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took a deep breath and stood up, to clear away the plates of pasta, nausea rising up my throat. I could hide from the truth no longer. Tonight had made it plain. Dave just about tolerated my presence but could – would – never tolerate the person I was.

Chapter Four – Jasmine
    ‘Mikey! What on earth is the matter with you?’ I slumped onto the sofa and ran a hand over the black leather. ‘So what if I’m late home…’ I glanced at my watch and yawned. ‘It’s only quarter to seven and we hadn’t agreed to do something together tonight, had we?’
    He sat down next to me, all kitted out for a trip to the gym in his grey jogging suit, with luminous green trainers.
    ‘No. I’m off to FitFun to lift some weights. I just… got worried. You’re normally home by six.’ He threw his hands in the air. ‘Perhaps it is time you moved out – we’re turning into a married couple!’
    My brow furrowed. Why was he smiling quite so brightly… ‘Come on. Spill the beans. You are up to something, mister.’
    ‘
Moi
?’ He grinned, eyes all shiny. ‘I wish my life was that exciting.’
    I shrugged, too tired after a bad night’s sleep to make sense of Mikey’s high jinks, and headed over to the kitchen. Out of habit I pulled open the fridge door, but the thought of eating made me feel queasy – had done since that disastrous Valentine’s Day dinner. At least Dave hadn’t texted me quite so much today. My throat tightened. Perhaps he’d given up. I shook myself. But that was cool. I didn’t need anyone. Well, only Mikey perhaps, to pour me Pinot and wickedly pull the cushion away from my face, if we ever watched a horror movie together… My throat relaxed. Best friends were the jewels in life, no?
    ‘Have we got any chicken left from that roast you made on Saturday? I can’t be bothered to cook. I’ll just grab a sandwich.’
    ‘No!’ Mikey jumped up as I lifted the lid on the breadbin. I loved this kitchen that was fitted last year. Think glossy white cupboards, with a grey granite worktop and a sparkling silver halogen hob. With its minimalist feel it even encouraged me to keep it clean, and had been worth the week of Mikey obsessively vacuuming up builders’ dust.
    ‘I mean – a sandwich is no good after a hard day in the office. Let me rustle something up – sit down on the sofa again. I’ll bring over a drink.’
    I managed a smile. ‘Okay, Dad. If you insist. But only for a minute, I might head out for a jog, to clear my head. Honestly, I’m fine. The boss brought donuts in this afternoon so I’m not starving. Anyway, you ought to go to the gym.’
    ‘Hmm, not sure I can be bothered now…’ Mikey glanced at the clock. ‘How about a game of Scrabble? We haven’t played for ages.’
    ‘Because you hate it!’ I said. ‘Talk about a sore loser – you always accuse me of cheating.’
    Mikey’s cheeks flushed. ‘Well I’ve been reading lately, to improve my vocabulary.’
    ‘Celebrity magazines won’t do that,’ I said and gave a wry smile.
    At that moment the doorbell rang.
    I ambled over to the door and pulled it open. Heart beating, I stood back, thoughts swirling like a swarm of butterflies. ‘Dave?’ I stuttered. ‘What are you doing here?’
    ‘Um, perhaps scrub that game of Scrabble then,’ muttered Mikey. ‘I’ll head off to the gym as originally planned. I’m sure you two could do with some private space.’
    ‘No. Mikey! I mean you don’t have to – Dave should have rung first,’ I said, hoping no one had heard the wobble in my voice.
    ‘No probs. I’ll be back around ten,’ he said and picked up his sports bag, leaving without even acknowledging Dave.
    I stood opposite my boyfriend, who watched Mikey go as if he had something to say to him. Then his rich brown eyes stared at me. He gave one of those sexy lopsided smile. Urgh, why did the most trivial of things have such power? Despite his disastrous proposal, I had to fight a sudden urge to lock lips with