‘Well, I think highly of myself.’ Her tone was light, relaxed, and it was starting to brush off although my cheeks were still blooming roses.

‘That’s how you see your body?’

She stood and looked at the drawing, then tilted her head from one side to the other, like someone inspecting it for the first time. ‘Shaky lines, bold curves.’ She nodded. ‘Strong.’ Without another word she disappeared behind me and, I guessed, into the kitchen. ‘Now, you’re banished from turning around while I get food sorted because I’m a sucker for suspense. But take a look about the place, why don’t you? You can try to guess which work is mine.’

I stood up, covered my eyes and said, ‘Yes, boss.’

‘Hm,’ I heard, then, although her voice was nearly a whisper. ‘I like that.’

The heat in my face flared, and I wondered how much of my hand might be covering the creep of red. Fred would probably call it crimson or bloodshot or magenta. To keep my cool – whatever was left of it – while I walked around the flat, I tried to name as many colours as I could that meant the same or similar to red. If nothing else I’ll impress her with my palette, I thought while I stared over a distorted bouquet of sunflowers that was framed and hung in another part of the hallway. Beyond the white, I realised, nothing else had to match. The colour-blocked blue was close to the burnt orange and then, when I took brave steps into the bedroom, I found teal and purple and greyscale – none of which matched the green in the bathroom.

‘Ready when you are,’ she soon shouted, and I felt the dip of something in my pelvis.

I traced my way into the open space of the living room and rounded the corner to the kitchen, where the table stood loaded with food. There were slices of what looked to be garlic and herb flatbread, bowls of pasta soaked in different sauces, and were those vegetable spring rolls? Fred kept quiet for a second while I took in the sights of rice, small pots of curry, and – Christ, is that a cheese board?

She crossed the space to meet me. ‘Beyond what you ate for dinner the other night, I was kind of shooting in the dark. But statistically, there must be something here that you like.’

I sighed and felt a sink of something drop from my chest and settle between my hips.

‘I think I’d like you?’

Fred narrowed her eyes and waited a second, as though giving me the chance to take it back. But when I didn’t, she pulled me by the waist, leaned in and kissed my jawline. ‘That, I can do.’

Chapter 30