Not that I know ur not in London. You’re porbably in Lonndn becos why woultdn you be in London right???
9.18pm
Lol, Esther, you are still hilarious. I’m in Milton Keynes for a bit, doing some training for work.
9.20pm
Hey, why don’t you come up here?!!! We could hang out for the day, it would be so fun!!
9.21pm
Go on, say yes. Be spontaneous. I have next weekend off, come up next Saturday?!
9.22pm
OMG YES! I’M BLOODY WELL IN.
9.30pm
PS. I puked
9.31pm
Over her shoulder, I jab at the screen, whispering to Bibi, ‘See, that’s when I drunkenly asked Alistair if he had a car and fancied a day trip to Milton Keynes.’
She shakes her head. ‘I remember.’ Her voice is low and solemn. ‘He said yes, and then you both jumped around screaming excitedly like it was the best idea ever.’
‘Yep,’ I nod. ‘Then everyone did shots and tried to get a conga going.’
Bibi is nodding now, too. ‘That was a low point.’
‘But, obviously, I assumed slashhopedhe’d forgotten because I didn’t hear from him all week!’ My hair blows into my face and I pause to disentangle myself. ‘Then he messaged this morning to ask what time he should be here to pick me up. I should’ve said no, I could’ve just got on the train.’
‘Yes,’ says Bibi at the same time as Louise shouts, ‘No!’ Honestly, at times it’s like having an angel and a devil on each shoulder. Only, I don’t know which is which.
‘Nooo,’ Lou repeats. ‘It’s a great plan! This way, you can bond on a mini road trip! Listening to music together, playing I Spy, falling in love over the other idiot drivers going too fast.’ She checks her watch and scans the road anxiously. Alistair is late. ‘Plus, you can feel out more details about this girlfriend of his. By the time you see Paul, you’ll probably know if Alistair is the one for you.’
‘But how are you going to get rid of him when you get up there? I assume you’re not taking him along to meet your Missed Chance?’ Bibi’s voice is almost lost in a gust of wind that whips up our fringes in formation. Hairography.
‘I told him I was going to meet a friend,’ I explain. ‘And he said he’d go shopping and we could meet up in the evening to drive back.’
‘So, wait, how come Nick Wilde is coming, too?’ Louise asks, her face screwed up.
‘That,’ I sigh dramatically, ‘I have no idea. Alistair dropped that information into a text ten minutes ago.’
A silver Alfa Romeo takes a left onto our road and judders to a stop in front of our house. I bend down to peer in and meet the eyes of a tired-looking Nick behind the wheel. He turns off the engine as Alistair leaps out the passenger side, swooping in to hug each of us in turn. I feel better, his energy infectious.
‘Road trip!’ Alistair yells happily, every inch – in that moment – the fifteen-year-old I loved. He pulls me close and his familiar, delicious smell overwhelms me. I don’t want to let go.
‘Bloody hell, it’s windy, isn’t it?’ Nick laughs awkwardly, appearing behind Alistair and breaking the spell.
‘How are you, Nick?’ I’m trying not to ask why he’s tagging along. He’d said he and Alistair weren’t even close anymore.
Lou shoulder-barges me out the way before he can answer. ‘Hi, Nick!’ she says, breathlessly batting her eyelashes. He smiles warmly and they hug, which strikes me as strange. Did they bondthatmuch at the drinks last week?
‘Sorry about this,’ Alistair murmurs in my ear and I turn too quickly, almost brushing cheek to lips. He blushes and retreats astep, continuing in a low voice, ‘Nick’s parents actually live in Milton Keynes these days and he mentioned visiting them this weekend. I thought we could cadge a lift.’ A few feet away, I notice Nick laughing easily with Lou. He removes his glasses as they chat, cleaning them thoughtlessly on his woollen jumper. ‘He’s also the only person I know with a car in London.’
I shout over the wind, ‘Right, right!’ I nod a lot. ‘Very nice of him! Shall we go?’
