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‘That’s so nice of you, Pete, really,’ she said.
‘Not at all. It’s the least I can do. I hated thinking of you taking a bus at this hour, sober and tired when everyone else had been partying. That would be too sad for words and who wants to start the New Year off feeling utterly wretched?’
‘Are you up for getting something to eat?’ she asked, fastening her seat belt. Although, at this hour on New Year’s Eve, everywhere would be booked solid. ‘We could get fish and chips and watch the fireworks in the city!’ New Year was a time to be with the people you loved.
‘That sounds like a good plan to me.’ He was pulling out now, slowly and carefully because even if the road here had been cleared, the tarmac sparkled with dangerous ice. With that, Liv’s phone rang in her bag and she dug about to find it before she missed the call.
‘Hey, Liv.’ It was Finn. ‘I know you’re at work but I just wanted to wish you a happy New Year before the bells rang on the old one.’
‘Aww, that’s lovely, Finn, but actually, I managed to get a reprieve for good behaviour. I finished on time.’
‘That’s great. I don’t suppose you’d like to ring in the New Year with me?’ He sounded unsure, as if he was almost too shy to ask, and Liv closed her eyes for a moment, trying to reconcile the handsome guy she knew him to be with this even nicer version she was getting to know.
‘I’d love to. We’re going to get fish and chips. Fancy coming along?’
‘Why not?’ He stopped. ‘Er, who’s we?’
‘My friend Pete and I – you’ll like him, I promise.’ She was laughing. She’d have to ward off Pete’s smart comments. Already he was making faces at her, as if his ego was inflating to the size of an elephant.
‘Are you sure I won’t be in the way?’ Finn asked.
‘Not at all, mate, the more the merrier!’ Pete said and they agreed to meet along the canal and watch the fireworks together.
‘So, that’s your knight in shining armour.’ Maya had obviously told him about Finn and how they’d met. He started to hum ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ – badly.
‘Very funny.’ She laughed because he really couldn’t sing to save his life.
‘He sounds like a good egg, but I’ll be checking him out; make sure you don’t end up with another glugger.’
‘I’m not going to end up with anything. It’s just fish and chips – for three!’ They were drawing closer to the city now. The paths were more worn here, where late-night walkers had slushed up the freshly fallen snow before it had a chance to carpet softly underfoot. It felt as if they were gliding quickly towards not just the end of another year, but the end of an era.
‘Still, it would be nice if he turned out to be The One, all the same,’ he said.
‘Come on, Pete, the truth is, you’ll always be my knight in shining armour – you know that!’ She was making fun of him. The streets were empty, but the freezing temperatures had coated everything with a dusting of glittering ice to remind them that they needed to move with caution.
Liv sank back into the passenger seat, relaxing in the warmth and comfort. It was, she had to concede, much nicer than taking the bus. Pete managed to get a parking space along the Grand Canal just a five-minute walk from her favourite Italian chipper in the city. The aroma of frying fat and cooking chips and fish made Liv instantly ravenous. She texted Finn to let him know where they were and they leant against the bridge while they waited for him. She listened as Pete explained exactly how things had ended between himself and Anya. He was definitely over her.
‘Tinder?’ She held out her phone, making fun of him again.
‘Not likely.’ He laughed. ‘No, I think I might as well face the fact that there was only one girl for me.’
‘Don’t say that; Rachel wouldn’t want you to give up.’
‘I’m not giving up, but the fact is, I just don’t want to settle for anything less. I’m happy, knowing that I’ve already known the great love of my life and who knows…’ He smiled as if he knew something no-one else would ever understand.
‘What?’
‘Well… who knows what the future holds; perhaps one day, Rachel and I…’ He sniffed loudly, working hard to keep his tears at bay, but he was still smiling, impossibly optimistic, in spite of himself. Liv put her arm around him, pulled him close to her. She loved him so much, almost as much as she’d loved Rachel, and she knew Rachel would want him to move on.
‘She’d want you to be happy here, in the real world, not looking forward to hooking up again on some existential plane that only exists for soul mates.’ Liv shook her head. Honestly, she was going to make it her resolution to fix him up with a decent girl, someone who would let him put Rachel to rest, finally.
‘Hey.’ Finn kissed her cheek lightly, slicing through the maudlin direction of both their thoughts.
‘This is Pete. He was my sister’s… well, he’s my best friend and he gave me a lift.’
‘Good to meet you, mate,’ Finn said warmly. They sauntered to the chip shop, which was mercifully quiet, and ordered large portions of fish and chips smothered in salt and vinegar with cans of Coke to wash it all down. ‘My treat,’ she said as she reached into her pocket to pay. It was the least she could do since she was the common denominator here. It was just lovely to be spending the New Year with them both.
They managed to find an empty bench on the bridge and chatted happily while they ate their takeaways, waiting for the New Year to be rung in with an explosion of fireworks filling up the sky over the city centre. It felt good, relaxed and comfortable, as if they’d all been friends forever.
