CHRISTMAS STORY: PART TWO
PORTRAIT: MARK BOURDILLON. ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES
It was well after midnight when Chloe heard the front door opening and shutting. Then, after the familiar sounds of Joe putting his coat on the hook and going through his protracted boot removal (why did he never use the boot remover thingy she’d bought?), she heard him making his way up the stairs. Should she pretend to be asleep, like she did when he staggered in after boozy nights out with his friends? No. They needed to sort this out. She sat up in bed, put the bedside lamp on, composed herself.