Love Your Life(55)

“Hi!” I clasp Sarika in a tight hug, then Nell.

“Where’s he gone?” demands Nell at once. “Run away?”

“Phone call. How’re you doing?” I automatically scan her face for signs of pain or fatigue, but she smiles back easily.

“I’m great! A hundred percent.” She hesitates, then adds, “I was just saying to Sarika, it’s been three months since— Well, since any symptoms at all. Three months, Ava. So…who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to give up my blue-badge space to bastard Sweetman after all.”

There’s hope in her face—and it makes her look so vulnerable, my stomach squeezes. Nell doesn’t normally do hope. Not since she got ill. She describes her life philosophy as “managed pessimism.” If she’s looking like this, she must be really hoping she’s turned a corner for good.

“Nell, that’s awesome!” I lift a hand and high-five her.

“I know. Pretty cool. Anyway, enough about me and my boring health,” she quickly adds. “Ask this one about her love life.” She prods Sarika, who shakes her hair back, looking pleased with herself.

    “I’m down to a shortlist of three guys,” she tells me. “All really eligible. Two in IT, one accountant, all in the right salary bracket.”

“Three eligible guys!” I exclaim encouragingly. “That’s great! Do they all live within ten minutes of a tube station?” I add, meeting Nell’s eye.

“Of course,” says Sarika, looking surprised, and I bite my lip.

“That’s great! So, are you going to meet them all?”

“I’m going to apply some more filters first,” says Sarika thoughtfully. “Take the process to the max. See who lasts the course. Maybe one will really stand out.”

“Like The Hunger Games,” I suggest, and she narrows her eyes, not sure if I’m joking or not. To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m joking or not either. I suddenly visualize these three poor guys standing on pedestals, waiting for whatever firebomb Sarika throws at them next, and have an awful urge to laugh.

But I mustn’t. This is just Sarika’s way. It suits her.

“Good for you,” I say encouragingly. “I’m sure you’ll end up with the perfect guy.”

“Speaking of which…” Sarika raises her eyebrows sardonically. “How’s your perfect guy?”

“Perfect,” I reply with a blissful smile. “I mean…more or less.”

“Here he is,” observes Nell, as Matt strides over the grass toward us. He’s put his phone away and his face is open and eager, and I feel a flash of pride because, well, just look at him. He could live ten hours from a tube station and he’d still be the right guy for me.

    “Hi,” he addresses Nell and Sarika. “Good to meet you again.”

He shakes Sarika’s hand, then Nell pulls him in for a hug, and then, not to be outdone, Sarika kisses him.

“You realize you’re an inspiration to us all?” she says, addressing both of us. “You meet on holiday, you know absolutely nothing about each other, you’re practically strangers…and here you are! The perfect couple!”

“I know!” I say, glancing fondly at Matt. “Isn’t it amazing?”

“Some people invest hours and money in dating the logical, scientific way,” continues Sarika, “but you two just stumble across each other. It’s a dating miracle!”

She eyes Matt closely, waiting for him to respond…and then I get it. Sarika is a lovely, generous person—but even so, she’s dying to find something wrong. Because our love story disproves all her theories of dating, and Sarika’s used to being the clever one.

“Yes, it is a miracle, really,” I say, dragging Matt closer to me and wrapping my arm around his waist. “Sarika’s into online dating,” I add to Matt. “She believes in the power of the algorithm. But I don’t. I mean, be honest, would you have gone for me if you’d seen my profile on a dating site?” Even as I’m saying the words, I realize I don’t actually want Matt to answer this question. “Whatever!” I hastily chime in as he draws breath. “Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn’t, it’s irrelevant! Because here we are. And what brought us together wasn’t a computer.” I allow myself a tiny, disparaging smile. “I’m not guided by a piece of code that some stranger wrote. I’m guided by my own internal, natural code. My instinct.” I bang my heart. “My instinct was that we would be compatible, and it was right!”

    “So—no flies in the ointment?” Sarika sounds teasing, but I can tell she seriously wants to know. “No clouds on the horizon?”

“None,” I say, trying not to sound smug. “All blue sky.”

“Amazing,” says Sarika, looking unconvinced. “Do you agree, Matt?”

“Hundred percent,” says Matt at once, and I feel a surge of love for him. “We have so much in common, Ava and I. We both love…” He pauses as though searching for words. “We both really enjoy…” He stops again, apparently stumped.

I feel a slight tweak of annoyance, because can’t he think of one thing we both like? There are so many! There’s sex…and there’s…