Adele Parks - Love Lies

‘Hey guys, we’re closing up now. You have to get on your way,’ calls out the guy who owns the peony stall. Adam and I scramble to our feet and splutter apologies for inconveniencing him by delaying his packing-up. The guy shrugs, not worried, not bothered.

We start to walk out of the warehouse and towards the bright LA streets. Adam puts his arm around me. It feels just the right weight.

‘Tell me some more about how it might work out,’ I say. ‘You know, the future you imagine, tell me more about that. Do you really think Ben and Scott might make it?’

‘OK, well, let’s imagine Ben is right that Scott is gay, and you are wrong to assume he was just experimenting or indulging.’

‘But Ben still doubts Scott’s ability to be faithful,’ I point out.

‘Ah, but you might be right about Scott there. You’ve always maintained that as soon as Scott finds the right person he’ll settle down. Maybe he’ll be content and complete with Ben. Other people might catch Scott’s eye but they won’t turn his head.’

‘And the American market? Is his career over?’

‘No way. Wedding Album will go to number one. First, he can really play the jilted lover bit. That will get the sympathy gushing in and then he will tell the world he’s gay. The Americans will love Scott’s sincerity, you know, especially if he comes out on Oprah . He’ll storm America.’ I smile, delighted with this idea.

‘And Jess will meet someone really special and live happily ever after?’ I add, just to tie up loose ends.

‘Yeah, she will. It might be that guy from the Purple Lounge last night. She didn’t get back to the hotel until four a.m. and she was wearing that crazy grin of hers.’

‘I know the one. So, it will all be all right,’ I confirm.

‘Most of the time,’ says Adam.

He pulls me towards him and we hold on to each other, enjoying our quiet moment in the baking sun. We stay like that for an age and then we break apart and set off towards the car.

‘Do you have any money on you for the parking lot?’ I ask.

‘Yes.’

‘Is it too soon to start scrounging off you?’

‘No,’ says Adam. ‘I’m a manager of a band now, I can slip you a few dollars. As long as you pay me back, with interest,’ he jokes.

‘I’m broke,’ I point out. ‘And I don’t have a job.’

‘Maybe you can buy the B&B off Ben. If not, you’ll have to pay me in kind,’ he grins suggestively, and I feel a faint fluttering against the lining of my stomach as excitement and hope hiccup back into my soul.

‘Sounds good.’

‘It’s too soon to propose, though, yeah?’ he asks.

‘A bit,’ I admit.

‘OK, I’ll ask you tomorrow,’ says Adam with a satisfied smile.

‘You do that,’ I beam back, smug in my ordinary ever after.

Acknowledgements

Enormous thanks go to Linda Di-Marcello for her generous support of Sparks, the children’s medical research charity. Their sole remit is to fund research across the entire spectrum of paediatric medicine. Their goal is for all babies to be born healthy and stay healthy.

To learn more about Sparks, visit www.sparks.org.uk.

Enormous thanks also go to Fern and Jim Dickson for their generous support of the Helen Feather Memorial Trust. The aims of the Trust are to support people with cancer and raise money for carefully selected Cancer Research Projects.

To learn more about the Helen Feather Memorial Trust, visit www.helenfeathertrust.co.uk.