The One. Maria Realf

other things were for?’

      ‘What? No, they were just save-the-dates. They don’t give any of the details.’ She took a deep breath and tried again. ‘Could you please help me out for a couple of hours on Saturday? It’s not exactly my idea of fun either, but it won’t take long if we do it together.’

      Josh looked sheepish. ‘The thing is, we’ve managed to get a couple of tickets for the match now,’ he mumbled.

      ‘It’s a big game,’ chipped in Freddie.

      They’re all big bloody games. ‘How about Sunday?’

      ‘Sunday’s the kids’ tournament, remember? I’m ref for that one.’

      ‘The referee’s a wanker,’ chanted Freddie, pointing at Josh.

      Lizzie wanted to throw a cushion at both their heads. ‘Let’s talk about this later,’ she sighed.

      ‘Alright,’ said Josh. He gave her his widest don’t-be-mad-at-me eyes. ‘I’ll make it up to you. Maybe I can do a few this week after work instead?’

      ‘OK. Are you hungry?’

      ‘I’m famished,’ said Freddie. ‘What time’s dinner?’

      I take it you’re staying, then? ‘About half an hour.’

      ‘Oh.’ Freddie turned his attention back to the telly and whacked the volume up. ‘What the hell is he doing? I’ve seen parked cars go quicker than that …’

      Lizzie couldn’t listen to them any more. She went back into the kitchen and began to prepare the food, taking her frustration out on the mince as she jabbed at it with a wooden spoon. No one had ever told her that planning a wedding would feel like this much hard work. The bridal magazines made it all sound so glamorous and fabulous.

      Her mind drifted back to the relaxed wedding she’d once dreamed of, without any of the fuss. She couldn’t help wondering how different things might have been if she’d been doing all this with Alex. It suddenly occurred to her that maybe he was already married, or engaged, planning an elaborate extravaganza of his own elsewhere with some spreadsheet-wielding fiancée. It wasn’t a vision she could easily picture, or perhaps she just didn’t want to. Still, she was pretty sure he’d have hated a big, conventional bash.

      She threw a tin of chopped tomatoes into the pan and squished them forcefully against the sides. Alex’s return had wound her up in a way she hadn’t expected. He couldn’t have picked a worse time, could he? Like he was waiting for me to be happy again, just so he could come back and spoil it. The more she thought about it, the more she began to burn with anger. Who does he think he is? The heat from the hob made her temperature surge even higher, until she felt she was at boiling point.

      For a split second, she wished she could run away, just as Alex had done all those years ago. Quit her job. Leave town. Tell Freddie where to stick it on her way out. The thought was incredibly tempting, but even as she savoured it, she knew she was kidding herself. That sort of thing only happened in trashy soaps and Hollywood movies, not suburban Surrey.

       Besides, I do love Josh. I’d miss him a lot.

      ‘Hey Lizzie, can you grab us a couple more cans, please?’ Freddie yelled from the front room. She gave the mince a violent stir.

       Him, not so much.