‘Lizzie?’ Friedrich noticed me as I made my way back towards Finn. I drew on all I could remember from senior school drama class and acted surprised at the sound of someone calling my name.
‘Oh. Hello.’ I turned towards his table. ‘Hi, Bella.’
‘Hi, Lizzie,’ she replied. She’d drawn herself up from the intimate attitude they’d both been in when I’d passed earlier, so absorbed in their conversation – and apparently each other – that they hadn’t noticed me. But I didn’t miss the flicker of insecurity behind her eyes as she greeted me.
‘I didn’t expect to see you here,’ Friedrich said.
I could say the same.
‘Turns out it’s a lovely restaurant,’ I replied, unable to restrain the opportunity for the dig.
‘Yes, it is. You look well.’
‘Thanks.’ He was clearly waiting for the compliment to be returned but I didn’t feel the need. I could be civil but it wasthere I drew the line. I’d had the time and distance now to see that our relationship, although long, hadn’t actually been all that good for me. I’d been a supporting role to Friedrich’s lead. And then with no warning, it was over leaving me to find a place to live and rearrange my life whilst still trying to keep on top of my job. I was past caring now. But the arrival of Bella onto the scene had me intrigued. It did, however, explain her apparently random question about him earlier on today. Perhaps not so random after all.
‘Well, have a nice evening,’ I said, nodding to them both.
‘Who are you here with?’ Friedrich asked as I turned to leave. Bella looked up, also interested.
‘A friend.’
‘Anyone I know?’
‘No.’
He looked surprised at this, and a little disbelieving. We operated within a relatively small field; he, like I, had only really ever dated within this circle. But frankly, I was pretty damn happy I’d broken out into the wider world.
‘Bye, Friedrich. See you tomorrow, Bella.’
She nodded and gave a smile that did its best to hide a tinge of awkwardness. I wasn’t always the greatest at reading people – at least not ones that hadn’t been dead a few thousand years – but even I could tell she wasn’t as sure of herself as she was trying to pretend.
‘Do you mind if we leave?’ I said as I sat down.
‘Er, no. Not at all,’ Finn replied, already signalling to a waiter for the bill. Another difference. Previously I’d have had to give a dissertation on my reasons. But Finn just read my face and acted accordingly. ‘Are you OK? Are you ill?’
I shook my head as I reached into my bag to retrieve my credit card.
‘I’m getting this,’ Finn said. I met his eyes and saw he wasn’t prepared for it to be a discussion.
‘Fine. But I’m getting the next one.’
‘Maybe,’ he said with a wink.
‘The world’s moved on, you know.’
‘I know,’ he replied calmly. ‘And I know you’re fully able and prepared to pay. I just want to. It makes me happy to spend money doing nice things with people I… care about.’ I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he spoke and felt a strange feeling in my stomach. Had he been about to say something else? Had I wanted him to? I gave myself a mental head shake. We’d only been seeing each other a short time. I was being ridiculous. Seeing my ex and Bella together had scrambled my thoughts. All I needed was some fresh air and a little distance between them and me.
The waiter retrieved our coats and Finn took mine from him, holding it for me to slip my arms into before putting on his own charcoal grey wool pea coat. He took my hand and we headed out of the restaurant.
‘What’s up?’ Finn asked when we were outside, a few steps away from the doorway.
‘Finn!’ Bella’s voice carried on the crisp, cold night air.
Finn turned towards the call. ‘Hi, Bella.’ His eyes darted briefly to me as he replied, a question in the depths of the blue. Friedrich followed her out and was now standing behind her, his pale eyes roving over the scene, scanning me, then Finn before he took a vape stick from his jacket pocket and began puffing away like a wiry German dragon, clouds of vapour engulfing him periodically. He made no attempt to introduce himself to Finn.
‘I didn’t expect to see you here,’ Bella said pointedly. ‘We saw Lizzie inside but she didn’t mention she was here with you.’
A tiny muscle in Finn’s jaw flickered as his face tightened. He gave a non-committal half smile, half shrug in answer.
