Chapter 32
32
‘Well, today was interesting,’ Ethan says as we lie in bed together.
A laugh track plays out of nowhere.
I push myself up on my elbows, looking around the room suspiciously, before my eyes settle on Ethan and the cheeky look he has on his face.
‘Did you…’
He holds up his phone, showing me the laugh track video he just played from YouTube.
‘Hilarious,’ I say, lying back down.
‘What? You said we were like an old sitcom,’ he replies. ‘I’m just making it feel more authentic.’
I try to make myself more comfortable. It’s a little warmer tonight, the kind of warm where a good night’s sleep feels just out of your reach.
‘I see you and the earl are getting along,’ he says.
‘I see you and Tiggy are getting on,’ I reply.
‘I’m getting on with everyone,’ he replies. ‘Your family are great.’
‘You say that, but just remember what motivated me to invite you along on this trip in the first place,’ I remind him.
‘Has anyone mentioned your birthday?’ he asks, his tone especially gentle, like he already knows the answer.
I shake my head.
‘If you could spend it anywhere, where would it be?’ he asks curiously.
‘If the answer doesn’t have to be logistically or financially realistic, then Paris,’ I reply. ‘I’ve always wanted to go. If I was an old-money snob, that’s where I’d throw my party.’
Ethan laughs.
‘Remind yourself that you can go to Paris whenever you want,’ he says. ‘And don’t let this wedding ruin your birthday – you will celebrate it, even if it’s late.’
‘It’s not that I think my birthday is more important than Seph’s wedding – even though it’s obvious she thinks her wedding is more important than my birthday – it’s just the fact that it’s a milestone birthday, and milestones are supposed to show how far you’ve come, and what do I have to show for my thirty years?’
‘We could all say that,’ he insists. ‘Think about it – when we sit with the others, no one from our generation is married. Tiggy, Eleanor – even your lord.’
‘Earl,’ I correct him. ‘But it’s not just that, it’s everything – maybe it’s anything. I don’t have anything.’
‘And I’m guessing marrying an earl is your best shot at ticking some boxes in life?’ he says, with a hint of a tone, but one I can’t quite decipher.
‘I’ve got as much of a chance as anyone,’ I point out firmly.
Ethan doesn’t say a word, he just plays the laugh track again.
Dick.