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‘Don’t do it. It’s going to end badly. The girls are going to find out when it’s not curry and beer at the local Indian.’
We both shoot Tim threatening looks.
‘You can’t do curry and beer for a stag!’ I complain.
‘Just so we’re clear, I’m not going to some Eastern European country where people I don’t know try to convince me to cheat on my wife and potentially get arrested, Caleb.’
‘I would never!’ I make a point of looking offended, and quickly drop Prague and Tallinn from the location list in my head.
‘Actually, Tim, I was thinking maybe the South of France. We could hire a boat, hit the casinos, eat all the steak you want…That sort of thing.’ The mention of steak has got Tim’s attention.
‘Tim’s got a point. Lou’s still fuming atmefor the wayyoutreated her sister during her birthday trip. It was one weekend, Caleb. Three bloody days. Would it have killed you to keep it in your pants?’
‘And her best friend. The same weekend,’ Tim adds, enjoying himself.
Louisa’s birthday weekend retreat to Italy had put twenty, mostly single people, with few inhibitions in her parents’ opulent, fully staffed and catered mansion; complete with booze, a pool, hot tub, and lots of places to hide from sight. A recipe for disaster.
‘In his defence, Jack, we were miles from anywhere, and you know how he gets. I’m the last person to defend him because he’s a dick – sorry, mate, it’s true – but they didn’t give him a chance. He wasn’t the only one those two cracked on to that weekend, trying to outdo each other.’
‘Thank you!’ I shoot Tim a grateful look. ‘It wasn’t like we had name badges. I had no idea who anyone was until Lou started screaming at me.’
‘I get that, but the last thing she needed at her birthday was her sister and best friend scratching each other’s eyes out.’
‘If we think about it, I’m the victim here. They knew each other. I was the one without a bloody clue.’ The fact that I’d enjoyed myself immensely was irrelevant.
‘Can you punch him in the face please?’ Jack asks Tim, seriously.
‘For the millionth time, I’m sorry, okay? How long are you going to be shirty for?’
‘Depends on how longshe’sgoing to be shirty.’ Jack is being unfair.
‘If it’s not this, it’ll be something else. It’s always something with Lou.’ I glance at the fingernail scratches on the side of Jack’s neck.
‘You know, if I didn’t have Em and the kids, I may have made the same mistake.’
Jack and I stare at Tim in shock, then burst out laughing. Tim is as dedicated to his family as it gets.
‘Yes. Sure, you would’ve. Anyway, I’ll ask one of the project managers at work for a few pointers on the stag do. How does that sound?’
‘Yup,’ they both agree.
We finish dinner, get some beers in and, as always, come last in the pub quiz. The perfect start to the week.
FIVE
ARIELLA
I wake up startled, unsure of where I am; until yesterday’s memories start seeping through the haze of the bottle of red wine I drank alone last night. After I unpacked, I went out for a small bouquet of flowers from the corner shop to cheer myself up and returned with a couple of bottles of wine. Sitting on my new bed, surrounded by silence, I gazed out of the huge bedroom window, looking over the rooftops and night skyline, as I slowly drained the bottle. I might have opened the next, but thankfully a solitary text from my brother interrupted my catatonia at about ten thirty.
Seriously?
I didn’t know how to respond, so I didn’t. My mother wasn’t calling me, so the news had only made it to Zachary and his girlfriend, Isszy. For now. I took a long, hot shower to wash the day away, and crawled into bed, only to lie awake for what seemed like half of the night.
I was just drifting off to sleep when my new flatmate came crashing into the apartment singing, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at the top of his voice. When Jasper came in late, he was always quiet and considerate; kissing my forehead before getting undressed; and then, when under the covers, he would pull me in to his body and curl over me for warmth. Lying in my vast new bed, I’d never felt lonelier, but I knew it had to be my reality for now.
Thankfully, I’d also picked up my breakfast staples yesterday, and put them in the predictably empty fridge. It’s bound to be a beautiful morning in the living room. It has large windows eager to flood the space with sunlight, which is exactly what I’ll need this morning to chase this hangover away. That, some grapefruit and tea should do the trick.
Coming into the living room, I see a half-naked girl wearing little more than a LiverpoolFC shirt, sitting at the central kitchen island drinking coffee. Caleb has a girlfriend?
