Page 7 of The Meet Queue-t

“You’d be wrong.”

“Okay,” he challenges. “What makes you so bad?”

Where to start. “As soon as I’m in a date situation—meal, walk, visiting the pencil museum—I just freeze up,” I say, gesturing hopelessly. “You know, I just stand there full creepy alien, like Mark Zuckerberg, which either means the guy talks about himself the entire time, or he thinks I’m an idiot. Or both.” Which has happened, by the way. Up to and including the pencil museum—which is not a euphemism, and I’ve never been able to figure out if I’m relieved or disappointed. At least if itwasa euphemism, we’d have had something to talk about.

The queue has stopped again and a man in a bright yellow hi-viz jacket walks along the Encampment, saying something in a walkie talkie. A few people call out to him, but a burst of static emerges from the little black box, and he holds up a hand. “There’s been a bit of a delay,” he calls, and people quiet to listen. I guess that’s something to be proud of, in a weird way, about this whole situation. Everyone just pulling together, no questions asked. “There are toilets two hundred metres ahead. Please get in touch with one of the staff or volunteers if you need anything.”

The screen with the queue time skips to sixteen hours.

Chapter Three

It’stwominutestomidnight. Because I have nothing better to do, and Oliver has engaged in conversation with the frazzled mother behind me—who was clearly a Queen stan and is genuinely upset by her death—I watch the time tick closer to my birthday.

Almost twenty-four.

Logically, I know I won’t feel any different. My life will be the same mess it’s been all year. Nothing will change. Mum will still be gone, and I’ll have had my first milestone without her.

But when the clock hits 00:00, I blow out a breath, and there’s a tense feeling in the pit of my stomach. A message comes through from my bestie, Rosalie, in New Zealand.

ROSALIE:HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYY SWEATPEA, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

ROSALIE:*SWEETPEA

ROSALIE:don’t judge my spelling okay

ROSALIE:autocorrect did not have my back

TESSA:Thanks!! Love you too!

ROSALIE:you better be having drinks on me. are you having drinkson me?

TESSA:No drinks. Currently in The Queue.

ROSALIE:to see the Queen???

ROSALIE:i didn’t even think you liked her??

TESSA:Mum did

ROSALIE:oh

ROSALIE:omg

ROSALIE:PRETEND I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING. I LOVE YOU LONG TIME BESTIE. ENJOY SEEING THE QUEEN

ROSALIE:and after, have a drink on me, okay?

TESSA:Will do <3

Oliver glances at the screen. “One of your so-called disastrous dates?”

I slip my phone into my pocket again. “Nah. My best friend. She’s in New Zealand, but she just texted to say happy birthday.”

His eyes widen, and why does he have to have such gorgeous eyes? I could fall into them, like drowning myself in melted chocolate. “It’s your birthday?” he asks. “Today?”

“I mean, technically. Now it’s past midnight.”

“And you’re in the queue. Alone.” That fact seems to really hit him, and he pulls off his bag, unzipping it and rifling through. “You should’ve said something.”

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