I laugh then, shaking my head. ‘I think you’re probably imagining something hotter than the reality.’
‘I doubt that.’ He approaches the edge of the bed and holds his hands out to me. He doesn’t move when I stand up; his body pulls mine towards him. I stand, grabbing a sheet and wrapping it around me, toga-style, as I do.
‘My mission is clear. To find a pole in the next three days.’
‘You’d be surprised by how difficult that is.’
‘You’ve got one at home?’ he prompts.
‘In my garage.’ I grin.
‘And your fuckwit ex still left you?’
Gareth.
It’s like a ton of bricks landing on my head. I blink, disorientated for a second, nothing making sense.
‘That wasn’t the most sensitive comment I could have made,’ he apologises.
‘It’s fine.’ My smile feels sticky on my face. I spin away from him. ‘Thanks for bringing dinner. That was thoughtful of you.’
‘He was getting married today?’
He’s not picking up the vibe I’m giving out. ‘Yeah. This morning.’ Another smile; it still doesn’t feel right. ‘So by now she’ll be Mrs Gareth Clarke-White and I’m just a fragment of his past.’
I reach into the bag and pull out a box of chips, taking one then handing it to him.
The burgers are next.
‘Vegetarian?’ I prompt, reading the writing scored across the top.
‘For me.’
‘Are you?’
‘A vegetarian? Yeah. All my life.’
‘Seriously?’
‘Sure. Why? You find that hard to believe?’
I tilt my head to one side, pointedly examining his buff physique. ‘You look like a meat eater.’
He grins. ‘I guess that’s a compliment?’
‘It is.’ I lift my burger from the box, inhaling the aroma gratefully. ‘You’re not going to be offended if I eat this in front of you?’
He pulls a face. ‘I brought it over here, didn’t I?’
‘I know. Some people can be sensitive about that kind of thing.’
‘We don’t know each other that well, so let me just tell you, I’m not really sensitive about anything.’
I open the box, and bite into the burger. It’s delicious. Beef, bacon, cheese, tomato, pickle, lettuce on a brioche bun. And I’m famished.
‘So why?’
‘Why what?’