Page 55 of The Dicktionary Club

Katy giggled. ‘I’m so glad I’m taken for now. You girls are crazy!’

‘Right, fuck sake! I’ll text Alvaro,’ Zola moaned, throwingback her head in dread. ‘I suppose it’s an excuse for me to message him all night instead.’

Katy gently slapped Zola’s arm. ‘That’s terrible!’

Zola shrugged her off. ‘Oh please. He’s replying to Ella’s pictures, not mine. It’s like Andrea said – it’s only networking!’

We all laughed together.

Philip:Perfect. See you at 7. P x

Ella:Where are we going?

Philip:For dinner x

I huffed at his secrecy. And at the kiss. Why couldn’t this man ever give a straight answer? I liked to know plans. I hated uncertainty. I enjoyed being in control, but Philip seemed to know this and enjoyed torturing me by denying me it. Instead of replying to his childish guessing game, I turned on my laptop and began emailing Alexander, copying in template designs for set-ups he might like for his exhibition, dropping subtle hints thatIsecured the venue at the stunningly perfect Kelvingrove Art Gallery.

Chapter Nineteen

Zola

Zola had messaged Alvaro an hour earlier to apologise thatBellacould no longer make their date due to anunscheduled meeting, but he hadn’t responded. She found herself refreshing the Tinder app repeatedly, hoping for an understanding reply from him. But as she travelled towards Cowcaddens on the subway line, she was soon feeling disheartened that she’d let him down one too many times. Alvaro had moved to Glasgow a year ago, leaving his small Spanish hometown to study law. He seemed to enjoy the bustle of a big city but had told ‘Bella’ he could find it overwhelming at times and in his spare time he loved exploring the stunning Scottish highlands, something Zola had always wanted to do since arriving but had never quite gotten around to.

Zola had spent hours chatting with Alvaro over the past few days, as he poured his heart out about past relationships and values. The pair shared a love of music and travelling; their dreams aligned in so many ways. Alvaro was entirely focused on his career, he wanted to really make something of his life; he was determined, sweet, and a very sincere person. Zola was equally motivated; she was a go-getter – one of those people who knew exactly what she wanted and how to get there.

Sitting on the subway, Zola tried to refresh Tinder for thefifth time since cancelling the date she’d set up between ‘Bella’ and Alvaro. No signal. She could feel her frustration and disappointment rise, knowing she might have upset him. Alvaro seemed like the type of guy they hadn’t had really the pleasure of writing up on the Dicktionary Club yet. A good, honest man with something special about him. The subway stopped at Cowcaddens, and Zola wandered across the road to her flat.

When she entered, she spotted Curtis sprawled on the sofa, playing the Xbox with his headset on.

‘Hey, babe!’ Curtis called out, glancing up briefly as he heard her enter.

Before she could reply, she was hit with a horrible odour. ‘Jesus Christ! What is that smell?’

Curtis shot her a grin, then his gaze returned to his game.

‘Babe?’ Zola walked in front of the TV and stared down at him. ‘I’m asking you why our flat smells of shit.’

Curtis pointed to his headset to warn her to keep the noise down to ensure his gamer friends didn’t hear her. Zola held her hands up to him for a reply, but he ignored her and continued interacting with his mates online. She huffed, scrutinising the state of the living room. Empty energy drink cans and yesterday’s washing remained hanging over the clothes horse. She headed to the kitchen, popped her bag on the worktop and opened the fridge.

Suddenly a loud fart echoed through the apartment. Zola paused, turned around and shot Curtis a stare through the doorway.

‘So, that’s why our flat smells of shit!’ she yelled in disgust.

‘Babe, come on!’ He pointed to the TV again, not wanting anyone to overhear a domestic.

‘Seriously! You don’t want your mates to hear me, but you’re fine with them hearing your arse rattling, yeah?’

She slammed the fridge door shut and stormed through toface him. Even when she was standing right before him, his attention was still darting between her and the TV.

‘Babe, come on. I’m sorry,’ he eventually managed.

‘Look at this fucking place, Curtis. You’ve been off the entire day!’

‘Oh, you need to calm down, woman! It’s been my day off.’

‘Woman?’ Zola spat. He knew how much she hated that chat.

There was a silence between them, then he groaned under his breath.

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