You Belong With Me

chapter033

If Cameron McAllister wanted to write songs about them, Edie thought, then this was fast becoming the keynote scene: Elliot saying goodbye to a sleep-fogged Edie in a darkened room, predawn, him disappearing off to the airport. Put that groggy misery in your soaring chorus.

‘I’ve done the check-out, so leave whenever you want, OK?’ Elliot said, in night-time hush, kissing her on the head and brushing her hair from her face. ‘We’ll find another break in the schedule as soon as possible. You could come to New York, maybe? When this filming’s not going to make me too scarce.’

‘It’s about time I did the air miles for you,’ she croaked.

Edie put her hand over his and tried to pretend she wanted to say goodbye when she was still half in the dream she’d woken from.

They’d had an idyllic Sunday pub lunch the day before, walking distance from her family home, with her dad, Meg, Nick, Ros, Hannah, and Chloe.

They’d decided if Elliot got recognised, they were a large enough group to deal with it, yet no one looked twice. Edie buzzed from Elliot joining her life with such ease, and in turn he seemed to relax in the warmth of company that wanted nothing other from him but his in return. The therapeutic ordinariness.

Afterwards, Hannah had texted her:

He’s simply very GOOD at being famous, isn’t he? If someone asks him what Brad Pitt is like, he’ll tell them, with no showing off. Otherwise, he chats about your dad’snew hash brownie loving neighbours. It’s stunningly charming.

(Edie was glad she was equally keen on Chloe: she had a smile with many teeth, was always clad in a plaid shirt and had a way of undercutting Hannah with affection that demonstrated they were equals.)

‘Hannah loves you,’ Edie had informed Elliot. ‘Hannah is so droll and hard to impress – I can’t tell you what a coup this is.’

She could’ve added that Hannah had never liked a boyfriend of hers before, except she and Elliot were observing a respectful omerta on exes – she only knew of silly Heather, he of the icky Jack – and Edie liked it.

‘Brilliant. If you’ve got the best friend onside, it pays dividends down the years. A great investment. If I’m caught in a Miami strip club, smoking cigars with Kanye, she’ll say don’t throw what you have away over one silly mistake.’

There he went again, rashly scribbling another zero on the cheque.

Edie lay awake in the grey early light and tried not to deflate with sadness at the emptiness of the other half of the rumpled bed, his coat no longer over the chair. She’d see him soon enough. This was the deal. And she needed to stop wistfully checking Flightradar24. Edie went back to sleep.

When she stirred at eight a.m., she had a WhatsApp from Fraser.

Hello Thompson! My brother says you’ve got the morning off work today. Fancy a coffee in town, if you can be arsed? Mol’s getting her hair done, and it takes AGES. Wouldn’t blame you if you’re at Owen Brother overload, however. Elliot won’t leave you alone, will he? You need to carry a taser, tbqhwy. xx

She smiled at the usual Labrador puppy ebullience of Fraser and arranged a date at the independent place near her office, where baristas with goatees and septum piercings took the apparatus and beverages very seriously. Wilco played, chairs were uncomfortable, and no names were written on cups.

Fraser breezed in ten minutes late, bending his tall form to crush Edie into a hug. He was in a burgundy Puffa with some fancy brand logo prominent, canary-blond hair artfully mussed, spicy cologne in the air. Edie sensed a few heads turning. Fraser had what the kids called rizz.The Owen brothers might not share genetics, but they certainly shared presence. They gleamed.How did Edie, who used to make new outfits for her childhood Barbie from cutting up old socks, infiltrate such a clan?

Hot drink acquired, Fraser and Edie made small talk about the stag do. Fraser pledged to keep Elliot safe from the fandom in Croatia.

‘Molly says you’re welcome to go on her hen in Palma by the way …’ (Palma, Edie thought. At no notice. Not quite her milieu.) ‘… But she totally gets you’d not know anyone, so maybe better doing dinner for four when we all get back?’

‘Absolutely, sounds great. Please thank her for the invite.’

Fraser squeezed Edie’s free hand. ‘I want you two to hit it off so much, you know?’

Fraser followed this with the trademark glance around the room to assess who was present and if they could be overheard.

‘Do you think Elliot’s all right at the moment? Apart from being overjoyed to be back with you, obvs. I think that story his father did knocked him for six. Shit, feels so weird saying “his father” and not meaning our dad.’

‘I bet.’ Edie thought Fraser, as well as Elliot, had dealt with that blow magnificently well, from what she could tell. ‘He was upset at the vitriol at first, but equally, I don’t think his dad had much ability left to disappoint him.’

‘The thing about Elliot is, he does that thing … what’s the word for thinking? The thinking that men on horses do? In those shows where the women are in long dresses and it’s all about proposing in gardens and having tea at each other’s houses? In gloves?’

‘Period dramas? A word for thinking?’

‘Yeah, by men who are like this …’ Fraser affected a haughty curl of the lip.

‘Err … brooding?’

‘Brooding! That’s it. Elliot does a lot of brooding and overthinking. I know I under-think everything. But he gets anxious worrying about all kinds of random, out there shit. He’s always planning three chess moves ahead and too smart for his own good, you know? He doesn’t have a cruise control setting.’

Edie nodded and smiled in agreement, while wondering if this was leading to a request. Her brain, on the Owens subject, already had too many tabs open.

‘You’re so good for him, though. You can keep up with him and calm him down. I’ve never seen anyone who can do both before.’

Edie beamed.

‘Do you think someone he trusts might be selling stories on him?’ Fraser said casually, and Edie’s whole body went tense.