Page 59 of Date with Destiny

I shrug sadly. ‘I have no idea what words she used. It’s all a bit hazy. I only remember that there were six predictions and that she had big hair.’ Another thought occurs to me. ‘On the other hand,’ I feel my nose crinkling, ‘Daniel is someone I’d thought lost forever and I already thought he was my soulmate. So maybe this was about proving that? What if all of this is a way for Daniel to prove himself as The One?’

‘It’ll take a lot of proving,’ Myfanwy mutters.

‘Argh! It’s all too cryptic!’ My voice is full of despair, as I put my face in my hands. ‘I just wish I could speak to the fortune teller again and ask her to explain herself better. Or at least repeat everything she said the first time. There must be so many details I’ve forgotten.’

‘These six predictions are a lot more specific than most people get!’ Myfanwy points out and I pout.

‘Yes, but they’re still not clear enough. If these really are real, then she obviously knew more. There must be loads of extra info that she didn’t share with me.’

Myfanwy looks thoughtful. ‘I know we gave up looking for her, but maybe we should try again. She’s got to be out there somewhere, right?’ She regards me fearfully. ‘Wait, how old was she? She won’t have died, will she?’

I shake my head. ‘No!’ I pause. ‘I mean, she could’ve died of a million other things, obviously, but not from old age. I’mnot sure how old she was because everyone over twenty looks fifty when you’re sixteen, but I’m pretty sure she couldn’t have been much more than about forty-five.’

‘Good!’ Myfanwy’s grin returns.

‘But I know literallynothingabout her!’ I remind her desperately. ‘I don’t know what her name was, where she lives, nothing.’

‘You remember what she looked like?’ Myfanwy asks and I nod.

‘Kinda,’ I admit.

‘Well then, we knowkindawhat she looks like, we know she’s a psychic and that she travelled with that local fair. That place still visits the same park, so we start there. Who knows? Maybe she still does readings at the same fair?’

We stare at each other excitedly.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

We arrive early at the no-name bar, in a trendy area of Clapham. It’s pretty upmarket and feels like Toni and Shawn have spent a fair bit of money on all of this.

‘Fancy,’ Sonali murmurs beside me, taking in the room.

‘This is the perfect place for you to get some,’ Myfanwy hisses in my ear.

It looks like we’re the first to arrive, and we creep in, scanning the room for signs of life. ‘Hellooo?’ I call out awkwardly and a glamorous but nervous Toni appears from behind the bar.

‘I can’t find the Prosecco,’ she says by way of a greeting. ‘The manager said they’d leave out a bunch of glasses and the bottles so we could have trays of drinks for arrivals.’

‘Don’t worry,’ I say as confidently as I can, throwing off my coat and joining her in her search. ‘We’ll sort it.’

She steps back, giving me a head to toe with wide eyes. ‘Wow,’ she says admiringly. ‘One of Mum’s? You look absolutely devastating. That is stunning, Gin. This is going to blow Mikey’s socks off.’

‘Thanks.’ I suddenly feel a bit overdressed and embarrassed. Toni is wearing a lovely dress but there are no feathers. Why did I think feathers were a good idea? Nobody wears feathers! Will Mikey think I’m an absolute try-hard dolt?

Whatever, it’s too late now and I focus instead on how genuinely excited I am to see him. Our texts have been ramping up over the last few days as we anticipated seeing each other again tonight. I can’t wait to get my hands on him.

I’ve never been that great at one-night stands. Much as I wanted to enjoy them, I just couldn’t. The one or two – OK three – I attempted in my early twenties always ended up being horribly awkward, uncomfortable encounters with men who ultimately just made me feel used, even though I kept telling myselfIwas usingthem. So I feel like Mikey is the perfect compromise. I don’t want anything serious with him – at least I don’t think I do – but he’s a familiar, fun presence who knows my body and what I like. Or, at least,someof what I like. I have evolved since we last did it.

I take in Toni and beam. ‘You look beautiful,’ I tell her and she smiles back.

‘It all looks fab,’ Sonali tells her warmly, as Myfanwy glances around.

‘Is Shawn here, too?’

She shakes her head. ‘No, he’s coming with his friends in a bit. I said I’d get everything ready.’

I catch a look between Sonali and Myfanwy but none of us say anything, busying ourselves instead with getting glasses out and onto trays. Guests start to arrive as we finish up andToni squeals with excitement as she runs off to greet friends I only know in passing.

I check the time. Mikey messaged on our way here to confirm the address, so he must be on his way by now. I feel my stomach flip at the prospect of seeing him and I pull out my compact to check for errant lipstick or mascara gloops. Over the mirror, Myfanwy and Sonali giggle over something as Sonali reapplies her Vaseline. She must get throughpotsof the stuff.

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