Beth
Beth
Six weeks before
The first thing Beth Millen sees of Nick Parker is his bare bum.
The second thing is his jeans, which are round his ankles.
‘What the…?’ he shouts, and she slams the bathroom door shut.
‘Sorry!’
She waits a few moments before knocking on the door.
It opens, and the boy pokes his head out.
Behind round, thin-rimmed glasses that are so untrendy they weirdly make him look quite cool, she notices deep brown eyes. He has the most impressive crop of hair. Thick and long enough to tuck behind his ears.
He also has possibly the friendliest face she has ever seen.
‘I’m really sorry about that,’ she says, mortified. ‘I assumed you weren’t in. I had my music on so loud I didn’t hear you.’
He laughs.
‘Well. That’ll certainly go down as one of my more memorable introductions. Not your fault. I should’ve locked both doors.’
He holds out his hand. She looks at it dubiously.
‘It’s OK. I’ve washed my hands. With soap!’
She laughs, embarrassed, and shakes it.
‘I guess we’re sharing a bathroom then,’ she says, not entirely upset by this.
The bathroom she’s referring to is a slim room that sits between their two student bedrooms and is for their shared use, with one door leading in from her bedroom, and another from his. Jack-and-Jill is the technical term, although this makes no sense to Beth whatsoever.
There are four people living in their top-floor flat. Four bedrooms, two bathrooms: one bathroom positioned between two bedrooms. Not quite your own en suite, but the next best thing.
‘It must be a mix-up. I’m sure in all the stuff online it said that bathrooms would be shared by people of the same sex,’ he says.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘Yes it does! It’s bad enough that we got dumped in the worst student accommodation the university has to offer. Did you know we’re the only ones in this block to be in a flat of four? And because we’re on the top floor, we have to share the space with all the boilers and stuff?’ He glances at the wall. ‘Hence the continuous weird grinding noise.’
‘But at least we have a good view,’ Beth says, looking over at the window.
It’s not true. The view from her room is of the car park.
‘I’ll go and find the housing person and see what I can do,’ Nick says. ‘I assumed this room was staying empty. How come you’re late? You’ve missed Freshers’ Week.’
‘I’ve been sick,’ she says, her cheeks burning. ‘Glandular fever.’
‘Ohhhh. My mum always calls that the kissing disease.’
She purses her lips. She’s tired of those jokes; it’s been weeks and yes so what if she did catch it at a house party?
‘Sorry,’ he says, looking sheepish. ‘Not implying anything.’
‘I don’t know for sure how I caught it actually,’ she says.
‘Boyfriend?’
‘I don’t have a boyfriend,’ she replies, a little too defensively.
‘Right. Well, given that we just shook hands, I hope you’re no longer contagious. I’m Nick, by the way. Nick Parker.’
He grins at her.
‘Beth Millen.’
She examines him more closely. Nick Parker has a smattering of freckles across his nose, which is slightly too wide for his face.
And there’s a kindness to him. A warmth she finds reassuring. It’s peculiar to be in a stranger’s presence and feel so completely… safe.
‘I take it you’re better now?’
‘Yes,’ she says. ‘Still a bit tired at the end of the day. But so much better than I was during the summer.’
‘That’s good,’ he replies. ‘Still, a shame you missed Freshers’ Week.’
‘I’m just grateful to be here at all. I was really poorly. I never want to feel like that again.’
She absolutely hated being sick. Eight weeks of it – her first true summer of freedom – and while her friends were out having the time of their lives, all she could manage to do was lie in bed watching rubbish television. Some days she was too exhausted to even read a book.
It was the first time in her life she’d been properly ill, and it was enough to make her utterly dread the thought of it happening again. From now on, she’s going to be careful who she kisses. More than that, she’s going to take care of herself.
‘Anyway, sorry about the bathroom thing. I’ll see if I can get moved or something,’ he says. ‘Although it’s a bit of a pain because I’ve spent the last week making my room absolutely perfect.’
‘Really?’
‘No,’ he says, his eyes twinkling. ‘I’m being sarcastic. I didn’t bring much, other than a few plants.’ He shrugs.
‘Oh,’ she says. ‘I didn’t know what to bring or what to leave behind. So I kind of brought, well, everything.’
‘Can I see?’
He steps into her bedroom.
‘Well, would you look at that? It’s exactly the same as mine.’
‘No shit.’
‘But you have a lot of posters. Jesus, is that a No Fear poster? Are they still a thing? Retro.’ He puts his hands to his cheeks, in mock surprise, staring at the poster. It depicts a man on a surfboard, cresting the most impossibly high wave, with the words: What if your fears and dreams existed in the same place? scrawled above him.
‘Don’t tell me, you surf?’
‘I don’t surf,’ she deadpans, narrowing her eyes.
He chuckles, surveying the collage of photographs she’s spent the last hour pinning meticulously in place.
She looks at the familiar faces too. She’s only been here for a few hours but they already feel a lifetime away. Her fingertips tingle with excitement. Nick is the first person she’s met since she arrived, and she likes him already. It bodes well for the future: a new life with new people, away from her parents, away from their martyred misery and everything that’s been dragging her down.
‘You have a lot of friends,’ he says.
‘Well, I’m a friendly girl.’
That sounded more flirty than she intended. Or did it?
‘Who’s that?’ he says, pointing at Jonno, a boy from her year with a shaved head. The picture was taken at their school Leavers’ Ball. She has her arm around him and they are both pulling faces at the camera.
‘Oh, my friend Jonno. He’s a bit crazy.’ She pauses. ‘He’s gay.’
She’s not sure why she added that.
He nods, flopping down onto her bed. She feels like she should be annoyed by this, but she’s not. Suddenly, she’s struck by the thought that she really doesn’t want him to move rooms. She likes his cheeriness, his carefree manner. She even likes that he’s teasing her, despite the fact they only just met.
She’s not shy, but she takes time to warm up to people. Whereas this boy is glowing with warmth, practically bouncing around the room.
‘You don’t need to move rooms,’ she says. ‘I honestly don’t mind sharing a bathroom with you. I have two brothers. Trust me, I’ve seen it all.’
He wrinkles his nose.
‘So, Beth. What are you studying?’
‘Theatre and Performance.’
‘Fancy.’
‘What are you studying?’
‘Economics.’
‘That must be a riot.’
He doesn’t respond to that, which is fair enough.
‘Have you met Rosa and Anna yet?’ he asks.
Her face flushes again. Her parents left two hours ago complaining of the long drive home, her dad obsessed with missing rush hour on the M25. After they left, she found herself worrying about how her mother would cope with only her father for company on the long journey back to Sussex. Since his affair, they do everything they can to avoid being alone together.
They think she hasn’t noticed this, but she has.
‘I haven’t had a chance,’ she replies, which is a bit of a fib. ‘I’ve been getting myself sorted. When I arrived there wasn’t anyone around. What are they like?’
‘Oh,’ he says. ‘They’re cool.’
She nods.
‘It’s a bit shit, turning up later than everyone else,’ she says, suddenly feeling if she doesn’t confess her true feelings, she might burst. ‘I hope it’s not too late for me to join in.’
‘Of course not. In fact, I think one of the girls in the flat downstairs has arranged some drinks tonight. I’m sure she’d like it if you joined.’
She smiles. She was worrying about nothing. He’s right, it’s all going to be fine. After all, she’s already made her first friend.
This is the first day of the rest of her life. She feels the rush of excitement come flooding back. She can’t believe she’s finally here.
She’s eighteen and she’s better and she’s technically an adult and she’s here , at one of the world’s top universities. And finally, she’s going to be able to pursue her passion with no distractions.
Nick stands and makes his way back towards the bathroom.
‘Well I’ll leave you to your blu-tacking. You still have half a packet to use up,’ he says. ‘Nice to meet you, Beth.’
‘You too,’ she says. ‘Will you be there tonight as well?’
He pauses. His mouth twitches, and then his fingers drum against the bathroom doorframe.
‘Oh,’ he says, hesitating slightly, but long enough for her to notice that he’s reluctant to share his plans. ‘No. I’m… I’m going to the cinema tonight, with Anna. We’ve been… we’re...’
He doesn’t finish the sentence. Her face falls before she has the chance to stop it.
‘Oh,’ she says. ‘Right. Oh. That’s… nice.’
He looks at her, his mouth twisting into a lopsided smile. Is it pity in his eyes, or something else?
‘But I’ll see you around surfer girl,’ he says. ‘Take care.’