The Love Detective by Alexandra Potter

Ruby. I’m perfectly serious.’
    She never calls me Ruby. I get an icy feeling at the bottom of my spine.
    ‘Shine and I are eloping and there’s nothing you, or Mum and Dad, can do to stop us,’ she continues determinedly.
    Oh my God. Mum and Dad . At the mention of them I feel a sudden horror. They are going to kill her. But not before they’ve killed me. My whole life I’ve been told, ‘Look after your little sister.’ I can’t let her run off in a foreign country and marry a man she’s only just met.
    ‘Amy!’ I say sharply, trying to corral her back to reality. ‘Stop being so selfish, think about Mum and Dad! How do you think they’re going to feel?’
    ‘You said I could never let them down,’ she replies petulantly.
    I flash back to our earlier conversation when I was packing. Of course, this is why she was so nervous; it had nothing to do with her new job.
    ‘And what about the research centre?’ I remind her. ‘You’ve worked so hard for this opportunity, it’s what you’ve always wanted . . .’
    There’s a pause and for a split second I sense a moment of hesitation, of regret.
    ‘It’s an amazing opportunity, Amy, you can’t just throw it away. Mum and Dad were so proud, we were all so proud.’
    At the other end of the line, I can almost feel her wavering.
    ‘I’m getting married,’ she repeats more firmly, as if to convince both herself and me.
    I feel myself explode. ‘Amy, stop being so stupid and pig-headed,’ I cry with frustration. ‘You’re being crazy, you can’t get married!’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘Because it’s ludicrous! You’ve only known him a couple of weeks.’
    ‘Love isn’t measured by time,’ she retorts. ‘You should know. That’s a line from one of your books.’
    ‘But that’s fiction,’ I almost yell down the phone, ‘this is real life!’
    ‘It can happen in real life too,’ she argues.
    I catch my breath. She sounds so convinced, so sure, so certain, she reminds me of myself. Of how I used to be. I pause as my mind flicks back . . . Once upon a time I shared her conviction. I believed in love at first sight, in marriage, in happy-ever-afters . . . but now I’ve grown up, I remind myself sharply, and I don’t believe in fairy tales any more.
    ‘He feels the same way,’ her voice interrupts my thoughts. ‘He’s in love with me too.’
    Suddenly I have a flashback. To a few days ago. Going for the massage and getting lost down a side street. ‘Amy, there’s something you should know,’ I say urgently. ‘Shine’s not being honest with you, I saw him . . .’ I pause, briefly, wondering how I can tell her, then blurt it out. ‘He was with another woman, ask him—’
    But she doesn’t let me finish.
    ‘I knew you’d be like this,’ she accuses angrily, ‘that’s why I didn’t want to tell you!’
    ‘Like what?’
    ‘Not every guy is like Sam, you know.’
    The mention of his name is like a raw nerve. ‘This isn’t about Sam,’ I protest hotly.
    ‘Yes it is! It’s got everything to do with him!’ she cries. ‘Just because Sam turned out to be a cheat, and broke your heart, doesn’t mean you have to write every guy off.’
    Our voices are growing louder and louder.
    ‘I am not writing every guy off,’ I fire back, feeling stung. ‘I just don’t want you to make the same mistake I did!’
    ‘And what mistake’s that?’ she demands, ‘Falling in love?’
    ‘No, it’s believing in love,’ I yell back.
    As the words fly out of my mouth, there’s silence on the other end of the line, and in the middle of arguing we both break off, breathless. Emotions are swirling around us and for a moment neither of us speaks. Until, after a pause, she says quietly, ‘Tell Mum and Dad I’m sorry I’ll miss their wedding anniversary and not to worry. I’ll call in a few days.’
    ‘Look, can’t we just talk about this?’
    ‘There’s nothing to talk about, I’ve made up my mind,’ she says stubbornly.
    ‘Listen to me,