I'm Normally Perfect (re-upload)

Chapter Sixty

Alex amazes me. She can sleep on planes. Just put the seat back and sleep like we might not die at any moment. Unbelievable. The seats in first class go beneath the seats in front so you lie perfectly flat, but they're still not comfortable enough to lull me into a false sense of security. So I sat up and read and wrote whilst Alex snoozed beside me. She rather snores when we're on flights. She doesn't at home, though. Perhaps that's her unconscious way of relieving stress.

Once we landed in London I wanted to be home immediately, but Graham had offered us his house for the rest of the night, as he'd figured we'd be too tired to drive. He even met us at the airport—obviously the man was in love, who else would drive to bloody Heathrow at 2 in the morning? Alex was more alert than I, as she'd slept whereas now that I was no longer in immediate danger of plunging into the frigid North Atlantic I was about to pass out. They chuntered on in the front whilst I dozed in back. She seemed awfully glad to see him and I suddenly wished that night on the phone in DC I'd told him she really wasn't interested in him and was, in fact, only using him. What can I say, I get bitchy when I'm tired.

Once at his house I fell into the guest bed and wasn't conscious again until that afternoon. As soon as I awoke I was ready to go home, but we stayed for lunch, which Graham spent mooning over Alex. Their reunion must have been a good one—I was suddenly put off my sandwich. Alex had left the car at his house so we started back after the lunch rush.

As we broke free of the built up part of London and made our way out into countryside I said, 'Graham seemed a bit clingy, don't you think?'

'He was only glad to see us.'

'I think you mean, "you." It didn't much matter if I was there or not.'

Alex glanced at me, 'Don't you think you're being a bit hard on him?'

'Not particularly.'

She sighed, 'I don't know what you've got against him. He's been perfectly nice to you.'

I shrugged, 'It's probably the jetlag talking,' but I knew that wasn't the truth. No, I'd suddenly taken a dislike to Graham. I'd decided it was because I didn't appreciate drunken phone calls—they were a sign of weakness. When I was plastered I didn't go round phoning people and saying horribly embarrassing things. Actually, I hated him because he was a good guy and had given me no plausible reason to dislike him. The nerve. The very least he could do was provide me with something tangible to hold against him, but no, he only seemed to have eyes for Alex. Bastard. I wished I'd thought to bring up her running into her ex-boyfriend on the street. Bet that would have ticked him off. Men didn't like it when their bed partners had slept with other people. They were all schmucks that way. I reminded myself that no matter how charming he seemed he was still a man and therefore—beneath it all—a jerk.

Once we arrived home Thailia helped us drag our bags—heavy with souvenirs—into the house. Clem and Catherine the Great came out and I fell into the floor and ruffled them up. Clem loved it, but after a bit Cate got miffed and ran over to Alex who picked her up and scratched her little head.

Continuing to sit in the floor and hug Clem I asked the dog-minder, 'Were they good?'

She nodded enthusiastically, 'As always.'

Alex asked, 'Any problems with the house?'

'No, I watered the plants as instructed. Everything's fine.'

I took my bags up to my room, taking great breaths of the air in my house all the way whilst Alex gave Thailia the notebook and pens she'd bought for her. When I returned downstairs for another load of luggage she said, 'Thanks so much, these are great!'