Page 69 of The Dicktionary Club

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ella

The following Monday, I was feeling refreshed and ready for work after a quiet weekend of yoga, fresh fruit and tidying the flat till it looked perfect. I felt fired up with enthusiasm about my plans for Alexander’s exhibition. I hadn’t heard from Philip since he turned up at the office and, quite frankly, I was glad. I didn’t even feel a proper date was necessary to write his review for the website. I already felt like I had enough on him to speak about his cheesy chat-up lines, his flashy show-off style and annoying over-familiarity. The Dicktionary Club was shaping up nicely. The gym girls had added even more reviews, and I finally felt like we were making a dent in the Glaswegian dating scene. Which was why we were preparing to launch in just over a week’s time.

I entered the office to the sight of my friends hard at work at their desks.

‘Morning!’ I said, passing by them and taking a seat.

‘Hey!’ Katy beamed.

‘Hey,’ Zola replied, looking distracted with her workload.

‘Good weekend?’ I asked out of habit, but I knew exactly what they had been up to. The WhatsApp chats were pinging nonstop with photos of our food, potential dates for Katy, and double-chinned selfies of Zola lying in bed feeling under the weathermost of the weekend.

‘Yep, I met three guys,’ Katy bragged.

‘Three? It was only two last night?’ Zola swivelled in her chair.

Katy pursed her lips and flicked back her hair. ‘Yep, Alfie came round last night!’

I burst out laughing.

‘And?’ Zola pressed her.

‘You can read all about him on the page, his review is already up.’

‘And did you?’ I leaned in, conscious that maybe not everyone wanted to tune into my Monday morning smut. ‘You know. Rate his eggplant?’ I mumbled.

Katy smirked. ‘Uh-huh! And well .?.?. it was bang average.’ She blew out a disappointed sigh.

I sat back on my chair, gutted not to have gotten some juicy sex story first thing in the morning. ‘That’s annoying. And how are you feeling now, Zo?’

‘I’m .?.?. fine, I guess,’ she said, her tone completely flat.

Katy turned. ‘What was up with you anyway?’

‘I’m not sure to be honest.’ She paused, some thought seeming to linger. ‘Hey, do you girls fancy taking a walk at lunch? I feel like I’ve been cooped up all weekend.’

‘Yeah! Duh! Of course!’ I beamed back. I loved a lunchtime workout, especially in the summer months.

Katy moaned and reluctantly nodded, tending to hate any form of exercise. We returned to our computers and continued chatting the morning away while I designed the backdrop for the exhibition.

*

That afternoon, the three of us strolled through Glasgow citycentre, sipping iced lattes from Starbucks and enjoying the rare Scottish sun beaming down on our faces.

‘So, what are you girls working on today?’

‘I’m doing a pitch for Blaze Boost to sponsor the hospitality awards this year. It’s in August – a big fancy do in the Hilton – but it will be great coverage for them if we land it,’ Katy explained.

‘That would be great if you got it,’ I agreed, knowing how worthwhile sponsorship could be, especially in a room full of company directors.

‘I’m revamping social media for Individualise Aesthetics Clinic. Maybe I’ll get free botox for doing it,’ Zola said, crossing her fingers to the gods. ‘How’s it with the art thing?’

‘Good! I have everything booked, and the guest list is continuously growing. I’m not only going to pull this off – I’m going to smash it! Alexander’s PA is buzzing,’ I said.

‘And so they should be!’ Katy hugged my arm. ‘I knew it would work out.’

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