Tuesday & Max

22

HOLD ME UP TO THE LIGHT

TELL ME IF THE SUN

COMES SHINING THROUGH

The air is cold and the sky dark when the train pulls up at the right station. It's with swift feet and goosebump-riddled arms that Tuesday hurries back to the flat. When she opens the door, she almost collides with Julia.

"Okay-well I can meet you there on Wednesday," she's saying, and smiles widely at Tuesday, motioning at her coat and shoes. Must be on the way out to her night classes.

Struggling wildly to get it out of her bag before Julia closes the door and is gone for the night, Tuesday eventually produces the signed book and brandishes it at her aunt.

"Italian? I love Italian, God, you know me-it'll be well needed-" Julia gives Tuesday a thumbs up with her free hand, then reads the book title quickly and turns the phone away from her ear. "I already have that one but thank you, it's so thoughtful! I've been wanting to read it again!"

Tuesday tuts, grabbing at Julia as she tries once again to close the door and get on with her conversation.

"Hang on. No, sorry. It's my niece," Julia explains-to Richard, presumably. "I'm on my way to my class anyway so I should probably... yeah. Yeah, okay, book that. It sounds lovely! Okay-okay-I love you, bye!"

Love. Tuesday blinks. Okay. Bit soon, but okay.

"Don't know why I called you 'my niece' then, he knows your name," Julia laughs, rolling her eyes at herself. "What's up?"

Tuesday holds up the book slowly, opening the front page. Diana's handwriting is huge, curly cursive and her signature takes up most of the space. Julia leans forward and her eyes scan the page.

3... 2... 1...

"Oh my God!"

Tuesday can't help laughing as Julia snatches the book out of her hands, running her blue-painted nails across the inked words.

"Where did you get this? Is this real?"

"So it turns out Max's mom is a huge best-selling author."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope."

"This is my absolute favourite novel of hers. How did you know that?" Julia asks, clutching the book to her chest.

Tuesday knows because it comes out, in all its dog-eared swollen glory, whenever Julia gets dumped. She suddenly wonders if it's about murdering ex-boyfriends or something.

"Because I've seen it enough!" she says. "And you've read it to death."

"I almost don't want to read this version," Julia says, turning it over, inspecting its pristine, unbroken spine.

"You have to," Tuesday orders. "It will be sad if you don't. Its life's purpose and all that. Aren't you going to be late?"

Julia checks the time, her phone screen flashing. "Yes!" She tucks the book into her handbag. "You're right, I'll start reading it again on the train. Thank you so much! You have no idea-"