Page 17

A laugh escapes before I can stop it.

It sounds like Ron deserves that. I feel weirdly disloyal for thinking it, but I’m with Eddy on this one. He’s not fat, not out of shape, not old. And he’s obviously adored, if there’s a bloody mural of him.

‘Are you excited about the job?’ Eddy asks after a moment.

‘Yes. Terrified – but excited,’ I reply. ‘I don’t know much about rugby league, but apparently it doesn’t matter.’

‘I guess we’ll find out on Monday, won’t we?’ he says, pulling a face.

‘Don’t tease me – I told you, I’m terrified,’ I remind him.

‘You’ll be fine.’

‘We’ll see…’

Freddiez appears suddenly, the lime-green logo glowing in an otherwise empty car park. It’s a retail park, just outside the city centre, and all the shops are closed for the evening. There are a few cars in the car park, a handful of people inside under the harsh bright lights. The smell of burgers starts creeping in through the car vents and suddenly I’m starving again. Perhaps coming here wasn’t such a terrible idea.

Eddy parks near the entrance.

‘I’ll walk you to the door,’ he says.

‘You don’t have to.’

‘I’ve got you this far,’ he replies. ‘Might as well make sure you’re safe.’

I smile. He’s a real gent.

We step out into cool night air, and I immediately feel better with him beside me. Which is ridiculous, given that ten minutes ago I thought he was the danger. I don’t know why but I feel like nothing bad can happen to me while Eddy is around. Presumably because he looks like he could fight an actual lion with his bare hands.

We walk towards the door, passing the big windows, and sure enough there’s Ron… but he’s not alone. My smile drops as quickly as it appears. He’s sitting at a booth in the corner, but there’s a woman with him. She looks sort of familiar. It’s… oh, it’s Trish, one of the other pundits. I allow myself a sigh of relief that he’s with a colleague, because the mental gymnastics my brain was just doing were leading me to an entirely different conclusion.

It is sort of strange though, the two of them sitting together, looking into each other’s eyes, eating fries from the same bag – everyone knows that sharing fries from Freddiez is an intimate thing. Otherwise, you’d surely just get your own, right?

She’s so glamorous, with her glossy hair, and her perfect smile. But she’s just a colleague, at the end of the day, a colleague that… Ron is kissing!

It’s a proper kiss too. His hand is on her face; one of hers is on the back of his neck. It’s a slow, lingering kiss which somehow feels worse. Not a moment of madness. It’s a kiss that looks like they’ve kissed a thousand times before.

‘Shit,’ Eddy says quietly. ‘She’s married…’

I’m more concerned with Ron’s relationship status, to be honest with you.

I wonder, if I were here alone, if I’d be giving them the benefit of the doubt – surely not? – but either way, Eddy’s reaction confirms it for me: they’re definitely having an affair. Suddenly all the late-night trips to the relatively quiet burger bars make sense. That’s why he comes here. So no one sees them together.

What do I do? I should leave. I should slink off before they see me. I am not a charge-inside-and-confront-them kind of girl. I’m a go-away-and-overthink-how-this-is-my-fault kind of girl.

But, do you know what? I’ve lost my home, my job, my bag and now my boyfriend.

‘Fuck it,’ I say to myself before marching in.

I can’t quite fling the door open, it’s electric, but I strut through and head straight over to their table. Then I stand there, staring at them.

Ron looks up and his face changes instantly. It would probably be amusing, seeing how pathetic and scared he looks, were my heart not being torn in two.

Trish pulls back so fast she nearly knocks over a milkshake. It’s a bit late for that, love, I’ve already seen you kissing.

‘B-Brooke,’ Ron says, gormless as ever.

‘Hi,’ I reply. ‘Sorry, am I interrupting dessert?’