… godly. It’s the fault of all those “creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water”. I’ve got the cadence right, but the timbre fails me.
This will make sense in a few days..... But to continue where I left off
The bell clanged for last drinks before I had the chance to blink. The quiet nights always seem to pass faster. I poured the final 5 pots of the night and 15 minutes later Holly’s locked the front door and collected the till.
Rachel swans in and tosses me a half a cheese sandwich and a can of Red Bull (both of which I caught cleanly). Her eyes beckon me to follow her outside. We slipped out the back for a moment – continuing the earlier conversation, though my desk had now been replaced with a stack of milk crates. Even in this dim light, I could feel those icy blue eyes bore into me.
“So, tell me about <latest friend on Facebook>. She’s a cute girl.”
I was wondering when that was going to come up. It’s a seemingly innocuous question, but around Rachel I’m a little more circumspect than I might otherwise be, as the curls of tobacco smoke twist about her. She wasn’t to know, but my latest friend on Facebook is actually one of my closest friends at school who’s now a professional screenwriter and I’m best described as his patron.
A sardonic smile cracks my face. I’ve been trained too well. I can smell a leading statement a mile off, and she knows it. She’s goading me into divulging secrets I will not. Whatever this is, it’s too delicate and not for sharing, at least not with third parties, not yet. I want it all for myself.
That sounds covetous, and in my own way, I am quite, but jealousy doesn’t come into it.
There was a note of nostalgia about her voice. “I’ve missed this.”
“Yeah, I’m sure watching me squirm provided you with hours of entertainment.”
“It makes for a nice change.”
I walked straight into that! Now, how do I couch this…?
I didn’t say much. After all, I’ve barely known the girl ten minutes.
“Oh, come on! I know you <my full name> and that’s never stopped you. We dated for eighteen months, don’t forget. One – no, two – vanilla vodka and coke, the whispering of one word in her ear and she’s …”
The illustration described was more adroit than she realised.
Holly emerged, two small packets in hand. She gave us one each, with a smile that hinted knowing.
“ ‘Night guys”
Drawing myself to full height, I turned away. I don’t know why, but I half-expected Rachel’s hand to slip into mine. It didn’t.
“I’ll give you a lift.”
The ride was silent. Flecks of rain fell gently from the sky and glinted on the windshield.
The car drew to a halt in the drive. She looked at me. I know that look. All it would have taken was one word; maybe two. No. It’s not fair of me to do that. Not when I’ll be thinking of somebody else.
This will make sense in a few days..... But to continue where I left off
The bell clanged for last drinks before I had the chance to blink. The quiet nights always seem to pass faster. I poured the final 5 pots of the night and 15 minutes later Holly’s locked the front door and collected the till.
Rachel swans in and tosses me a half a cheese sandwich and a can of Red Bull (both of which I caught cleanly). Her eyes beckon me to follow her outside. We slipped out the back for a moment – continuing the earlier conversation, though my desk had now been replaced with a stack of milk crates. Even in this dim light, I could feel those icy blue eyes bore into me.
“So, tell me about <latest friend on Facebook>. She’s a cute girl.”
I was wondering when that was going to come up. It’s a seemingly innocuous question, but around Rachel I’m a little more circumspect than I might otherwise be, as the curls of tobacco smoke twist about her. She wasn’t to know, but my latest friend on Facebook is actually one of my closest friends at school who’s now a professional screenwriter and I’m best described as his patron.
A sardonic smile cracks my face. I’ve been trained too well. I can smell a leading statement a mile off, and she knows it. She’s goading me into divulging secrets I will not. Whatever this is, it’s too delicate and not for sharing, at least not with third parties, not yet. I want it all for myself.
That sounds covetous, and in my own way, I am quite, but jealousy doesn’t come into it.
There was a note of nostalgia about her voice. “I’ve missed this.”
“Yeah, I’m sure watching me squirm provided you with hours of entertainment.”
“It makes for a nice change.”
I walked straight into that! Now, how do I couch this…?
I didn’t say much. After all, I’ve barely known the girl ten minutes.
“Oh, come on! I know you <my full name> and that’s never stopped you. We dated for eighteen months, don’t forget. One – no, two – vanilla vodka and coke, the whispering of one word in her ear and she’s …”
The illustration described was more adroit than she realised.
Holly emerged, two small packets in hand. She gave us one each, with a smile that hinted knowing.
“ ‘Night guys”
Drawing myself to full height, I turned away. I don’t know why, but I half-expected Rachel’s hand to slip into mine. It didn’t.
“I’ll give you a lift.”
The ride was silent. Flecks of rain fell gently from the sky and glinted on the windshield.
The car drew to a halt in the drive. She looked at me. I know that look. All it would have taken was one word; maybe two. No. It’s not fair of me to do that. Not when I’ll be thinking of somebody else.