TOYL

a tap on his shoulder.
    ‘Excuse me.’
    He froze on the spot before turning around slowly.
    ‘I think you’ve got my bag,’ an elderly gentleman said, almost apologetically. It took a second or two for his words to sink in. ‘My name’s on the tag, there,’ he explained, pointing at the case.
    Will looked down to see the label. He had taken someone else’s bag.
    ‘I’m really sorry,’ he said, handing the bag back to the elderly man. ‘It looks exactly the same as mine.’
    ‘That’s all right,’ the man said. ‘Easily done.’
    Will’s case came a minute or so later; this time he made sure he had the right one. He couldn’t wait to get out of the airport, so he upped his pace towards customs. He had just reached the customs area when he felt another hand on his shoulder.
    ‘Excuse me, Sir.’
    ‘It’s okay,’ he said, turning around. ‘It’s definitely my…’
    ‘Are you Will Holden?’
    ‘Yes,’ Will answered, facing up to the policeman. ‘That’s me.’

47

    He returned to his flat, her words pinging around his head like a pinball.
    There’s no chance of us getting back together.
    She had meant every word of it, he realised that. It wasn’t just what she had said, but the way she had said it. The look was so heartless, so devoid of love. Maybe it was what he deserved. It made him feel so lonely.
    ‘Hi, it’s me,’ he slurred into the phone receiver. ‘I’ve had a bit to drink, yes. It’s Em – she doesn’t want me back. She never wants me back. And she still loves Dan. After everything I’ve done to try and change things, she still loves him – can you believe that? She still loves him, not me. What? Okay, maybe speak to you later.’
    He placed the phone back on its holder and stumbled into the kitchen. Nobody wanted to be with him, or even speak to him. He had to accept that this was the end of the road – all those weeks and months of hoping that things would turn out all right. It was what had kept him going.
    But she loved Dan, not him.
    It was all over.
    He opened one of the kitchen cupboards and took out several boxes of paracetamol, then poured himself a pint glass of water.

    ***

    ‘It’s good to see you, Will,’ Edward said.
    ‘You too,’ Will replied, not sounding particularly convincing. He flopped down into the front passenger seat and closed the door.
    ‘Thanks for picking me up,’ he said, as they drove out of the airport. ‘You didn’t have to.’
    ‘I thought we could use the time to talk,’ Edward answered, as he negotiated a roundabout.
    ‘Sounds ominous,’ Will replied, looking out of the window.
    ‘We need to talk,’ Edward said. ‘About a lot of things.’
    ‘Definitely ominous,’ Will quipped.
    ‘No, I’m serious,’ Edward said. ‘I know that things haven’t been great between us since your mother died, but things are going to change. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since you’ve been away – I don’t want things to carry on the way they have been. I want us all to be…’
    ‘A happy family?’ Will offered.
    ‘Please, Will.’
    ‘Okay, I’m sorry.’
    ‘Miranda’s pregnant,’ Edward blurted out. ‘I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you.’
    ‘Right,’ Will said, laughing to himself. ‘Now it all makes sense.’
    ‘I hoped you’d be happy for me. This could be our chance to start again – we could get to know each other better – all of us. It would mean so much to me.’
    Will thought for a moment.
    ‘Okay,’ he said.
    ‘You mean it?’ Edward said, unable to hide his surprise.
    ‘I’ve been doing a lot of thinking too,’ Will revealed. ‘Life’s too short. I’ll try my best to make it work.’
    ‘Will, that’s fantastic.’
    They spent the next few minutes driving in silence, heading for London: Edward revelling in the chance of reconciliation, Will musing on how his life would never be the same again after making his revelations.
    ‘How’s Em?’ Will asked.
    ‘I haven’t seen her since calling you,’ Edward admitted. ‘I was afraid that if I did see her, I wouldn’t be able to control myself. She might have suspected something.’
    ‘Would that have been a bad thing?’
    ‘Pardon?’
    ‘Well, it would have saved me the bother of telling her myself. That way, I could have stayed on the other side of the world – probably not far away enough for Em, but it would have been a start.’
    ‘Emma isn’t going to find out about anything.’
    Will was bemused. ‘But