Chapter Thirteen
I actually had a nice time last night, having dinner with Si. The food was delicious, and our conversation flowed easily, despite the fact that Adam was upstairs.
When I mentioned I’d be seeing my friends at the pub the next day, Si said he’d love to join us. I didn't know what to say, so I agreed, and now here I am in the pub toilets with Mel and Angie, telling them everything.
‘Wait, so Adam is Si's brother?’ Mel asks, her eyes wide.
I nod, leaning against the sink.
‘Yeah, I was in shock, when he turned up at the door,’ I reply.
Angie frowns, applying another layer of lip gloss.
‘Look, you can't let Adam mess this up,’ she tells me. ‘Si seems like a great guy. Focus on that.’
She has a good point… maybe? I’ve had a crush on Si for years. I’ve spent twenty minutes locked in a toilet with Adam. I hardly know him.
‘I know, but it's just so weird,’ I say with a sigh. ‘I mean, Adam was the guy I was hoping to run into again, and now he's, what? My roommate, and the brother of the guy I’ve sort of had a date with...’
‘It’s funny, Si is your brother’s best friend, so that makes Adam your brother’s best friend’s brother,’ Mel says, laughing her way through her sentence.
‘Messy,’ Angie says simply. ‘You’re too old to get involved with stuff like this.’
Mel shakes her head.
‘You’re both overthinking it. Just go with the flow. See what happens,’ she tells me.
Angie pulls a face.
‘I guess she’s right, but you said you had a good time with Si, right? So, I don’t know, I would focus on that.’
‘Yeah,’ I admit. ‘I did. He’s really nice.’
Mel claps her hands together.
‘Then let's get back out there and have a good time,’ Mel says. ‘Play it by ear. We'll help you navigate this.’
I take a deep breath and nod but I’m not sure that’s a good idea.
We head back downstairs. Si waves at us from over at the bar, smiling.
‘I’ll go see him,’ I tell them. ‘You find us a seat.’
'You want one of your teenage alcopops?' Si asks, greeting me with a cheeky grin.
'Hilarious,' I say sarcastically. 'But yes please, a red one.'
He laughs and turns to the bar man. Would you believe it, it's Tim.
'Sorry mate,' Tim tells Si when he tries to order, 'we've got an over 25s policy here.'
He can't really need to see Si's ID, can he?
'I'm clearly over 25,' Si tells him.
'Exactly, you're too old to be drinking here. This bar is for young people,' Tim replies before falling about laughing.
Joking or not, Si looks mortified by this. Tim thinks he’s hilarious, and he’s the kind of guy to make mean jokes and then explain them away as banter, but that doesn’t make it any better.
We wait for our drinks in silence before finding a table away from the dance floor. When it gets late, that's when the Ghost comes alive... too alive. The music is always very loud, ever so slightly out of date – like the house DJ only ever has last season’s Now! album – and the drunk masses pile onto the dance floor for drinking and dry humping.
‘Hey, everyone,’ Si says, as we sit down with Mel and Angie, who already have their usual bottle of prosecco courtesy of Eric. ‘It's good to see you both again.’
Mel grins.
‘Hey, Si! Leah tells us you’re renovating your house,’ Mel says, making quick and easy conversation.
Si leans back, looking relaxed.
‘Yeah, been at it for a few months now,’ he says. ‘It's a lot of work, but it's rewarding. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it’s done.’
Angie raises an eyebrow.
‘So, you're really hands-on with it?’ she replies.
Si nods.
‘Yeah, I do most of it myself. It saves money and I enjoy it. Plus, it's nice to see the progress every day.’
‘You must have a lot of energy,’ she says, edging into disbelief.
Before Si can say anything Tim plonks down with us.
‘It’s my break,’ he announces. ‘I thought I’d say hi.’
‘Si was just telling us he’s renovating a house, doing all the work himself,’ Angie tells Tim.
‘Wow, really?’ Tim replies. ‘How old are you?’
I cringe internally. What is Tim doing? Si doesn't seem fazed, though.
‘I'm forty-three,’ Si says with a smile.
Tim whistles.
‘Wow, quite a gap there between you and Leah, eh?’ Tim continues.
I frown.
‘It's not that big of a gap, Tim,’ I point out.
‘Age is just a number,’ Mel agrees. ‘Ignore Tim. He’s just jealous because he looks like he’s in his forties already. Si, you don’t look a day over thirty-five.’
Si laughs.
‘Thanks, Mel. I appreciate that.’
‘I thought you were after, like, a sugar daddy or something,’ Tim continues. ‘Or that maybe you had daddy issues.’
I snort with laughter. Is he serious?
‘Erm, no,’ I tell him quickly. ‘I’m renting a room from him – and paying to do so – and as for daddy issues, well, I have a perfectly normal dad, thanks, and a… mum.’
‘Not a perfectly normal mum?’ Si replies with a laugh.
‘I can’t say that with a straight face, no,’ I joke.
‘Well, I think Leah will make a great tenant,’ Mel says. ‘And, Si, you seem like you’ll be a great landlord.’
‘Thanks for offering, Si,’ I chime in, keen the keep the conversation polite.
He looks at me warmly.
‘No problem. I'm looking forward to having you around,’ he says.
Things are easier when Tim goes back to work and, as the night goes on, I find myself relaxing more and more. Maybe Angie is right. Maybe I shouldn’t let whatever this is with Adam interfere with what could be something great with Si. Besides, Si is right here, right now, making an effort, and Adam, well, he just appeared and then disappeared, without even letting on that he knew me.
I need to forget about him because, let’s face it, he probably isn’t thinking about me.