Pretenders. The by Zaza Agatha

Author:Zaza, Agatha [Zaza, Agatha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: couples, relationships, secrets, lies, exes
Publisher: Agora Books
Published: 2020-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

22

Jasper’s phone buzzed repeatedly, and he looked at the incoming messages, a smiling emoji from Saskia congratulating him. He didn’t respond. On instinct, he scrolled down through the most recent messages, past this morning to the previous night.

Jasper had never saved Edmund’s number as a profile. Edmund had been using the same number for years, perhaps even a decade. Jasper had committed it to memory along the way. Before asking Holly to marry him the previous night, he’d tried to call Edmund. ‘He’s not feeling well,’ his mother had chirped between glasses of champagne. He’d called Edmund once but hadn’t been bothered enough to follow up with a message. But in the taxi back home, he’d sent a text on the spur of the moment.

He must have been distracted, happy. He’d typed in the first few digits of Edmund’s number and sent the message. He hadn’t noticed the response from the mobile provider saying his message had not been sent.

Edmund had received no warning that Jasper would be coming.

Jasper let his head fall forward, and he swore silently. The house and its contents were not part of a conspiracy. Edmund and Ovidia hadn’t planned an elaborate charade. He had unwittingly intruded into their real life.

Holly elbowed him gently. She was laughing about something.

Holly was the future. Tomorrow, they’d carry on as if today hadn’t happened, he and Holly. Last week, they’d been looking at changing paint colours in their living room — such a safe, mundane activity. They’d begin planning their wedding; she’d take him through pages and pages of magazines and catalogues. Her sister and mother would whisk her off for fittings and make-up and whatever else her big day required.

Holly had been part of a renewed sense of normality. She hadn’t saved him — he’d found her as he was swimming upwards from the depths into which he’d plunged when Ovidia had left him. For a long time, he hadn’t been able to pretend. Then he’d been finally able to keep a job, to socialise — to put on a performance to the outside world that he was an ordinary man, even if at times his head felt it would explode with the effort of maintaining the façade. At first, he’d been cautious, almost fearful. But a certain folly propelled him forward. He dared himself to trust Holly, but was vigilant, replaying events and conversations in his mind and analysing them for warning signs of impending aggression.

On workdays, they kissed passionately before she left; when apart, they sent each other texts reminding the other of the need for milk and cheese and asked if they really wanted to see the show if Moe was able to get tickets. The show would still be irrelevant. He’d watch and clap at the right times, but he was with Holly, which was what was important.

If he left this house right now, he could go back to that life.

But he couldn’t leave. He was rooted to the chair watching Edmund and Ovidia,

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