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‘I know, I know,’ he replies. ‘I’m trying to do better. I’m going to make things right, though, just you watch.’
I roll my eyes. If he thinks a few cocktails will make up for him abandoning me then he can think again, it doesn’t even come close. Unless, of course, he thinks it makes up for him putting the moves on me last night – it doesn’t even do that. Anyway, I don’t care about that right now, it isn’t exactly a priority, when I have more pressing dramas threatening to ruin everything. I need to get back to my friends – back to Rocco – but now this lot are here, and I can’t risk them all meeting. What the hell do I do?
‘Wow, this drink is amazing,’ Mum groans as she takes a sip.
Drinks! I’m supposed to be getting drinks. Everyone is going to wonder where I am.
‘I was actually just on my way to the loos when I bumped into you,’ I announces – which is true. ‘I’ll be right back.’
I spring to my feet – the two cocktails I’ve had already cause me to wobble slightly, but I’m okay – and head over to the bar, to get the drinks for my friends. I’ll just have to go to the loo later. I wait patiently at the busy bar, order four toffee apple martinis, carefully load a tray with them and then set off weaving my way through the partygoers, trying to navigate my way back to the table without accident or incident – both of which I’m usually prone to.
I’ve no sooner noticed the large painting of the clown when I realise I’m back in front of the table with Mum, Jess and Declan sitting at it. They all stare at me for a second.
‘More drinks?’ Jess says through a puzzled look.
‘Yes,’ I reply, owning it. ‘These, er, these ones are better. I had one earlier, I thought you guys might like to try one.’
‘Did you pay for them?’ Declan asks me. ‘You should have taken some tokens and got them for free.’
‘Yeah, I forgot all about them,’ I reply. ‘But also, I wanted to pay for them, it wouldn’t be a gift from me if I didn’t.’
Shit, I should have just given the second excuse from the get-go, because as lame as it sounds, it’s more believable than me forgetting the fact that my ex got paid for his labour in free drink tokens – a fact I only learned minutes ago.
Jess sips the drink suspiciously.
‘Okay, wow, they are good,’ she reasons.
This instantly gets me off the hook. My story checks out.
‘To trying the whole menu,’ Mum says, raising a glass.
We all clink our glasses before taking a drink. I need to go easy on these cocktails. They’re so strong and I currently have two in front of me.
‘Oh, wow, they’re even better combined,’ Jess insists. ‘Billie, sip one then the other.’
‘Nah,’ I insist. ‘I don’t fancy it.’
‘Trust me,’ she insists. ‘Try it.’
The best way to avoid raising the alarm is to just go for it. She’s right, it’s gorgeous – gorgeous but super strong.
‘What are the toilets like?’ Mum asks curiously. Such a mum question. She probably doesn’t even need to go, she’s either wondering for later, or she’s going to be eyeing up fancy taps for her new house. She’s made countless notes, and asked a bunch of questions, about my place. I won’t be surprised if when I visit her new place, I see a lot of my own house in there.
‘Oh, I didn’t go,’ I say, almost excitedly, relieved to have a reason to leave the table. ‘Back in a sec.’
I jump up, hurry back towards the bar, order another four cocktails – this is turning out to be one hell of an expensive round – and carefully head back to my friends’ table, no getting lost this time.
‘There you are,’ Leila says as I approach the table. ‘We were worried about you.’
‘Sorry, the bar is so busy,’ I reply as I set the drinks down. ‘Here we are.’
‘I came looking for you, to give you a hand at the bar, but you weren’t there,’ Tobias says. He sounds innocent enough, not like he’s interrogating me, I think he’s just curious. Still, it means I have to offer up an explanation.
‘Oh, I went to the loo as well,’ I reply. ‘You must have just missed me.’
I do still really, really need to pee. Every time I have to mention it, the feeling only intensifies.
‘Thanks for the drink,’ Leila says. ‘Shall we toast?’
