Page 6 of Great Sexpectations
He nods. ‘Ghostbusting never stops. Not even for parties…’
‘I mean, it’s Halloween… Technically our busiest night of the year.’
‘True.’
I am trying to work out if he’s good-looking and why the conversation flows so nicely. Are those glasses prescription? Because they’re hella cute with his blue eyes. I like the Nike Blazers, the dimples and ruffled curl to his dark hair. He looks like he belongs in Bastille – the band, as opposed to the French prison. I like his commitment to the costume, the Ghostbusters logo that’s been drawn on with a Sharpie.
‘While you were down there, you didn’t happen to see any cats, did you? I’ve lost my girlfriend.’
I pause for a moment. Girlfriend totally negates anything I may have thought about him. Shame.
‘She was with my mate who’s dressed as a zombie. I’ve completely lost them.’
My gaze shifts to the door right behind me and I have no idea what to do. Obviously, it could be a different zombie and cat, they’re ten for a penny round here. Or indeed, his girlfriend might be right behind that door noshing off his pal. I don’t even know this guy, but I don’t want him to see that, not here, at my brother’s party. We Ghostbusters have to stick together.
‘It’s a pretty big house. Have you tried down this corridor? The mezzanine looks over the living room,’ I say, leading him away from the door. Come with me, let’s distract you for a moment, just in case.
He follows and hands me one of the bottles of Corona in his hands. ‘Here, have this before it goes warm.’
I accept and clink the top of the bottle against his.
‘I’m only Stantz at the weekends, people also call me Josie,’ I say.
‘Cameron, a pleasure. So how come you know your way around this house?’ he asks me.
‘Oh, I’ve been here before…’
‘Do you work here?’
I giggle a little under my breath. ‘You could say that…’
Yes, you could call being Sonny’s little sister work. I still have to remind him to do his taxes and get his gutters cleaned, but I helped choose this house when he got his first ridiculous pay cheque for an acting gig. There was me looking at whether the roof had been insulated; he literally signed the contract based on the fact there was a gym and a toilet that could wash his butt for him.
‘It’s off the chain, no? A friend on the soap invited me. They’re putting stuffed lychees in the drinks to make them look like eyeballs. I think I saw Idris Elba downstairs dressed as Hannibal Lecter. I was like, do I take a selfie or try to be cool and get him to be my best mate…?’
The excitement simmers off him and it’s totally endearing because that is Idris – him and Sonny play in a five-a-side football team together. I don’t say that out loud, though.
At the end of the corridor, we walk around the balcony and it’s a perfect way to take in the party and survey the throng of people hidden in the mist of the smoke machines.
‘They wasted money on the fancy DJ, though. Who has a Halloween party and doesn’t play “Thriller”?’ he says, scanning the room for his girlfriend and pal, who are obviously not there.
‘Or indeed our very ownGhostbusterstheme tune,’ I add.
‘Right? In the perfect party, you’d actually do the “Thriller” dance too.’
‘Like in that film…’
‘13 Going on 30.’
I stop for a moment, realising that he gets my film reference.
He beams. ‘I guess you’re silent because you think I’m sad, but I’m a film geek, I watch it all, romcoms too. I have encyclopaedic knowledge about these things.’
I hold a hand to the air. ‘Fellow film geek, plus I know the “Thriller” routine too.’
‘Prove it,’ he challenges.
‘We’ve literally just met…’
