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“Their soft power makes them dangerous, absolutely.”
I elbow Julian and whisper, “Can we speak about something else? This is very boring.”
My sister shakes her head at me. “The unprecedented succession of a country’s position to power is boring?”
I hang my head. Boring. Very boring. “I stopped listening again. Perhaps we should instead speak about the democratisation of luxury? I’m sure it’s an issue that’s impacting each of us very deeply.”
“Not really.” Julian frowns.
“Never thought of it once,” says my dumb sister.
“Bit of a bummer—” Gus shrugs. “But nice for them.”
“Who is ‘them’?” Bridget blinks.
“The aspirational class,” I tell her brightly and Julian snorts into his drink.
My sister stares over at me. “How have you not been cancelled?”
I shake my head at her. “I don’t adhere to cancel culture, I think it’s anti-progressive and positively draconian.”
Bridget squints. “Didn’t you cancel Paili?”
I flatten down my pink high-waisted check skirt from Patou. “I did not cancel her. Britain canceled Paili,” I say very firmly. I wasn’t here, I had nothing to do with it. “It happened both without my consent nor my approval, but I won’t pretend I’m not the least bit pleased because I’m only human and she is a gigantic ho, so—”
Gus laughs as Julian licks his smiling lips and throws an arm around me without a second thought. Gus is watching him with a pointed fascination.
“Right.” Julian nods at him. “So fill me in — what happened with you and Jack Giles?”
Gus sways his head, looking both uncomfortable and sad.
“He’s... complicated,” Gus offers diplomatically.
Julian nods, jaw set. “He still not over that fuckhead?”
“Taj Owens?” Gus clarifies and then shakes his head.
He’s good at pretending he doesn’t care, but I know he liked Jack. He’s never really committed to anyone, Tom told me so when we were together. Jack was a big deal. “Yeah.”
Julian sits back in his seat and shakes his head. “I’m sorry, man.”
He means it.
Gus shrugs, conceding. “It is what it is. Everyone has a person they get stuck on.”
Julian glances at me and I feel dizzy for a second.
I jump up. “I’m going to the bathroom—” I take a few steps towards it before realising Bridget isn’t following me. “Bridget?” I stomp my foot.
She growls and rolls her eyes but follows me all the same.
“You’d be so annoying to be friends with,” she tells me.
I pout at her. “You are my friend.”
She rolls her eyes but I can tell that she’s actually pleased. She follows me into the bathroom and I run my wrists under the faucet just because.
“Do you like him yet?” I ask, a little bit nervous. I don’t know why.
