Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
‘So, we have cocktails. We have snacks. We have onesies that make us look like Teletubbies. But what do we say when the blubber makes us blub?’
‘Roll with it!’ Kit jiggled her midriff, although there wasn’t much to jiggle.
‘All the more to grab on to!’ Nina cackled, raising her glass.
‘We are all truly flabulous,’ declared Diana, stuffing a spring roll in her mouth. ‘And who gives a fuck what anyone else thinks?’
Kit snorted and grabbed a fistful of Bombay mix. Nina followed with a corn chip smothered in hummus. Beth, however, sat quietly, the waves of their laughter washing over her.
She adored these women. Their loyalty, their easy banter, the way they filled a room with humour and affection. But her story… Well, her story didn’t fit into an evening of cocktails and carbs.
Hey, guys! I’ve met a genie – bear with me – who lives in a pinball machine and dresses like Elton John’s laundry basket exploded. Oh, and he grants wishes. Naturally. And then there’s Luke. And Kieran.
‘Beth, hon,’ said Diana, waving a hand in front of her face. ‘You haven’t touched your drink, your favourite samosas are going cold, and that legendary Beth smile has gone walkabout. Spill.’
‘It’s Luke.’ She said it calmly, surprised at her own steadiness.
‘What about him?’ Diana frowned, nudging Beth’s neglected negroni closer.
‘He came to see me and—’
‘WHAT?’ Diana shrieked. ‘You didn’t tell me? Am I not your bestiest bestie in the entire world?’
‘And we’re the bestie bridesmaids,’ slurred Kit, halfway between a giggle and a hiccup. The cocktails were clearly kicking in.
‘I needed time to think,’ Beth said, taking a cautious sip. The negroni was punchier than she remembered. Or maybe her nerves were shot to pieces.
‘Did he just appear out of the blue?’ Nina demanded. ‘I hope he threw himself at your feet and begged forgiveness. He’s got a bloody cheek, that one.’
‘He messaged first,’ Beth said. ‘Then showed up at the pub.’ The memory still felt distant, like a film she’d watched rather than lived.
Diana slid an arm around her shoulders. ‘If it’s too much, hon, we can leave it.’
Beth shook her head. ‘No, I need to talk about it.’
So she did. About Luke’s apologies, his sudden yearning to make amends, his plan to retreat to some windswept island with a name she couldn’t pronounce, to carve driftwood into art and maybe himself into someone new.
‘I’d carve his heart out and mount it on a spike,’ Nina hissed. ‘Only in my imagination, mind. But still.’
‘He’s hurting, too,’ Beth said softly, remembering his face when she’d told him she couldn’t see a way back.
‘He left you when you were broken,’ said Kit, hugging her fiercely. Seconds later they were all entangled, a damp, mascara-streaked knot of limbs and snorts.
Beth surfaced first. ‘Aren’t we meant to be having fun? I’m fairly certain ugly crying isn’t on the agenda.’
‘Too right,’ said Diana, grabbing tissues and passing them round. ‘Let’s toast something less tragic. To friendship. Because when life throws muck, friends are the best splash guards.’
‘To friendship,’ echoed the others, raising their glasses.
Beth smiled, but as the glasses clinked, her thoughts betrayed her. Kieran’s face flickered across her mind. Kind, curious, cautious. And cute.
She groaned inwardly. No, no, no. Do not go down the cute path.
The thought was quickly replaced by an image of Gigi’s smirking, jewel-toned face. What’s it like to have friends? he’d asked her.
Oh, Gigi. Human life is messy, exhausting and beautiful. Maybe being trapped in a pinball machine isn’t so bad.
‘Did you just mumble a name?’ Diana eyed her suspiciously.
‘What? No. I didn’t—’
‘I swear you said “gee-gee”. Like horses. You betting now?’
The absurdity cracked Beth’s composure and she burst out laughing. ‘No, absolutely not! Let’s move on and pour another round before you sign me up to Gamblers’ Anonymous.’
An hour later, the laughter had softened to snores.
Diana, Kit, and Nina were draped in an ungainly heap on the big sofa, limbs and onesies forming an avant-garde sculpture of friendship.
Beth, still sober, crept into the small guest room, immaculately made up with her favourite bedding.
It was cosy and quiet: her little pocket of calm for the coming hours.
She put down her mug of tea, kicked off her slippers and climbed into bed. The duvet was soft as a cloud. The mattress dipped in just the right place. It reminded her of childhood, a bittersweet memory.
‘Can you hear me, Gigi?’ she whispered into the darkness.
For a moment, nothing. Just the hush of the street outside and the faint creak of the old radiator.
Then: ‘Loud and clear, darling.’ His voice shimmered through the air like distant chimes. ‘Though your internal acoustics could use a little soundproofing. Bit echoey in there.’
Beth groaned into her pillow. ‘Don’t give me a hard time, Gigi.’
‘Excuse you. You summoned me. Long-distance metaphysical hotline. Premium rates apply.’
‘I didn’t summon you! I was just … thinking.’
‘Darling, I can hear your breathing. You sound like a punctured bicycle tyre. You’re moping.’
‘I’m decompressing,’ she said.
‘Same thing. Just less glamorous.’
Beth rolled onto her side, smiling despite herself. ‘Have you been reading self-help books?’
‘Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. Riveting read. Absolute nonsense, of course. Both men and women are aliens, as far as I’m concerned.’
Beth snorted into the duvet. ‘So what now, Gigi? I just move on?’
‘Naturally. Preferably with flair. And perhaps, as fate would have it, there’s someone out there who could help fill the cracks. Properly, like Polyfilla applied by a professional.’
Beth peeked out from under the covers. Silly, as he wasn’t actually in the room. ‘You’re not matchmaking, are you?’
‘Heaven forbid. I’m a genie, not Tinder in a tuxedo. But someone is hovering on your horizon. He listens, which is more than most mortals manage. Fate’s been giving him a nudge.’
‘Fate can wait,’ she muttered, half-asleep.
‘Fine, fine,’ said Gigi, his voice softening to a soothing cadence. ‘Rest, darling. But wash your face next time. Romance favours the freshly cleansed and moisturised.’
Beth’s laughter dissolved into sleep, a faint warmth blooming in her chest. Fragile, uncertain, but unmistakably hopeful.