‘Did that fungal rash come back again? I told you; dandruff shampoo works a treat, but you really need to be consistent—’
‘What? No, it’s nothing to do with that,’ she replied instinctively looking at the offending armpit area. ‘I just have a small, non-medical related dilemma.’
‘Oh right, shoot.’
Alex lay back on her cool bedsheets, scrunching her face apprehensively. ‘So, I met someone—’
‘You met someone!’ she heard Fiona screech. ‘Are you serious? That’s amazing!’
‘Yes, but… Fi…Fiona, can you stop…’
Alex pulled the phone away from her ear until her sister stopped squealing. And now Romeo was barking again. This reaction was louder than anticipated.
‘Are you finished?’ Alex whispered as she heard the chaos began to subside. ‘Just shush for a sec and let me finish.’
‘Sorry, I’m just thrilled at the news. I thought we were going to declare you a spinster, tie you to a lamppost and cover you in cinnamon, like they do in Denmark. Where did you meet him?’
‘On the plane. Well, we met at the airport initially and then we had a drink… wait, why cinnamon?’
‘No idea, I just read it somewhere. So, is he hot?’
Alex felt a grin take over her face. ‘Hot doesn’t even begin to describe him. And by some weird coincidence, we ended up sat next to each other on the plane ride to Kerry.’
‘And does he have a name?’
‘Aiden. We talked for ages, we laughed and when it was time to go, he took my number. Honestly, Fiona, I’ve never met anyone like him.’
‘Well, that’s great!’ she replied. ‘So, what’s the problem?’
Alex paused, sat up and took a deep breath. ‘He’s with someone.’
‘With someone?’ Fiona questioned. ‘Oh God, is he married?’
‘No, he not married.’
‘Engaged? Living together?’
‘No.’
‘Well, then I feel sorry for his girlfriend, but I’m sure she’ll find someone else. There you go, problem solved.’
‘Problem not solved,’ Alex responded. ‘Because his girlfriend is Tara.’ Alex sat up in bed and sighed. Saying that out loud made her want to punch her own face in.
‘Tara who?’
Alex said nothing.
‘Oh shite, Tara?Your friend Tara?’
‘Yep. She turned up with him to the reunion. Neither of us knew who each other really was. And now we’re just pretending like it never happened.’
She heard Fiona start to laugh. ‘I bet that’s awkward as fuck. Oh, to be a fly on the wall!’
‘You’re really not helping. We’ve tried to ignore it but… there’s definitely something happening here between us. I don’t know what to do!’
‘Maybe show him your fungal rash, that’ll put him off.’
‘Again, not helpful…’
