Who We Were Before Read Online Free Page A

head. Sometimes, I can’t get my head around the fact that we’ve become this couple: two people who can hardly stand to be in the same room – so much that one half has actually disappeared.
    I fling the suitcase on the bed, then close the door again and head back outside. Zoe can do whatever the hell she wants.
    I’m going to have that drink for Fiona.

6
    ZOE, JUNE 2008
    I ’m meeting Edward on the South Bank tonight, and of course it’s raining. Not the soft, gentle rain that hangs in the air, making halos in the streetlamps and adding a softness to London, as if you’re seeing the city through a filter. No, this is a driving rain out to get you, paired with a biting wind that flips umbrellas inside out with such ferocity the spokes break. The kind of rain that makes you want to crawl under your duvet and knit another pair of socks, not drag your work-weary self to a windy, waterlogged bench on the river.
    As I log off my computer at work after yet another crazy day designing websites for clients who haven’t a clue, I contemplate blowing off my meeting with Edward. For all I know, he could be the world’s biggest twat, a borderline alcoholic who’ll get blind drunk, or one of those blokes who take you for dinner and think you owe them a shag.
    As if on cue, my mobile bleeps.
    All set for tonight?
    I think my best friend Kate has more invested in this date than I do. Ever since she got engaged to her ‘one and only’ (as if that exists), she’s been desperate to pair me up, too. I think she feels guilty about moving from our two-bedroom flat to live with Giles ( Giles! ), even though she’s agreed to keep paying rent until she finds someone to take her place. So far she hasn’t, and that’s fine by me. I loved living with her, but I’m also happy with my own space at the end of the day.
    Not sure I’ll go , I text, leaning back in my chair as my mouth stretches into a yawn. Already I’m fantasising about that turquoise yarn, and after the day I’ve had – the day I have every day – I’m craving making something just for me. When I first went into web design, I had grand visions of creating artistic masterpieces my clients would truly appreciate. In reality, though, it’s all about budgets, ease of use and trying to explain that no, you can’t use your son’s photo on the product page just ‘because he’s cute’. Still, it’s better than lots of jobs out there, and the one time you do get a client who gives you free rein makes it all worthwhile. Plus, I work with a great group of people who can usually be counted on to join me after work for a drink, or hit a random gig if I have a spare ticket.
    The shrill ring of my mobile jerks me upright, and I sigh as I spot Kate’s name.
    ‘Not going?’ she squeals before I can even say hello. ‘Are you on drugs? Do you know how hard it is to find a man once you get past thirty? They’re either married, about to get divorced with loads of baggage, or bachelors for life. You’ve had a man – a cute man, based on what you said – practically land in your lap. You have to go!’
    I roll my eyes. Talk about pressure! But I suppose she’s right. I’m in no hurry to settle down, and marriage couldn’t be further from my mind, but I do want to be with someone. I’ve tried online dating for months at a time and got absolutely nowhere, so why not? I smile, remembering the cute way his cheeks turned red and how he hurried off as if he was scared I’d change my mind. Anyway, I don’t have his number to cancel, and I hate to think of him sitting on that bench in the rain, waiting for someone who never comes. I glance down at the lurid-pink socks in my handbag, smiling again as I picture them on his feet. His feet were quite large, it has to be said, and if that myth has any truth to it . . .
    ‘Okay, okay, I’ll go.’
    ‘Good. Make sure to ring me afterwards. I want to hear everything.’
    I hang up and stand, glancing at my watch. I’d