Page 150 of The Heart You Kept

I roll my eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Just. Do. It.”

I begin to take things out one by one.

So much for calling to romance me.

“What’s in there,” he asks.

“A purse. Makeup bag. Lipstick. Hairbrush.” I keep taking things out and I pull out a pen. It’s black with the name of a restaurant on it. “A pen.” I stare at it for a moment. “I’ve never been to this restaurant.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a pen, but I don’t know where it came from.”

“Unscrew it.”

“What?”

“Unscrew the fucking pen.”

“Don’t swear at me.” I begin to get annoyed. “It’s 8 on a Sunday night and I feel like I’m in the principal’s office.”

He exhales as if I’m annoying him too. “Just do it.”

I unscrew the pen and it pops apart. “It’s popped apart.”

“And?”

I go through all the bits, the usual ink cartridge and spring then there’s a little black cylinder attached to the barrel of ink, I hold it up and look at it suspiciously. “That’s weird.”

“What?”

“Theres a black cylinder attached to the barrel of ink.”

“That’s it.”

“What?” My eyes widen.

“Philippe will be over to collect it soon.”

“Oh.”

Why don’t you come and get it?

“I….”

Don’t ask him to come over, play it cool.

“Okay.”

“He’s leaving now.”

“My address is⁠—”

“I know your address.” He cuts me off.

“So you’re a stalker too?”