Page 101 of The Reboot
She smiled. ‘Am I your girlfriend?’
He frowned, looking pointedly down at their naked bodies entwined beneath the twisted sheet. ‘Um … am I misreading the signals here?’
She giggled. ‘Well, you never asked me – formally, I mean. Apparently that’s what the kids do these days.’
‘Really? Okay, then. Ella Quill, will you be my girlfriend?’
‘Yes! I thought you’d never ask.’ They sealed it with a kiss. ‘So I have a boyfriend now,’ she said wonderingly, playing with his fingers. She tried out the word, and it felt strange on her tongue. But what was most surprising about it wasn’t that she had a boyfriend, but that her boyfriend was Roly Punch.
On Saturday, she went out to celebrate her birthday with Hazel at their favourite tapas restaurant.
‘Happy Birthday!’ Hazel raised her glass. ‘It’s so nice to be out with you like this, Ella.’ Hazel gave her a heartfelt smile, and there were tears in both their eyes as they clinked their glasses.
‘I know. It’s amazing.’ There had been times when Ella thought she’d never again have a normal night out like this with a friend.
‘Well, shall we order?’ Hazel picked up her menu. ‘And then you can have your present.’
When they’d ordered way too much food, Hazel presented her with a gift bag with several individually wrapped presents inside. Ella opened the biggest one first – an A4 planner with a soft faux-leather cover that Ella had coveted for years. She’d never been able to justify the expense, especially when she’d had very little to fill its pages.
‘Oh, I love it! Thank you so much.’ She leaned across the table and gave her friend a one-armed hug. The other smaller parcels contained coloured pens, stickers and several rolls of washi tape. Hazel was as much of a stationery geek as Ella, and it was the perfect gift.
‘The planner is undated, so you can start it now or save it for next year if you want.’
‘You know I’m going to be getting stuck in as soon as I get home.’
Hazel smiled. ‘I do know that, yes.’
‘I can’t wait. Look out, world!’
‘There’s something else. Kind of related to that,’ Hazel said, nodding at the planner. ‘Well… possibly anyway.’
They were interrupted by the arrival of the food, falling silent as the waitress unloaded plate after plate onto the table, laughing as she tried to find room for the last dish of patatas bravas.
‘So, you were saying…?’ Ella speared a chilli and garlic prawn.
‘Yes. I have news! I got funding for my research, so I’m going to be working on my book.’
‘Oh, that’s fantastic, Hazel! Congratulations!’ Ella raised her glass in a toast. ‘You totally deserve it.’
‘Thanks.’ Hazel took a sip of wine, looking really pleased. ‘So, I get to hire a research assistant.’ She looked at Ella meaningfully.
‘Ooh, nice.’
‘Would you like the job?’
‘What, me?’ Ella squeaked.
‘Yes, you.’
‘But … I’ve been out of academia for so long. Are you even allowed to ask me?’
‘I can hire whoever I want. It’s my money to spend as I see fit.’
‘Gosh!’ Ella was completely blind-sided, at a loss to know what to say.
‘I hope I’m not offending you,’ Hazel said, clutching her hand to her heart, ‘offering you a job as my assistant.’
There was nothing but sincerity in her eyes and tone, and Ella felt a rush of affection for her friend. Hazel was one of the most genuinely good people she knew. She was so empathetic and careful of other people’s feelings.
