AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘What?’ I reply. I’m not sure that’s right although, annoyingly, I did just glance over at him.
‘If you’re telling the truth, and nothing is going on, then do you think perhaps you’re maybe jealous that he’s talking to other girls? And that he is jealous that you’re talking to other guys?’
‘I think we’re just messing around,’ I insist, without giving it a second of thought. ‘I’m going to let your date come back, before—’
The bell rings.
‘Ah, it’s fine,’ Leila says with a bat of her hand. ‘He talked about football the whole time anyway. But, in summary, you and Rocco should probably just have sex already. The tension is really starting to annoy the rest of us.’
‘Solid advice,’ I say through what we’ll call a playfully sarcastic smile.
I’m not sure, generally speaking, ‘just have sex’ is the best advice you can give someone.
My next date is waiting at my table for me before I get back.
‘Sorry, sorry,’ I say as I sit down opposite him.
‘I thought I was being stood up,’ the man replies through a smile. ‘I didn’t think you could get stood up at speed dating, but I’m always open to new and embarrassing ways to make sure I stay single.’
Oh, this one is funny!
‘Same,’ I reply. ‘I’m Billie.’
‘Tony,’ he replies. ‘So, where did you go? Oh, God, unless you went to the toilet, in which case, please congratulate me on what a terrible job I’m doing. Feedback forms are going straight to my mum. Hopefully she’ll stop asking me when I’m getting married if she sees.’
I laugh.
Tony is a mountain of a man. He must be nearer seven foot than six, but it’s hard to tell with him sitting down. His shoulders are broad and his hair is probably nicer than mine. It’s long, dark and poker straight. There’s one hell of a shine on it. Would it be weird to ask him what he uses?
‘Argan oil,’ he says, reading my mind.
I stare at him. I feel like I’ve just been caught out.
‘You were looking at my hair,’ he tells me. ‘Usually when women look at me like that, it’s not because they fancy me, it’s because they want to know the secret to my hair.’
‘It’s honestly a work of art,’ I point out. ‘You can’t blame people for wanting to know your secrets.’
‘And yet, when I tell them that I had to be cut out of a child’s swing by the fire brigade, when I was twenty-four, they look at me like I’m some kind of freak,’ he replies.
Oh, he’s really funny. How is this guy single?
It must be some sort of reflex that makes me keep glancing over at Rocco. This time, though, when our eyes meet, he isn’t smiling. His eyes are narrowed and his jaw is tight. We look at each other for a second before he turns back to his date. Is Leila right? Is he jealous? I mean, she’s right about me, I definitely am. But none of it matters because after Christmas, Rocco will be going back to Dublin or wherever he’s working next. I’m really not interested in a fling. I’m sure there will be people out there who think it’s what’s best for me, to prove I’m over Declan by getting under someone else. It’s not that I don’t think I’d have a great time with Rocco, and I’m sure it would be really hot in the moment, but I don’tjustwant to sleep with him, and that’s the problem. It’s not exactly going to be difficult, is it? I haven’t had sex with anyone since Declan, it’s something that’s coming embarrassingly naturally to me.
The best thing we can do is keep things strictly friends and keep sex off the table. And now I’m thinking about having sex with him on a table, fantastic! This isn’t going to be so easy after all.
18
The good news is that things between me, Rocco, Leila and Tobias are back to being friends again. The old gang (from, you know, like three days ago) is back together again.
What is potentially the bad news, but is something I am also going to file under good news anyway, is that Leila and Tobias have joined us for our post-speed dating drink. It’s bad because obviously I want to be alone with Rocco – I want it to be just us, to shut out the rest of the world while we enjoy one another’s company. It’s for the best that we have company, though, it keeps things strictly platonic. We’re just friends. We’re all just friends.
We’ve been here a little while now. The drinks are flowing and so is the conversation. It’s not only a lot of fun, chatting about the evening, but it’s reassuring to know that none of us had any luck finding someone. If we hadn’t all had such a rubbish series of micro dates, I might have wondered if there was something wrong with me.
‘Did you speak to the guy who kept going on about how big his downstairs was?’ Leila asks me.
I don’t know if it’s because we’ve squashed our beef, or because she’s had a fair bit to drink, but I’m finding Leila a lot more fun this evening. She’s more relaxed, more outgoing, less hostile – she’s actually quite funny too.
‘Oh, my God, I did,’ I reply.
