Page 49 of Our Stop

Maybe, Nadia replied, trying on the character of Kathleen for size. She liked the comparison.

Or maybe it’s the defensive attitude masking deep romanticism, he typed, adding in a winky emoji.

Touché, said Nadia. And then, in spite of herself, because she had Emma’s voice ringing in her head and he was being sweet and she didn’t, actually, have anything to lose:So, this weekend, right?

Are you asking me out?said Eddie, ignoring the fact he’d suggested to her this morning that his whole weekend was free. She deserved that. She deserved being made to put herself out there a little when she was riding him so hard. She admired that – that he was making her declare her interest as clearly as he had declared his. It felt full of self-respect.

I am, she said.Sunday. Let’s do something nice on Sunday.She had a twinge in her heart that betrayed her excitement.Enjoy the movie! x

32

Daniel

‘Mate,’ Daniel said, swilling the last dregs of his beer at the bottom of the glass. ‘I don’t have words for the extent to which I am not interested in tonight. Really and truly – I’m pretty sure you don’t need me.’

Lorenzo raised his eyebrows and shook his head. ‘I need you, dude.’ He finished his drink and signalled to the barman for two more.

‘No,’ Daniel said, firmly. ‘I’ve got to pace myself.’ He waved Lorenzo’s hand away and held up one finger to the barman. The barman nodded, message received.

‘It’s not as if I’m asking you to set your hair on fire and put it out with the back of a shovel just for a laugh. This is a group of hot girls! You could even get laid if you wanted!’

‘But that’s the point, isn’t it?’ said Daniel. ‘I don’t want to.’

Lorenzo, as predicted, hadn’t been hugely sympathetic about Daniel’s failed date and lost romance as he’d relayed it all as they’d eaten toast and jam in the kitchen together that morning.

‘Bollocks to her, mate,’ was how he’d summarized it. ‘Come out with me tonight. You could get any of the girls from the RAINFOREST party on their knees for you, and they’ll all be there. Becky said so.’ Becky was the girl Lorenzo had brought home after the work event the other week.

In lieu of any sort of emotional intelligence, Lorenzo got weirdly sexual, but Daniel knew he meant well. It was just, well … Lorenzo’s version of ‘meaning well’ was exhausting.

The barman put down another pint in front of Lorenzo, and he picked it up, emptying half of it in two huge gulps.

‘It’s Saturday night! Come on! We’re young, we’re single, we’re a pair of good-looking dudes. What’s wrong with letting our hair down?’

Daniel raised his eyebrows at him, and regretted ever being dragged out in the first place. He’d had a rush of understanding that he couldn’t just stay in front of the TV all Saturday night, and that a few drinks with Lorenzo wouldn’t be the end of the world, but now he was out and the bar was busy and Lorenzo was being particularly loud and louty, he regretted it. He wasn’t in the mood to manage Lorenzo’s outgoingness.

‘For fuck’s sake,’ Lorenzo continued, noting Daniel’s sour expression. ‘Just … at least pretend to have a good time? Becky wanted to go out with her mates, and I wanted to see Becky – I mean, she’s super fit, soduh– and I can’t be some weird guy in a group of girls waiting for them to stop talking so he can get his dick sucked, so … this is you doing me a favour. Although howmyinvitation for peelingyouaway from the sofa is somehowyouhelping me out I’ll never know. Anyway,’ he paused as he finished off his pint in another two long gulps, ‘I said eight and it’s eight, so let’s go.’

The guys walked quickly under the arches of Hoxton station and rounded the corner to see four women standing in a tight circle, all on their phones. Daniel recognized the woman who’d tried to kiss him, as well as Becky, whose face lit up at Lorenzo’s. Daniel thought the other two women must have been at the party too, but he didn’t recognize them. They kind of all looked the same, with honey-coloured hair just below their shoulders, all of them in high-waisted jeans and leather sandals, with lots of gold jewellery layered around their necks and wrists.

‘Ladies,’ said Lorenzo, shouting as they approached. ‘What a sight for sore eyes!’

Becky said something Daniel couldn’t hear to the group as they all looked up, making everyone giggle. He felt self-conscious, but he didn’t know why. The girl who had hit on him at the party made eye contact and smiled sweetly.

‘We meet again,’ she said, as the two men made their way around the group, kissing the cheeks of each woman.

‘We do,’ said Daniel. ‘You look nice. I like your –’ he struggled to identify something that stood out from the rest of the group ‘– nail varnish.’

The girl laughed. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I just got a manicure this morning. Self-care Saturday and all that.’

Daniel smiled and nodded politely, not knowing what self-care Saturday was, but not feeling invested enough in polite conversation to follow up. At least he was out, breathing fresh air and wearing cologne. He’d moped enough last night, ordering in truffle Mac ’n’ Cheese from halfway across London, and throwing in a cheesecake to boot. When he’d woken up this morning he’d put a wash on and changed his sheets, gone for a run, had breakfast with Lorenzo and then headed out to the Wellcome Collection for a bit of culture. It was a slow, quiet day, but void of much human interaction, and so here he was, engaging with people.

‘Shall we go then?’ Lorenzo asked the group, rounding everyone up. ‘I saved us a table at Lilo and Brookes. No big deal, but yeah, I know a guy.’

Daniel turned to the nameless girl beside him.

‘What have you been up to today?’ he said, forcing himself to be friendly and sociable, and struggling to listen to her answer.

At the bar, the group assembled and in a fit of generosity Daniel said, ‘Right then – what’s everyone having? First round is on me.’

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