Chapter Two #2
‘It’s only prosecco, some house wine and beer, but it’s got to be quicker than waiting at the bar.’
Ellie looked at her friend and then at him before taking a step towards him and lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper: ‘We’re not actually invited to this party… We snuck in.’
‘I know. Don’t worry about that.’
Ellie winced. ‘How did you know? Is it that obvious?’
‘I know because I didn’t invite you.’
Her mouth gaped with horror, and he wished he could slap his forehead for being such a jerk. He tried to reassure her. ‘Like I said, don’t worry about it. It’s only a work thing. What can I get you?’
‘Ermm…’
‘Prosecco? I don’t think I’ve met a single Brit who doesn’t like prosecco.’
They both nodded dumbly in response, and his need to charm them was almost overwhelming. He walked over to the stand and swiped three glasses of prosecco.
‘That’s really nice of you,’ said Hannah, taking one of the glasses gingerly from his hold.
‘I’m Alex,’ he said with his best Hollywood smile.
‘I’m Hannah, and this is the wonderful Ellie,’ said Hannah, and he nodded as though he didn’t already know she was wonderful.
Ellie suddenly looked very pale. ‘Oh my God, Alex King!’ she gasped. ‘That’s how I know you.’
His heart sank to the pit of his stomach as he waited for the awkwardness to begin. Would she know about Savannah? His earlier confidence shrivelled but he maintained his placid facade, something he had years of experience doing.
To his surprise, she laughed, a joyful and unrepentant sound that gave him hope.
‘I am so sorry! I don’t watch a lot of films. But I think I saw one where you were an archaeologist solving murders or something?
I’m a nurse, I see so many faces. And my hours are a bit weird, so I tend to fall asleep halfway through most films. Hannah’s also a nurse.
’ She leaned closer again, with that conspiratorial hushed voice.
He decided he liked being invited into her inner circle.
‘Thanks for not kicking us out, especially as it’s your party.
I feel terrible. It’s just… it’s Hannah’s last night before she goes to live in Australia for a year, and, well, this is such a beautiful place – it’s one of our favourite spots. ’
He was utterly enthralled by the melody of her accent, the way her words tumbled out of her like pebbles rolling down a hill, hitting some T’s sharper than others, while fudging together some of the vowels.
She spoke with passion and self-assurance, two things he’d found himself lacking in for a long while.
‘Mine too, actually,’ he said, dropping his voice to a low and flirtatious rumble. ‘And now that I know it’s a special occasion, I’m relieved you were able to sneak in. Good acting, by the way. Maybe I should get you to audition for my next play?’
Hannah gave him an enthusiastic nod. ‘She’d be great! Ellie could blag her way into anything.’
‘You gotta fake it to make it!’ Ellie said with a cheerful shimmy of her hips. ‘So is that what you’re celebrating, your play?’
‘It’s our opening night. A modern retelling of The Great Gatsby, set in Wall Street.’
‘Oh, I love that book. But it’s so sad.’ She sighed dreamily.
‘It is. Gatsby’s a tragic character.’
‘Not just Gatsby. All of them. They’re all their own worst enemy, don’t you think?
Gatsby pining for Daisy. Daisy losing the love of her life only to marry a man who sees her as a trophy.
Honestly, I think neither Gatsby nor Tom love her, not really.
They love the idea of her. Not to mention the narrator Nick, he’s so lonely, and poor Myrtle. It’s all such a tragic waste.’
Alex couldn’t help but be impressed by her insight, but something about her words made him internally flinch, although he couldn’t think why. ‘Most people who say they love the book have never even read it. You clearly have.’
She blushed under his stare and cleared her throat. ‘I like to read. You play Gatsby, right?’
‘Oh, no. Isaac plays Gatsby. He’s talking over there with John, who plays Nick Carraway.’
‘Then who do you play?’ asked Ellie with a frown.
‘No one. I wrote the script and directed it.’
‘Impressive! Now I really have to come and see it.’
‘I’d love that.’ For once, he meant it. He was oddly flattered by her praise and genuine enthusiasm.
He’d secretly hoped his family would react the same way as Ellie when he’d first announced he was quitting acting and taking to directing.
Instead, they’d exchanged worried glances and mumbled something about being happy for him as long as he was happy. Except, of course, he wasn’t.
‘My dad’s here,’ said Hannah quietly, breaking the odd intimacy that had grown between them. Ellie turned to her with a start.
‘Already? Why’s he always so early?’ she cried. With a reluctant expression, she said to Alex, ‘We’ve got to go. It was lovely meeting you—’
‘Oh, she’s staying,’ Hannah said firmly, surprising them both.
When Ellie opened her mouth to speak, Hannah quickly silenced her with a raised palm.
‘I have an early flight tomorrow, and I’m going straight to bed.
I’ve had the best day, Ellie. So please stay out and have one more drink for me.
In fact, I insist you stay out. You bloody deserve it.
’ She fixed Alex with an unnervingly fierce look that he never would have expected from her.
‘I’m trusting you to show this wonderful woman a good time. Understand?’
He was a little afraid to disagree with her, but also more than a little pleased that Ellie wouldn’t be leaving after all.
She turned to Ellie and opened her arms. They hugged tightly for a minute, their heads buried in each other’s necks. When they pulled apart, he could see tears on both of their cheeks.
‘I’m going to miss you so much,’ whispered Ellie.
Hannah pressed trembling lips tightly together. ‘Thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you. If you’d not been so understanding—’
Ellie interrupted her. ‘Just promise me one thing.’
‘Anything.’
‘Have the best time. Go everywhere, drink all the drinks, eat all the food, go on all the trips. Just have the best time. Promise?’
‘I promise.’
They hugged in a touching display of friendship that he felt privileged to witness. His chest tightened as he thought of Liam – the brother he’d once thought of as a friend, but who had betrayed him in the worst possible way.
The two women separated and Hannah left, leaving him and Ellie alone.