Hygge and Kisses by Clara Christensen

Author:Clara Christensen [Christensen, Clara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781471166723
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Chapter 14

‘Hey Blu-ray,’ Ben’s pixelated image appeared on her phone via Skype. He was lying on the sofa in his flat, still wearing his work clothes.

‘Hi. How are you?’ she replied, curling herself into the cosy window nook and propping a cushion behind her head.

‘Knackered,’ he answered, shielding a yawn behind the back of his hand. He looked it: grey shadows circled his eyes, his complexion was pallid and his wavy hair looked messy and unkempt. Bo could hear the tinny babble of the TV in the background, and behind the sofa she could see the remains of a takeaway on the dining table: a crumpled brown paper bag, sauce-spattered foil trays and a single dirty plate.

‘How’s the new job going?’ Bo asked dutifully. Ben’s brow furrowed and he took a long gulp from a bottle of Cobra. She watched his Adam’s apple rise and fall as he swallowed; there were shaving cuts and an angry rash on his neck.

‘Stressful,’ he said, wiping his mouth with the side of his hand. ‘Being accounts director means the whole department’s shit ends up as my shit.’ He sounded bitter. ‘I’m basically the whipping boy for any client with an axe to grind.’

She heard the angry honk of a car horn close outside his window; it made her jump but Ben didn’t even notice. The soundtrack of urban life seemed jarring and discordant in contrast to the elemental quiet of Skagen. ‘Oh dear. I’m sure it’ll settle down soon. It’s only been two days,’ Bo soothed blandly.

Ben sneered. ‘Yeah, we’ll see about that.’ He took another swig of beer and looked down the lens at her. ‘So, I got your text,’ he said guardedly. ‘Apologise for what?’

She inhaled deeply through her nose. ‘For what I said about Charlotte,’ she replied expressionlessly. ‘About Milton Keynes. Hayley got the wrong end of the stick, and when I saw that photo on Facebook, I just assumed . . .’ On her phone screen, Ben’s face twisted.

‘Yeah well, I tried to tell you nothing happened, didn’t I? And we were all pissed in that photo. You of all people should understand that drink can make you do stupid things.’ His speech was slightly slurred, and she wondered how many Cobras he had consumed.

‘I know. I’m sorry,’ she said contritely. ‘I just jumped to conclusions. I—’

‘Forget about it,’ he said, rubbing his eyes. ‘It’s no big deal.’

‘But it is a big deal. I accused you of cheating. Aren’t you pissed off with me?’ In the corner of Bo’s phone screen was a thumbnail-sized image of her perplexed face, her mouth forming a pout.

‘To be honest, Blu-ray, I’ve got enough work shit pissing me off at the moment.’ He gave a mirthless smile. ‘I really haven’t got the energy to be pissed off with you too.’ Bo wasn’t sure how she felt about this remark, so she said nothing.

‘How’s Denmark, anyway?’ he asked, in a changing-the-subject voice, and raised his beer bottle to his lips once more.

She glanced out of the rain-speckled window beside her, into the blackness of the night.

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