‘No, I’m not,’ I shake my head, directing my response to themuch-nicer Noah. ‘I’m just over here for a few weeks for the fun and sunshine. Back home in London I wasn’t really anything ...’ I trail off. ‘I mean, I worked,of course. But I was just a temp in an office with this English politician. I guess I was kind of a troubleshooter – hisPR, almost. Whenever the tabloids called up about his latest sex addiction, or whatnot, I was the buffer – threatening to sue and persuading them it wasn’t in the public interest if Tony wanted to have a threesome with a former prime minister and a pig.’
Noah laughs, incredulous.‘For real? That sure sounds like an intense job for a temp.’
‘Yeah, it was,’ I say, laughing too. ‘But I’d been there for over a year, so I guess he trusted me. I started out on reception doing a few days of holiday cover, and ended up behind the scenes, working alongside the boss. They offered me afull-time position, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do long term, so I just stayed on a rollingcontract, battling for the forces of evil.’ I stop and look at my feet. ‘Actually, I quite enjoyed it and probably would’ve stayed on, but then I also sent my boss a text that talked about his bent penis on my thirtieth birthday.’
Noah nods, looking a little unsure about that last part. ‘So,’ he moves on. ‘What do you want to do long term? Or is that a boring question to ask right at the startof your vacation?’
I laugh and then I’m silent for a full ten seconds. ‘I don’t know,’ I shrug. ‘That’s part of why I’m here. To figure things out. I’ve kind of always just ... temped. It’s been quite fun over the years, going from office to office, meeting new people, challenging yourself with whatever madness gets thrown at you. But without worrying about any of the commitment. You don’tget sucked into the drama or dumb office politics. You don’t have to contribute to anyone’s leaving present, and every day is different. But I don’t know ... maybe I’m ready for something more.’
An hour later and I am crashing hard. We’re still chatting to the producers, and it turns out Noah is really nice, in addition to the hotness. Ethan and Isy arefull-on snogging in the middleof the bar, while Noah and I sit in a corner, people watching. We’ve laughed a lot and now we’re getting onto more serious subjects. Noah is telling me about his divorce and how he has to take on commercial work he doesn’t enjoy to pay for hisex-wife’s summer house. But he doesn’t seem too bitter about it – he’s not being horrible about her – he just sounds a bit sad. Life happens, doesn’t it?Everyone has baggage and everyone has their story. I feel bad for him.
‘It’s been a tough road,’ he says, in a low voice. ‘And of course it’s been a knock to my confidence. It’s hard to get out there and meet people.’
‘I get it,’ I say sadly, because it seems like the only answer.
There is a pause in the conversation and I squint at him. ‘You know, you do actually kinda look like JenniferAniston.’
‘Huh?’ he laughs.
‘Sorry, nothing,’ I clear my throat. ‘All I mean is, I think you’ll do fine on the dating scene.’
He laughs and sits up straighter.
‘Well, on that note, Alice,’ he says. ‘I’d love to see you again while you’re inLA.’ It’s not a question, it is a statement. He is confident. The men here seem veryself-assured. It’s attractive, but a bit intimidatingwhen you’re used to the English brand of flirting, which mainly revolves around hiding in a corner and avoiding eye contact. But this trip is all about fun and trying new things, right? And I have always had some confusingly sexual feelings for Jennifer Aniston, so ... yeah, why not?
‘Sure,’ I say, smiling. ‘But I don’t have a business card, so I’ll have to just give you my number like thisis still the noughties.’
He laughs, and I get a hint of butterflies.
Ooh. Imagine having sex with someone who isn’tTD. Imagine that.
