He’d never learned the answer to the question of how much it would hurt the waitress if he’d ripped out her nose-ring, as she’d fallen unconscious before he had the chance to yank it out. But Number Thirteen was special as she had been the first he had introduced to Amy, so he placed her ring, complete with slivers of cartilage, under the sheet and next to her picture.
He closed the book, returned to his desk, and continued to formulate his plans to visit Number Fourteen later that night.
Chapter 53
JADE
How is this even happening? Jade asked herself so many times that even she realised she was beginning to sound like a broken record.
She needed to process her thoughts, so she made her way to the closest town, approximately twenty miles away. She had travelled the world to meet the man with whom she’d been Matched, the like-minded soul she thought she had fallen in love with before they’d even come face to face. It was only after spending time together in person that she realised there was no spark between them, at least not on her behalf. They’d held hands, they’d laughed, they’d spoken about life and death and everything in between, and delighted in each other’s company. But there hadn’t been so much as a kiss between them.
Now, out of the blue, everything she was supposed to be feeling for Kevin, the sparks she had read about, she now felt for his brother Mark instead.
No, this is wrong, Jade told herself. You’ve barely even spoken to the lad. Every time he sees you, it’s like he’d rather be anywhere else than with you.
But it was then that suddenly Mark’s attitude towards her made sense. He felt it too. What she’d previously put down to some strange hatred or animosity was actually him trying to conceal his feelings. It all made sense now. He was often tongue-tied around her or ignored her completely because he was experiencing the same intense feelings of love and lust as she did, only it had hit him sooner. And, like Jade, he knew just how inappropriate it was.
Jade remembered the film she’d gone to see at the cinema with her girlfriends last Christmas, Rebel Heart; Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper played a couple who had been DNA Matched but didn’t get on, and Jennifer fooled herself that she’d fallen for his best friend instead. Transference, is what they called it, Jade recalled and picked up her phone to Google the word. ‘Transference is a phenomenon characterised by unconscious redirection of feelings from one person to another.’
‘Yes!’ she said out loud. Somewhere in her mind, she was scared of loving Kevin because he was terminally ill. There was only ever going to be one outcome. And by the way his physical health had been deteriorating of late, they might not have much time left together at all. It made sense that her mind, or her heart – or even her DNA – had latched on to Mark as a sort of coping mechanism.
She leaned her head back against the car’s headrest. With this realisation she felt much less disgusted with herself. She wasn’t the cold-hearted bitch she was worried she was becoming, merely someone who had been put through the wringer and had subconsciously found a way to cope with it.
Jade knew what she must do – she’d follow Mark’s lead and keep her distance. Whenever they crossed paths he always looked awkward. She would stop trying to engage him in conversation and try to keep away from him in general. Hopefully her unwanted feelings would disappear with the same speed with which they had arrived.
Upon her return from the town stores, and after having unpacked the groceries, Jade made a beeline for Kevin’s room. ‘What do you think would have happened between us if I hadn’t been sick?’ Kevin asked as she browsed through the many films on Netflix.
The question made her bristle. ‘I don’t know.’
‘You once said on the phone that because we were destined to be together we’d probably get married and have kids and stuff.’
‘Yes, if everything had been normal then that’s probably what would have happened.’
‘I’m sorry I can’t be that man for you.’
‘Don’t be daft.’
‘I know I can’t give you a happy ever after or a family, but I can give you this.’ Kevin removed a small, velvet-covered box from his oversized jogging bottoms. ‘Here,’ he said, passing it to her. ‘Open it.’
Inside, Jade found a silver ring inset with a small cluster of diamonds. She looked at him, puzzled.
‘Jade, I know this isn’t what either of us planned, but the last couple of weeks have been the best of my life. I love you and I’d like to marry you.’
She swallowed hard and stared at the nervous young man in front of her. His fingers had trembled when he held the box to her. She wanted so desperately to love him, but here, at his most vulnerable, she knew that she did not.
‘I mean, you don’t have to say yes or anything because you feel you have to …’ Kevin continued.
But Jade had already made her decision, and wore her best smile. ‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘I’d love to marry you.’
Chapter 54
NICK
The guests around the dining table laughed heartily at one of John-Paul’s anecdotes involving a young reality star his PR agency represented and the result of too much cocaine.
John-Paul and his wife Lucienne, a tabloid journalist, were always a worthy addition to their dinner parties with the salacious celebrity gossip they entertained them with, much to the amusement of Sally, Sumaira and Deepak. It was only Nick who wasn’t laughing. Instead, he sat at the table staring out through the wall-to-ceiling window as he often did, wishing he were anywhere but there.
His ambivalence towards the company and the Malaysian food Sally had spent much of the day preparing hadn’t gone unnoticed. Several times Sally placed her hand on Nick’s arm, and while it used to make him smile, now he just wanted to recoil at her touch. He was also drinking more than usual, knocking back the Chardonnay, undeterred by the hangover it would inevitably give him the next day.
‘How are the wedding plans going?’ asked Lucienne. Nick was just sober enough to stop himself from letting out an audible groan.
‘There’s not much left to do now really,’ said Sally, a sudden edge to her voice. She was probably annoyed by the way Nick was acting. ‘It’s just going to be the two of us in New York. All we need to find is a photographer now and we’ll probably have a party when we get home.’
‘I wish we’d done that,’ Sumaira said, glancing at Deepak. ‘It would’ve saved my parents a fortune. And you haven’t had any more thoughts about doing the Match Your DNA test first?’
‘Oh, don’t start on that again,’ Deepak interrupted. ‘They’re happy as they are. Leave them be.’
‘I was only asking.’
Nick’s eyes flicked towards Sally’s but she didn’t return the look. She was too busy topping up Deepak’s drink, visibly flushed by Sumaira’s question. He was surprised she hadn’t told her best friend they’d taken the test or about his results. He was thankful to Deepak for keeping the information between just the two of them. But there was something about Sumaira that night that was winding him up. Her pregnancy gave her a boastfulness that irritated him, as if she was rubbing her and Deepak’s perfect marriage and impending parenthood in his face. He felt like his world was on the verge of collapse, and he couldn’t stand looking at her smug expression.