Chapter 32 #2
I look at him hard, look at the sadness that I realise has been there the whole time, a sadness he has tried to mask with red cravats and silver suits. ‘You think?’
He reaches over the arm rest of the chair, takes my hand in his and rubs it vigorously. ‘I do.’
He gives me the headline pieces of gossip about each of The American’s guests until we hear some commotion from the dance floor, some cheering, more voices, a different hum.
I sit up, start the process of standing up. Crispy pulls at my dress.
‘Oh, don’t go!’ he pleads.
‘We’re missing the party.’ I pull free of his grasp and Crispy quickly scrabbles to his feet.
‘But we’re having fun!’ he pouts as I start to leave, precariously edging my way around the pool towards the exit. ‘Five more minutes.’ He trails after me, clawing at me to stay.
‘What’s happening?’ I ask, my eyes narrowing at him. The protestation is too much to just want me to stay here innocently.
‘Nothing’s happening! Just stay here for a few more—’ His sentence is stopped prematurely, replaced instead by a small strangled little shout and finished with a loud, thunderous splash.
I look around to see Crispy underwater, his hands the only thing visible above the water line, desperately flapping about, his body making no attempt to surface.
Without thinking I jump in after him, reaching for the silver suit and when I have it in my hands, I desperately try to pull him to the edge until my knees catch on the bottom and I realise just how shallow it is. Barely a metre deep.
‘Just stand!’ I plead with the half-drowned figure who eventually returns to the surface, spluttering and choking. He slowly draws himself to his full height, the sad spliff hanging limply in his mouth.
When he finally gathers his breath he takes a look at me, hair sopping, dress weighed down by the water and lets out an almighty bellow of a laugh. He cackles at himself, at both of us, for a full minute until it becomes contagious and I am laughing too.
‘You arsehole.’ I splash him. ‘I thought you were going to drown.’
‘I shouldn’t walk and smoke,’ he booms and splashes me back.
When we turn around it is clear that the shrieking and splashing has drawn a crowd of concerned and confused faces and the guests are standing by the shallow end, watching us.
‘She saved me!’ Crispy wraps his arms around my neck and pretends to swoon. I push him off of me and watch as he clambers to the side, still hooting merrily.
‘What on earth?’ The crowd parts to reveal The American shuffling as fast as she can to see what all the commotion is about. I almost don’t notice the person at her side, how his concern turns to steely fury when his eyes meet mine and take me in.
‘Shit,’ Crispy hisses into the water.
‘Florian…’ I struggle for the words. His lip twitches in recognition of his name on my lips, the rest of his body rigid apart from a fist which he is clenching repetitively.
I manage to regain control of my face, it draws up into a hopeful smile – confirmation of how much I have wanted him to be here, of how much I wanted to see him again.
I wait for him to move, to smile, to wink, to grin in that way he has perfected, but a coolness hangs over him and then I watch as he turns his back and begins to storm back the way he entered.
‘Florian – wait!’ The American calls, staggering after him. I can feel all the other eyes of the guests on me, at the sopping wet girl in the pool.
‘You knew he was coming?’ I look to Crispy, all of the fun, the tipsiness fading from me. He doesn’t meet my eye. In that moment I know this has been just one big elaborate ruse.
I make my way to the steps with as much grace as a very wet three-legged giraffe and stumble out of the pool.
The dress feels like someone has sewn weights into the hems and I trip only to be caught by Rupert who holds me at arm’s length like I might combust. I reach for a towel on the wall and manage a half-hearted attempt at mopping up some of the water but it’s a pointless exercise, so I limp towards the direction that Florian and The American had left in.
‘You lied to me!’ Florian shouts from house, the words echoing through the doors to the terrace. I see the open doors, spy their heads a few metres in front of us and brave the floor, leaving a trail of pool water in my wake.
‘I didn’t lie. You assumed she wasn’t here,’ The American protests, her voice laboured from the exertion.
‘You didn’t say she would be!’
They turn to me when I come into view, both looking as exasperated as the other but it’s hard to shake the look of sheer hatred in Florian’s eyes.
The American breaks first. ‘I wanted you to be here. I wanted you to both be here.’
‘Did you know?’ He looks at me with a ferocity that stings. The first thing he has said to me since that night.
‘Know what?’
‘That I’d be here. Was this some plan to…’
‘What – to get you back?’ I scoff, furious at his self-assurance. ‘No, Florian, I wasn’t made aware that I would be playing the starring role in my own shitty rom-com tonight.’
The American hangs between us, arms out on either side as if we might draw swords.
‘Neither of you knew. Things just got out of hand. I didn’t know things were as bad as they were when I ran into you and I thought you needed cheering up, Florian.
I… knew that Rupert would be here and I genuinely thought it would be a good opportunity to connect. ’
‘And her?’
‘I saw Ava after I saw you… You hadn’t said whether you would come and she’s my friend, Florian. I wanted her here.’
‘Well, have her here, I’m going.’
‘Stop it!’ A soggy Crispy careers into the room.
‘All of you stop it, you’re acting like children.
There is no reason on God’s green earth that we can’t all be here at the same time enjoying this wonderful weekend.
This place is big enough for the both of you to avoid each other all day if you want to, we don’t care.
Doris is eighty-three years old for goodness’ sake and she wants you two to both be here. So, grow up and get over yourselves.’
We stand there staring at each other in a kind of stalemate until Florian breaks. He kisses his teeth, throws his hands in the air. ‘I need a drink.’
We watch him go without moving ourselves. I feel their eyes turn to me, waiting for me to explode.
‘Ava…’ The American starts but I wave my hand to get her to stop.
‘I’m sure your intentions are completely honourable but right now I need a drink and to be on my own.’
I take a bottle of wine from the side and disappear up the stairs leaving the party and the dancing and the fun behind me.