Page 49 of The Best Ex of My Life

Given I now possess a new level of can’t-sleep-thinking-about-it understanding of the fact I’m covered in feelings for Elliot, I wouldn’t have guessed before today that I’d be actively encouraging Teddy and Elliot to get closer, but what I’m saying is true. If Elliot knows how Teddy’s feeling, he’ll do his best to support her. I know he will.

‘Yeah, you’re right,’ she agrees before her attention snaps away from me. The fitting room curtain is pulled back by a triumphant-looking Christine, and Karina emerges wearing the first of the wedding dresses she’s chosen.

‘Ta-dah,’ Christine trills.

‘Holy shit,’ Teddy gets in just as my mouth is opening to say the same.

‘You look incredible,’ I tell Karina.

‘I know,’ she agrees.

She’s wearing the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen. Tight, slim-fitting and entirely backless, it looks as if it was made especially for her. We all watch in awe as she swishes from side to side, the diamonds sewn into the small fish-tail train catching the light perfectly as she does.

‘I love it. I love it so much.’

‘Do you think this is the one?’ Teddy asks. All trace of the exhaustion she’d revealed to me a moment ago has disappeared as she beams at Karina.

‘I don’t know. I was only meant to be coming here today to have a bit of fun trying on the dresses. Christ, we’ve not even booked the wedding yet. I wasn’t meant to be finding the one I actually wanted, and I really wasn’t meant to be buying a dress. There’s absolutely no way I can afford any of the gowns in here,’ Karina admits. Christine’s face bunches up, and she looks so offended, I’m worried she’s going to order Karina off the podium right this second, until Karina adds, ‘I suppose I could call Matthew and see if we can work out a way to get it now.’

‘There’s always a way, I find,’ Christine tells her, patting her arm in approval. ‘Now, are you sure this is the one or would you like to try on the others?’

Karina goes back into the changing room and a cycle begins. Every dress she tries on looks amazing on her, and every dress becomes the one she’s fallen in love with until she remembers the last one. If I was Christine, I would have suggested she buy the first one then and there, as six dresses later, she’s so confused about which one she wants, there’s no way she’s going to commit to any of them.

‘I’m sorry,’ she tells Christine when she’s back in her regular clothes. ‘I can’t decide, and apparently my bridesmaids are no help at all.’

‘Sorry,’ I say, ‘but they’re all so beautiful, there’s no way I can choose between them. You’re on your own.’

‘Agreed,’ Teddy says. ‘I love them all too much to pick a favourite. I’d feel too guilty on the others if I decide.’

‘In that case, I think the best thing to do is go away and have a think about it.’

Christine spends the next five minutes trying in vain to get Karina to commit to buying a dress. When she draws breath for another attempt, I tell her our parking is running out and get us out of there.

‘I thought she’d never let us leave,’ Karina jokes as we hurry away.

‘I know. She was getting worryingly near the door as she spoke. I was beginning to think she was going to lock us in.’

‘Good work, Lizzie. Let’s get back to your car before you get fined,’ she says.

‘No need. I’ve paid for twenty-four hours. What do you want to do? Go home, or hole up in a cosy pub for the rest of the afternoon and talk about those amazing dresses and how incredible you’re going to look on your wedding day?’

‘Definitely cosy pub,’ Karina says and sets off down the quaint cobbled road in search of one. Teddy and I link arms and follow her.

Chapter 20

TEDDY: Hey, have you seen El today?

The message is waiting for me on Monday when I check my phone at the end of the school day, as well as a missed call from Teddy.

LIZZIE: No. Why?

She replies straightaway, even though the message she sent has been sitting there for two hours.

TEDDY: I’m not sure. I was meant to see him last night and he cancelled on me. Said he wasn’t well. He’s not texted me once this morning either. Can you check he’s OK?

My plan is still to avoid Elliot as much as possible until I get some control back on my feelings for him, but I know Teddy wouldn’t text unless she was worried. If spending a few minutes of my day with Elliot will help Teddy feel less stressed, it’s worth it. My stomach still twists when I think about her being unhappy. I promise I’ll go find him and report back. I make my way to his office, hoping he’ll be busy, and we’ll exchange no more than a quick thumbs up so I can tell Teddy everything is fine.

His door is open a fraction when I arrive, and I hear the voice of Mr Montgomery. Our headteacher has a library of voices to choose from depending on who he’s talking to, and this voice is stern. Not angry, not patronising, but the voice he might use to a group of our oldest students when telling them to sort themselves out before exams arrive. It’s the kind of voice you listen to without question, and the kind of voice you definitely don’t want to interrupt. I linger outside the office, pretending to look at an art display until Mr Montgomery is done delivering whatever message he had for Elliot and walks past me.