You or No One by Olivier Bosman

Author:Olivier Bosman
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9798616420329
Published: 2020-04-07T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Disaster!

“How did it go?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

“It went well, Trevor, but I can’t tell you any details. Not until everything has been sorted.”

“So, the king has given his permission?”

“Trevor, for fuck’s sake! Stop asking me. No one is supposed to know. Not even you. I’ll tell you when I can.”

Trevor stared at me, an indignant look on his face. “There’s no need to speak to me like that, Joel.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just tired. I’ve had an emotional few days.”

“There was a time when you’d tell me everything. When we were still friends.”

“We are still friends, Trevor. And I will tell you everything in due course. Just not now.”

He turned away from me and sulked.

“I don’t give a fuck anyway. I was only asking out of politeness.”

“Oh, come on, Trevor. Don’t be like that.”

“I’ll be how I like!”

I sighed, picked up my book, and resumed my reading. Eric and I had flown back to England that morning, and I was trying very hard to readjust to everyday life. It was impossible. Instead of taking in what I was reading, I kept thinking about that splendid palace with its long corridors and beautiful gardens, or the conversation I’d had with the mild-mannered king and his awful wife, or the hurt expression on Eric’s face when I told him I was getting cold feet.

I remained like that for the next few days, unable to concentrate on my lectures, or the inane chatter of my study mates. My heart and my mind were still in Doggerland, and the thought that the plans I’d made with Eric would not come to fruition, that one day I might not be prince consort of Doggerland, suddenly became unbearable.

By Wednesday, I’d had enough. I got up early, and instead of heading for the library, I walked right out of campus and took a bus back to Wales.

My mother put her hands to her heart and screamed when she saw me come in (in retrospect, I don’t think it was a good idea to drop in unannounced on a woman with her condition).

“It’s only me, Mum,” I said. “Stop screaming. You’ll wake up the neighbours.”

“What happened? What are you doing here?” Her face was pale. Her arms were trembling.

“Nothing happened, Mum. I just came to tell you something. Come to the living room and sit down. I’ll make you some tea.”

“Never mind the tea!” She took a bottle of pills out of her skirt pocket and screwed off the lid. “Why aren’t you in Oxford?”

“There’s something I want to tell you.”

“We’ve established that. What is it?”

She placed a pill on her tongue and swallowed it. She carried those pills with her wherever she went. Kept popping them into her mouth as though they were polo mints.

“Don’t look at me like that, Joel,” she said. “It’s your own fault. You shouldn’t have dropped in on me like that. Now, what do you want to tell me?”

“It’s about Easter.”

“Oh God, you’re leaving me. I knew it. You’re gonna go

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