Free Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern Page A

the wash basket.
    ‘Riley?’ I called through the door.
    ‘Yes.’
    I sighed. ‘You can’t come in.’
    ‘Okay. Can you come out?’
    I unlocked the door, barely opened it so he couldn’t see inside and slid out to him. He tried to look in. I closed the door.
    ‘Have you got company?’
    ‘Yes. A hot naked man with a large erection is lying on my bed waiting for me, if you want to come in.’
    ‘Lucy.’ He had a pained expression.
    ‘I’m only joking.’
    ‘So there’s no one there?’
    ‘No, there is.’ It wasn’t a lie. Mr Pan was waiting for me.
    ‘Sorry. Is it … you know?’
    ‘Life? No. I met him in his office earlier today.’
    ‘Him?’
    ‘Yeah.’
    ‘Weird.’
    ‘Yeah.’
    ‘How did it go?’
    ‘Yeah, good. He was nice, just wanted to check in and have a chat, that kind of thing, I probably won’t have to meet him again.’
    ‘Really?’
    ‘Don’t sound so surprised,’ I snapped.
    ‘Okay.’ He shifted his weight to his other foot. ‘So everything’s okay?’
    ‘Yeah, he was a bit confused as to why he had to meet me at all really.’
    ‘Really?’
    ‘Yeah, it’s just like one of those random breath tests only it’s a random life test. They picked me completely at random, unfortunately for me.’
    ‘Oh. Okay …’
    I let the silence hang.
    ‘Well, I’m here because I found these.’ He took a pair of shoes out from behind his back. ‘I’m checking around the kingdom to see who they fit.’
    I smiled.
    ‘May I?’ He got down on bended knee, lifted my foot, saw I had odd socks on and visibly tried hard not to comment. He removed my sock and slid my foot into the shoe. He looked at me in mock surprise.
    ‘Now do we live incestuously ever after?’ I asked.
    He frowned, then leaned against the door frame and stared at me.
    ‘What?’
    ‘Nothing.’
    ‘What, Riley? You didn’t just come here to give me my shoes.’
    ‘Nothing,’ he repeated. ‘Just …’ He looked like he was going to say something serious. ‘It’s just that I met someone who used to work with you a few years ago in Quinn and Downing and he just said a few things to me …’ He studied me. I tried to look confused, not fearful as I felt, and he changed tack. ‘Anyway, he was probably wrong.’ He cleared his throat.
    ‘Who was it?’ I asked coolly.
    ‘Gavin Lisadel.’ He studied me intensely some more.
    I rolled my eyes. ‘The biggest drama queen I’ve ever worked for.’ In truth a perfectly reputable guy. ‘I’ve heard he’s coming out with all kinds of weird stories about me. Don’t worry, whatever it is, it’s a lie. I heard he’s been cheating on his wife with a man for years, so you know …’ He was a happily married family man as far as I knew. I had just destroyed Gavin’s perfect image in less than one minute but I didn’t care, he had destroyed mine too, not that it had ever been perfect and even if he had, he probably wasn’t lying. Then I felt bad about what I’d said so I added quickly, ‘But everyone really likes him and he’s really good at his job.’
    Riley nodded, still not convinced but he changed the mood. ‘I still can’t believe you said Father wasn’t the breastfed kind.’ He started laughing, then threw his head back and laughed even louder.
    Eventually I joined in. ‘Well? Do you think she’d have bothered? Old wrinkly tits?’
    He shook his head, disgusted by the thought.
    The door opposite me opened and a friendly apologetic face popped out. ‘Hi, Lucy, I’m really sorry, do you mind keeping it down a little? I’ve just—oh hi,’ she said, noticing Riley.
    ‘Sorry,’ Riley apologised. ‘I’m just leaving.’
    ‘No, it’s rude of me to ask, it’s just that I’ve got …’ She pointed her thumb back into the apartment but didn’t say anything. ‘You look so alike. Are you Lucy’s brother?’ she asked, studying him.
    ‘I am. Riley.’ He reached out his hand and they shook, which was weird because I couldn’t even remember my