Page 68 of Am I Allergic to Men?
‘She’s just a flake, an unsociable one at that. Bloody hard work. And she just shags you and leaves…’ Darren says.
‘I did the same with a lot of people…?’ I say.
‘I don’t think so. You were never cold with people.’
‘She’s just not that fun, Luce,’ Cass says, hooking her arm into his. ‘Oh crap, she’s here. Don’t turn around…’
I turn around. Obviously. Imogen has arrived in a suit, to a bar. It’s very fresh from work and her work is in the City, automatically feeling more important than mine.
‘Lucy?’ she says, examining my head. ‘Wow, that’s a look. How are you?’ Immediately, the tone of her voice grates. She comes over for a double air kiss. I was attracted to this?
‘Imogen?’
‘Yeah?’
Yeah, she’s not Tony. I liked Tony immensely. She’s aloof, if attractive. Her hair is black, slicked-back, she’s got a stud to each ear. She’s so preened to the point of nearly being boring.
‘There’s a spare drink going here if you want, Imogen,’ Cass says, waving at her.
‘We’ve met, right? Sorry, I’m terrible with names.’
‘Darren and Cass.’
‘Yeah. So I didn’t really get your message? You were in an accident?’
‘A bike accident.’
‘And now you don’t remember a thing? I’m not sure that’s how amnesia works, is it?’
‘Are you a doctor?’ Darren asks her.
‘No, actually. But I’ve seen documentaries.’
This isn’t awkward. At all. There’s a very conservative look to her and she reaches to take the White Russian offered, sips it and then flinches.
‘I’ve been meeting a lot of people recently, trying to fill in the gaps,’ I say.
Darren smirks and I kick him under the table.
‘So, did you want to get out of here?’ she says, looking at Darren and Cass dismissively.
‘Oh no. God, I meant I have no idea who I became over the last ten years. It’s all a mystery so I’ve been trying to work out who I am. Who I went out with.’
‘We didn’t really go out,’ she mumbles. ‘We just slept together for a while. It was open.’
‘Didn’t we go away together?’
‘Well, yeah… look, I can’t drink this. I’m going to get some wine,’ she says bluntly, not offering to buy anything for anyone else and taking her bag with her like we might steal it.
As she walks away I lean into Darren and Cass. ‘What the hell? She is awful? I slept with her? She’s so shiny and cold.’
‘It’s why we called her the Fridge.’
Having not drunk huge amounts in the past months, the shot I had earlier forces quite a loud laugh out of me and Imogen turns from the bar to look at me. She’s in a suit. I’m in a cropped top and jeans. This is a very weird mismatch but at the same time I’m semi-intrigued how we fell into bed together.
‘You used to say she was very skilled. I always thought you were just addicted to the orgasms. The mismatch in personalities was interesting to you, a challenge. Apparently, she was very good at making you…’
‘Come?’ I say.
