Chapter Twenty-Eight
The next day, Emily, Carys, and I are in a café warming up after a brisk seafront walk. Carys sleeps sprawled in her pushchair beside us. It’s great to be the one served in the café rather than doing the serving for a change.
Together, we demolish tea and chocolate cake. Emily’s shown admirable restraint, but after the constant visitors yesterday for Carys, today is a day to recoup and finally catch up.
“So tell me more about this man who’s loaned you a posh van,” says Emily lightly.
“I didn’t know about the posh van till yesterday. It’s not one of the things that, er, drew us together.”
“How did you meet again?”
“At work. He was a customer.” My face burns at the memory of our stockroom tryst, and the sight of coffee beans and Ben spilled everywhere. Flustered, I attempt a description fit for public consumption. “It was a…memorable first impression. Or third impression. Whatever. He kept coming back, even if I had been a bit belligerent that first time. Maybe the second time too.”
“Or maybebecauseyou were belligerent.”
“Ha. Maybe. I’ll need to ask. We haven’t been on a proper date yet. We will when I get back to London. And he’s back in London. I mean, it wouldn’t work to go on a date with him when he’s not back yet. Obviously.” I fidget with the cuff of my sleeve.
Emily laughs. “It usually goes better when both people are there for the date. This is so exciting, Charlie. Look at you, going on a date! Clearly there’s something there. Ooh, I love it. What are your plans? He must be really into you if he’s loaning you his van and you’ve not even been out properly yet together.”
“We’ve been out. Or mostly in. Or…” Shit, none of this is coming off well. Emily’s thrilled though, laughing.
“So the sex is hot.” Her eyes dance. She’s thoroughly irreverent, paying no heed to my suffering.
“Might be.” I sip my tea, my face on fire. For the sake of distraction, I add a shocking amount of sugar to my drink. Better not think of sex with Ben right now. That’s just going to lead to a whole series of inappropriate thoughts. Suppressing a smile, I catch myself adding a fourth teaspoon of sugar to my tea.
Put the spoon down. Don’t think of how gorgeous and hot Ben is.
“Obviously. What else?”
“He’s a musician.”
“He sounds perfect for you.”
“Well, he’s brilliant but it’s a bit mortifying. He’s from Halfpenny Rise, an up-and-coming band. He’s seen me play, too. I might actually die of embarrassment before our date. Plus, we have rehearsal the day before we’re supposed to go out and another gig soon.”
“Perfect,” Emily confirms. “I’ve heard of Halfpenny Rise. They came through Cardiff in the summer.”
“Nobody’s perfect. Least of all me.”
She waves a hand. “Yes, yes, we’re all brimming with flaws and secret histories. But it sounds like you’re perfectly suited to each other. And you clearly have chemistry, along with common ground.”
Uncomfortable, I shift. “Except he’s all that and I’m just some guy.”
“Charlie,” Emily admonishes me. “You’re fab. And don’t put anyone on a pedestal. You deserve good things too. Believe it or not, you’re a catch yourself.”
I can’t quite suppress a laugh. “Not sure about that.”
She waves me off. “I’m sure enough for the both of us. Now, tell me. What’s your plan for your first date, if you haven’t been on one yet?”
“Plan? What plan?” A sinking feeling grips my stomach, drawing it down to the level of my toes and quite possibly that of subterranean rivers. Deeper. “Shit. Are we supposed to have a plan? We haven’t said anything about one. We probably should have done by now. What if I’ve just hallucinated the whole thing out of some desperate and deprived corner of my subconscious?”
Emily eyes me. “Not likely. So you’ll just have to roll with the evening. Maybe you’ll just spend it in and order takeaway. Sounds hot.” She wiggles her eyebrows lewdly at me.
Blushing, I shake my head.
“You’re opposed to sex?”
“No. Oh no. Just, what if he expects a posh night out to match his posh van?” My stomach tightens like a fist. Gut punch. “I’m thinking of expensive tickets and queues and premium drinks and oh God what’ve I done? I should’ve thought of this a lot sooner. I’m supposed to go on a date with someone who’s well outside my orbit.”
