Page 102 of Hot to Go

‘I’m just telling you to have fun, live a little. I don’t think you’re brave enough anymore.’ I look at him, my mouth agape with shock at the insinuation that I’m a bit of a coward. ‘This is like a second stag of sorts? We need a bit of excitement.’

‘I hugged you in a jacuzzi? Wasn’t that enough?’ But he’s right. Why not, eh? They won’t miss some chips. Maybe I do need to lighten up. Max gets his phone out. ‘You’re not filming this, are you?’

‘Sam will piss himself laughing…go on…’ he urges me.

I tiptoe over to the door, in full-on stealth mode, looking around for signs of other guests, staff, cameras. They have condiments too. I can steal mayonnaise. I go over and pick up the bowl ever so quietly and pick up one frite, stuffing it in my mouth. I can hear Max cheering quietly.

But then the door opens.

Shit shit shit shit shit.

I hear footsteps running away as Max abandons me. God, I hate you.

I turn around, slowly, awaiting my shame, my embarrassment.

But, hold up.

You?

Suzie?

She stands there for a moment staring at me.

I stare back.

‘How?’ she says, confused.

‘What?’ I reply.

‘Did you know I was here…? Have you followed me? Was this Lucy?’ she asks me, her eyes darting around the corridor.

I shake my head incredibly slowly. ‘No. You’re here…’

‘I am.’

‘You are…’

A feeling, a happy shock washes over me. It’s the same emotion that rushed through me when I saw her in the assembly hall that morning. When the universe decided that would be funny. It’s her. How on earth did that happen? And now she’s here. Again.

‘Why are you…what are you wearing?’ she mumbles.

I look her up and down. ‘Is that my T-shirt?’ I say, looking at her legs, her hair freshly washed. She’s exactly the way she looked when I first met her.

‘Why are you eating my chips?’ she says.

And we both stand there, slightly stunned by all of it, by what bloody glitch in the universe this may be. There must be an entity out there saying you don’t need space, you two. You two just need to realise that this is meant to be. We keep flinging you in each other’s path for a very good reason. Just get together already.

I need to swallow this chip.

‘You ordered a lot of chips?’ I say, and she looks down at the food, a little surprised at the quantity of fried potato on that tray.

‘So, you thought you could steal them?’ she says, smiling.

‘Says the girl wearing my T-shirt…’ I joke.

There is complete silence between us as we try and work this out.

‘Why are you here?’ I ask her.

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