Page 43 of The Ex Factor

‘Morning,’ she mumbled.

‘Morning.’

Molly squinted at her.

‘You look like you’re solving a murder.’

Ashley rolled her eyes. ‘I’m just thinking.’

Molly’s smile widened. ‘What are you thinking about?’

Ashley hesitated. The truthful answer was: whether sleeping with you immediately was reckless or inevitable.

The truthful answer sounded insane.

‘Your house is loud,’ she said instead.

Molly laughed. ‘That’s what you were thinking about?’

‘Actually...’ Ashley glanced around again. ‘I was just wondering how many people live here.’

‘Five.’

‘Five?’

‘I didn’t include me. Six.’

Ashley turned back towards her. ‘That’s a lot.’

‘There may be a seventh.’

‘May?’

Molly shrugged. ‘Our landlords are shady as fuck. They could have snuck another in without us knowing.’

‘If there is, they live upstairs.’

‘There is no upstairs.’

‘As far as you know.’

‘Okay, now you’re spooking me,’ Molly said.

Another crash echoed from downstairs. Neither of them reacted. Ashley realised that she was already becoming accustomed to the environment. Stockholm syndrome apparently developed quickly.

Molly’s phone started ringing from somewhere beneath a pile of clothes. Molly immediately groaned. The ringing continued.

Ashley waited. Molly made no move whatsoever.

‘Are you answering that?’ Ashley asked.

‘I’ll call ‘em back.’

The phone continued ringing. Ashley stared at her. Molly stared at the ceiling.

Eventually Ashley climbed over her, located the phone that had somehow managed to get itself inside a sock, and answered it herself. ‘Hello?’

Molly sat bolt upright. ‘Would you stop doing that! What if it’s a debt collector?’