Lisa took a breathand glanced up at the mirror. ‘Nathan!’ She couldn’t believe she said it aloud and shrunk down in her seat. Luckily the table of Christmas revellers chose the same moment to do a rapturous laugh, drowning her out.
‘Pardon?’ Dom leaned closer to her.
But the sight of Nathan standing at the bar made her forget what she was supposed to say. The waitress was smiling at him in a much-too-familiarway for her liking, and the rush of blood and the thump of her heart was the only sound Lisa could hear. ‘I… um… just have to go to the toilet.’ She needed a moment. A moment to get herself together. She picked up her bag, stood up and slipped away. Once in the sanctuary of the toilet she decided to text Felicity.
Oh help! Dom and I are at Cin Cin. Nathan is here too and I don’t wanthim to think I said no to going out with him so I could go out with Dom.
Felicity texted back.It’s bedtime here, which means baths, teeth to clean, stories and general pandemonium.
Lisa felt bad. Of course Felicity had more than enough to do without throwing her problems at her too. She was about to text back saying sorry when another message came in.
Great, I love a distraction!This is much more fun.
Lisa replied with the word fun in capitals, three exclamation marks and a winking, tongue-out emoji. Hiding in the toilets while she contemplated what to do didn’t feel like fun.
So you are out with Dom instead of Nathan, but you don’t want Nathan to think you are out with Dom instead of him???
Yes.
Why?
Because I said no to Nathanfor a different reason.
I’m going to need more.
Because I like him Flick. I really like him! And he doesn’t want the sort of commitment I want.
Bloody hell! OK. I thought it was just fun… that he still ‘did it for you’! I was thinking friends with benefits. Not heartfelt reunion.
He does still do it for me, but in more ways than one. Seeing him again. It made merealise I never really got over him.
Lisa couldn’t believe she was confessing to her feelings via text, in a toilet cubicle, while Dom waited for her at the table.
Right. Pete is working tonight. I’ll get him on the case – I’m sure he can help.
Lisa’s eyes boggled as she read.Oh God, no!She hurriedly fired off another message.Don’t worry. I’ll sort it.She had no ideahow, but she was sure anything she came up with would be better than Pete’s approach. She didn’t know him well, but she did know subtlety was not his forte. Lisa let out a breath to compose herself and flushed the toilet she hadn’t used.
Read that too late, but don’t worry, he’s on it.
Oh no!As she left the toilet Lisa could see Pete talking to Nathan at the bar and realised shemay not have given him enough credit.Distraction, thanks Pete.She breathed a sigh of relief and felt bad for thinking he might make a bad situation worse. She smiled at Dom and returned to her seat.
‘An iguana,’ she announced.
Dom looked confused.
‘I looked after an iguana for a day, but I’m never doing it again. I’d read they are vegetarian, but the owner insisted Ifeed it worms. It was an experience not to be repeated.’
‘I’m sure.’ Dom laughed.
Lisa’s eyes flicked back to Pete and Nathan. ‘So, talking of food,’ it was a tenuous link but she was thinking on her feet, ‘I think there’s a nice Italian up the road, are you hungry?’ Leaving Cin Cin and moving on somewhere else was the only plan she could come up with.
‘I think the Italianclosed a couple of years back.’
‘Oh!’
‘It’s a gourmet burger place now.’
‘Great, let’s give it a go.’ Lisa smiled, attempting to hide the fact that she wasn’t hungry, hated burgers and knew they were a tad overdressed even for a gourmet burger bar.
