The door swings open again, letting in a draught of cold air along with another customer. Anxious now, I watch as he orders a coffee and sits close by, checking his mobile. He’s in his forties, greasy-haired, dull-eyed and sporting a podgy stomach. A prime candidate for team Boyd.
‘So,’ Lily begins, a little too loud for my liking. ‘What’s going on?’
‘We’re having a coffee.’
‘Don’t be facetious, Maya. You know what I mean.’
‘Of course I do.’ I pick up a teaspoon and slice it through the heart, destroying it completely.
‘I know he ended it this time.’
‘He did.’
‘Why?’
‘Ask him.’
‘I did.’
‘So, what did he say?’
‘He told me to mind my own business.’
Typical Dan, explaining nothing.
‘Well then, you should do what he says.’
Her perfectly made-up face mutates into a scowl.
‘He was in love with you, head over heels. I’ve never seen him like that before.’
‘Things can change.’
‘Things can change?’ she repeats incredulously. ‘Maya, he went from wanting to marry you to nothing. Zilch. Nada. What happened?’
Trying to dupe Lucy is one thing. A self-obsessed flat mate, lost in an alcohol-fuelled ride through break-up land, is an easy thing to deal with. But Lily Babbage is something else. Totally fixated on her task, as sharp as a razor and most probably an expert in reading micro-expressions to boot, she’s locked into a thoroughly sober mission – to reunite Daniel Foster with Maya Scotton.
‘I did something I shouldn’t have done,’ I state, careful to keep my tone flat, willing my face to stay absolutely still.
Her eyes flicker.
‘You cheated on him?’
Good God, she’s got a low opinion of me.
‘No,’ I glower.
‘Then what?’
Wrestling my face under control, I continue. ‘It’s not my place to tell you. It’s between me and Dan.’ But that’s clearly not enough. Two perfect vertical lines have appeared between her brows. I’m going to have to give a little more. ‘I did something he can’t forgive, and that’s that.’ And then, for good measure, I add on the next bit with an apathetic shrug. ‘He’ll find someone else.’
Just the idea of Dan ever finding someone else delivers a wave of disgust to my gut. He’s mine, all mine, and no other woman’s ever getting her hands on him … ever.
‘So, you’re giving up then?’
She picks up her cup. Extending her little finger ever so slightly, she takes a tentative sip, winces and lowers the cup again, revealing a tiny coffee moustache.
‘There’s no point in fighting. Not this time. It’s well and truly over. That’s all I’m prepared to say. It’s private.’ I force out a dramatic sigh. ‘Frankly, I’m surprised you’ve waited this long to come and harass me.’
‘Dan told me not to, and so did Clive, but I’ve run out of patience.’
‘Already? It’s only been three days.’
And now I can’t help myself. The first contact with someone who’s still in his orbit, and I’m overwhelmed by the need for news. I’ll just have to do it subtly, in a way that doesn’t arouse suspicion.
‘How is he?’
Well, bugger it. That’s not subtle at all.
Lily’s eyes flash. ‘Ah, you still care then?’
‘No … I mean yes. Of course I do. I want him to be alright, but that doesn’t mean I want him back.’
She raises an eyebrow and I’m swallowed by panic. Am I giving the game away? Yes, probably. And that means only one thing: I need to come up with something else, and I need to come up with it now. Opening my mouth, I begin to ramble.
‘I can’t live with him, Lily. I just can’t deal with him. He hides too much, and he certainly can’t deal with me. I wanted him to be more open and he couldn’t do it.’ I sip at my coffee. ‘So, back to my question. How is he?’
‘Recovering,’ she answers, keeping her gaze levelled on me. ‘He’s in plaster now. Both arms, left leg. He had another operation on his right leg yesterday.’
‘It went well?’
‘They’re happy with the results.’
She turns her cup on the table, and I know there’s something else.
‘I sat with him afterwards.’ She eyes me closely. ‘I don’t know what sort of pain relief they were giving him, but it must have been pretty strong stuff.’
I pick up a teaspoon and tap it against the side of my cup.
‘It certainly loosened his tongue.’
The teaspoon stops moving. Sitting absolutely still, I wait for the next bit.
‘He kept asking for you.’
A prick of panic at the back of my brain. I drop the spoon. Here’s me, doing my level best to deceive the world and its dog. And there’s Dan, blabbing it all out under the influence of grade A narcotics.
‘Now, why would he do that?’ She leans forward, catching the edge of her jacket in a pool of coffee. ‘Why would he dump the love of his life, and then ask for her … again and again.’
‘No idea.’ I falter. ‘His brain was obviously scrambled.’
‘Well, that’s what Clive said.’ She leans further forward. ‘But I’ve got another idea. He’s made
