The Fortune Teller by Natasha Boydell

Author:Natasha Boydell [Boydell, Natasha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

16

I knew from the second that Jude walked through the door that he was in a foul mood. It happened from time to time, when he’d had a testing day at work, when it was just that little bit too hard to turn on the smiles and pretend that everything was okay. But this time my immediate reaction was to panic. Something bad has happened.

‘What is it?’ I asked, bracing myself.

He didn’t respond and fear crept over me. ‘Jude, what’s wrong?’

He ignored me again and walked into the kitchen. I heard him open the fridge, pull out a beer and rummage around in the drawer for a bottle opener. When he didn’t return, I went to find him, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Had he been made redundant? It would be awful, but we’d get through it. As long as he was okay, we’d get through it. But what if he wasn’t okay? What if he was sick? It’s the tragedy the fortune teller foretold. It’s come early.

‘Jude, you’re scaring me. What’s happened?’

‘Are you fucking him?’

His question was so absurd and unexpected that I couldn’t work out what, or who, he was talking about at first. ‘Excuse me?’

I had never seen such venom on his face. ‘Are you fucking him?’

‘Jude, I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ I was scared by Jude’s anger and I was confused too, but I was also relieved because although Jude was furious, he wasn’t sick.

‘Don’t lie to me.’

Even then I had been caught so off guard by his accusation that I didn’t piece it together. ‘You’re going to have to be more specific because I’m really confused right now.’

He sighed heavily, as though he was talking to someone stupid. ‘I saw you with him again, Simone. The guy you used to work with. The guy you kissed outside that pub.’

It hit me then and it was so ridiculous that I almost laughed but I stopped myself just in time. ‘Are you talking about Tom?’

‘I don’t know what his fucking name is.’

‘Shh.’ I craned my neck, silently indicating that the twins were just next door. ‘Jude, what’s got into you? I bumped into Tom in the café and we had a drink. That is literally it.’

‘You know, I believed you the first time. When I saw you two kissing with my own eyes and you denied it all, you made me feel so stupid for jumping to conclusions. But you knew exactly what you were doing, didn’t you?’

What on earth was going on here? ‘Jude, come on, let me explain.’

‘Have you been fucking the whole time behind my back?’ He was no longer bothering to keep his voice down and I no longer bothered to try and hush him.

‘Jude, this is out of control. I hadn’t seen Tom in ages, and then we bumped into each other this morning and had a drink together. If you must know, he was telling me that he’s in an unhappy relationship.’

I realised as soon as the words were out that it was probably the worst thing I could have said.

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