‘MY ARMS!’ she wails, stopping to rub them.
‘You’ll be feeling it for a few days,’ I warn.
‘Rock climbing,’ she says in an astonished voice. ‘Who’d have thought it. I would never have tried it if we hadn’t met.’
‘I think it’s fair to say that we’ve both done a few things we wouldn’t necessarily have tried if we hadn’t met.’
Alice nods. ‘I’m always up for new adventures but there’s something about you, Zach. I’ve never been fussed aboutsharingthe adventures with a boy before.’ We skirt down towards the car park and she looks off towards the cars, lost in thought. ‘Maybe I am starting to believe in l … stuff.’
‘Le stuff? Is that French?’ I tease, mostly because if I let myself dwell on her last sentence too long Chandler’s dance might come out in real life and nobody needs to see that. She was definitely about to say love, I’m sure of it.
‘Shut up,’ she punches me in the side.
‘You old romantic.’
‘You know what I mean, though? I feel like I’ve grown in ways I never expected this summer. Sort of … allowing more stuff in?’
‘I do know. I was just thinking how my own outlook on life seems to be readjusting.’
Alice pulls a lip balm out of her rucksack and smooths some onto her lips, making them shine. ‘Mmm. Me too,’ she nods. ‘Hard to explain, really. One thing’s for sure. I’m definitely happy.’
‘Same,’ I grin, and she kisses me with those soft lips. I may not have my dream future all lined up, but what I do have is worth so much more than that. A brilliant, beautiful girlfriend who makes my whole world brighter. Maybe I don’t need promises of a happily ever after, after all.
Supermoon
Alice
‘S is for sex, surely? Oodles of it. A whole weekend of ripping each other’s clothes off. It will forever be known as the weekend of a thousand orgasms,’ Natalie’s looking lusty as she leans towards me. I push my laptop back and let my mind wander for a minute.
‘So …?’ She prods, all thoughts of work clearly abandoned. ‘Are you going to share details of your make-up sex with me or what? Come on! Huge fight. Big split. Reunion followed by cute climbing date. That is surely the recipe for an absolute bonk fest?’
‘You’re spot on,’ I laugh. ‘But Nat, are you okay?’
‘Yeah yeah, fine,’ she clicks her fingers dismissively. ‘Ever since going on this man sabbatical I find myself craving details of other people’s sex lives. You know Betty, from the bakery?’
‘The sixty-year-old with an unfailing commitment to blue eyeshadow?’
‘Still bonks her husband daily. Isn’t that sweet?’
‘Gosh. May I ask how you know this?’ I fold my arms.
‘We just got chatting when I went to buy buns,’ she shrugs. ‘So …’
‘Do you think it’s time for you to start dating again?’
‘Nah. Too much faff. What I need is a purely physical partner who will occasionally take me out for dinner, like, once a month. Most men are so needy.’
‘Natalie, you have transformed.’
She bites the end of the pencil she was using to make notes. We’re working on branding for our new company which we’ve now named The Hitch, focusing on eco-friendly weddings using seasonal flowers and local, independent providers. I’m buzzing with ideas and it feels like setting up my flower shop all over again, only this time with Nat’s events knowledge and the help of a certain artist I’m dating. Zach has been brilliant with the branding side of things and I’m so happy with our new logo.
‘I think we’ve both changed, actually,’ Nat says. ‘Even though you seem to be refusing to throw me any details of your make-up sexathon, I can see that you’re super happy right now.’
‘I am,’ I agree. ‘I’ve realised that having Zach around doesn’t mean I have to give up on my own freedom, you know? It’s not like I’ve lost my identity, I’ve just gained a whole other person to share experiences with.’
‘Whereas I am way better at being on my own than I thought,’ Nat says. ‘I’m not defined by the person I’m dating any more and now I have the time to throw myself into new challenges like our business.’
‘Speaking of which, thisismeant to be a work meeting,’ I point out, shuffling the stack of handwritten notes in front of me.
