it.’
‘What a bizarre little life you lead.’ He sighs.
One of the conductors appears with the food and drinks trolley and in a generous display of Christmas spirit, the company has decided to allow them all a free bottle of water and a biscuit. Bryn buys them two watery teas.
‘Thank you,’ she says, clutching the cup to her.
‘I wouldn’t drink it,’ he says, peering into the cup as the creamer swirls into it. ‘It’ll keep you warm, at least. And in return, seeing as we’re stuck on a train and I was there for bits of it, you can tell me the whole story.’
Relieved to have someone to talk to, Haf starts telling the story. To her surprise, Bryn listens raptly, only interrupting occasionally to get her to explain some of the weirder points.
It turns out Bryn had also been visiting family, and is a second cousin of Laurel’s, hence bumping into each other at the Howardparty. She glosses over what happened in the closet; that seems too private to share.
Why is it that talking to a stranger about these things sometimes seems so much easier?
A while later, as the train finally inches past Reading station in the home stretch to London, Bryn gets really chatty.
‘The thing I don’t understand,’ he says, ‘is why you just didn’t tell them it was all fake? Then you could have just dated the sister, right?’
‘Her name is Kit, but I couldn’t do that! Christopher wasn’t even there to defend himself.’
‘Who cares? You were getting thrown out! You think he would be upset you told everyone when the other option was you getting stuck on a train in a snow with a stranger?’
‘You’re not a stranger any more, Bryn,’ she says, patting his hand.
‘Don’t try to sweet talk me out of getting a proper answer.’
Haf pouts, annoyed that it didn’t work. ‘I just wanted to protect him.’
‘And in doing so, you ensured you didn’t have to make a choice for yourself. Clever.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, if you’d blown the cover, you could have professed your undying love for the sister.’
‘If she even wants me,’ she wails. ‘Plus, look how well all my choices have gone for me so far? Wrong, horrible job that makes me feel like death. Fake dating a man I literally just met. Then falling in love with his sister,’ she barks, counting her sins off on her fingers.
Copying her, he says, ‘Right, city – you met your terrifying-emoji friend. As for the fake dating, you did that because you liked him, and now he’s a good friend. And you fell in love! What’s more wonderful than that? Being in love with someoneis a choice you make every single day. That doesn’t sound like a bad one to me.’
‘I liked you better when I was scary to you.’
‘Am I wrong? Am I wrong?’ he says, opening his wide hands.
‘Personally, I think I’m being more selfless than you make me sound.’
‘Of course you do. If you’re a martyr, then it’s all worth it.’
Haf puts her head down on the table and groans.
‘So, what? You’re just going to run away and forget about it all?’
