Page 36 of Someone in the Water
‘Sometimes it’s best not to know,’ Jack says.
‘What do you mean?’ Archie tilts his head. ‘You think the Paolis are involved in something illicit?’
Jack rolls his eyes. ‘No, I just meant that people deserve their privacy. Anyway, does anyone want another beer? My shout?’
Dom and Archie lift their empty cans, the international symbol for ‘yes, please’, while I shake my head. I need something colder, and tastier.
As Jack turns, I see Archie reach out to stroke his arm, but Jack jerks away to avoid it. Archie pushes his hand into his pocket and shifts his eyeline away, but I can see that the rejection has upset him. I wonder how I would feel if a boyfriend behaved that way with me. Generous with his affection in private but embarrassed to show it in public. Jack is relaxed enough when it’s just the six of us, but maybe this more conservative Corsican crowd is too much for him.
I reach out and stroke Archie’s arm myself, showing my solidarity. He gives me a grateful look, then curls his arm around my shoulder and draws me in.
‘I wouldn’t want to know,’ he says, looking at a group of teenage children running after the parade waving Corsican flags instead of French ones.
‘Know what?’
‘If I was going to die – I’d prefer to go in blissful ignorance.’
‘Okay, noted,’ I say, trying to inject some levity. ‘If you show up dead in my dreams, I promise to keep it to myself.’
‘What a good friend you are.’
I giggle and lean my head on Archie’s shoulder. It’s dark now, and the clear night sky is busy with flickering stars. ‘Just for the record though,’ I murmur. ‘I would prefer it if you stayed alive.’
‘Okay, noted,’ Archie says, copying my words.
‘Hey, guys!’ I feel another body wriggle between Archie and me, Archie’s arm sliding away until it drops.
‘Hi, Izzy,’ I say. ‘How’s your friend?’
‘What? Oh yes, he’s good. Anyway, what have I missed?’
I drain the dregs of my can. I thought Izzy said her friend was female, but maybe I heard wrong.
‘Oh, just a discussion about dream hunters and whether knowing you’ve only got a few days to live is a good thing,’ Dom says, shrugging with faux nonchalance.
‘Wow. Well, it sounds like you need someone to lighten the mood then. Who fancies a Long Island iced tea on me?’
Frankie
14th July
Izzy drops her chin on my shoulder and rests her empty plastic glass in the crook of my elbow. A stage has been set up on the wide path in front of the Porto Vecchio marina, and a big crowd is gathering around us as four men in white suits belt out cheesy cover songs.
‘What’s the band called again?’ Izzy asks, shouting into my ear to make herself heard above the noise.
‘Eastlife,’ I say. ‘I think they’re a Westlife tribute band.’
‘Well, that explains a lot,’ she says with a sigh. ‘Shall we get another drink before the fireworks? Did you say they were starting at ten?’
I look at my watch. It’s 9.30 p.m. I was the only one to accept Izzy’s offer of a Long Island iced tea – the others preferring to wait for Jack to return with the beers – so it’s just been the two of us milling around for the last hour. I wonder if I should suggest we find the rest of them. It is supposed to be a team night out after all, and I wouldn’t mind checking on Archie. The more I see him and Jack together, the more I worry that Archie is going to end up getting hurt.
‘Yeah cool. We might bump into the others around the bar area too.’
‘Maybe,’ Izzy says, shrugging while flashing me one of her light-up-the-sky smiles.
We push through the crowd towards the bar and I join the five-deep queue. As I shuffle forwards, I feel a tap on my shoulder, and turn around to see Archie, a couple of people behind me.
‘Oh, hey,’ I say, smiling. ‘I was hoping to bump into you. Is everything okay?’
