Page 50 of One Night With You

‘Hmm what?’

‘Well, never six feet from me physically, but mentally you’re basically shacked up with Mr Sofa aren’t you? Is that the only reason you came down – for him? You don’t even reply to my messages anymore, but apparently you message him back and forth like your life depends on it.’

I’m taken aback. I know emotions get high whenever drinking is involved, and obviously it’s late so we’re all tired and we’ve been drinking, but she’s gone a bit far. I wonder if this is about something else, but I just don’t know what.

‘I’m not being funny,’ I say, and I know I sound defensive even as the words are coming out of my mouth, but that doesn’t stop me. ‘But I did say this would happen. Not the Nicthing, but the not getting proper time together thing. That’s why I offered to come down last night or stay tomorrow night too. It’s you who told me not to, because you had to save your time off for the hen party tomorrow. The hen party of a person I’ve never even heard you mention before I left, by the way.’

‘So this is my fault now?’

‘That’s not what I said, is it?’

‘You’re unbelievable,’ she says. ‘Just take responsibility for being a bit of a crap friend,’ she says. ‘It’s my birthday!’

‘I’m here, aren’t I?’ I say.

‘Barely.’ She pouts. ‘Like I said, it’s obvious what your priorities are tonight. So much for your Year of Me or whatever you’re calling it. Aren’t you embarrassed you can’t even last a few months?’

‘Ouch,’ I say. ‘Okay, you’re shooting from the hip now. I’m going to assume this is about more than just this, and give you the benefit of the doubt, but one more hurtful thing like that and I’ll change my mind.’

I can tell she still wants to be mad at me. I just can’t unpick why. This isn’t about Nic. This isn’t the whole story. Is it just the booze? She’s swaying as she talks, but I can’t fault that what she’s saying seems to have been on her mind for a while. Maybe the booze means she finally feels able to tell me.

‘Fine,’ she says, in a tone that suggests it’s anything but fine. ‘Can you just come and dance and, like, not be huddled off in a corner with a man? It’s my birthday, and I want your attention.’

‘Yes,’ I say, feeling instantly guilty if I’ve broken the girl code of birthdays. ‘Of course. That is exactly what I want to do,’ I say, but after being yelled at, I’m not really in the party mood anymore. I paste on a smile and head inside anyway. She’s right. Itisher birthday.

We pass Jackson and Nic in the kitchen as she pulls me past them and through the living room to dance. I close my eyes and give in to the dirty rhythms of some old R ’n’ B records, swaying back and forth and then when it switches to some ABBA spinning and moving in circles with my arms out wide around me. At one point I think I see Nic loiter by the doorway, but when I look back around he’s gone. I don’t know what to do – if I go and find him, Candice will get upset, and I don’t even know where my phone is to text him. Last time, Candice practically pushed me into bed with him and now she’s all but forbidden it.

We dance some more until I realise there’s only a handful of people left. I wonder if he’s gone. All these weeks of build-up to seeing him, all this existential angst around what it would mean if I had a good time with him, and I’ve been cock-blocked by a friend who wants my attention and my conscience that knows she’s right. I am here for her. But it still crushes my soul a little that I haven’t even been able to say goodnight. Who knows if a chance to see him will come up again?

24

Nic

‘Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here.’

I know her voice before I see her face. In fact, I think my body feels her presence before my ears hear her words. Hairs prickle on the back of my neck. I’m smiling before I even turn around.

‘Ruby!’ I exclaim, as I take her in. I can’t believe she’s here in Euston station too. It makes no sense. ‘What’s a nice girl like you doing in a dark, miserable train station like this?’

Her hair is piled on her head and she’s got smudges of black make-up under her eyes. She looks tired, despite her megawatt smile. I probably look even worse though. I barely slept. I stared at the bedroom ceiling after I got home, trying to figure out how to make this work, what my next move could be. She’s there, I’m here – long-distance is one thing, but we actually don’t even know each other. You have to have a relationship to go long-distance with, right? But how dowe build a relationship from afar? The pieces are all there, they just don’t add up – and it’s baffling me.

‘I’ve got to get back to Manchester,’ she says, indicating to the trains with her thumb as if to say,That’s me.‘I think I said last night – I’ve got a morning train?’

‘Oh yeah,’ I reply. ‘I mean. I know Jackson and Candice miss you so much. I thought you’d maybe be down here a few days. But you did say, you’re right. Candice had to get off for a hen party, didn’t she? I was distracted …’

She smirks, but she’s blushing. ‘Yes,’ she says. ‘Sorry about the interruption last night.’

‘Not as sorry as I am,’ I say back. ‘I was going to text you later. Was everything okay with Candice in the end? She seemed …’

‘Upset? She was,’ Ruby concedes. I swear she might have tears in her eyes, but the strip lighting of the train station is so bad it makes things deceptive. It might be tears inmyeyes from the lack of sleep. If I have time, I might even get some eyedrops and some sort of sleep-ease pill to help me drop off on the journey. I can’t let anyone see me like this – anyone else, I mean. I need to get sorted before I get to Mum and Steve’s for their anniversary party.

‘Well,’ I say, steering the conversation away from Jackson and Candice, just in case. ‘Soon be Christmas. Maybe you can all meet up then?’

She nods solemnly. ‘Yeah.’

‘Will you be back then?’ I ask, hopefully. If she is, I’m taking her out, no questions asked.

‘No, actually.’ She shrugs. She’s not herself; something is off. ‘I’ll be at my mum and stepdad’s, up in Whaley Bridge.’

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