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“Okay. I promise not to tease you about him.”
We hear a car pull up and rush to the front door, hopeful it’s Tabitha and Jenny. When they exit the taxi, Josie and I squeal with excitement.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you again!” Tabi calls, grabbing Josie and me in turn for a hug after we head outside. “We’re so excited to look around! You’re not pissed yet, are you? I had a drink on the train but its sad drinking on your own, and of course old boring breeches over here—” she hikes a thumb towards the taxi driver, “—wouldn’t let us eat or drink in his cab, so we’re well behind you two.” Tabi takes a breath. “I’d still give him one though. He’s got the sort of voice that knows how to boss a woman around in bed.”
Jenny and I roll our eyes at Tabi’s predictable behaviour, then hug fiercely. “So good to see you too, Jen.”
“Ava Rivas,” she breathes. “Love the hair. It’s grown into a good style now!” she jokes.
Shortly after The Incident, I cut off my hair, hacking at it with angry scissors until the floor was covered with oceans of chestnut silk. Now, it all seems rather silly. But at the time I couldn’t bear to look at it, knowing it had been used as a weapon against me, to control me by unscrupulous, callous, hurting hands. For a time, my scalp looked like I’d allowed a three-year-old access to sharp implements, my hair a mess of tufty, choppy, mismatched lengths. But with the help of my hairdresser and some extensions, it has been styled into something feminine and glam.
As we turn to head indoors, I catch sight of a figure at next door’s porch, a person we’ve not met before. He puts a hand up in acknowledgement, so I drag my feet. Mixed race, he’s dressed head to toe in shades of black and grey. “Sorry, hoped you might be the supermarket delivery.”
“Oh, no, not this time,” Jen tells him.
“Right, yeah.” He idles towards our group, looking at each of us in turn, though I can’t help but think he looks at me longest.
“I’m Tabi, that’s Ava, Jen and Josie,” Tabi directs, pointing us out and pushing out her chest at the same time.
“Ben. I think you met Max and Laurence earlier,” he says looking at me with eyes so crushingly bleak they steal the air right out of my lungs.
Unable to speak, Josie steps in for me. “Yeah. Is it just you three?”
“No. Sam is here too, a school friend of mine. Why don’t you come round later for a drink, say hello.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Josie says, throwing me a curious glance.
“Hope your food arrives,” Jen offers.
The taxi driver has already gone, and it’s chilly outside. I get the sense we all want to be indoors, and I especially do. There’s something about this guy that makes me uneasy.
Once we’re inside and Jen and Tabi have chosen a room, we open a bottle of champagne. After a toast, Tabi says, “That Ben guy was sexy hawt. Those eyes were pure sexual danger.”
“He made me uncomfortable,” I admit.
Tabi knocks back her drink. “Sorry, I didn’t realise. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Please, don’t apologise.”
“Sorry.”
“Tabi!” I cry out in exasperation. “Anyway, why are you noticingsexy hawtmen? You’re shacked up and loved up with Jon.”
“Benefits of an open relationship,” she reminds me.
I feel like such an underachiever next to her. I can barely manage one man, and she’s not happy unless she has at least two on the go.
We catch up on the past few weeks and months, and it’s so good to discuss our lives, but it’s Josie we focus on as she explains her dilemma.
“I’m potentially changing my entire future, and I just don’t know if I’ve got the guts to do it.”
“It’s a brave decision,” Jen states, “but you know we’ll support you whatever you decide.”
Leaving them to chat some more, I flick on the outside light, ready to retrieve the chilli from the car. When I step outside, a supermarket delivery truck is pulling up next door. Max and Laurence exit the cabin, waiting for the delivery driver to unload and I can just make out their discussion.
“I’m so sorry, but I must’ve given your order away.” He gestures to the open rear doors of the truck, explaining, “the racks are empty.”
“Really? How is that possible?” Laurence asks, a baffled look on his face.
