Chapter Twenty-Five
Ella
Katy and I sat nervously on her small green chesterfield sofa that evening after work.
I’d always liked Katy’s flat; it was bright and homey, just like her.
She had pink tiles in her kitchen, with smiley-faced emoji artwork hanging on the walls, and apart from the odd bit of clutter darted around, like hairbrushes on the coffee table or kirbies that seemed to pile up in a half-burned candle, she kept it clean and tidy.
It wasn’t my pristine aesthetic vibe, but it suited my friend to a tee.
Around six, Katy’s door knocked, and we both looked at one another cautiously. Katy stood and went to answer it.
‘Hey, are you OK?’ I heard her ask.
There was a quiet, muffled exchange from the hallway. Zola came towards me with a small suitcase wheeling behind her.
‘Hey,’ I said.
‘Hey,’ she responded.
‘Oh, I can take this,’ Katy offered, taking the case and wheeling it into her bedroom. ‘You can sleep in with me, it’ll be fun!’ she called out, sounding excited at the prospect, like this was a childhood sleepover and not the end of our friend’s life as she knew it.
Zola slumped down on the sofa, closing her eyes.
‘Can I get you anything, Zo?’ Katy asked, returning to the living room.
‘Have you got any paracetamol? My head is pounding.’
‘Erm .?.?.’ Katy popped into the kitchen, and I could hear her rummaging through her drawers. She returned a few moments later. ‘I haven’t got paracetamol, but I have wine!’ She smiled widely and revealed a bottle of Chardonnay from behind her back. ‘Ta-dah!’
I laughed at how cute she was. ‘You’re the perfect host, Katy McIntyre.’
Katy grinned and squeezed onto the sofa beside us, forcing Zola into the middle.
‘Well, how’d it go?’ I asked as Katy jumped back up, fetching the glasses from the kitchen.
‘Terrible. Well .?.?. you can imagine. He asked me to repeat the story over and over and over again.’ Zola rubbed her eyes, which were swollen and irritated with tears and the trauma of the awful situation.
‘He said he couldn’t be with me after that.
He said he might move back to London, that nothing was keeping him here. ’
Katy gasped loudly, returning and pouring the alcohol.
I pulled a face for her to be quiet, trying my best to soothe our friend. ‘He’s probably in shock, though, Zo. Let him cool down for a few days, then talk about things. No one cheats for no good reason,’ I said, trying my hardest to offer some sort of support.
Zola was zoning out, lost in a daze as whatever she’d been through that afternoon played out in her head again.
‘Have you been happy, Zo?’ Katy asked, sounding nervous at probing her.
‘I’m not sure,’ she said softly, taking a long pause as her mind worked overtime to assess her situation.
‘Curtis can be hard work at times. He plays those stupid games twenty-four-seven if he’s not at work, he is unmotivated and quite happy to lie around all day every day.
Sometimes I feel like he’s my child and not in a nice way; it’s not exciting or romantic or anything like that anymore.
But it did feel different when I spoke to Alvaro.
He was different. But I suppose that’s just the chase, the thrill of the unknown, isn’t it? ’
‘ Hmm .?.?. Maybe. And have you heard from the Spanish guy?’ Katy asked.
That seemed to startle Zola. ‘No! I blocked him immediately. Fucking hell, I don’t want to think about him ever again! Look at the drama it’s caused.’
‘OK. Fair enough.’ Katy retreated, sinking back on the sofa and slurping her wine.
‘God! I just don’t know why I’d be so stupid.’ Zola sighed deeply. ‘I suppose I felt like I connected with Alvaro. He liked the same things as me. He had dreams, ambition, integrity – plus he was fucking gorgeous!’
‘It always helps.’ I raised an eyebrow and smiled warmly towards my friend.
‘But I didn’t want to hurt anyone, let alone my fiancé.’
The room fell quiet for a few sombre seconds.
‘And when I told Curtis he just kept saying, “Look at me, look into my eyes!”’ she said, expertly mimicking his manly tone.
A shudder ran through me, thinking of how uncomfortable Zola must have felt.
‘And what did you do?’ Katy asked.
Zola hummed. ‘I tried to look at him but I couldn’t. Fuck, I’d rather look into a solar eclipse without any sunglasses than see the pain I’ve caused that man.’
I squeezed her hand. ‘You’re human, Zo. You made a mistake, but it does sound like you’ve been unhappy.’
Zola’s face squirmed. ‘Relationships are difficult, you know.’
Katy nodded, encouraging her to go on.
‘He’s not a bad person,’ she said sadly.
‘He just doesn’t do anything with his life.
Curtis has zero drive to better himself.
I make most of the money, and sometimes I begrudge him for it.
He works one or two days a week, and I’m out working hard every day for what?
To let him scratch his arse on a sofa? We should be saving for a wedding!
Going on holidays! Planning our future!’
‘I get it, I do!’ I agreed. ‘Did you tell him that?’
Zola huffed. ‘Yeah. He said he’s found it hard up here, and he’s lost his purpose.’
The room felt silent, as a pang of guilt rippled through me for Curtis.
‘How was Andrea when I was out?’ Zola eventually asked.
Katy took another swig of Chardonnay. ‘ Mmm .?.?. Totally fine. She didn’t even question anything.’
Zola’s shoulders seemed to drop slightly, looking a tiny bit relieved that she hadn’t lost her man and her job on the same day.
My phone pinged on the table, and I reached forward to grab it. I felt the colour drain from my face instantly.
‘Please tell me Curtis hasn’t messaged you, Ella. Is he asking where I am?’ Zola panicked, sounding as if another drama would send her over the edge.
‘No, it’s Philip Khan,’ I announced, reading his name on my screen.
‘Saying?’ Katy asked, bolting towards me.
I pushed her off, opened the message and began reading aloud:
‘How are you? I’m opening a new bar in Edinburgh on Friday. I’ll pick you up at seven.’
‘Wow!’ Zola managed a giggle.
‘The sheer confidence!’ Katy picked up a magazine from her coffee table and began fanning her face, then opened her legs widely, fanning her vagina.
We all laughed together, the first proper laugh we’d had in hours.
‘It’s the sheer arrogance, more like!’ I shook my head.
‘What are you going to say?’ Zola asked, finally taking a sip of her wine.
‘I think I’ll turn him down. What’s the point? He’s only going to be .?.?.’
‘Ella!’ Zola snapped. ‘For fuck’s sake! You made a deal. The Dicktionary Club profile! He’s the secret weapon, remember?’
I huffed. ‘I know, but—’
‘No buts! I have just been booted out of my home because you refused to meet the last guy you were supposed to, Ella. You are going to write a review on Philip Khan. End of.’
God, I almost flinched I felt so under pressure. It wasn’t my fault Zola met up with Alvaro. I mean, I didn’t make him itch her ditch and then tell her to run away. Yet somehow, I felt guilty because of it all. Reluctantly, I agreed that I’d meet with Philip, and began typing back to him.
I’m good, thanks. OK. See you Friday.
‘Done!’ I announced. ‘But for what it’s worth, I could probably open my laptop right now and write up a complete review of his red flags with no date needed.’
Zola shrugged. ‘Well, fucking do it! Make a start. What’s stopping you?’
I grinned, reaching over to my bag and pulling out my laptop. ‘Fine!’
I logged into the site and began typing.
Name: Philip Khan.
Red Flags: Cocky, arrogant, flashy, big-time show-off. Philip thinks he can buy affection with flowers and dinners. He is a complete womaniser .?.?.
‘OK, and, guys, when we’re done with Daddy Warbucks, I need you both to tell me what you think of this guy,’ Katy said. ‘I’m meeting him tomorrow night at Blue Dog.’
‘Jesus, Blue Dog again?’ I said, beginning to notice a trend in Katy’s dating preferences. ‘Are you still hoping to bump into the Irish guy you met on your first date with Harry?’
I watched her blush. ‘What? No. Sean? No!’
‘ Hmmm .?.?. Sean,’ I teased. ‘Such a seductive name, eh?’
‘It’s the music! It’s class. The musicians are so talented. We should all go one night.’
Zola hummed suspiciously. ‘OK, calm down, Simon Cowell! Are you sure you haven’t sorted out a sponsorship deal for the Dicktionary Club with all the visits to the venue being mentioned that you’re just not telling us about?’
Katy looked surprised. ‘No! But kind of a genius idea, Zo.’
‘God, even depressed Zola is kicking our arses with marketing ideas,’ I grunted from behind my laptop, still typing away.
Zola chuckled and tossed a pillow towards me.
Together we laughed into the night, typing and plotting and ogling our next targets.