Chapter 8 #2
I sat in the corner booth next to one of the trauma receptionists who I believed was called Tanya.
She had dolled up for the occasion especially, and was making eyes at Jeff across the room, which I found cute, considering he was probably old enough to be her dad (albeit a very young dad).
Kofi was on his phone next to me, sending a flurry of text messages with a goofy smile on his face.
No doubt he was texting Sade. After making small talk with Tanya (‘Have you seen the new consultant? He’s well fit, isn’t he?
How much do you think he makes?’), I then locked eyes with Jeff as he sauntered across to give us our drinks.
I wondered whether he had a partner, not that it had anything to do with me, of course, but I wondered what he was like at home.
Was he always this jolly and bumbling? Or were these just first-week-newbie-nerves?
I thanked him for the drink and took slow, steady sips. The plan was to make my drink last the duration of the hour, by which time me and Kofi would have made a clean getaway.
As the rest of the staff began to chat and laugh with each other, I could feel Jeff’s eyes on both Kofi and me. At that point, he brought up a chair and sat opposite us, across the table.
‘So! How long have you both worked at the hospital?’ he uttered, his eyes already developing a glassy film.
We’d only been at the pub for ten minutes.
Kofi – distracted by his phone up until that point – put his device away and replied after taking a sip of his drink.
‘I’ve been here about five years or so now, Cass started a bit after me, didn’t you, Cass?
’ and gave me a gentle nudge in the ribs.
‘Um, yeah!’ I replied, shooting a subtle side-eye to Kofi. ‘I’ve been a secretary here for a few years and I absolutely love it. But what about you? What made you decide to join our hospital?’
At that moment, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.
A quick glance told me it was a OuiMeet notification, no doubt Jericho sending through details for our meeting on Saturday.
I smiled slightly at this – I was interested in what Jeff had to say but I was also giddy with excitement at the thought of what to expect over the weekend with Jericho too.
‘Oh, erm, I guess I just wanted somewhere a bit closer to home for the most part, and it just felt like a good time to leave my old Trust, really.’ I acknowledged his answer with a smile, wanting nothing more than to go into the toilets so I could read Jericho’s message in peace, but for the sake of trying to get to know Jeff, I questioned further.
‘Oh nice! So um, where do you live, if you don’t mind my asking?’
‘I’m in Vauxhall actually; you heard of those high-rise buildings with the swimming pool linking the two together?’
I knew exactly where he meant, as that apartment building was a mere seven-minute walk from my flat.
I remembered viewing one of the flats in that building out of pure curiosity, just to see what they looked like from the inside, and I remember the way I laughed when I was told that the two-bedroom flat I viewed (it was a ‘price on request’ at the time of viewing) was ￡4,800 a month.
‘Oh, yes, I know it well!’ I replied. ‘Not far from me actually. The flats in those buildings are stunning; do you rent or own?’ A bit of a personal one to ask maybe, but the rum had already begun to take effect, so fuck it.
‘I own – but also cool that you’re not too far. A fellow South Londoner is always a great thing. Also, if you’re not too far, maybe I should offer some kind of carpooling service haha!’ he offered, looking from Kofi to me. Neither of us laughed at first.
The silence stretched, heavy and expectant. Kofi shifted slightly, his expression unreadable. Realising the awkwardness, I forced out a small chuckle, the sound thin and unnatural, but at least it filled the space between us.
‘Yeah, I suppose that could be cool at some point!’ I eventually said, taking another sip of my drink to fill the silence.
Mirroring my movements, Jeff also took a swig of his drink before eventually making his exit to the group next to us.
‘I’m going to chat to these guys for a bit and get to know everyone, but I’ll circle back to you guys soon!
If you want another drink just let me know! ’
‘Thanks, Mr Paulson,’ both Kofi and I said in unison.
‘Please, for you two, it’s Jeff,’ he reminded us.
Jeff made his way towards the other corner, leaving me and Kofi to stare at each other before bursting into laughter.
‘That was awkward, wasn’t it? Not him inviting himself to drive you to work!’ said Kofi between laughs. ‘I think he has a thing for you, Cass. I’ve seen him giving you the eye.’
‘I very much doubt that, to be honest,’ I replied, shaking my head. But did I truly doubt it? There was … something there, a tension humming beneath the surface. I decided that I wanted to just let it lie, untouched, unread.
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, mate … and ANYWAY, when are you and Sade gonna hang?’ I answered quickly, wanting to change the subject. At that, Kofi grinned sheepishly and took out his phone.
‘We just set a date for this week actually; we’re doing a running club on Sunday.’
Kofi and Sade? Running club? He must have been referring to another Sade, because the Sade that I knew didn’t run.
‘Umm. Which Sade are you talking about? You mean you’re gonna be listening to Sade, the eighties music band, while you’re out for a run, right?
’ I corrected him, looking baffled. Kofi laughed in response, but it wasn’t a joke; Sade was one of the most unfit people I knew.
If she could, she would Uber Eats a delivery driver to her fridge and back.
‘Ahh whatever, man! She said she’s a frequent runner so I thought doing a running club would be a cute first date – and then afterwards I was thinking that we’d go to a cafe for brunch, and then who knows?’
I stared at him, shocked yet incredibly entertained at this turn of events. I could not wait to bring this up with Sade later. Wanting to impress a guy on the first date, I could kind of understand – but flat out lying about something that I knew she hated? This could only end in tragedy.
‘And so … Sade told you that she ran? OK. Well, God bless, and I cannot wait to hear how it goes on Monday. I’ll absolutely be here for the update!’ I said eventually, giggling.
‘Oh, doesn’t she run?’ Kofi replied, quizzically.
Meanwhile I was fighting for my life not to crack a smirk.
‘Hey … the important thing is that you guys are going to get to know each other and hopefully have a wonderful time, innit? Happy for you! I’m glad that you’re with someone who actually likes you back; you absolutely deserve it.
Iight, I’m gonna go and take a slash quickly. ’
Kofi turned to look at me, confused.
‘What do you mean “with someone who actually likes me back”? I don’t get it,’ he said, taking a sip of his drink.
Shit. The alcohol was making its way through me faster than I thought. Why couldn’t I shut the fuck up? Actually. ACTUALLY. Why did I use that word?
‘I’ll be right back – one sec!’ I shouted as I bolted it to the bathroom, phone in hand as I sent a text to Sade while deciding on how I was going to respond to Kofi when I got back:
RUNNING CLUB? Lmao. Girl.
Within a few seconds, Sade had replied with a meme gif of a man looking guilty and ‘shhh’ing the camera. I was now more excited for Sade’s and Kofi’s date than my own with Jericho. Speaking of which, I still needed to read his message.
After using the bathroom, I snuck into a little alcove by the bar and went into my OuiMeet app. There in bold font was an unread message from Jericho. I felt my stomach knot up with anticipation as I opened the tab to read the following message:
Dearest Cassie,
I’m looking forward to seeing you this Saturday afternoon, and I hope your week is going well so far!
I wanted to let you know I’ve created a short itinerary of sorts of what I think we could do.
Look it over and see if you like what you see.
Let me know if you have any reservations.
If it’s too much, I’m happy to revise. J xx
2 p.m. – We’ll meet at the Watchhouse coffee shop on Hanover Street in Mayfair for a coffee
3 p.m. – I’ll take you to the new Squid Game Escape Room in Piccadilly
4 p.m. – We can then grab a bite to eat at Fortnum & Mason, before perusing the Waterstones next door where we can get to know each other even more. After that, I can drop you home, or near home if you don’t want me knowing where you live directly.
I reread the message several times, with a huge smile spreading across my face.
This man had taken the time to really take into account my hobbies and likes/dislikes, and had come up with my idea of a perfect date.
How the hell did he know that I was a big fan of the Squid Game show and, more importantly, how was he able to get tickets?
? I had put myself down on the waiting list for the escape-room experience months ago, due to the activity always selling out.
I figured I could skip the bookshop browsing for now – I’d rather spend more time talking with him than getting lost in the shelves.
Aside from that, though, this date felt perfect. I appreciated the level of organisation this had taken on his side, right down to him offering me the option to be dropped off near my house for security reasons – what men were offering those kinds of considerations?
I smiled to myself as I sent my response:
Jericho,