We’re knackered by the time we get back to Alice’s and she emerges from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, a little white towel wrapped around her hair and her skin still glowing from the run. I jump in after her, borrowing her apple shampoo, which I can smell on me now as I pull a fresh T-shirt and jeans out of the bag I’d packed earlier. I didn’t want to assume I’d be invited to stay tonight but going for a run seemed like a cheeky cover to bring some overnight stuff, just in case.
‘STITCH,’ Alice calls out as I head downstairs to find her lying on the sofa. ‘I’m taking deep breaths like you taught me but it still hurts.’
‘Jesus, whathaveyou two been up to?’ smirks Natalie, joining us from the kitchen.
‘Zach just made me run ten entire kilometres and now I’m never moving again.’
‘Bit melodramatic,’ Nat laughs.
‘Agreed,’ I say, smiling at Alice. ‘Also funny because the way I remember it, you insisted that we carried on even after I’d suggested stopping.’
‘Oh yeah, she gets like that,’ says Nat as she potters between us in the living room and their kitchen. ‘One minute you’re suggesting something and the next Alice has to be the champion at it. It’s quite annoying, actually. Remember our school leavers’ ball?’ A snort of laughter comes from the direction of the sofa.
‘Quiffs were a big thing back then,’ Nat explains to me. ‘The bigger the better. Alice and I spent the entire day of the ball backcombing our hair and right when I thought we were done and started getting dressed, Alice began shoving in more hair pins and misting more hair spray. The next thing I knew I was going to the ball with Marie Antoinette. Hair so high she had to slide down the back seat of her dad’s car so it didn’t hit the roof.’
‘Har har har, very amusing, thank you for sharing,’ Alice says.
‘I bet your date loved that,’ I say.
‘Dylan thought it was hilarious,’ Nat adds.
Oh, so Alice and Dylandiddate when they were at school. It figures, I guess. I feel my shoulders tense up and try to relax because whatever happened back then, Alice and Dylan are just friends now. I’m trying to style out the pang of jealousy but Natalie must have noticed my reaction because she’s already backtracking.
‘Not like that. Notdatedate. We all went together. Kind of a three-way. Hang on, I’m making it worse,’ Natalie shakes her head. ‘None of us could get real dates because we were quite an insular little gang of three so we did a lame friend date thing instead. We actually had the best time, apart from the bit where Alice out-quiffed me.’
‘That explains Alice’s race to the canteen at IKEA.’ I tease, although I’m quietly relieved to hear that Dylan wasn’t Alice’s first love. ‘Has she always been happy to win at any costs, even if it involves cheating?’
‘Oi!’ Alice protests as Nat heads back into the kitchen. ‘It wasn’t cheating just … making the most of an opportunity with the trolley.’
‘Sure, you tell yourself that,’ I grin, checking the time. ‘Well you did make it through the run so I guess I owe you junk food as promised.’
‘Nat, do you want to order a burger?’ Alice shouts after her friend. ‘Wait, sorry Zach, I should have checked first. Is that okay with you? I just don’t want her to feel left out.’
‘Of course it’s okay, I’m the third-wheel here,’ I whisper to Alice, giving her hand a squeeze before calling back to Natalie. ‘You’re welcome to eat with us!’
She pops her head back around the living room door. ‘I’m actually heading out so I’ll get out of your hair soon but thanks for the offer. Just going to finish this tea.’
‘Ooh good idea, you’re meant to rehydrate after a run, right?’ Alice asks, hopping off the sofa. ‘Fancy a juice?’ She asks me. While Alice is out of the room I ask Nat how work is going, not wanting us to sit in silence until she comes back. Nat seems really nice and it feels important that we get on well together.
‘It’s okay, thanks. Bit quiet. A lot of our clients are on summer holidays so there aren’t many events to plan. The run up to Christmas is always the busiest season for us. So I’m twiddling my thumbs a bit, which I hate.’
‘Doesn’t help that your boss is a douche,’ Alice comes back in and places the drinks on the coffee table before rearranging some cushions and falling onto the sofa. Nat and I budge up to make space. I realise Alice’s place gives me the same kind of feel I get when I’m at my brother’s house. It’s so cosy and welcoming. I notice with pleasure that she’s hung my painting above the fireplace. It’s definitely motivation for me to sort out my house, finish the half-arsed renovation attempts and get all the boxes unpacked so Alice likes coming around to mine too.
Natalie pulls an exasperated face. ‘Douche is probably a bit unfair but Sid’s very comfortable in his position, he’s on a great salary and has a decent amount of responsibility without it being too much.’
‘And he takes all the glory for all of your work …’ Alice points out.
‘There is that. But basically, I want his job and I’m pretty sure he isn’t going anywhere any time soon.’
‘That’s difficult,’ I say, not wanting to butt in but also hoping to show Alice’s best friend that I’m listening and trying to be supportive. ‘Who’s his boss? Can you talk to them?’
‘That would be Bruno, the company is his start-up. Client liaison is his thing so he’s hardly ever in the office, which means Sid picks up the day to day running of it all.’
‘Yeah, Sid swans around with his Breitling watches while Natalie puts in the leg work. All of the event ideas come straight from Nat. She’s so tuned in to what their clients want and then Sid turns up to the parties with his posh accent and a glass of champagne in his hand and takes all the praise.’
‘Alice seems to be more annoyed about my work situation than I am,’ Nat grins at me.
‘It’s because you’re selling yourself short,’ she calls over.
