Chapter 42
‘I’m having sushi for lunch, you want to join?’ Ellis asks. ‘It’s one of the better restaurants here.’
I sulk. ‘Aw, I would but I’ve already booked the sushi place for tonight. Twice in one day might be overkill.’
‘So cancel it,’ he suggests. ‘Unless you’d rather be alone to scope out the man situation? Eyes meeting over the miso. A little futomaki flirtation.’
I laugh. ‘I hadn’t planned on it, no. I’m pretty sure a mouth full of rice and seaweed isn’t as sexy as it sounds.’
‘I don’t know,’ he replies. ‘Throw in some noisy udon slurping and you’ll be surprised how many men go weak at the knees.’
‘Fine, I’ll have lunch with you instead,’ I reply. ‘I mean, if you think your knees can handle it.’ Ellis catches my eye and laughs. ‘Let’s find out, shall we?’
I have high hopes for Oishii Explorer. Out of all the restaurants on offer, this was the one I’ve been looking forward to the most. I’ve visited almost every sushi place in London and if it wasn’t so expensive, I’d happily feast on miso and maki for the rest of my life. Sushi is my love language.
A relaxed ambience is not a thing at Oishii. There is no mood lighting, no warm tones, no romantic areas to get cosy. It’s bright and it’s modern, with stark wooden tables, each with its own tablet to choose dishes and place orders.
Miso soup, gyoza, prawn tempura, beef yakisoba, chicken teriyaki and two orders of the salmon rolls.
‘You want some sake?’ he asks.
‘Nah, I’m not a fan,’ I reply. ‘It’s kind of bland.’
‘First the limoncello, now sake.’ He sighs. ‘I’m not sure we can be friends any more.’
‘I should warn you now that I tend to spill,’ I admit. ‘I actually fashioned a bib from a napkin at the seafood restaurant.’
His eyes widen. ‘That was you?’
‘What do you mean? Oh God, did word get around? Was that a cruise faux pas? I just didn’t want to completely ruin my dress!’
He laughs. ‘So you were Lola’s knight in shining armour? Oli had mentioned that a woman with a serviette tucked into her dress had white knighted Lola. Her arsehole boss was reprimanded and moved to the burger place.’
I feel my cheeks redden. ‘Well, no one should have to put up with that kind of shit at work.’
‘You did a good thing. My faith in humanity is restored. Friend privileges reinstated.’
I’m still blushing. I’m glad it worked out for Lola.
‘If you need to napkin up, go for it. No judgement here.’
I shake my head. ‘No, I will master the art of not eating like a toddler if it kills me.’
When the food arrives, we grab chopsticks and dive in.
‘Get up to anything interesting this morning?’ he asks, dipping a gyoza into a vinegar sauce.
‘I went ziplining,’ I reply, trying the tempura. It immediately goes back on the plate. ‘Holy shit, this is red hot. I’d let it cool for a few days.’
He watches in amusement as I fan my mouth. ‘Ziplining? But I thought you didn’t like heights?’
‘Oh, I don’t,’ I reply. ‘But Mia asked me and, well, I’m saying yes to new things, remember?’
‘Ah, of course.’
‘And Mia is quite forceful. I caved under the pressure.’
‘It’s fun, right?’ he says, mixing some wasabi into his soy sauce bowl. ‘I went on the first day. Shame it’s over so quickly.’
‘If by fun you mean terrifying, then sure. I think I’m still in shock. One day I’ll be able to work through the trauma and talk about it.’
‘It’ll be an entertaining story for your work colleagues. Bit of danger on the high seas.’
I giggle. ‘Yeah, they might get a kick out of it.’
‘Are you back at work next week, or do you have further adventures planned?’
‘I still have another week off,’ I reply. ‘Wish I’d taken a month off, but my boss would’ve had a breakdown. What about you? Still taking a break?’
‘Yeah,’ he replies. ‘Still weighing up my options.’
‘Don’t you want to sail a ship any more?’
He grins. ‘I’m not sure. I can’t imagine doing anything else, but I feel like I need to do something different. It’s just been a confusing time. I won’t bore you with the details.’
‘You wouldn’t bore me,’ I reply, ‘but I understand.’
I want to tell him that divorce will mess with anyone’s head but what the hell do I know about divorce? I’ve never even been engaged, unless you count Billy Cole in primary school who gave me a jelly ring from his pick ’n’ mix.
‘It’s hard to picture you as a captain,’ I tell him, trying the tempura again. Luckily it doesn’t melt the skin from my tongue. ‘You seem too laid-back.’
‘When I put on the uniform, I’m a powerful presence,’ he replies. ‘I command the sea and everything in it. The fish fear me.’
‘I’m sure,’ I reply, laughing as I picture him in his white uniform.
I wish I hadn’t pictured him in his white uniform. Is my face red? I feel like my face is red. Jesus, calm down, Sophie, this isn’t your An Officer and a Gentleman moment.
‘I think I’ll go back to the pool later,’ I say, moving the conversation away from men in uniform. I don’t even find men in uniform that interesting but right now, it’s hotter than that fucking tempura.
‘I might see you there,’ he replies. ‘I’m having a massage at three thirty then I intend to pass out on a sun lounger.’
‘Sounds good,’ I reply. ‘Maybe catch you later.’
Great, I think as we leave the restaurant. Ellis in his uniform. Ellis getting a massage. Ellis half naked in his swim shorts. Where is this coming from? I must be overheating.