Chapter 40 #2
I knew most of the girls there, and each and every one of them eyed Alfie with the shrewd gaze of a Russian spy.
They were my friends, but at that moment, with each of them gazing at him like he was a lake in a desert, I didn’t trust any of them as far as I could throw them.
Except for Keira. So far, Keira had made out with the bartender, two men playing snooker, as well as planting a big one on our friend Lucy who looked like she was on the cusp of a sexual awakening.
After having our drinks delivered to us by a barmaid for a healthy tip, Alfie chose a bar stool and took up residence there, close enough to watch me but far enough that he didn’t have to talk to anyone.
He looked out of place of course, as he always did in my world.
The other men at the bar eyed him with distrustful resentment.
Alfie couldn’t care less. His eyes remained on me at all times, putting me in a constant state of awareness.
I couldn’t stand still. I fussed with my hair, tugged on the dark green dress I wore, fiddled with the thin straps.
I was half-listening to Lucy, a sweet girl with a meek bob, talk about her trip to Spain, when she stopped half-way through ‘poolside cocktail’ to gape behind me.
I turned, following her gaze to the main door, and found a lost-looking Riley standing there, scanning the crowd.
I was about to raise a hand to wave at him when Keira’s head suddenly appeared over the crowd.
She was standing on a table, champagne bottle in hand.
I managed to duck just in time before it sprayed over the cheering crowd.
I laughed helplessly as Riley made his way over to me.
He kissed my cheek and I pointed him in Alfie’s direction.
“You’ll have to tell me sometime about how you managed to drag him here with you,” Riley shouted in my ear. I struggled to hear him over the cacophony.
“What’re you talking about? This wasn’t my idea, he insisted on it.”
He laughed. He thought I was joking. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I’d rather he hadn’t come. He’s been scowling at me ever since we got here.”
Riley snorted and wandered off to the bar.
“Tequila!” The pudgy arms of my best friend were flung around my neck and a shot glass thrust in my face. I downed the shot, wincing and shivering in time to see a certain someone glowering at me. I stuck my tongue out at him, winked, and allowed myself to be dragged off to dance.
The old-fashioned pub was home to an old-fashioned jukebox and it didn’t take us long to create a makeshift dance floor, select a Cyndi Lauper classic, and make damned fools of ourselves.
We made it through Abba, most of the Grease soundtrack, and all the way to Bon Jovi before Keira made the universal hand signal for ‘Bathroom Break.’
In the smudged mirror of the dingy bathroom I took stock of myself. My make up had smudged and my hair had lost most of its oomph, but other than that I looked pretty good.
“Whoops!” Keira giggled as she stumbled out of the cubicle. She flung her arms around my waist from behind and we looked at each other in the mirror. Other than Natalie and Ryan, Keira was the only family I had left.
“Hey, don’t cry!” she exclaimed when she saw my tears beginning to threaten.
“I’m not crying, you drunken fool,” I sniffled. “I’m just going to miss you. Who’s going to get me into mischief if you’re not around?”
“You could always come with me. There’s plenty of mischief to be had in London.
” She gazed at me with the unfocused eyes of a person who was two tequilas away from falling arse-first out of a taxi.
I wanted to tell her about my acceptance to college.
I wanted to feel that warm burst of pride at being able to tell everyone I’d finally achieved what I’d failed at so many times before.
I wanted to talk to her about my Alfie dilemma, but now wasn’t the time. This was Keira’s night.
I smiled and kissed her on the cheek, releasing her so she could wash her hands. She pressed the button for soap, and a thick gloop slipped out of the container and missed her hand entirely, landing instead in a gelatinous puddle on the corner of the sink.
“Oh, did I tell you we sold the house?” she said as she ran her hands under the tap.
“No! When did this happen?”
“A few days ago. The agent is going to handle everything so I don’t need to be here for anything.
I’m free, free as a bird!” She laughed, waving her wet hands around.
To the untrained ear, she sounded thrilled, but I could hear the sadness at losing her childhood home. I eyed her, wondering how I could help.
“Do you want to keep some stuff at my place? You won’t be able to take everything you want to keep to London. I have space if you need somewhere to store it.” That was a lie. I didn’t have space, but I could make some.
Now it was her turn to look like she was about to cry.
I bit my lip hard to keep my own tears at bay as we flung our arms around each other once more. Her warm body was soft and familiar, as was the scent of her coconut shampoo. Everything about my best friend was home to me.
“Come on,” she cleared her throat, pulling away, “enough emotional stuff. Let's get drunk.”