“Fuck off.” I raise my finger at him, my hand shaking. “Don’t make a joke out of this. The fact is that you can have someone else easily. Someone who won’t have seizures, someone who can have a cocktail or a shot at a wedding reception. Someone like him. He doesn’t have any problems. He’s all shiny hair and an expensive suit.”

“Well, I’m so glad you can gauge that from just his clothes. Such an under-appreciated talent you’ve got. Like water divining, but with Hugo Boss instead.” The words are light, but his voice is full of anger, and when I look closely, I can see the rage in his eyes. He stops and takes a deep breath, and when he speaks next, his words are icy cold, and they make me flinch. “Still, it’s nice that you’ve made up my mind for me, Charlie. Because I’m such a fucking idiot lightweight, I’d better stick to my own kind. God forbid that I should want more. You’ve actually made your real opinion of me very clear. I’m obviously not mentally and emotionally capable of sustaining anything that’s even slightly complicated.” He nods. “Thank you for telling me. You’ve saved me a lot of trouble in the long run.”

His eyes are filled with hurt and anger and loss. I feel it all deep in my stomach. I’ve never seen Misha like this before, and I hate the fact that I’m the cause of it. All my rage suddenly dies away, leaving me tired and drained. I open my mouth to apologise, but before I can, he steps back.

“You should go home,” he says coldly.

“What?” I say, stunned.

“Go home. Get some rest. I’ll tell my mum that you’re not feeling good. They’re leaving in a few minutes anyway.”

And then he’s gone, leaving me alone in the room with the sick feeling that I’ve just destroyed something very precious. With no other choice, I turn and leave the hotel.

Chapter Sixteen

Misha

I slump at the bar, looking morosely at the glass of whisky in front of me and flicking a piece of confetti off my sleeve. We saw my mum and Jim off an hour ago, and the bloody stuff is everywhere. There’s a rustle of clothing, and I shake my head as Felix slides in next to me.

“I’m not exactly good company at the moment,” I warn him.

He huffs. “When were you good company? I must have missed that millisecond.”

“Well, I’m in an especially bad mood today.”