By the end of that week, Jade had purchased an open-ended return flight on her credit card to Australia. As Shawna was settling into Jade’s sublet flat, Jade had made herself comfortable in an aisle seat on a Megabus to Heathrow, beside herself with what the next few weeks might hold.
She sent her parents a text message from the airport informing them of her plan. She assumed the speed at which they then phoned her meant they weren’t supportive, although she couldn’t be sure because she refused to answer. Jade knew just how quickly her fiery temper could flare, and she didn’t want their negativity tainting the nervous anticipation she was feeling.
She took another glance at the picture of Kevin she had as her phone’s screensaver and knew she wasn’t going to be disappointed.
The three-hour car journey to Kevin’s farm passed quickly and she was on edge with a nervous excitement as she pulled the car over to the side of the road, stepping outside and stretching her tired legs. She was immediately struck by the searing heat and was glad she had lathered herself in factor fifty before setting off. Her pale skin could never handle the heat. She had no idea how it was going to fare here.
She glanced over at a sign reading ‘Williamson’s Farm’, which was attached to waist-high wire fencing running the length of the dirt track road. Tall, scrawny trees framed the road with their trunks buried deep in arid soil, and in the distance, she could make out a large, white house and the roofs of outbuildings and barns which she recognised from Kevin’s photos.
Jade felt her stomach begin to churn just like it had every other time she had daydreamed about what it might feel like to meet Kevin in person. Now the moment was almost upon her and she was terrified, particularly as he had no idea she was about to appear at his home without warning.
Back at Heathrow Airport, she’d texted him a white lie, telling him she was changing mobile phone network suppliers so she’d be out of contact for a day or two. He’d sounded agitated by the news, but she reassured him it wasn’t her subtle way of trying to break up with him. Far from it, she thought to herself.
She picked up her phone and switched it to camera mode, then took a selfie of herself with Kevin’s parents’ farm in the background.
‘Hey babe, you OK?’ she typed, her fingers trembling so much so that she was grateful for predictive text.
‘Hey!’ he replied, almost immediately. ‘I’ve really missed you! You got your new phone sorted out?’
‘Yes thanks.’
‘I’m with the cows in the shed, the place reeks, man!’
‘Aww, poor you! Guess where I am?’
‘In bed?’
‘Try again.’
‘Still at work?’
‘No,’ she replied and then sent him the photo she’d taken.
Her heart raced as she awaited Kevin’s text. Instead, the phone rang.
‘Surprise!’ she squealed. ‘I’m here!’
‘You shouldn’t have come, I’m sorry,’ Kevin said curtly, and hung up.
Chapter 14
NICK
‘Don’t open it!’ Sally had yelled down the phone to Nick. She sounded anxious. ‘Wait until you get home and we’ll do it together.’
Sally had admitted to Nick that from the moment her smartwatch had indicated an email had arrived from Match Your DNA, her stomach had felt like it was trapped in a lift falling twenty flights. She’d called him immediately and, after checking his inbox while she waited patiently on the other end of the line, he found he too had received a notification.
At the media agency where he worked, Nick was supposed to be thinking of snappy, original ways to promote a new brand of intimate wipes for women, but he was instead wondering what the contents of the email might reveal.
But it was Sally’s insistence on taking the test in the first place that really concerned him. He’d assumed they were content and in agreement that their future was together, but her need for scientific confirmation tapped into his recurring worry that he wasn’t good enough for his wife-to-be, that their five-year age gap was too large and that he was, and always would be, too immature for her.
When Nick finally made it home, thirty minutes after Sally, she was already clutching her second glass of red wine, sitting on the kitchen island with her legs dangling over the side.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ he began. ‘I got held up in a meeting and—’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Sally interrupted and took an anxious gulp of her drink. ‘Can we get this over with?’ She was rapping her other hand on the counter top, clearly nervous.
‘May I say one thing first?’ Nick asked, and perched on the island next to her. ‘I don’t care what these results say. I could be Matched with Jennifer Lawrence as far as I’m concerned and it wouldn’t make the blindest bit of difference. You are the one I’m destined to be with, no matter what these emails tell us.’
Sally smiled and hugged him, then picked up her phone and pressed the email icon. ‘Are you ready?’ she asked, scrolling down and opening the message. Her face fell. ‘It says “No Match”.’
A foreboding silence filled the room. Neither knew what to say to the other. Eventually, Nick wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
‘We’re going to make it work, I know we are,’ he offered. ‘Millions of couples have and we’ll be no exception. Just because we aren’t DNA Matched it doesn’t mean we aren’t meant to be together. You still love me, right? After reading that, you still love me?’
‘Of course I do.’ Her voice was muffled from where she’d buried her head in his shoulder.
‘Then who cares what a bit of chemistry or biology says. Nothing is going to change that.’
Sally swallowed hard and began to weep. ‘I’m sorry,’ she sniffed. ‘I just wanted to make sure we stood a chance … that we were pre-destined to be together.’
‘Fuck that, let’s take a punt instead.’
Sally smiled and they rested their foreheads against each other’s. She ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair, and drew his lips towards hers.
‘Let’s go out and get an early dinner,’ he suggested. ‘That new Turkish restaurant has opened on the high street. My treat.’
Sally nodded and Nick hopped off the island, making his way towards the coat hook on the back of the door to grab his denim jacket.
‘What about yours?’ she asked tentatively.
‘My what?’
‘Your results.’
‘I don’t care.’ He shrugged. ‘I know what I need to know.’
‘And I need to know what you don’t. Put yourself in my shoes: my fiancé is probably Matched with somebody who isn’t me. I’d like to know who my competition is – if they’ve done the test.’
‘You have no competition.’
‘Nevertheless, please, babe, open it.’
‘Here, catch,’ he said as he threw his phone towards her. She caught it and searched for the email.
‘Oh. My. God.’ She laughed loudly. She put her hand over her mouth and looked at him with wide-open eyes.
‘What? Have I got a Match?’
‘You certainly have.’ She was grinning.
‘Oh, Christ, please don’t tell me I’m Matched with your mum.’
‘No, don’t worry, it’s not my mum,’ Sally replied. ‘Your Match is a man called Alexander.’
She sent her parents a text message from the airport informing them of her plan. She assumed the speed at which they then phoned her meant they weren’t supportive, although she couldn’t be sure because she refused to answer. Jade knew just how quickly her fiery temper could flare, and she didn’t want their negativity tainting the nervous anticipation she was feeling.
She took another glance at the picture of Kevin she had as her phone’s screensaver and knew she wasn’t going to be disappointed.
The three-hour car journey to Kevin’s farm passed quickly and she was on edge with a nervous excitement as she pulled the car over to the side of the road, stepping outside and stretching her tired legs. She was immediately struck by the searing heat and was glad she had lathered herself in factor fifty before setting off. Her pale skin could never handle the heat. She had no idea how it was going to fare here.
She glanced over at a sign reading ‘Williamson’s Farm’, which was attached to waist-high wire fencing running the length of the dirt track road. Tall, scrawny trees framed the road with their trunks buried deep in arid soil, and in the distance, she could make out a large, white house and the roofs of outbuildings and barns which she recognised from Kevin’s photos.
Jade felt her stomach begin to churn just like it had every other time she had daydreamed about what it might feel like to meet Kevin in person. Now the moment was almost upon her and she was terrified, particularly as he had no idea she was about to appear at his home without warning.
Back at Heathrow Airport, she’d texted him a white lie, telling him she was changing mobile phone network suppliers so she’d be out of contact for a day or two. He’d sounded agitated by the news, but she reassured him it wasn’t her subtle way of trying to break up with him. Far from it, she thought to herself.
She picked up her phone and switched it to camera mode, then took a selfie of herself with Kevin’s parents’ farm in the background.
‘Hey babe, you OK?’ she typed, her fingers trembling so much so that she was grateful for predictive text.
‘Hey!’ he replied, almost immediately. ‘I’ve really missed you! You got your new phone sorted out?’
‘Yes thanks.’
‘I’m with the cows in the shed, the place reeks, man!’
‘Aww, poor you! Guess where I am?’
‘In bed?’
‘Try again.’
‘Still at work?’
‘No,’ she replied and then sent him the photo she’d taken.
Her heart raced as she awaited Kevin’s text. Instead, the phone rang.
‘Surprise!’ she squealed. ‘I’m here!’
‘You shouldn’t have come, I’m sorry,’ Kevin said curtly, and hung up.
Chapter 14
NICK
‘Don’t open it!’ Sally had yelled down the phone to Nick. She sounded anxious. ‘Wait until you get home and we’ll do it together.’
Sally had admitted to Nick that from the moment her smartwatch had indicated an email had arrived from Match Your DNA, her stomach had felt like it was trapped in a lift falling twenty flights. She’d called him immediately and, after checking his inbox while she waited patiently on the other end of the line, he found he too had received a notification.
At the media agency where he worked, Nick was supposed to be thinking of snappy, original ways to promote a new brand of intimate wipes for women, but he was instead wondering what the contents of the email might reveal.
But it was Sally’s insistence on taking the test in the first place that really concerned him. He’d assumed they were content and in agreement that their future was together, but her need for scientific confirmation tapped into his recurring worry that he wasn’t good enough for his wife-to-be, that their five-year age gap was too large and that he was, and always would be, too immature for her.
When Nick finally made it home, thirty minutes after Sally, she was already clutching her second glass of red wine, sitting on the kitchen island with her legs dangling over the side.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ he began. ‘I got held up in a meeting and—’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Sally interrupted and took an anxious gulp of her drink. ‘Can we get this over with?’ She was rapping her other hand on the counter top, clearly nervous.
‘May I say one thing first?’ Nick asked, and perched on the island next to her. ‘I don’t care what these results say. I could be Matched with Jennifer Lawrence as far as I’m concerned and it wouldn’t make the blindest bit of difference. You are the one I’m destined to be with, no matter what these emails tell us.’
Sally smiled and hugged him, then picked up her phone and pressed the email icon. ‘Are you ready?’ she asked, scrolling down and opening the message. Her face fell. ‘It says “No Match”.’
A foreboding silence filled the room. Neither knew what to say to the other. Eventually, Nick wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
‘We’re going to make it work, I know we are,’ he offered. ‘Millions of couples have and we’ll be no exception. Just because we aren’t DNA Matched it doesn’t mean we aren’t meant to be together. You still love me, right? After reading that, you still love me?’
‘Of course I do.’ Her voice was muffled from where she’d buried her head in his shoulder.
‘Then who cares what a bit of chemistry or biology says. Nothing is going to change that.’
Sally swallowed hard and began to weep. ‘I’m sorry,’ she sniffed. ‘I just wanted to make sure we stood a chance … that we were pre-destined to be together.’
‘Fuck that, let’s take a punt instead.’
Sally smiled and they rested their foreheads against each other’s. She ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair, and drew his lips towards hers.
‘Let’s go out and get an early dinner,’ he suggested. ‘That new Turkish restaurant has opened on the high street. My treat.’
Sally nodded and Nick hopped off the island, making his way towards the coat hook on the back of the door to grab his denim jacket.
‘What about yours?’ she asked tentatively.
‘My what?’
‘Your results.’
‘I don’t care.’ He shrugged. ‘I know what I need to know.’
‘And I need to know what you don’t. Put yourself in my shoes: my fiancé is probably Matched with somebody who isn’t me. I’d like to know who my competition is – if they’ve done the test.’
‘You have no competition.’
‘Nevertheless, please, babe, open it.’
‘Here, catch,’ he said as he threw his phone towards her. She caught it and searched for the email.
‘Oh. My. God.’ She laughed loudly. She put her hand over her mouth and looked at him with wide-open eyes.
‘What? Have I got a Match?’
‘You certainly have.’ She was grinning.
‘Oh, Christ, please don’t tell me I’m Matched with your mum.’
‘No, don’t worry, it’s not my mum,’ Sally replied. ‘Your Match is a man called Alexander.’
