Devil in Disguise Read Online Free

line from one opera or another, culminating in a glassshattering top C
that would stop all conversation, all movement around her. Once delivered, she
would give a grand wave in all directions and carry on with what she had been
saying or doing before this impressive musical interlude. Simon thought she was
amazing and wonderfully talented, even if some of the other students found
Molly’s habit a little less enchanting than Simon did. Some even took to
wailing like fighting cats when they saw her. But Simon loved attention of all
kinds, even the negative variety, so he and Molly saw it as further evidence of
how special they were.
    The
bubble they had created for themselves was impenetrable by others, a two-person
tent made from the Emperor’s new clothes, with no zip, no buttons, no means of
removal. They were utterly dependent on each other, their emotional well-being
knitted fast together. Simon loved this dangerous new coexistence, and he was
thrilled and excited by Molly.
    The only
thing that might have come between them was men. But in that first year at
university, Molly was recovering from a broken heart and still pined for her
lost love. Many were the evenings that they opened up the vodka and Molly got
nostalgic, telling Simon over and over again about Jezza and how much she loved
him. Usually she’d end up weeping in an alcohol-fuelled crying jag, wondering
why Jezza didn’t love her any more.
    ‘Because
he’s a fool, that’s why. You’re an extraordinary creature, a tropical flower
among the weeds of womankind. He couldn’t handle that. Most men, sooner or
later, want to be in charge. They want their woman at home scrubbing the
doorstep and making their dinner. You were never going to do that.’
    ‘No, I
bloody wasn’t!’
    ‘Well,
there you are, then. You were too much for him to handle. Besides, you have me
now,’ Simon would say, hugging her and stroking her unruly curls. ‘You don’t
need men any more.’
    ‘It’s
not quite the same, though, is it?’ Molly would sniff. ‘I have needs, you know,
and you can’t pretend you can do anything about those, can you?’
    ‘No,’
Simon said honestly. ‘I can’t. But I do love you, Molly. You can get a shag
from anyone, but you’ll only get true love from me.’
    Then
Molly would get all emotional and cry and say she loved him too, and no man
would ever come between them.
    No man
ever had, either. Yes, Molly had fallen in love plenty of times, once she’d
managed to get over Jezza, and when she did, it would cause an irritating
hiatus in their ongoing devotion to each other, but in the end she always came
back to him. The men in Simon’s life never seemed to last much longer than a
few hours, so there was no problem from that side of things. It was Molly and
Simon, together for ever.
    Simon
took another large slurp of his wine. Of course he and Molly were going through
a rough patch at the moment — another reason for the medicinal administration
of Sicilian red. It was all because of the dreary builder, Molly’s latest love
interest and rival for his attention. It was a bore, that was all, having to
think about it, talk about it and deal with it — Daniel this, Daniel that,
Daniel all bloody day long. Simon really couldn’t be doing with the way Molly
threw herself into her relationships. He dreaded hearing the catch in her voice
when she announced there was a new, perfect man in her life because he knew
what it meant: the sparkling eyes, the dreamy expressions, and the endless
breathless gush. She couldn’t just date someone once a week, take it slowly and
let things develop. No, she always had to be devoured by the new lover,
investing all her emotional well-being in a romantic ideal that, sooner or
later, turned sour. And she never seemed to learn her lesson. Why, within a
month of meeting this Daniel she had given up the lease on her own flat and
moved in with him! Just like that, if you please. It was all too cosy and too
sudden.