‘Suck-in.’ 'I. Am. Sucking. In'. Lemara seethes back at Julia. 'Em, have you put on weight because these clasps ain't budging?' The commotion brings Joshua, in all but his tux and cufflinks, to the ensuite door. The said cufflinks he’s fixing, he stops, to look at his sister and his girlfriend. ‘Everything ok in here?’ Lemara grits teeth. Doing anything else, breathing, blinking, would cause clasps to detonate. Like shrapnel. So she nods. Joshua satisfied, nods back. Retreats

Whatever it is you couldn't knock this man's confidence. And confident he is. Fredric introduces me to the lady seated on my left with...

She accepted the olive branch and coffee, hoping to start afresh. But over a Michelin-starred meal truths simmered. Because not everything on the table was meant to be swallowed.