21st February 2015
Ali dropped down off the bus, juggling the shopping bags and the potted cactus with difficulty as he fumbled with his keys. Things had been…not awkward, exactly, but not right since their argument. The donation had become the elephant in the room, the thing they didn’t talk about, and he was determined to get past it. So he’d brought home a potted cactus for Yazid’s weird little collection on the kitchen windowsill, and all the ingredients for homemade cannelloni. They could just have a little bit of time to themselves before going out to meet Kevin and Harry at the pub.
And then Ali’s plans were neatly scuppered by the sight of a pristine blue Ford Ka outside his house. He stopped, frowning, and the driver’s door opened.
“What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to
