TOYL

he suggested, looking away. ‘They do a good breakfast, and I haven’t eaten yet.’
    ‘Sounds okay,’ Emma said.

    ***

    It was weird sitting across from Stuart in the café: like stepping back in time. Emma watched as he sipped at his coffee and then dived into the greasy full English breakfast that had just arrived. Emma glanced around. It wasn’t the type of place Stuart ever used to visit. He’d always liked to eat out at expensive places, but this was pretty rundown. The chairs and tables were made out of brown moulded plastic, bolted to the floor. And wire mesh covered the window, indicating that this was probably an area that required some protection against glass breakages. The café smelled strongly of fried food. And the place was virtually empty, apart from a rather scruffy looking guy who was reading the paper in the far corner. Emma diverted her attention as the guy looked up from the newspaper.
    ‘Sure you don’t want some toast?’ Stuart also looked up.
    ‘I’m fine.’
    He nodded and went back to eating. Emma watched him, feeling frustrated at the lack of conversation. She didn’t want to just sit there as if everything was okay; she wanted to talk, about a lot of things.
    ‘You haven’t asked why I came to see you,’ she ventured. ‘Or how I knew where you live.’
    ‘Guy told you,’ replied Stuart, chomping on a mouthful of food before washing it down with a swig of coffee. ‘He called me last night.’
    ‘So you were expecting me?’
    He shrugged. ‘I wondered whether you would come. Although I wasn’t sure.’
    ‘How do you know Guy?’
    ‘I met him through a friend, at a party. We got talking and have kept in touch on and off ever since. That was about two years ago. He’s a great bloke. Not like some of the people in this industry.’
    ‘This industry?’
    ‘The movies. There are some real bastards out there. It’s hard to know who to trust sometimes. But Guy’s different.’
    ‘You recommended me for the part in the movie,’ Emma stated.
    Stuart nodded, before taking another mouthful of food.
    ‘Why?’
    He paused for a moment until he swallowed the food. ‘Because I thought you’d be perfect for the part.’
    ‘Oh, come on,’ Emma said, trying to rein in her anger. ‘You haven’t seen me for years, Stuart. How could you possibly know whether I’d be any good for that part? I could have given up acting for all you know. I could be working on the checkout at Marks and Spencer’s.’
    ‘I knew you were still acting,’ Stuart said. ‘And I knew you were good; even better than you used to be.’
    ‘How?’
    ‘I’ve been to see several of your shows,’ he admitted, mopping up the last of his breakfast with the remaining piece of bread.
    ‘Why?’ she said, taking in the revelation. ‘Why would you do that?’
    He put down his knife and fork. ‘Because I care about you, Em. I was interested to see how everything was going in your life.’
    ‘You walked out on me. You never called, didn’t leave a forwarding address, never said goodbye. It’s not exactly something I’d do to someone I cared about.’
    Stuart smiled tightly and dabbed his mouth with the napkin.
    ‘I deserve that,’ he said, folding the napkin and placing it across his plate, just as he always used to.

    ***

    ‘Is Sally your girlfriend?’ asked Emma, sitting next to Stuart, as they looked across the park. She had meant to leave straight after the meal, but part of her wanted to stay and talk with Stuart. So when he had suggested taking a walk, she found herself accepting.
    ‘Sally, yes,’ he said, looking somewhat uncomfortable. ‘Although I’m not sure it’s really that serious. How about you? Are you in a relationship?’
    Emma told him everything.
    ‘My God,’ he said, as she finished the tale. ‘I’m so sorry, Em.’
    Emma shrugged. ‘Lizzy’s been a great help. It’s made it much easier. I think I’d have completely lost it without her support.’
    ‘She sounds like a great friend. Those are the types of friends that don’t come around too often.’
    ‘She’s great,’ Emma said. ‘A total star.’
    ‘Make sure you hang onto her.’
    ‘Don’t worry,’ she replied. ‘I intend to.’

    ***

    ‘I’d invite you up,’ he said, as they arrived back at the tower block, ‘but I’m in a rush. I’m supposed to be meeting someone in an hour, and I have to get to the other side of the city. Sorry.’
    ‘That’s all right,’ Emma said.
    ‘Well, I guess