The Love of My Afterlife(34)

When it’s my turn to draw, Cooper gets so frustrated that his voice pitches an octave deeper—an unsuccessful attempt to conceal the frustration.

“You’re shading? You’re shading right now, Delphie? The clock is ticking.”

“The reason I haven’t correctly guessed your drawings, Cooper, is because your drawings lack basic information,” I reply through gritted teeth. If he is managing to keep his shit together, then I will not be the one who gets visibly angry.

“It’s Pictionary, Delphie. We don’t need bloody chiaroscuro. Just draw what it says on the card.”

“I am drawing what it says on the card, Cooper.” I speed up my rendering of a surprise party because we only have fifteen seconds left.

“Come on, come on!” Cooper stands up from the sofa, the top of his curls almost touching the ceiling.

“Please refrain from speaking unless you have a reasonable guess, Cooper.”

“Well, clearly the sex is dynamite,” a now-sozzled Lester says, grinning from ear to ear. The rest of us studiously ignore him.

I finish my final flourish—the object of the surprise party, her mouth open in a scream. “There. Come on! Surely you can see…”

“Oh…oh! It’s a surprise—surprise party!” Cooper yells, hands on his knees.

“Yes!” I squeal, fist pumping the air.

Cooper crosses the room and pulls me into a celebratory hug. I immediately stiffen. Not overtly but enough for him to realise. He immediately steps back. He doesn’t say sorry, because that would look totally weird in front of his family, but he gives me a small apologetic shrug.

“Don’t know why you’re getting excited,” Lester says. “You still lost.”

“Thanks, Uncle Lester.”

“Congratulations to you all,” I say with a little bow. “You were worthy winners. Good game.”

“I rather think we are the winners for having met you tonight!” Amy says, also pulling me into a hug. This time I’m prepared and don’t flail on her. I sort of melt into the hug, the soft cottony smell of her blouse sending a soothing, comforting sensation swimming right through me. She pats the back of my head softly. To my mortification, my eyes fill with tears. Great. I don’t cry in over ten years and now twice in the same day?

Amy leans back and beams at me, her hands on my shoulders. “You look after him, won’t you. He could do with a little happiness.”

“Mother,” Cooper barks. “Christ. Delphie and I…It’s been three weeks.”

Amy shrugs. “I just…It’s nice to see you smiling is all.”

“He so rarely smiles.” I nod, stealthily dabbing a tear from my eye before it falls.

Cooper is stony faced. He runs his hand through his curls and looks at his wristwatch. “Perhaps time for us to go.”

“And it’s such a lovely smile,” Amy continues as if Cooper hasn’t spoken. “Go on, Coop. Show us all that lovely smile.”

“Yeah, come on, son,” Malcolm adds. “Show your mum that killer smile. It’ll sustain her for a week, and then I won’t have to hear her go on about how you never smile anymore.”

Amy turns back to Cooper, a hopeful, slightly desperate look on her face.

Cooper closes his eyes briefly, like he would rather be anywhere else right now. I think of how he told me to fuck off that cold morning when I asked him to turn down his music. “Yeah, Cooper. Show us those beautiful white teeth.” I lean in to Malcolm. “His teeth are my favourite thing about him.”

“Really?” Malcolm snorts. “His teeth?”

I nod. “They’re so straight. It’s mesmerising.”

“Years of orthodontics,” Amy says. “I took him to all his appointments.”

“Fine!” Cooper growls. He produces a massively over-the-top smile, like Wallace out of Wallace and Gromit. He holds the smile for a second before his face drops back into its usual sternness, although his eyes have softened slightly.

“It’s a start, I suppose,” Amy chuckles as she walks us to the door. “It was lovely to meet you, Delphie.”

“I’ve loved meeting you too,” I say, a flood of confusion swishing up my insides as I realise that I’m not just being polite. I’m telling the truth.



* * *





On the way home, I think of Mum and text her to let her know that I’m going to a life-drawing class tomorrow. Not that I intend to do any drawing when I’m there, but seeing Amy with Cooper made me remember how much Mum and I used to like drawing together. When we get back to Westbourne Hyde Road, Cooper opens the car door for me.

“Thanks,” I say. “Your key or mine…?”

I trail off as Cooper slides his own key out of his jeans pocket and slots it into the lock.

He strides across the hallway towards his apartment, turning to me when he’s at the door. “Thank you for your help this evening.” His eyes soften a little. “I enjoyed it more than expected. And it should call off the Veronica setup for the foreseeable.”

I shrug a shoulder. “It was fine. Your parents are nice.”

He makes no move to open his door.

I step forward. “I…I was sorry to hear about your sister…” I say.