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‘Hey,’ I reply. ‘I thought at least you would be pleased to talk to me!’
‘Oh, it’s not that,’ he says. ‘It’s just that this is speed dating, and I know nothing is going to happen between us.’
‘Is this because we had the better scones?’ I ask cheekily, trying to lighten the mood. He doesn’t laugh. ‘Is everything okay? Leila has been funny with me too. I was actually going to ask you if you could help me smooth things over with her. I don’t want to let a little thing like my ball-handling skills come between us.’
Tobias’s eyes widen.
‘Definitely don’t say that to her,’ he insists. ‘Bragging like that isn’t cool.’
‘Bragging?’ I echo in disbelief. ‘I’m not bragging. I’m clearly rubbish.’
‘I guess she just feels like she could’ve had something with Rocco, until you stole him away from her,’ he explains.
‘Wait a second,’ I say quickly. ‘What are you talking about? Because I’m talking about when I dropped the bowling ball on her foot.’
Tobias starts laughing.
‘Right, the ball-handling thing makes a lot more sense now,’ he replies through an amused grin. ‘No, she’s mad at you for taking Rocco off her.’
‘Were they together?’ I ask him. ‘You know the two of us aren’t anything more than friends, right?’
‘You probably need to take this up with her,’ he replies.
That’s a great idea.
‘Back in a sec,’ I reply.
I approach Leila’s table and tap the man she’s talking to on the shoulder.
‘You see that guy over there?’ I point out Tobias. ‘Could you just go and sit with him for a second please? I just need a quick word with Leila.’
‘You want me to speed date a bloke?’ he replies.
‘I want you to sit at a table with him so I don’t get in trouble for standing here,’ I tell him. ‘But if the two of you hit it off then you have my blessing.’
He frowns but does as he’s told.
‘And now you’re ruining my speed dates,’ Leila says. ‘Fab.’
‘I owe you an apology,’ I tell her, cutting to the chase. ‘Let me start by saying that, for the past couple of days, we have had our wires completely crossed. I thought you were annoyed at me for dropping that bowling ball on your foot. Tobias just told me I’m wrong.’
‘Bloody big mouth Tobias,’ she replies. ‘This is why I’m not going to mark him as a match, even though we’re friends. He’s right, though, I’m annoyed at you for stealing Rocco. The two of us were getting close, before you turned up.’
‘And that’s why I’m sorry,’ I reply. ‘Because I was so scared when I turned up at that first event – after a spectacularly bad date the night before, which I’ll tell you all about sometime – and I clung to the first person who was nice to me. I do really like Rocco but we’re just friends. And you and Tobias are my friends too. I’m sorry if you felt like I was stepping on your toes. Or dropping a bowling ball on them, if you are still a little bit mad about that.’
Leila laughs for a second.
‘So, when I called you out for stealing Rocco, and you said something like “look at me, it was bound to happen”…’
‘I meant me being clumsy and dropping the bowling ball,’ I quickly insist. ‘Can we please just go back to being friends? All of us.’
‘Yes, but one thing is still annoying me,’ she starts. ‘Stop pretending that there’s nothing going on between you and Rocco.’
‘There isn’t, though,’ I insist. ‘We’re just friends, having a laugh together. We’ve actually been sabotaging each other’s speed dates.’
Leila laughs but in a way that makes me feel like I’m not in on the joke.
‘Listen to yourself for a second, Billie. You say there’s nothing romantic between the two of you and yet you just told me you are ruining each other’s chance of meeting someone tonight,’ she points out. ‘And not only do you keep looking over at him while you are talking to me, but when he was talking to me, he was doing the same, looking over at you.’
