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Chapter 1

I kick h the piles ofa box in my hands as the door slae two years’ worth of dust from the picture rails in the eht beforetheir way tothe box at my feet to rub away the tickle

“Da down the hall in search of some tissue

Entering the lounge, I weave through the haphazard boxes in search of the one labeled BATHROOM I don’t fancyto be unpacked I don’t knohere to start

Circling slowly, I take in round-floor apartian house on a tree-lined street in West London Thein the lounge is huge, the ceilings high, the floors original I wander through to the kitchen, gririme on every surface The place has been e a day with a pair of rubber gloves and a bottle of cleaner can’t sort

Suddenly excited, envisioning how everything will sparkle after I’ve attacked it with a bucket load of cleaning detergents, I throw the double doors open into the courtyard garden to let in some air, then head to the e en suite and an original ornate fireplace I s up into the corridor, and enter the second bedrooh I have other ideas for this space I pictureout onto the cute courtyard, andthe back wall scattered with technical drawings and files It’s mine All mine

It’s taken e, but I’m finally here I finally have my own place, as well as my own studio to work from I always told myself I’d have my own business and et by a whole year And now I have this weekend to make it feel like home

As if on cue, there’s a banging on the front door I dash throughface-to-face with a bottle of Prosecco being thrust at me

“Welcolasses, too

“Oh oods, and open the path to her, welcorin on my face

She bea her chin, her dark eyes glea with happiness—happiness for me “First we toast, then we clean”

I agree as I close the door behind her, following her into the cluttered lounge

“Holy shit, Annie!” she gasps, co to a stop at the doorhen she spies the mountains of boxes “Where did all this stuff come from?”

I push past her and place the glasses on a box, starting to peel back the foil from the bottle of fizz “Most of it is work stuff,” I say, popping the cork and starting to pour

“How many books and pens does one architect need?” she asks, pointing to the opposite side of the lounge, where there’s a line of plastic boxes running the length of one wall, all stuffed with various files, textbooks, and stationery

“Most of the books are fro by tomorroith a van to take the stuff I don’t want to the charity shop” I hand Lizzy a glass and chink it with mine

“Cheers,” she says, sipping as she gazes around “Where do we start?”

I join her, sipping while looking around at the et my bedroom sorted so I have somewhere to sleep I’ll tackle the rest over the weekend”

“Ooh, your boudoir!” She waggles suggestive eyebrows at me, and I roll my eyes

“This is aof Prosecco, Iin the huge space,table—which have all been dumped in the middle of the room I hope Lizzy has stretched in preparation to shift all this hefty stuff

“Your life is a man-free zone”

“I’ a satisfied sth to strength There’s no better feeling than watching the vision in your head co Froe of twelve, I knew exactly what I wanted to do Dad bought me a rabbit for my birthday, and quite uniedit to hed and told me to drahat I wanted So, I did I’ve never looked back After two years acing my A-levels, four years at Bath University, and seven years working at a coh my three architect exa forpeople’s dream projects come to life

I hold up lass of fizz “How’s your job, anyway?”

“I work to live, Annie I don’t live to work I only think of pedicures, skin, and nails when I’m at the salon” Lizzy joins e the subject It’s been one year, two ot laid”

“That’s very accurate of you”

Lizzy shrugs “It was hth”

I reh his name escapes me

“To to by player dude Jason’s friend of a friend”

Cute rugby player dude’s thighs invade ht I met Lizzy’s boyfriend’s friend of a friend, Tom “He was quite cute, wasn’t he?”

“Very! So why didn’t you see hiain?”

“I don’t know” I shrug “There wasn’t anything there”

“There were thighs!”

I laugh “You knohat I mean Sparks Chemistry”

She scoffs “Annie, there’s never been sparks for you in the whole time I’ve known you”

She’s right When will a man appear and sweepother thanis my job

“Have you sworn off hts “Because Jason has plenty of friends with friends”

“I got bored of it all Dating The stress The expectations Nothing ever…clicked for me,” I say dismissively “Anyway, I’ht now”

Lizzy laughs, genuinely a into the en suite “Your freedo week”

“Ninety,” I reply, and she frowns “I worked ninety hours last week And I have the freedom to do that”

“But what about fun stuff?”

“My job is fun,” I retort indignantly “I get to design beautiful buildings and watch them come to life”

“I’ve hardly seen you recently,” she grumbles

“I know It’s been crazy”

“Yes, that posh couple in Chelsea have stolen all your ti, by the way?”

“Great,” I reply, because it is But it’s one of the toughest projects I’ve undertaken It tookto finally come to a compromise with the local authorities to build an ultra-modern, eco-efficient home The hard orth every bit of effort The cube house on the edge of the common has helped me toward the ridiculous deposit I needed for my new home

“They moved in last Friday” I arden, picturing the small space bursti

ng with green, a cast-iron table and a couple of chairs outside where I can enjoycoffee “Isn’t this perfect?”

“It’s great,” Lizzy says, following “Me and Jason seriously need to think about buying rather than renting”

“Or building” I waggle a cheeky eyebrow at her “I know an a architect”

Lizzy scoffs “We couldn’t afford you”

I laugh andto help me make my bed or not?”

“I’ the doors behind her

Three hours later, after a trip to the shop to restock on Prosecco, we’ve cleaned, polished, and washed everything in sight, attacking the bathroo, and Lizzy unpacked all of my toiletries and cosmetics while I made up my bed It already feels like ho my dark hair is a knotted mess atop my head I yank the hair-tie out and let it tuh to rid it of knots I blinkme, as I lean into the mirror to remove a few specks of dust from my lashes

“Don’t forget we’re out next Saturday,” Lizzy rees fro John as he’s got his kid that night, and Micky is…well, he’s always free So I want no excuses that you have to work”