Chapter Twenty-Six #2
‘Good girl.’ Audrey nods approvingly before grabbing one of the little glasses carefully between her fingers and thumb.
‘Ready, Olive?’ The other older lady nods and they both down their shots, gasping and wincing before whooping and holding the glasses in the air. ‘I quite enjoyed that. Another round?’
‘I’ll get them.’ I push my chair back and grab my bag from under the table, shuffling my way to the bar so I can chat to Aleena under the guise of buying the shots.
If Jonah won’t talk to her, then I’ll have to do it myself.
The bar area is crammed and while I eventually make it to the front, Aleena is the only member of staff currently serving, so I have to bide my time while she works her way through the customers before me.
‘Excuse me, but I’m lost.’
I tear my eyes off Aleena as she grabs a couple of bottles from the fridge and turn to the bloke standing to my left.
He’s a tad taller than me, with sandy hair and a face lined with anxiety and I feel bad for him because of all the people to ask for help, I’m probably the worst. I don’t usually venture beyond Market Street and The Arndale when I’m in Manchester, but I could probably direct him to Piccadilly or Victoria Station.
Other than that, I’d be as lost as he is.
‘Where is it you’d like to be?’
The lines of anxiety smooth away as he grins at me. ‘Your place. Can you take me there?’
I sigh and turn back to Aleena, who’s holding the card reader out towards a customer.
‘They say Disney World is the happiest place on the planet, but they’ve never stood next to you.’
I ignore him and edge along the bar, accidentally nudging into the next customer. I stand with my back to the sandy-haired guy but he isn’t deterred.
‘If you and I were socks, we’d make the perfect pair.’
Oh my goat. Did this guy get his chat-up lines out of a Christmas cracker?
‘If you were a vegetable, you’d be a cute-cumber.’
I turn to the sandy-haired guy, but I do not smile because I’ve found after years of working at Rollerz that a smile is the only encouragement men like this need to continue their one-sided interaction. ‘That’s very sweet, but I’m just here for a round of drinks.’
‘Then today is your lucky day.’ He winks at me and any patience I had declines rapidly. ‘You get drinks and a chat with me.’
‘I’m not interested.’ I turn my back on him, but even blunt snubs don’t discourage this dude. He leans in, his breath on my neck making me shudder as he delivers his next line.
‘Kiss me if I’m wrong, but dinosaurs still exist, right?’
I close my eyes, readying myself for the onslaught I’m about to deliver before I turn to him. ‘I wouldn’t kiss your ratty face if you were the last man – the only other human – on the planet. I. Am. Not. Interested.’
‘Calm down, darling.’ He holds his hands up and takes a miniscule step back. ‘I’m just being friendly. Just chatting. There’s no need to be like that.’
‘I just want to be left alone.’
He holds his hands up again and rolls his eyes, so I turn back to the bar. Another member of staff has joined Aleena, so hopefully I can get served and rejoin my friends any minute now.
‘So, what’s your name?’
I cannot believe this. After our exchange, in which I told him that I’m not interested, want to be left alone, and likened him to vermin, he’s still trying to engage me in conversation?
‘Her name is none of your business.’ The bloke in front of me in the queue turns and looks down at the sandy-haired rat-boy.
He’s much taller than rat-boy, and broader, with arms like tree trunks.
If he isn’t a rugby player, he’s doing a good job of impersonating one.
‘She’s asked you to leave her alone, so leave her alone. ’
‘And who are you?’ Rat-boy lifts his chin, as though it’ll make him appear taller. It does not.
‘I’m her boyfriend, and I’m telling you to leave her alone.’ His tone is calm but unnerving nonetheless, and rat-boy doesn’t risk it. He shrugs and takes a step back so he’s no longer breathing all over me.
‘I was only being friendly. I guess that’s against the law now, eh?’ He looks me up and down, taking another step back. ‘It isn’t as though I fancy it.’ The guy with the tree-trunk arms tilts his head to one side, which is enough to send rat-boy scuttling off.
‘Sorry about the boyfriend thing.’ He lifts a shoulder in a shrug.
‘It’s usually the only thing that makes them back off, other than a fist to the face, but my parole officer says I’m not allowed to do that any more.
’ He laughs, and I think he’s kidding about the parole officer thing.
‘My sister says men like him are like dogs. It should be enough for you to say you’re not interested, but it isn’t and it’s only when they sniff the scent of another male marking their territory that they back off. It’s wrong, I know, but it works.’
‘Thank you for that. He was a proper creep.’ I look behind me, to make sure rat-boy has actually gone. ‘Can I buy you a drink, to say thank you?’
He waves away my offer. ‘There’s no need. I’d want someone to step in and help my sister if that happened to her.’
‘Well, I really appreciate your help. So thank you.’
He nods, and his smile is kind. ‘You’re welcome.
’ He turns then as Aleena approaches to take his order, and he nods in farewell as he leaves with a couple of pints.
It’s the other guy behind the bar who serves me, so I don’t even get to chat to Aleena as planned after that ordeal.
I return to the table with a tray of shots, which Audrey and Olive dive on as though their lives depend on it.
‘Does pretending to be someone’s boyfriend to rescue them from a creep count as a meet-cute?’ I address the whole table with my query, but it’s really only Jonah’s input I’m after as he’s the one most knowledgeable about such matters.
‘Absolutely.’ Jonah nods as he takes a sip of his orange juice. ‘That’s a modern-day knight-in-shining-armour act. Why?’
I explain about rat-boy and the guy who looks like a rugby player stepping in to help me out.
‘Do you mean him?’ Rhys nods towards a table across the room, where my rescuer is sitting with another beefy-looking bloke.
‘Because he keeps looking over. I think he might be in love.’ He makes a heart shape with his hands and places them on his chest. ‘You should go over there, Jelly. Like I keep saying, it’s a numbers game. Pile ’em high.’
‘But what does that mean for me and Kit? If he’s The One, why is the universe still meet-cute-ing me with other men?’
Jonah shrugs. ‘Maybe Kit isn’t The One? You haven’t even been on a date with him.’
‘Yet.’ Because Kit messaged me back last night.
Christina! So good to hear from you! And I’m glad you made it home
safely – and found my number to let me know!
We’ve been messaging non-stop since then.
I tell my friends about the messages, and while Audrey and Olive aren’t too impressed (actions speak louder than words, Audrey says as she slips off for another round of shots), Thea is more encouraged by the exchange, assuring me we’ve hit the tricky balance of being funny and flirty over WhatsApp.
‘What do you think?’ I turn to Jonah, who’s yet to share his opinion.
‘I think you need to do whatever makes you happy.’
I think about Kit, and I know it sounds mad after such a brief encounter, but I think he could make me happy.
‘So that guy’s out then?’ Rhys nods at the rugby-player-looking rescuer, and I nod.
He’s definitely out. Kit’s away at the moment, touring with his band, but we’re going to meet up when he’s back in Manchester next week and I can’t let the opportunity to find out if he’s The One slip through my fingers again.