Page 12 of Happiness Under a Summer Skye

‘That’s exciting. I think that has to be my favourite version,’ Angelia replied.

‘Mine too. Well, sorry to cut and run, lovely, but I’d better get going. I need to drop Rosie Posie off with Caitlin. Her daughter, Grace, is babysitting for me seeing as it’s the Easter break. Rosie adores her and Jules’s son, Evin.’

‘Aww, so sweet. Well, I hope the weather picks up. I’ll wait to hear from you about Ezra.’

On Saturday morning, Angelia awoke to a message from Ruby:

Ruby

Hey, honey. I’m so excited you agreed to go on the date with Ezra. He’s looking forward to meeting you. Table booked for 7.30 at The Ivy in the West End tonight. Let me know how it goes!

Feeling a little unsure, she hadn’t responded at first, instead she had dressed and taken Scrappy for a walk on the heath at 7 a.m., and had been star spotting as she always did. She had seen a couple of actors and a pretty, petite blonde female pop singer who had smiled sweetly as she jogged by pushing a stroller. Angelia had to do a double take because as she got level to the stroller a little head popped up, but instead of a baby there was an ugly scrunchy-faced dog that barked at Scrappy and almost made her jump out of her skin.

She had gone out with the intention of clearing her head and pondering on what the evening might bring. But above all she needed to think about why she was, in fact, apparently unable to sustain a long-term relationship when her friends could. What was it about her, she wondered, that made men get so tired of her. It was turning into a pity party for one and as she walked back to her apartment, baseball cap pulled low over her face and hair tucked up inside it by way of remaining incognito, she realised she had made no progress at all.

An hour later, Angelia was sitting on her sofa in her yoga pants and a T-shirt after an attempted workout at the gym in her building. She had struggled to lift the weights she normally managed with ease and was once again concerned but told herself she maybe just needed to persevere, build stamina, eat better. She had given up and made her way back to her apartment and even though it was only just after 9 a.m. she already felt like heading back to bed.

She walked into her dressing room and stood in front of racks of clothes, staring blankly. It hadn’t been that long since she had been out for dates with Dane but for some reason, she was in a massive fluster about what to wear for the impending date with Ezra. The Ivy was a much-loved celebrity haunt that she had been to a few times with the band, but those occasions were relaxed and casual, a gathering of friends who she had no need to try and impress. She had no clue what to wear for this evening.

She decided to video call Fiona for some moral support and perhaps to ask her advice. Fiona was in a long-term relationship with a high-school maths teacher called Marcus who she had met at a conference, and the pair had seemed to fall instantly in love. They now shared an apartment on the outskirts of Edinburgh, and a cat called Biffy after Marcus’s favourite band Biffy Clyro.

‘So, are you going to tell me who your date is with or is it top secret? You know I won’t contact TMZ, don’t you?’ Fiona giggled. ‘I wouldn’t even know how to contact BBC Scotland, for that matter. I’m just so glad you’re getting out there. I want you to find someone as wonderful as Marcus,’ she said dreamily. ‘And Dane Bakker definitely wasn’t it.’

Angelia sighed. ‘You and Marcus are the perfect couple. I’m so jealous. I want to find myself a Marcus too.’

‘And this guy might just be the one, you never know. And it will take your mind off worrying about the Josh rumours. I so want you to be swept off your feet. So come on, spill it.’ Fiona had known about Angelia’s crush on the drummer since long before she was signed to the band. And she was very much aware of the pining that her friend had initially endured. What she didn’t know, however, was that the man Angelia actually wanted was Ed. She had never been able to admit this one tiny fact for fear of ruining the dynamic of their wee trio of a friendship. In addition to this, saying it out loud would mean it was real, and so was the fact that she would never be with him.

Angelia was suddenly nervous at the prospect of divulging the details. She cleared her throat. ‘Erm… Okay, so…’ She cringed and closed her eyes for a moment. ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this but… I’m going on a date with Ezra Harwood.’ She held her breath and waited for her best friend’s response.

Fiona gasped. ‘You’re kidding! The hunky actor? The guy who was in All the Heroes?’ Her words came out in a giddy rush. ‘The guy who’s built like a tank and could pick you up and fling you over his shoulder one handed?’

Angelia opened her eyes and felt the heat of embarrassment rising in her cheeks. ‘The very same.’

‘I can see that you’re blushing! Does that mean you really fancy him? I hope so!’ She clapped her hands together. ‘It’s funny, though, I didn’t really put him as your type. I mean he’s the total opposite of Dane… and he’s nothing like Josh either. How did this all happen?’

Angelia told her friend, ‘Ruby set us up. Apparently, he’s a huge fan of the band and has wanted to meet me for a while now, so she and I have messaged back and forth, and she’s told me bits and bobs about him and in the end, I thought why not? I’ve heard from Meghan that Dane cheated on me with Lucille Delgado and they’re now an item. He didn’t mess around so why should I?’

‘Damn right, honey. You deserve to be happy. And if that’s with a tall, well-built, sexy actor then so be it. It’s tough but someone has to do it.’ Fiona winked into the camera. ‘What are you wearing? Where is he taking you?’ She frowned and tilted her head. ‘Are you having to take security along too? How does that even work? Do you have to feed your security guard if they come with you? Do they sit at the table with you?’

Angelia laughed. ‘Good grief, Fee, all you need is a bright light to shine in my face.’ She held up her hands in surrender. ‘Okay, okay, I’ll tell you everything!’

Fiona joined in her mirth. ‘Shit, sorry, that did sound a bit like an interrogation, didn’t it? But go on. I’m all ears.’ There was a noise in the background and Fiona turned and called over her shoulder. ‘Hey, sexy, I’m in the kitchen talking to Angel.’ She turned to face her phone again. ‘Marcus has been at the footy while I did some marking.’ A hand appeared in front of Fiona; it was holding a bunch of roses. Fiona looked up and smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling with adoration. ‘Aww, thank you, they’re lovely.’

Next a face appeared and kissed Fiona’s head before turning to the camera. ‘Hi, Angel. How are you doing?’

Angelia smiled. ‘I’m good, thanks, Marcus, you?’

‘I’m good, too, thanks. I’ll leave you ladies to chat, bye for now.’ He shook his head. ‘I still can’t believe I get to chat to the lead singer of Angel and the Fallen like it’s a normal thing to do.’ And with that he disappeared.

Angelia giggled. ‘I feel the same way about talking to you, Marcus!’ she called after him. He said that exact thing almost every time he spoke to her. By now she was sure he was taking the mickey, but she still found him funny.

‘So, you were about to tell me everything?’ Fiona said, clutching her bunch of flowers as Biffy the cat jumped onto the table to investigate, his little grey ears back as he sniffed suspiciously at the pink petals. ‘Hey, Biffy Aloysius Clyro, you’re not allowed up here. Go on… shoo!’ Biffy gave a meow of protest and disappeared again. Fiona glared at the screen expectantly.

Angelia laughed out loud. ‘The cat has a middle name? And it’s Aloysius?’

Fiona shrugged. ‘You’re telling me Scrappy doesn’t have one?’

‘No, but I think he needs one now! Perhaps Theodore?’