For an uncomfortably long time, he’s wide eyed, open mouthed, staring up at the ceiling. It’s Amy,” I say, picking up the coin.Ī rush of air comes out of Ben’s mouth, and he leans back in his chair, hands on top of his head. It lands like a dead weight on the wooden floor by my feet. My heart is thumping as I throw the coin in the air. “All right,” he says, rubbing his hands together. This is the end of the road for us.”įor a moment, I think it really is game over, but then he puts his hand to his chin and nods his head a few times, thinking it through. “I’m not going to lie for you anymore or sit in the pub listening to you whinging. “Suit yourself.” I fold the coin into my palm. His eyebrows scrunch together and he stares at me like I’ve completely lost the plot. Tails, you stay with Helen and try to make it work.” “Why don’t we toss a coin on it?” I say, taking a ten pence piece out of my pocket and holding it between my finger and thumb. Clearly it’s time for a different approach. There have been some tricky moments when Helen has come close to finding out. I’ve tried to refuse to be his permanent alibi, but then he puts a massive guilt trip on me. All of this, combined with his desperate need to be liked, seems to be potent stuff for the opposite sex. He’s perfected this kind of bumbling, apologetic, ‘I can’t tie my own shoelaces’ persona. He’s always been attractive to women, and not just because he’s rich and good looking – in a baby-faced kind of way. That tell-tale stress vein is constantly pulsing in his forehead nowadays. She’s got him running after her and the pressure is starting to have an impact.
HIDE ME NOW TALISMANIA DELUXE HOW TO
Maybe because she comes from the same kind of privileged background as Ben, she knows how to play him at his own game. She has definitely proved more resilient than her predecessors.
I’m sure she doesn’t know about the current one.Īmy is in her mid-twenties, pretty and bubbly, and completely lacking in morals, so I can see the attraction.
HIDE ME NOW TALISMANIA DELUXE FULL
I get the impression that she knows about some of his dalliances, but not the full extent. To say that she is too good for Ben is an understatement. It was then that I got to know Helen a lot better. The holidays, the odd loan to tide me over and he even let me stay in his spare room for a few months when I was going through my divorce. Not that I’m ungrateful for what he’s done for me over the years. I mean, he’s always been a bit of an arsehole, but he used to be charming with it. He was good fun to be around in those days. We met about twenty years ago in the first seminar of our economics degree at university.
Not age-wise but in length of loyal service. I certainly never felt underprivileged until I met Ben. Whereas I – well let’s just say I didn’t have it so easy. Top notch private school, university and, after that, he went straight into the family media business at management level. Some people just have everything handed to them on a plate and Ben is one of those people, all courtesy of Daddy and Mummy. He’s been married to Helen for around twelve years and shagging his PA, Amy, for the last two years. It’s Friday night and I’m in the pub with Ben trying to sort out his messy relationship problems. In Jessica Squier’s brilliant short story we learn that the toss of the coin may not always bring random consequences, especially when love and friendship are in play.