The Girl on Paper Read Free Page B

friends
    I kept repeating over and over all the things you’re meant to say to help a broken heart, but words are no help at all… There are no words that have the power to heal the guy who feels he has nothing left, because he has lost the one he loves
    Richard Brautigan
    ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ I slurred.
    ‘I’m worried about you, Tom! You’ve been locked away here for months, stuffing yourself with sedatives.’
    ‘Well, that’s my problem!’ I shouted back, trying to get up.
    ‘No, Tom, your problems are my problems. I thought that’s what friends were for!’
    I sat on the sofa with my head in my hands and shrugged my shoulders, half ashamed, half in despair.
    ‘Anyway,’ Milo continued, ‘if you think I’m just going to sit here and watch a woman put you through all this—’
    ‘You’re not my father, OK?’ I answered, slowly and laboriously trying to stand upright.
    As I got to my feet, I suddenly felt dizzy and had to lean on the back of the sofa for support.
    ‘That’s true, but if Carole and I don’t take care of you, who will?’
    I turned away from him, ignoring his question. Although Iwas only in my boxers, I made my way to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. Milo followed me, dug out a trash bag and began to sort through the contents of my fridge.
    ‘Unless you’re planning on death by out-of-date yoghurt, I’d get rid of all of this dairy stuff if I were you,’ he said, sniffing a rather dubious-looking pot of fromage frais.
    ‘It’s not as if you have to eat it.’
    ‘And these grapes – was Obama even in office when you bought them?’
    He then turned his attention to the living room, clearing the floor of all the takeaway boxes and empty bottles.
    ‘Why are you still hanging on to this thing?’ he asked disapprovingly, pointing at a digital photo frame which was playing a slideshow of photos of Aurore.
    ‘Because this is MY HOUSE and in MY HOUSE I can do what I want.’
    ‘Maybe, but that girl broke your heart into a thousand pieces. Don’t you think it’s time you took her down from her pedestal?’
    ‘Listen, Milo, I know you never liked Aurore—’
    ‘I’ll admit I wasn’t her biggest fan. And, if I’m honest, I always knew she wouldn’t stick by you.’
    ‘Oh, really? May I ask why?’
    Things he had obviously been wanting to say for a long time came pouring out.
    ‘Because Aurore isn’t like us! Because she looks down on people like us! Because she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Because for her life is a game, whereas for us it’s always been a struggle—’
    ‘As if it were really that black and white! You don’t know anything about her!’
    ‘Stop defending her! Look what she’s done to you!’
    ‘Of course, you’d never be in this situation, would you?You’ve never been in love; all you have is your bimbos!’
    The argument had unintentionally escalated and now we were trading retorts like blows.
    ‘But what you’re going through has nothing to do with love!’ Milo raged. ‘It’s something else entirely, a mixture of suffering and dangerous obsession.’
    ‘At least I’m not afraid to take risks! You, on the other hand—’
    ‘What, you think I’m afraid of taking risks? I parachuted from the top of the Empire State Building! The video was all over the internet.’
    ‘Yeah, and what did you get out of that, apart from a huge fine?’
    Milo carried on as if he hadn’t heard me.
    ‘I’ve skied down the Cordillero Blanco in Peru. I’ve paraglided off the top of Everest. I’m one of the handful of people in the world who have climbed K2—’
    ‘I’m not saying you’re not a daredevil. But I’m talking about daring to fall in love. And that’s a risk you’ve never taken, not even with—’
    ‘SHUT UP!’ he exploded, grabbing the collar of my T-shirt to stop me finishing my sentence.
    He stayed like that for a few seconds, fists clenched, glaring at me, until he remembered where he was; he