Eleven thirty rolls around and we’re almost finished; the only stock revelation is that Victoria appears to be eating more cake than we’re selling.
‘Look, if you want me to be happy here, I need the cake. Take it out of my wages.’
‘Vic, you do the wages.’
‘Bit of a dilemma for you, then,’ she says before pausing. ‘What is that noise? Do you hear that?
I nod, turning in the direction of the thumping. It’s coming from the front entrance.
‘Should we go and see?’ I ask, meaning me remaining here while Vic investigates.
‘Nah, probably some drunk,’ Vic replies. ‘Ignore it.’
‘Nora! Are you in there?’
‘Friend of yours?’ she asks.
I shrug. Between the rain coming down and the noise outside, it’s hard to tell.
‘Definitely some drunk,’ Vic says, getting to her feet. ‘All your friends are drunks.’
‘You’re all my friends.’
I grab the shutter keys and reluctantly accompany her to the door.
‘We’re closed, dude,’ Vic informs him. ‘It’s late. Come back tomorrow.’
‘Sorry, I’m just looking for Nora.’
Vic unlocks and pulls the shutter up to reveal a very tall, very wet Will.
‘Um, I’ll just be in the back,’ Vic announces.
‘What are you doing here?’ I ask. ‘Is everything OK?’
‘Not really,’ he replies, starting to pace backwards and forwards.
‘What’s going on?’
He hesitates and purses his lips, wringing his hands together like knows what he wants to say but the words just aren’t coming.
‘Nora, I don’t know what the fuck is going on here, but I’m a little freaked out, you know?’
‘OK…’
‘And you know I don’t buy into any of that universe crap, but even I can’t explain this,’ he declares, almost oblivious to the rain that’s currently soaking him to the skin.
‘I’m not sure what you mean,’ I reply. Is he on something?
‘It’s like, I think about you and later that day, a song comes on that we listened to at bootcamp… or I think about you and soon after, I’m finding bootcamp brochures that I swear I threw away months ago. I mean – I think about you while I’m driving to my mother’s house, and you appear! Here! Right in front of me! It’s freaking me out!’
‘You want to come in? Where’s your mum?’
He nods and pushes past me, taking the same seat he had earlier. I remain standing. ‘I dropped Mum home, after the show.’
‘Hi, Will!’ Victoria yells, a huge grin appearing on her face. ‘You want to get out of those wet clothes?’
I shoot her a look and she slinks off into the back room.
