I shook my head in bewilderment.
‘I didn’t think things were weird, but what is weird is that Steve comes and goes in this house as though he owns it. I pay a lot of money to live here and I feel… some of the time, uncomfortable. He seems to just show up, turn up out of nowhere, like today. I presumed the house I pay top London prices to live in was empty. Then suddenly, Steve is behind me in the kitchen. I would like to feel safe and secure in this house. I chose to live with you and Sophia and Mini. Females. Not males. Not Steve.’
Karen was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot and staring straight at me. There was a wildness in her eyes.
‘Fine.’ She crossed her arms. I imagined this was not something she was fine about at all. ‘It’s probably something else anyway.’
I shook my head, not understanding.
‘I mean, he’s always there when you are. So maybe it’s you and not him!’
‘Come again?’
‘He’s been acting weird, You obviously have a little crush on him, which is fine.’ Karen threw her hands up in the air dramatically. ‘It always happens to me. I get a boyfriend and someone else manages to get their claws into them. Steve is mine. Just so you know and so there isn’t any confusion here.’ She circled her finger in front of her, turned on her heel and clomped off down the hall. I shook my head in disbelief. To think that I would fancy Steve? He reminded me too much of someone I was trying to forget.
Later that evening, we were all sat eating together. It was a takeaway curry for Meat-Free Monday, one of the quirky things the girls had established to distinguish between days of the week: Taco Tuesday, Whatever Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday and Fajita Fridays. It was all new to me yet slightly endearing how they all liked to come together each evening and how they also included me. However, this evening as we sat, I could sense Karen’s anger and, from the odd looks that Mini was throwing my way, I presumed others could sense it too.
We were all clearing away the takeaway and stacking our plates into the dishwasher, when we all turned to hear a loud vibration coming from the kitchen table.
‘Erm, I think that’s your phone, Regi,’ Mini said. I looked to the tabletop where I could see my phone creeping towards the edge with each vibration. I strode over, glanced at the screen and shoved the phone in my pocket where it continued to vibrate for several more uncomfortable seconds. I had set it to silent but didn’t realise it was on a vibrate setting as well. I took in a deep breath through my nose and blew it out through my mouth as subtly as I could. I supposed I could block the number. But it wouldn’t make any difference. He would find me.
‘I don’t think I have ever seen you answer a call,’ Karen said, and I know she was only saying what the others were thinking. I had, of course, answered calls, just not very many.
‘Maybe, Regi prefers texts,’ Mini said as she stacked her plate in at an awkward angle and put her cutlery in the wrong way.
‘Or Instagram,’ Sophia said, and even though she hadn’t meant to be malicious, my fists clenched as I felt a surge of heat across my cheeks.
I closed the dishwasher with too much force as Sophia edged over to me. ‘It is where you’ve been getting all your cleaning-hack ideas from, isn’t it?’
Mini looked over from the other side of the kitchen. ‘I told Regi about all the cleanstagrammers. I said she should do some tap-to-tidy posts on her own Instagram site.’
‘Well, you certainly have the bug.’ Sophia looked around the kitchen, which was now clutter-free and organised. ‘And the house is a lot tidier. I found horseradish in the fridge the other day – I didn’t know we had horseradish.’ Sophia laughed.
‘Well, I think Regi should get out more,’ came the sharp tone of Karen’s voice and both Mini and Sophia shot her a look then looked at one another.
‘Well, that’s just rude. What do you mean by that, Karen?’ Sophia looked at me, bewildered. Karen ignored Sophia and carried on putting things away too loudly. Sophia put a hand on my shoulder. ‘I think you’re doing a great job around here. I’m just sorry we’re not as keen to go all out as you are. You must think us terribly messy.’
‘Have you ever thought about online dating, Regi?’ Karen said offhandedly.
‘Never,’ I retorted.
‘Well, I think it would do you the world of good. You like being on your phone a lot, clearly you have bags of time and you’re single.’ Karen put way too much emphasis on the word single.
‘It’s not a bad idea,’ Mini said. ‘Dating is so different now, I mean to when you did it last. Maybe.’
I had never dated. I had met and fallen in the love when I was young. Maybe too young. Until then it was the odd snog and unsuccessful episode in bed with someone I neither really liked nor fancied, but I felt as though I should have been going along with it because that’s what girls my age did.
Sophia shrugged. ‘Yeah, but you’ve got to want to do it in the first place. You can’t just put yourself out there if you’re not really fussed.’
‘Well, it’s the only way to meet people nowadays, isn’t it?’ Karen said, her voice a little too high. ‘I mean you do want to meet someone, don’t you, Regi? Unless, you know, you have someone, a secret boyfriend you’re not telling us about.’
‘No secret boyfriend,’ I said flatly,
