Page 71 of Power Moves
‘Don’t be,’ he replied. He looked down at my shoulder, bare apart from a lone spaghetti strap. ‘You have really smooth skin.’
I cough-laughed. ‘What?’
Archie blinked as if in a daze. ‘That wasn’t a pick-up line,’ he blurted. ‘Just a statement of fact. I’m just here noticing facts.’ He scanned the courtyard. ‘This tree needs pruning, this music is terrible, your skirt is really green, your eyes are really big—’
‘What’s wrong with my eyes?!’
Archie blinked again and rattled his head from side to side. ‘Nothing. Statement of fact. Your eyes are really beautiful. But that wasn’t a pick-up line either!’
I covered my face with my hands. ‘Okay, stop talking.’
‘These are neutral comments,’ Archie insisted, gently pulling my hands away from my face. ‘Not insults, not compliments.’ He picked up his wallet. ‘I’m going to get us more drinks.’
As he walked away, I could still feel the imprint of his fingers on mine. My subconscious whispered to me:We fit.
I couldn’t decipher what was going on. I’d dated before. I knew the lustful pull of a dancefloor pash and the giggling tumble onto a standard-issue dorm-room bed. But thisconversation with Archie hadeverything—the light, the shade, the humour, thewant. I couldn’t work it out. Was this actual chemistry or was my mind bending because of what I’d just found out about Mum?
A message buzzed:Hi my beautiful kids, I can’t wait to see you all tomorrow. Doctor has said he’ll call with final results at lunchtime, so crossing our fingers for good news. I love you all so much. Mum xxx
I tipped the last of the ice from my drink into my mouth and crunched it against my teeth. I wanted to burst into tears but I also wanted to be as brave as Mum. I felt the sudden urge to do something ridiculous and wild, something so out of character that it would make me realise:Yes, I am alive.I am in control.I could order a Sambuca shot or flash my boobs for free drinks. I could scream out loud for no reason. I could take a guy back to my room. Why not? Or, as the voice in my head phrased it at the time:Why fucking not?
Archie arrived back at the table.
‘What’s your best pick-up line?’ I asked him.
‘I don’t use pick-up lines.’
I scoffed. ‘I just told you all my secrets. The least you can do is share yours.’
Archie raked a hand through his hair. ‘Fine. You ready?’
I nodded.
‘Hi,’ he said.
‘Hi?’ I repeated. ‘Just “hi”?’
He shrugged. ‘It’s kind of undefeated.’
I opened my mouth, about to crow with laughter—of course this genetically blessed human could waltz through life pickingup the prettiest girls with only the slightest effort—when the babbling current of my brain snagged on a tiny pebble of information.Hi?Had he …?What?
‘But that’s what you …’
Archie winced as though his mind was working in parallel to mine; he knew exactly what I was remembering. He said the words in a rush: ‘Is that my cue to resume the political greenwashing chat?’
I was about to say yes—Distractions! Denial! Please!—when I had another thought. His thigh rested absently against mine. He was known to be a no-strings-attached kind of guy. Adrenaline rippled up my spine. I’d never had a one-night stand before but as Jessie’s saying went:Carpe the diems.
A devilish grin spread across my face. ‘I’ve got a better idea.’
One of his eyebrows lifted and he smiled. ‘What’s that?’
I racked my brains for what to say. I didn’t know how to do this. I shifted my bum on the seat and folded my leg so I could face him square-on. Then I said the only thing I could think of: ‘Hi.’
Archie’s other eyebrow lifted. ‘Hi?’
‘Yep, hi.’ I said it more confidently now. I smiled again. My eyes locked on his. It felt euphoric.
Archie’s eyes glimmered with growing amusement. It was as though a key was turning and tiny pins of information were clicking into place. Who cared about the future and the past and what we could or couldn’t control? We had today! We had right now! And then suddenly, there was the click of the lock opening and his expression changed. A line appeared betweenhis eyebrows. A hairline fracture. It cracked my bravado. My stomach fell, tumbling like a gymnast missing the bar. Had I completely misread this?
