Alice bites into the crust with a raised eyebrow.
‘You did just tell me I was a disgrace to my Italian heritage,’ I point out.
‘Oh yes. Sorry about that. I bow down to your superior knowledge, Zach Moretti. Would you like a slice of Penelope?’
I look down at Alice’s own creation. ‘Do you think she’ll mind if I eat one of her eyes?’
‘Nah,’ Alice laughs. ‘She’s cool like that.’
As we flick through film options on Netflix, Alice seems genuinely thrilled to discover that my recent watches are mostly romcoms, chuckling about me being ‘too cool for school’ on the outside but a ‘giant softie’ on the inside. It’s the kind of thing that I might normally feel mortified about but to be honest, I’m just happy to know that I’ve made her smile. Her hair is loose again tonight and she keeps absent-mindedly pushing it behind her shoulders when we talk.
‘I think we should go for a Nordic crime,’ she says eventually. ‘I loved that book you chose for me and look, this film’s got murder and snow. Sounds cosy!’
‘A cosy murder?’
‘Exactly,’ she laughs, grabbing the remote. ‘Shall I put it on?’
‘Alice?’ I say, turning on the sofa so I’m facing her.
‘You’d prefer a romcom, right?’
‘No, a cosy murder with some snow sounds good. I just wanted to say that I’m proud
of you. I hope you don’t think that I’m out of line for saying it. I just … I don’t know. You’ve been through a lot and yet you’re this incredible ray of sunshine. You’re smart and funny and kind of dark. I mean, who names their pizza Penelope and then demolishes it with glee?’ Alice is laughing now and I pause to take a drink. ‘And you’re successful and determined, too. So I just wanted to say that I think you’re great.’
I rub the back of my neck, suddenly embarrassed.
Alice has inched closer to my body and we’re pressed up against each other now.
‘Thank you,’ she whispers, lips close to my ear. ‘You know, I reckon you and I are more similar than we think. You’re smart and funny and kind of … light, actually. Underneath this achingly cool exterior of yours lies a romcom loving snuggle fan.’
‘I do enjoy snuggles,’ I murmur, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her on top of me.
‘Maybe we’re pieces of a jigsaw puzzle,’ she suggests, her hair falling down onto my shoulders as I lean up and kiss her.
That might just be the closest reference Alice has made to us fitting together, being together, working together. I will take that.
Oysters
Alice
Natalie’s crouching down by the washing machine, muttering to herself when I walk into the kitchen.
‘Oh here you are,’ she says accusingly, holding up a pair of my pants with a right look on her face.
‘Just coming to empty out my washing but it seems you beat me to it?’
She bats my comments aside, nodding furiously towards the pants in her hand.
‘What are these?’
Oh no, she’s lost it. Breaking up with Jake, going nuts on the dating scene, taking a man sabbatical and setting up a new business … all in the space of a few months. I guess it was only a matter of time but I’m mad with myself for not seeing it coming.
‘These are pants,’ I say, edging towards her. ‘Shall we put them down and make a hot chocolate?’
‘I’m fine!’ she says indignantly. ‘However these so-called pants are not. They’re beige. What the eff are you doing with your life, babes?’
‘Well that’s rude! I’m quite busy running a business you know.’
