Page 5 of Weekends with You

“Used to what?” I asked, as soon as I remembered we were having a conversation.

“The constant bickering. Living in this flat is like living with a bunch of siblings no one asked for, but eventually, you’re able to tune it out.”

“Is that what you do, Hen? Just tune us out?” Raja pretended to be hurt, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Do we even mean anything to you at all?”

“See what I mean?” he whispered, and it felt a bit like we were already sharing a secret. “Raj, I couldn’t tune you out if I wanted to,” he said, louder this time, returning to their conversation and slinging a long arm around her shoulders as they pulled ahead.

The Bag was a humble classic British pub. Pennants lined the walls under exposed beams, cozy high-tops nestled along the windows, and a dark, glossy bar stood proudly at the back.

The bartender was someone Cal knew from his years in therestaurant industry. As a bartender himself, he was usually in charge of getting drinks, with Finn helping on the carry.

We pulled a few high-tops together to make a table as long as ours at home, sliding onto stools and giving our drink orders to the boys. They set off toward the bar, and we cleared the table of all menus and condiments, leaving only coasters and plenty of room for focus.

“All right, then,” Finn said, doling out drinks when they returned. “Four Stellas, a whiskey for Cal, a vodka tonic for Liv and Raja, and a cider for Lucy. Everyone set?”

We responded with nods and grunts as we sipped our drinks, made sweeter after a long week and by the fact that we were all together. At first thought, the past four weeks had seemed to pass in a heartbeat, but looking around at the faces of my roommates, who had mostly been strangers a month ago, it seemed much longer.

“So, give me the update,” Henry said, leaning his elbows on the table. “What’ve I missed?”

“Every month we have to do this, since Hen is shit at keeping in touch,” Raja said to me. Her tone was warm, so I guessed they didn’t really mind.

Everyone took turns giving a two-sentence update. This month, it seemed, there was little to report. Margot was working on the costumes for another show none of us had heard of, Cal was still the manager of the cocktail bar where he’d been working for years, Finn was still slinging takeaway curries and leaving bike parts all over the flat, Raja was still in school, Liv had started a new year as an elementary school teacher, and Jan was still tattooing full-time in Camden.

It was a lot to keep track of, so I was thankful we did the recap for Henry. I would remember everything eventually, but not today. As an only child with just a few close friends, I wasn’tused to keeping track of so many people. My parents called every so often, but it was normally on a Sunday night after they’d eaten dinner, with the two of them on speakerphone.

When I left the States after high school, I’d long since outgrown my hometown friends, so my parents were basically the only people I had left behind. I’d made a few close friends in London in the six years I’d been living here, but we all required little more than the occasional happy hour to stay connected. As far as managing relationships went, that was about all I had to do. Until I moved into this flat, that is.

“And tell me again, Lucy, what is it that you do?” Henry asked when it was my turn to give an update.

“I’m a florist at a small shop in Islington. Been there since I graduated uni.” Talking about my job usually felt like drinking something warm on a cool day, but lately, that cool day felt more like an impending storm.

“Are you doing big events? Weddings and the like?”

“I’d like to be,” I said, then immediately felt like I was betraying Renee somehow. “I mean, someday. The owner of the shop is a bit old and not ready to tap into that market. It requires a lot of energy to keep up, so I think she’d rather stick to what we know. We’ve always done smaller projects, like arrangements for garden parties and engagements and shivas, but we won’t be able to stay open much longer just doing that, if I’m honest. So lately I’ve been imagining what it’d be like to expand our business and take on more clients, bigger projects, that sort of thing.”

“Luce!” Raja said. “You didn’t tell me that.”

I felt a wave of embarrassment that I hadn’t even told my best friend what I’d managed to spill to a near stranger. And a very handsome one at that, who was probably just asking to be polite.

“Sorry, that was kind of a lot.” I forced a laugh. “Much more than the allotted two-sentences.”

“You’re new, so it’s allowed.” A gentle smile spread across his face and a dimple formed in his right cheek beneath its constellation of freckles. If he hadn’t been a roommate, I’d have already told Raja I thought he was hot, but it felt off-limits.

“Do you give us an update, too?” I asked, trying to redirect the attention from my overshare.

“Ah, yes, he regales us with stories from faraway lands that we’re too poor to visit,” Finn answered, and Henry laughed.

“Finn forgets I get paid to travel, so I’m not just on holiday all the time. But yes, I give an update, too. This time I’ve been away in Mallorca, soaking up the last bits of summer and shooting for an outdoor venue near the water.”

“Henry’s job is really hard,” Liv added. “We all feel really sorry for him because he works a lot.”

“Everyone’s just taking the piss, aren’t we?” he said, taking a large swig of his beer.

“It’s all love, darling,” Liv said. “Remind us where to next?”

“Reykjavík. Kind of the opposite of sunny Spanish beaches, but I’m looking forward to it. But enough about me,” he said, shaking his head. “We need to get in the zone.”

Disappointment crept up my throat at the thought of him leaving again so soon. I needed to squash that, and fast, so I decided to focus on the quiz. The pub. Getting to know my new roommates. Anything other than his dark eyelashes and the way he kept glancing in my direction.

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