Chapter 47
CARRIE
Carrie squinted through the dim light. Jez got up and headed over.
He gave her a hug before stepping back.
‘This is my… friend, Dimitrios,’ she said. ‘Dimitrios, this is the manager, Jez.’
The two men nodded at each other.
‘Why don’t you go over and say hello to your friends,’ said Jez, softly, before turning to Dimitrios. ‘Fancy helping me fetch a round of drinks? I believe you also run a bar. How about seeing behind the scenes of our main one?’
Dimitrios carried their luggage over to the couch, smiled at the three women.
‘You okay if I go?’ he murmured to Carrie.
‘As I said, I could have come to England on my own – not that I don’t really appreciate the company. You’re amazing and I’m fine.’
‘Of course you are, my fearless Fender.’ Gently, his fingers tapped out a riff on her shoulder. ‘And as I told you, I only really came because of Manchester’s rich musical reputation.’
Her eyes crinkled as the kindest man in the world followed her old boss out of the chillout room.
A shiver went down her spine as she turned back to the couches and went over. ‘Hi, everyone… You all look well.’
Shaking her head, Ariana stood up. ‘Jez is behind this, isn’t he? I thought it strange that he messaged about the cheap cocktails.’
Carrie blushed. ‘It’s all down to me. I persuaded him. He really didn’t like not being open, especially with Eliza. She’s here too, right?’
‘Just gone to the bathroom,’ said Ariana, and she put her hands on Carrie’s shoulders. ‘Sit down. You must be exhausted.’
‘Too much extracurricular activity with Giannis GoGo, no doubt,’ said Rae, making space for Carrie on the couch, ‘and don’t even get me started on the innuendoes behind that surname.’
Carrie caught her eye. Rae looked back and her mouth twitched.
The two of them laughed. Then Ariana joined in.
But tears quickly replaced the happiness on Carrie’s face. ‘Sorry for being a sop, but it’s so brill being here, with you, like old times. I messed up,’ she stuttered. ‘I was so stupid. But I’m not giving up on us. Not ever.’ She wiped her eyes and sat up straighter. ‘God, I’ve missed you…’
‘What, even more than baked beans and Cadbury’s chocolate?’ Rae raised an eyebrow.
Carrie tilted her head, a gleam in her eye. ‘Yes. Although the jury’s out when it comes to shortbread biscuits.’
Rae smiled. ‘Guess I’ve missed you too. Speaking for myself… I was too harsh about that fake profile. You’d had a crap year. You and your mum had had crap times together before as well.’
‘Yeah, I should have been more understanding,’ said Ariana, and she ran a hand through her curls.
‘We’ve all done mad things in our time,’ said Rae.
‘A regular customer came in the other day, and I said “Hello, Alan.” I’ve been calling him that for months, despite the name tag he often leaves on as he comes in straight from work that says Ryan, and he finally called me out over it.
I mean, in my defence, he does look like Alan Shearer, but even so… not my finest hour!’
‘But that’s a small thing, compared to what I did – to my best friends… the best friends ever. I’ll make it up to you,’ said Carrie. ‘Greece has given me the space to work out what’s important, and you guys are up there.’
‘Is Greece really like in the travel brochures?’ asked Ariana. ‘All white sands, blue skies, ancient buildings and dancing?’
‘Pretty much. Paros is gorgeous.’
‘Guess you haven’t missed Manchester then,’ said Rae, and she fiddled with a spare straw.
‘I have, more than you’ll know – the attitude, banter on the streets, the music, the Northern Quarter’s food…
but I had to get away.’ She bit her lip.
‘But most of all I’ve missed talking to you two – sharing about this guy Drago who was a total loser when I first met him, and Dimitrios wasn’t much better, really up himself I thought, what an ego-driven pop star.
Turned out I was wrong about both of them.
Then there’s this cool friend I’ve made called Nana, you’d love her, she works in a café that sells Nutella baklava.
And I’ve been feeding a sweet cat called Nyx, playing the guitar again, trying Greek food…
’ Carrie’s shoulders bobbed up and down.
‘You guys have always listened to the detail of my life. Most of us only cross paths with people who listen to the headlines.’
‘Backatcha,’ said Ariana. ‘Izzy always called you two my “helicopter friends” with the amount of interest you show in everything about my life, literally even down to my toilet habits.’
‘I’m glad those Medjool dates helped,’ said Carrie, smiling.
Ariana got to her feet. ‘Scrum hug!’ she said and held out her arms. One by one they stood up and put their arms around one another.
Carrie squeezed oh so tight. The others squeezed back.
‘It’s thirsty work, this making-up malarkey,’ mumbled Rae, and the three of them sat down again.
‘I’m almost as happy as when I’m eating a Greek pitta sandwich. But enough about me – what’s happening with all of you?’
‘Nothing much new here,’ said Rae. ‘Except… we have made a new friend. It’s been a bumpy journey because she’s hurt someone… someone very important to us. But we’ve come to realise that, actually, she’s okay.’
‘She’s not the person she used to be,’ said Ariana. ‘And she’s so very sorry for the mistakes she’s made. She knows they are huge ones.’
Her friends, they were talking about Carrie’s grandmother. Grandmother. That word sounded so alien.
‘What happened when Eliza visited you, Carrie?’ asked Rae quietly.
But at that moment Jez and Dimitrios came in with more Cheeky Vimtos. Jez pulled over two chairs and the men sat down.
‘Yassou, everyone. Nice to meet you all,’ said Dimitrios. He raised his glass and took a mouthful, his expression revealing that he wasn’t sure what to make of the Mancunian cocktail.
A group of girls stood nearby, pointing and giggling. Dimitrios smiled over at them and they got their phones out.
Rae mouthed at them to sod off and glared. After taking a few shots, they left the chillout room. ‘You must get sick of the sycophants,’ she muttered. ‘All the attention would do my head in.’
‘I don’t mind fans like that. In fact I’m grateful,’ he said. ‘If it weren’t for them, I’d have no career. It’s the ones who try to track down my home that are the problem.’
‘I used to dream of being in Girls Aloud when I was a teen, but as a fan all you see is the gloss on screen, you don’t see what it’s like to really have that celebrity status,’ said Ariana.
‘Do you ever go out in a wig and glasses?’ asked Rae.
‘Always,’ he said, deadpan, and took his sunglasses out of his jacket pocket, before pointing to his hair. ‘I’m actually completely bald, so with this on in public, I never get recognised off duty.’
Rae caught Carrie’s eye. She jerked her head towards Dimitrios. ‘I like him.’
‘So, Eliza’s here tonight…’ said Carrie, staring at the spare drink on the table.
Jez frowned. ‘Yes, she should be back from the bathroom by now. I’ll go and investigate.’
Carrie flexed her hands. Okay. She needed to take Eliza to a quiet corner and let her talk in a way she hadn’t allowed her to, back in Tolmiros.
Five minutes later Jez came back. Reading his phone, he sat down again.
‘She’s gone to get a taxi home. Says goodbye to everyone. She saw you arrive, Carrie, and didn’t want to ruin you coming back, presumably to see your friends.’
‘She might still be waiting at the taxi rank, right?’ asked Carrie.
Jez went to get up. ‘It’s possible. I’ll go and—’
‘No. Let me.’ Carrie jumped to her feet and hurried out of the chillout room, past the bar and into the reception area, pushing past the busy queue, despite grumbles from people who had to get out of the way.
She looked right, up to where the cabs queued.
One was pulling up. A woman with a white bob and big glasses stepped forwards.
‘Wait! Eliza!’ Carrie charged up to the woman who turned around and raised her eyebrows.
‘Carrie… it’s okay… let me leave you to your friends… I accept what you said back in Greece—’
Trying to catch her breath, Carrie reached out. Her hand hovered in the air for several seconds.
‘I should never have invited myself into your life,’ said Eliza quietly.
‘And I should never have not invited you to Mum’s funeral,’ said Carrie. She placed her hand on Eliza’s arm. ‘Come on. Let’s go back inside.’