glanced out of the window of their ground-floor Victorian conversion flat. ‘They’re here!’ he called out, as he headed towards the door.
His wife, Freya, emerged from the kitchen, smoothing down her navy bodycon dress, which showed off her slim figure and surprisingly ample bust. ‘I’m a bit nervous!’
Matt smiled at her appreciatively, thinking how effortlessly lovely she looked. ‘Don’t be. Ben wouldn’t be with her if she was horrible.’
‘I know. It’s just … well, it was so easy with Charlie, wasn’t it? I can’t imagine how he’ll be with someone new.’
‘Well, we’re about to find out.’ The buzzer rang and Matt picked up the intercom to let them in through the main front door, before opening the door to their flat. ‘Hello! Come on in!’ he called, poking his head out into the scruffy, brightly lit hallway, keen to get them into the considerably more glamorous surroundings of the flat.
Bella and Ben stepped inside, armed with flowers and wine. Matt gave Ben his customary bear-hug and stepped back, unsure how to greet Bella. A kiss felt too forward for their first meeting. A handshake too formal. In the end Bella gave a small but friendly wave and a nervous giggle. ‘Hi, Matt, lovely to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.’
‘Ha! All good I hope …?’ Matt tried to pull his eyes away from her but found that he couldn’t. She was definitely the most strikingly attractive girl he had ever set eyes on. No wonder Ben had fallen for her so quickly and so deeply. Behind him, Freya cleared her throat pointedly. ‘Oh! Bella, this is my wife, Freya.’
‘Hi, Freya,’ Bella said, giving Freya a warm smile. ‘These are for you.’ She handed her the flowers.
‘Thank you.’ Freya’s cheeks had flushed slightly red and she looked uncharacteristically shy as she took the expensive-looking bouquet of lilies.
‘You have a lovely home,’ Bella added, gesturing around the open-plan living/dining space that Freya had lovingly decorated with chalky, muted colours on the walls, offset by splashes of bold colour in her choice of cushions and rugs. She had a talent and a passion for interior design and Matt knew that Bella would have scored an immediate bulls-eye with her appreciation of it. He wondered if Ben had armed her with the information in advance or if she genuinely loved it.
There was an awkward pause as they all stood around, shuffling from foot to foot. Finally, Ben broke the silence. ‘Well, I’m starving! I hope you’ve made my favourite, Matt.’
Matt grinned back at him, pleased to see how happy and well he looked. ‘’Course I have, mate. Make yourselves at home and I’ll just go and put the finishing touches to it.’
‘I’ll get the drinks,’ Freya chipped in, already turning towards the kitchen. ‘Red or white?’ she threw back over her shoulder.
Bella and Ben exchanged glances. ‘Red for me, just water for Bella. She doesn’t drink.’ Ben nodded encouragingly at Matt as he spoke.
‘Result!’ Matt replied, thinking how fabulous it must be to have a designated driver all the time. He motioned to them to take a seat on the sofa, before following Freya into the kitchen. ‘What do you think?’ he hissed, as he stirred the huge pan of paella he was preparing.
Freya’s head was bowed, as she concentrated on pouring three glasses of wine and a glass of water, so he couldn’t read her expression. ‘She’s stunning-looking.’
‘I hadn’t noticed,’ Matt lied. ‘But she seems very nice, too, doesn’t she?’
‘Hmmm.’ Freya looked up, her large grey-blue eyes clouding slightly. ‘I wish she wasn’t tee-total.’
‘Why?’
Freya grinned sheepishly. ‘It makes me nervous. She’ll be able to remember every second of every drunken evening.’
Matt laughed. ‘Well, she can fill in the blanks for us then!’
Freya pulled a face. ‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’
The evening went better than Matt had dared hope. Any concerns he might have had that Bella wouldn’t be as much fun as Charlotte disappeared almost instantly. She was charming and funny, but more importantly, she was happy to let Ben shine. Ben had always been the life and soul of the party and she had sat back, listening intently and laughing loudly, as he regaled them with hilarious stories.
She asked Matt and Freya lots of questions about themselves and seemed genuinely interested in their answers. At the end of the meal, as they were drinking their coffee, Ben tapped his spoon against his cup in a jokingly self-important way. ‘Bella and I have an announcement!’ he said, slurring slightly.
Matt looked at Freya, who seemed to have sat up a bit straighter, as if steeling herself for a blow.
‘Bella is pregnant!’ Ben reached out and took Bella’s hand in his, as they gazed at each other adoringly.
There was a beat of silence, before Matt spoke. ‘Wha—what?’ he spluttered. ‘Oh my God. That must have been a bit of a shock?’
Ben began to nod but Bella’s voice cut through firmly. ‘No, not at all. We’re delighted, aren’t we, darling?’
‘Of course!’ Ben agreed quickly but Matt could see in his eyes that delight wasn’t the only emotion he was feeling.
‘Congratulations!’ Freya’s voice sounded much higher than usual. ‘That’s lovely news. When are you due?’ Freya was a midwife, so knew all there was to know about pregnancy.
Matt glanced at Freya, curious at her tone, before turning back towards Bella and Ben expectantly.
‘The beginning of January.’ Bella gave a strange little smile. ‘There’s a possibility we might be spending New Year’s Eve in a maternity ward. Maybe it’ll be your ward, Freya!’
Matt watched Ben carefully, noticing that he blanched slightly at Bella’s words and wondered how he must really be feeling. If it was him, he knew he would have very mixed emotions. Yes, Bella was gorgeous and she certainly seemed like a funny, pleasant, intelligent woman. But to have a baby together after such a short period of time felt like an enormous leap of faith.
He and Freya had only recently started discussing whether they should think about starting a family, now that they had celebrated their second wedding anniversary. But they had been together for nine years, so it felt like a natural progression. It would have been the same if Ben had announced that Charlotte was pregnant. But this news was like a sledgehammer, coming out of nowhere.
As Bella looked at her watch and yawned, Ben took the hint and stood up. ‘I suppose we’d better be making a move.’
Matt nodded. ‘Fancy a quick stroll to clear your head first? To the end of the road and back?’ It was traditional with Matt and Ben that after every dinner party, they would take a quick walk to have a furtive smoke and a chat while Charlotte and Freya pretended not to know what they were up to.
Ben nodded enthusiastically. ‘Definitely!’ He looked at Bella. ‘I’ll just be five minutes, darling.’
Bella smiled pleasantly and stood up. ‘Sure. I’ll get my jacket.’
Ben
