2 Fireworks
‘Want a burger, Cam?!’ shouts Mum from across the village field.
‘I’m fine,’ I call back.
I am hungry, but Bonfire Night is an opportunity to escape the family.
‘Why is it so bloody cold?’ Robyn asks, joining Geri and I.
‘I know it’s tradition, but can we just go back to mine?’ I say, pushing my gloves down into the gaps of my fingers.
‘Where’s your sense of adventure Cam?’ Geri says, readjusting her green woolly hat.
‘I will stay until the fireworks, then I’m gone.’
‘Suit yourself.’
I fold my arms and vigorously rub my underdeveloped biceps with a shiver.
‘Alright you three?’ a voice comes from behind us in a velvety tone.
‘Hi Noel!’ Robyn barks as her face lights up like a Christmas tree.
Geri forces an awkward smile before pulling out her phone.
‘Alright?’ I say.
‘You guys up for bumper cars?’ he asks.
‘You betcha!’ says Robyn, pointing and flicking her fingers like she’s a cowgirl.
Geri and I have to take a moment to peel our eyes away from just how terrible Robyn is at normal interaction with him. Geri clutches my arm to acknowledge what we’re both thinking.
Robyn chews Noel’s ear off about their presenting slots, while Geri and I fall a few steps behind.
‘You’re seeing this, right?’ Geri whispers through gritted teeth like she’s a talking wax figure.
‘It’s like a car crash. I should look away, but I can’t help but watch.’
Reaching the bumper cars, Robyn pulls Noel by his arm and into a free car.
‘Prepare for a bumpy ride, you two!’ Noel shouts across to Geri and I.
Oh, Christ… He’s basically just challenged Geri. Her expression morphs into her ‘oh, it’s on’ face. She slams her phone into my chest and my gloved hands muddle to catch it. Geri pushes any loose curls up under her woolly hat and hops into the driver’s seat.
‘Get in loser, we’re going shopping!’ Geri shouts as she wipes her upper lip with her thumb.
I clutch her phone, twist myself into the passenger seat and pull the seatbelt over my head.
‘We’re going to die,’ I say to myself.
The operator passes by to collect four pounds from us each.
‘Four pounds is taking the piss,’ Geri slyly says as he walks away.
The lights on the ceiling burst into colour, as the chorus of Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Call Me Maybe’ comes on full blast.
Geri slams her foot on the pedal. While the other cars seem to glide off from their starting position, my head flings back against the headrest, as Geri becomes a Cruella de Vil driving meme.
Robyn’s cackling like a schoolgirl. ‘Watch out! Good dodge Noel! You’re such a good driver!’ she shouts.
Geri rumbles us along the floor, trying to catch up with the back of their car.
‘Good evening,’ I say, tilting an imaginary hat as we drive past them.
Geri pulls her foot off the pedal and harshly spins the steering wheel. Our car, in turn, spins just as fast. I dig my nails into the seat as my shoulder takes the brunt of my body weight against the side.
‘Bloody hell Geri!’ my voice cracks.
‘Hold on Grandma!’ Geri shouts.
She slams her foot on the pedal again and I brace myself for an impending impact. Noel and Robyn are too busy bumping one of the lads to see us cascading over the metal floor towards them. My hair bounces up and down as the car rattles over the metal flooring.
Robyn sees us just before contact. Our car strikes the front side of theirs, sending them into a spinning frenzy. For a solid thirty seconds, Robyn and Noel turn into a blurry blended mess. They slowly rotate to a stop, revealing Robyn’s hair draped over Noel’s face. Both have a nauseous look about them. The four of us all lock eyes, pause and burst into laughter.
The operator jumps onto our car as Geri tries to speed away from the scene.
‘Oi, lads! One way only!’ he shouts, hitching a ride for a moment.
‘Sorry!’ I shout.
Geri turns to me in disgust as he hops off our car.
‘Did he just call me a lad?’ Geri asks.
I look at her and nod, trying to hold back a laugh. I break, and we both cackle loudly.
Getting off the bumper cars, Noel’s holding the back of his neck. Geri lightly jogs past him and Robyn, turns back, and holds an ‘L’ shape over her forehead. Noel returns with his middle finger. Noel’s stare lingers on Geri. Only by my catching him does he snap back to Robyn’s attention.
‘Let’s get a burger. I’m hungry,’ Geri says, diverting course to a food truck.
‘Sure! I’ll get these!’ Noel shouts.
‘It’s cool, don’t worry about it,’ I reply, not really wanting to take money from a guy I only know by association.
‘Seriously, it’s fine. My dad gave me some cash for tonight.’ Noel takes out a crisp fifty-pound note and hands it to the chap in the burger truck. His colleague passes out the first burger and it’s passed down to me.
I scan the food counter for sauces before the hair-netted woman notices me.
‘Toppings and sauces are down the side fella,’ she says.
I flash back a smile as thanks. Turning the corner of the truck, someone’s using the ketchup pump that’s balancing precariously on a metal table of condiments. I hold myself a few feet back from the guy topping his hot dog with mustard and ketchup. He’s taking his sweet time though, carefully making a zig-zag pattern.
Come on buddy, this isn’t The Great British Bake Off.
I find myself scanning down his back, pausing briefly at his bum—don’t judge me—before I notice Timberlands. Air escapes my lungs and my pupils dilate. He spins around, sucking ketchup from the side of his thumb.
‘Oh, sorry!’ His deep voice hits me like a frying pan to the face.
It’s the guy! The guy with the Labrador puppy. The guy that’s all kinds of dreamy…That guy!
‘Oh, don’t worry about it,’ I say as my voice cracks.
Bollocks! Quick! Think of something to say.
‘Some saucy artwork there.’
What was that?! Saucy artwork? What am I gonna do next? Tell him he’s got a soggy bottom?
‘Well, thanks. I’ve been working on my piping work,’ he replies with a wink and a cheeky smile.
I don’t know how to receive such charm. I look down at his fingers cupping the hotdog, then briefly glance up at his wrists. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, as the appearance of his veins subtly implies the muscles he’s most likely hiding under his coat.
I muster a seemingly believable laugh through my internal shrieks. He steps aside and allows me to access the toppings table as he walks away. He looks back and smiles.
Cam, say something else. Anything. Anything! He’s going! Cam!
‘Cam.’
What am I doing?! More words!
‘What?’ he replies, turning his shoulder back. The light from the food truck refracts in his blue eyes, microwaving my face.
‘I’m Cam.’
‘Finn.’
I nod and smile.
‘I’ll uh…see you around?’ he says, navigating his hotdog up to his mouth.
My stomach flips over in glee, as I watch him disappear into the crowd. Welp, that was embarrassing. I smack the palm of my hand to my forehead, forgetting I’d been on auto-pilot loading my burger with ketchup that entire time…What was ketchup on my hand is now a big splat over my eyebrow.
Geri comes around the corner, watching Finn’s back disappear into the crowd.
‘Did you see that? It’s like he was walking in slow motion,’ Geri says, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb.
‘His name’s Finn,’ I say as nonchalantly as possible while pulling napkins out of the dispenser.
‘You spoke to that?! He’s a solid twelve out of ten! There’s no way,’ Geri says, sliding in closer to load her burger with onions.
‘Well I did. Made a total prick of myself of course.’
Her eyes dart up to the ketchup slowly glooping over my eyebrow. She scrunches her face in confusion, tracking the blob as it falls off my brow and lands on top of my burger. Geri sniggers, takes the napkins from my hand and wipes my forehead.
‘You know how some people can talk to hot guys without completely falling apart?’ Geri asks.
‘Yeah?’
‘You’re not one of them.’
‘I’m aware.’
She dabs the last few bits of ketchup off my face.
***
As the evening winds on and the air gets sharper, my toes curl in my shoes for warmth.
‘How long until this thing starts?’ I ask.
‘I’m sure it won’t be much longer,’ Geri replies.
Robyn and I turn to one another and sigh. I can’t believe we’re both still here. On the other side of her, Noel’s halfway-housing himself between the three of us and some of his mates. Robyn edges herself back and forth with Noel’s group, but ultimately settles with us.
‘I’m just going to say hi to my nan quick. I won’t be a minute,’ Geri says as she takes off from the two of us.
‘Can I ask you something?’ Robyn asks.
‘Go for it.’
‘Do you think I’m wasting my time with Noel?’
‘Uhm…do you think you’re wasting your time with Noel?’
‘I really like him. I just can’t tell if he likes me or not. There was a cute moment earlier where he gave me a tissue.’
I pause and reply with raised eyebrows.
‘A tissue?’
‘Shut up! It was cute! You had to be there.’
‘I’m sure…Just be careful. He’s not exactly the commitment type. I don’t want you to get your hopes up.’
Robyn nods silently and looks over to Noel. He catches her looking and holds out his arm to invite her over. She doesn’t even look back as she slips away, leaving me standing alone. Geri’s still with her family. Feeling like a deserted third wheel, I look around to see if I can isolate Finn from the crowd. No such luck. Instead, I spot West and two of his mates coming this way. I’m assuming he’s coming to see Noel, but I know he isn’t passing me without at least a comment or an intimidating look.
‘What’re you looking at bender?’ he jabs in his quiet thunder.
His friends laugh behind him as they merge with Noel’s group.
‘Oooo, burn,’ I quietly quote Easy A to myself.
In the emptiness left, I get my phone out to distract myself. I pull my glove off with my teeth and start scrolling through Instagram.
‘Did he just call you a bender?’ interrupts my scrolling.
I turn to see Finn looking down at me. He looks at the glove still dangling between my teeth like a dog toy. My jaw drops and I catch the glove in my hand.
‘Oh, hi!’ I reply.
He waits for me to answer his question.
‘Oh, West? It’s just a thing we have between us.’
Yeah, where I’m a golf ball, and he’s the club…
He stares. Then resets his eyes with a quick blink,’ You on your own?’
‘My friend’s just over there with her family.’ I point to Geri.
He briefly looks in her direction before circling his eyes back to meet mine.
‘Do you know when they start?’
‘When what starts?’
‘The fireworks.’ He smiles. ‘This is my first time doing this and I’m beyond freezing.’
I look at his bare hands grasping biceps through his coat.
What I wouldn’t give to have one of those arms wrapped around my neck. Stabilising me as he pulls me in towards him.
I’ve been quiet for too long.
‘It should be any second now, or at least I hope so. I can’t feel my toes anymore.’
Finn raises his smile a little higher before turning towards the launch area. I wait for him to walk away…You know, flash a very British nicety, then bounce. But he doesn’t. He just…stays. I look up at his hair. It’s longer than I thought. I imagine running my fingers through it again. He catches me looking and I cancel my stare. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle as I imagine the texture of each curl. My other hand having to steady myself on his collarbone…I’m staring again. I’m full-on staring.
‘Who are you here with?’ I muster the confidence to ask.
‘Just my mum. She’s around here somewhere. If you happen to hear a hyena-like laugh, that’s her.’
I snigger into my chin, blasting air through my nose. His twinkling gaze quickly dances around my face.
Is that what checking someone out is? Did he check me out? Are we having a moment?
‘Hey,’ Geri says, returning.
Oh Christ! Do I have to introduce them? Is that what I’m supposed to do?
‘Geri, this…this is Finn.’ I gesture with my open palm to Finn’s chest.
‘Hi,’ Finn replies, with his dimples beaming.
Before any time passes for things to get awkward, a woman cackles so loud it cuts through the air—exactly like a hyena.
‘Ah, that’ll be Mum.’ Finn chuckles to himself. ‘I’ll see you guys around. Nice to meet you Geri. Nice to see you again, Cameron.’
My stare doesn’t detach until he’s completely out of sight.
‘You really did talk to him!’ Geri says.
A firework explodes as ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen blasts from the cricket club’s loudspeaker. I check Geri’s occupied with the fireworks before I slowly turn my head back. An orange glow is illuminating the faces of everyone in the field. There, in the middle, is Finn. Fireworks explode in his eyes. He pans down to catch me. I hold my position. He smiles, dimples and all. The light from the fireworks fade and he disappears into the darkness.
‘This is amazing!’ Geri cries cheerfully as she bounces up and down, tugging on my arm.
‘Yeah… amazing.’