‘Yeah. Listen. This ain’t easy. I – I was thinking maybe we need to give it a rest. You and me. I’m not sure we’re really going anywhere. Don’t get me wrong, this has been amazing, and what you’ve given me – I mean, you taught me so much, didn’t you – without you I definitely wouldn’t be the man I am today, but I think – I mean, if we’re being honest, did you ever really see a long-term future? I mean, you and me’s very different people, ain’t we?’

Clio was silent for a long time, then her voice shuddered out from the covers,

‘Who is she, then?’

‘Come on, Clio. That ain’t what we’re talking about here.’

‘Sounds like it’s exactly what we’re talking about to me.’

‘Listen, I’m not gonna lie to you, man. There’s someone else; I’m interested, I’d like to see where it goes, sure thing. But let’s not pretend we ain’t been having problems for years. We ain’t happy, Clio. We ain’t been making each other happy for a while. Long before this. I can’t help you when you like this. You deserve someone who can; someone more mature than I can be.’

She sat up in the bed with some effort; naked, messy hair, eyes red and tiny. She followed his eye, pulled the cover over her tits.

‘So, what, then? What were you expecting me to do here, boyo? Say “I understand” and fade gratefully into the distance, thankful for that one last dose of youthful cock before I shuffled off into the grave? Let’s not get it twisted here – you were the one who chased me. You were the one who kept coming back, kept it going, told me that the age thing didn’t matter. I mean, look at the years I’ve wasted on you. That could have been – oh, never mind.’

She flopped back down in the bed as though physically exhausted.

‘Fuck off, Hamza. Fuck back off to where you came from, you silly little boy.’

He got up and left and she screamed at his back.

‘I hope someone hurts you. I hope someone fucks you over like this. I hope you feel all of this coming back at you, harder and stronger, magnified. I hope I’m there to see it.’

‘Fucksake Clio. What, you putting a curse on me or something?’

She pointed a bloodstained finger at him, made a weird half-laughing noise in her throat.

‘Ha! Yeah, why not. I curse you. I curse you to experience all this pain. Five times over. Now get the fuck away from me. Piss off to your child bride or whatever and try to have a happy life. Once you grow the fuck up.’

Those last words yelled as he ran, actually ran, tripped over her suitcase in the hall and kept on running.

SAMMI

2009–11