Chapter 2 #3
‘You are.’ Brendan reaches down and scruffs Cian’s hair. ‘You have a job no one understands, and you make too much money. What about you, Zoe?’
Cian scoffs a little. ‘Dad. Stop.’
‘I’m not asking how much money she makes, I’m asking if she has a job that existed before the internet.’
‘She works in social media,’ Cian replies, ‘so no.’
Why is he answering for me?
Brendan then, without explanation, walks out of the room mid-conversation. No, stop! Stay here and share more of your interesting takes on the British class system.
We sit in silence, watching as Wuffy determinedly scratches his ear with a back paw.
‘By the way,’ I start, ‘did you use to work with someone called Reginald?’
‘Reginald?’ Cian’s eyelashes are straight and point down rather than curl up, so each time he blinks it’s like he’s batting them at me. ‘Isn’t he the guy who got sacked for watching porn in one of the breakout rooms?’
‘Stop,’ I squawk. ‘That’s awful. He seemed like such a nice guy. Not that you can’t be a nice guy and watch porn. As long as it’s ethical porn.’
Cian lets out a burst of laughter, short and sharp.
‘Anyway,’ I say, in a high-pitched voice.
‘I’m sorry Jimmy made you come here. I’m sure you have better things to do.’
‘No, it’s fine.’
Wuffy, narked by the lapse in attention, steps off Cian’s lap and slinks over to mine where he pads around in two small circles before curling like a croissant.
Cian leans his head against the back of the sofa and looks up at the ceiling.
‘You were off work for a while.’
Everyone in my department knew I was off. But Cian’s not in my department, and I’ve never seen him before today. How does he know this?
‘Yes,’ I say. ‘I went back last week for two days, and then this week I did four days. In a row.’
‘Yeah. How’s it been?’
‘Hmm.’ It hits me then, the same great blue wave of tiredness that crashes over me several times a day.
Usually, it makes me long for bed, to be submerged in darkness and under the weight of covers, and right now it makes me want to lay my head back, close my eyes and drift off, right here in this acidic-yellow living room.
Wuffy jumps off my lap and scratches at the side of the sofa. Cian springs to sitting straight and shouts, ‘Stop it. Ouch.’ He rubs his left side and winces.
‘Are you okay?’
‘Yeah. Just bruised ribs. Could you open that door wider to encourage him out, please?’
Wuffy escapes into the flower-filled garden the second I fully slide open the door.
The burst of slightly cooler air helps push away my wooziness.
‘Nice garden,’ I say as I step back inside.
‘Mine is all paving stones, fox poo and—’ My mouth drops open as a wall of photos catches my eye.
While most of the frames contain images of a younger Brendan bronzed up and posing in micro-pants, others are of Cian at various ages in school uniform.
‘Yes,’ Cian says dryly. ‘That’s my dad. In a thong.’
‘I was looking at this one of you. School photos are brutal.’ In it, a little Cian sits with his hair sticking up and a wide grin boasting small teeth, big teeth and gaps. The more I look, the funnier the photos get. ‘Why did your family frame these?’
‘Because they love me.’
‘Is this your sister? Aww, you two had matching haircuts. You went through an emo stage too.’ When I turn back, Cian’s smiling fully for the first time, then ruins it by saying, ‘You have a really funny laugh.’
‘I’m aware.’ And so long past apologising for it. ‘Hyena laugh, Daffy Duck, Scooby-Doo,’ I reel off, ‘even though none of those things sound vaguely similar.’
Now Cian’s the one laughing. ‘I’ve only seen you angry before.’
‘What?’
‘Frowning at your computer, like this.’ He demonstrates hunching forward and frowning.
I’m horrified. ‘I don’t frown at my computer.’
‘You do. You always look so pissed off at work.’
‘Have we met before?’
‘No. However, you sort of sit in my eyeline.’
How have I never noticed him before?
‘Also, I used to work with Ikenna before he went into security.’
Ikenna. Of course. ‘And what’s Ikenna got to do with me?’
Cian blinks. Those eyelashes shouldn’t be allowed.
‘Isn’t he your boyfriend?’
Why, out of all the men I’ve dated over the last year, is Ikenna the one the rumour mill has run with? A noise from the kitchen breaks the moment. ‘You might need to prepare an excuse to leave before my dad makes you stay for dinner.’
‘Oh, sure. Yeah.’ I’ve made myself way too comfortable here.
‘I wasn’t trying to throw you out,’ Cian says quickly as I make my way back around the sofa.
‘No, course not.’
His eyes follow me to the living-room door. ‘Sorry I can’t see you out.’
‘Don’t be silly.’ I lift a hand and wave at him from two feet away, which is stupid, but seems to amuse him.
‘Thanks for dropping this over.’
‘No problem,’ I call as I make my way out as quickly as possible.
Later that night I texted Kasie:
Me: Remember when we went for Sunday lunch at The Crown? The food was terrible, but we befriended a group of old people who made us promise to meet them again for quiz night. We never did go.
Kasie: Undelivered