ent dark in

She tried his birthday. Wrong. She tried hers

p bell

crossed the room in three strides and took the phone f

did yo

voice shook. "

ed in his jaw

n wh

phone. For one second he looked

it before. It frightened

st room that night,

in the

the dent of his head, and the sheets were warm. She was still in yesterday's d

and the r

pped tilting. When had she last eaten a real

butter hit her like a fist. She barely reached the sink

alendar on the fridge. Sh

o, no

days

nd the shame that came after it. Terror and something dangerously clos

. Not l

nly place that ha

to it. Pliers lay in a neat row. Silver wire coiled in jars. Sketchbooks were stacked beside a lamp

ember what to do. For ten minutes the nausea eas

is t

y dropped

es, holding one of her sketchbooks open. He t

that

ng from the bench and turned it in

urned. "It

a hobby. Who

fifteen." She snatched the

a confession. "Eighteen months. I didn't know you did this. You should sh

e her snapped,

u stand in my room and decide I'm interesting?" She

his mouth.

ar

e ni

or

My favourite food. Do

k ticked somewh

e is expecting twins in spring. You sleep on your left side, and you have never once told another livi

as though she h

breath away. She felt the heat of him

t know," he said, l

h a hand on my back." B

me what I

she could stop it. "Yo

ent

d did what you came to do, and I lay there afterwards thinking, what is

t on purpose." His throat worked. "I was angry. I felt trapp

ng there, ug

rry," h

n he ki

n his shirt before she'd decided anything at all. The sketchbooks scattered. The ring rolled off the bench

oom, his arm lay heavy across her waist. She let hers

down to rest lo

ime," Chriss mu

through her li

of her, inch by inch. The kiss. The apology. The tend

hanged. Nothing, except that now she knew exactly how m

ng she hadn't told him yet