Page 24 of The One Plus One
He was the man you never dared take seriously. She thought he probably liked her because she was the only woman round here who didn’t.
‘I take it this means a quickie’s out of the question?’
She extricated herself and made her way towards the back door, trying to make the colour subside from her cheeks. Then she stopped. ‘Hey, Liam.’
He looked up from stubbing his cigarette out.
‘You don’t want to lend me five hundred quid, do you?’
‘If I had it, babe, you could have it.’ He blew a kiss as she disappeared back indoors.
She was walking around the bar to pick up empties, her cheeks still pink, when she saw him. She actually did a double-take. He was sitting in the corner alone, and there were three empty pint glasses in front of him.
He had changed into Converse trainers, jeans and a T-shirt and he sat staring at his mobile phone, flicking at the screen and occasionally glancing up when everyone cheered a goal. As Jess watched, he picked up a beer and downed it. He probably thought that in his jeans he blended in, but he had ‘incomer’ written all over him. As he glanced towards the bar, she turned away swiftly, feeling her brief happy mood evaporate.
‘Just popping downstairs for some more snacks,’ she said to Chelsea, and made for the cellar. ‘Ugh,’ she muttered, under her breath. ‘Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.’ When she re-emerged he had a fresh pint and barely looked up from his phone.
The evening stretched. Chelsea discussed her Internet options, Mr Nicholls drank three more pints and Jess disappeared whenever he got up to the bar, juggled debts and imaginary lottery wins and tried not to meet Liam’s eye. By ten to eleven, the pub was down to a handful of stragglers – the usual offenders, Des called them. Chelsea put on her coat.
‘Where are you going?’
She stooped to apply her lipstick in the mirror behind the optics. ‘Des said I could leave a bit early.’ She pursed her lips. ‘Date.’
‘Date? Who goes on a date at this time of night?’
‘It’s a date at David’s house. It’s all right,’ she said, as Jess stared at her. ‘My sister’s coming too. He said it would be nice with the three of us.’
‘Chels, have you ever heard the expression “booty call”?’
‘What?’
Jess looked at her for a minute. ‘Nothing. Just…have a nice time.’
She was loading the dishwasher when he appeared at the bar. His eyes were half closed and he swayed gently, as if he was about to embark on some free-form dance.
‘Pint, please.’
She shoved another two glasses to the back of the wire rack. ‘We’re not serving any more. It’s gone eleven.’
He looked up at the clock. His voice slurred. ‘It’s one minute to.’
‘You’ve had enough.’
He blinked slowly, stared at her. His short, dark hair was sticking up slightly on one side, as if at some point during the last hour, he had started to slide down the banquette. ‘Who are you to tell me I’ve had enough?’
‘The person who serves the drinks. That’s usually how it works.’ Jess held his gaze. ‘You don’t even recognize me, do you?’
‘Should I?’
She stared at him a moment longer. ‘Hold on.’ She let herself out from behind the bar, walked over to the swing door, and as he stood there, bemused, she opened it and let it swing back in her face, lifting a hand and opening her mouth as if to say something.
She opened the door again and stood there in front of him. ‘Recognize me now?’
He blinked. Jess could almost hear the cogs of his brain working.
‘Are you…Did I see you yesterday?’
‘The cleaner. Yes.’
