As soon as we were out of earshot Tadhg said, ‘We really do need a band name.’
‘Maybe we’ll find some inspiration in Oxfam,’ I said.
It was a few weeks now since our trip to Gruel, and there had been no opportunities for us to generate the sort of electric tension that had been there at my bus stop that night.We’d just seen each other in groups, apart from the odd hasty cup of tea between lectures.But that was okay, I thought.We both had a lot on.It was coming up to the end of term, and there were essays and assignments and stuff.Tadhg and I were in no hurry.We would get another moment.I certainly wasn’t going to try and force anything.
‘There’s definitelysomethingbetween you,’ said Katie, who had endured a lot of these conversations with me already that term.(‘I don’t mind,’ she assured me when I apologised for unloading all my angst on her.‘You had to deal with me and Tina breaking up in the summer.Andwe were all living together in London, so that was even worse for you.Now it’s my turn.’) ‘Like, it’s definitely not in your head.But, you know, there’s one way you could know for sure …’
‘No way,’ I said firmly.‘I’m not making the first move.You heard him that night: “To keeping it pure and simple.”If he doesn’t feel the same way, everything’s wrecked.The band.Our friendship.My dignity.Everything.I’m not going to risk it.’
I was very familiar with the George’s Street charity shops.When we arrived in the first one, Tadhg went straight to the men’s clothes and I had a look at the dresses.I might as well find something for myself to wear at the gig too.I immediately grabbed a floral maxi dress with short floaty sleeves, fitted at the bodice and sweeping down in an A-line.I could probably play the guitar in this, right?
‘Hey, Lol,’ called Tadhg.‘How about this one?’
I joined him to find him holding up a dark chocolate-brown suit with a slight flare in the trousers.
‘I’m aware someone probably died in this,’ he said.‘But I think it might fit?’
I glanced over at the two rickety changing booths in the corner.
‘You try it on while I try on this dress,’ I said.‘If you’re in a suit the rest of us should probably dress up too.’
In the cramped, mirror-less booth I pulled the maxi dress over my head and tried not to think about the fact that, on the other side of the curtain, Tadhg was also taking most of his clothes off.I was doing up the zip, almost dislocating my arm in the process, when Tadhg said, ‘You ready, Lol?Come out and tell me what you think.’
I quickly yanked the dress into place and pulled back the curtain.
Tadhg said, ‘I’m worried it’s a bit—’ Then he caught sight of me and said, ‘Wow.Cool dress.’
For a few seconds, I was simply speechless.Even in the grim fluorescent light of a charity shop, he looked astonishing.The suit fitted him as if it had been tailored for him.He always looked good but now he looked … elegant.He looked dashing.And ridiculously cool.
I swallowed.‘Nice suit.’
Then I caught sight of myself in the mirror on the wall next to the changing cubicles and realised just how low-cut the dress actually was.Tadhg followed my gaze to the mirror and for a moment neither of us said anything.We stood side by side and looked at our reflection.We could have been an incredibly chic bohemian couple in the 1970s, throwing a dinner party in our conversation pit.In this context, my unruly dark hair looked like something out of a seventiesVogue, even under the terrible lighting.My navy-blue dress with its hot-pink and orange print perfectly complemented his rich chocolate suit.The cut of thedress, the way it swept down to the floor, somehow made me look tall and even elegant.It also, undeniably, made my boobs look incredible.
‘Well, this will be the first album cover,’ said Tadhg.
‘I don’t know if I can play the guitar in this dress.’I was about to add ‘it’s a bit tight’, but I didn’t want to draw attention to what I realised was the extremely flattering nature of the tight fit.
‘You should buy it anyway,’ said Tadhg.
Our eyes met in the mirror.
And then a phone started ringing in his changing cubicle, and whatever spell might have been conjured up was broken.
He disappeared behind the curtain and I heard him say, ‘Hello?Hey!No, I’m charity-shop trawling with Laura.Yeah!I did find one.Ha!Pretty much.I’m going to pay for it now … Oh, okay.Um, yeah, I think so.But I have a band practice that afternoon and we do have the gig next week … Yeah, I’ll let you know.Thanks for asking me.Cool.Okay, see you tomorrow.’
He emerged from the curtain.‘That was Jess.’
My stomach twisted a bit.His voice on the phone had sounded so … affectionate.So happy to hear from her.And she clearly already knew about his quest for suits.
‘Anything up?’I said.
‘Um, yeah.Her family are having a big party for her brother’s eighteenth and she’s asked me to go with her.She says she doesn’t want to be stuck talking to teenagers or old relatives all night.’
‘Oh, right!’I prayed my feelings didn’t show on my face.‘Cool.So are you going?’
‘Well, it’s this Saturday.’He rubbed his chin, making a rasping noise.‘So if I go I won’t be able to make the post-practice pub debrief.’
‘Oh, that doesn’t matter!’I said as breezily as I could.‘As long as you can make the practice.’
