Chapter 15 #2
‘I did this fantastic meal-replacement diet before I went into the jungle. I’ll send you a link.’
‘Thanks, but we’re doing it the old-fashioned way,’ Roly said, looking to Ella.
‘Oh, you’re both trying to lose weight? That’s great because they have a two for the price of one offer on a subscription this month. And they’re clients of mine, so I can give you a discount code.’ She picked up her phone and thumbed through it.
Ella looked to Roly to turn down the offer, but he just shrugged at her. ‘Thanks,’ she said to Pippa, ‘but I don’t like the idea of those kinds of diets. We’d rather lose weight the natural way.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that,’ Pippa said, looking up from her phone. ‘This stuff is all 100 per cent natural and organic.’ She tapped away at her phone. ‘There,’ she said, putting it down. ‘I’ve sent you the link.’
‘Great. Thanks.’ Ella smiled weakly.
‘Well, look at us,’ Pippa said, ‘being all grown-up and mature, having a civilised night out with our exes. You know these two are living together now, Andy?’ She nodded at Ella and Roly.
‘Yes, I’ve heard.’
‘Maybe we should play them at their own game.’ She gave Andrew a flirtatious smile. ‘What do you say? Should we shack up, give them a run for their money? Sauce for the goose and all that.’
What the hell was she playing at? Thankfully Andrew was saved from having to answer by an announcement that the show was about to begin. They quickly finished their drinks and joined the crowd surging towards the doors.
* * *
‘Where to now?’ Pippa asked later as they poured out onto Dame Street after the gig.
‘It’s a bit late,’ Ella said, glancing at her watch. She’d enjoyed the concert, but she was ready to go home.
‘Come on,’ Pippa said. ‘It’s only half eleven. The night is young!’
‘What do you want to do?’ Ella looked to Andrew, hoping he’d be ready to call it a night. She couldn’t very well abandon him with Roly and Pippa.
‘We’re out now. Let’s make a night of it. Unless you don’t want to?’
‘No, you’re right.’ She swallowed her disappointment. He was obviously keen to go on somewhere, and she didn’t want to be a wet blanket.
So they followed as Pippa led the way to a private club, a short walk from the theatre. She flashed a card and two burly bouncers on the door waved them all through. They descended a narrow staircase into a cavernous basement filled with whirling violet light.
‘It’s like the third circle of hell,’ Ella hissed to Andrew, but he couldn’t hear her over the thumping bass and merely shrugged, looking around with interest as Pippa led them to a set of purple velvet sofas grouped around a low glass table.
Even in her student days, Ella had never been a big fan of clubs, and this looked like her basic nightmare. But it would only be for an hour or two. How bad could it be?
What felt like five hours later, Ella glanced at her watch to find only forty minutes had passed.
She took a big gulp of vodka and tried to relax, but her nerves were jangling.
She was overwhelmed with exhaustion, her energy draining from her as if it was being suctioned from her body by a giant pump.
The music pounded aggressively in her ears and vibrated in her chest, and she felt like she was being pummelled by it.
It was almost painful, and she didn’t think she could stand it another minute.
‘You okay?’ Roly asked, frowning at her in concern.
‘Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just… I’m really tired.’ She looked at Andrew. He and Pippa were huddled together on the opposite sofa, shouting in each other’s ears. From the few snatches she’d heard, they seemed to be talking about his social media research.
‘I’m going to go home,’ she shouted across at him, breaking into their conversation. She felt a bit bad for dragging him away when he seemed to be enjoying himself, but she’d only come in the first place for his sake, so fair was fair. She’d stuck it out as long as she could. ‘I’m pooped.’
‘Aww,’ Pippa gave her a pitying look, pouting exaggeratedly. ‘Poor you. We’re only getting started, aren’t we?’ she appealed to Roly.
He didn’t answer her, looking up at Ella as she stood.
‘Are you coming?’ she asked Andrew.
‘You don’t have to go too, do you, Andy?’ Pippa asked.
‘I think I’ll just stay for a while,’ Andrew said to Ella.
‘That’s what I like to hear,’ Pippa said, touching his leg. He looked like he was going to pass out with excitement.
‘You don’t mind, do you?’ Andrew asked, looking up at her.
‘No, of course not.’ She shrugged into her coat. ‘Enjoy the rest of the night.’
‘You look lonely over there now, Roly. Come and sit here and we’ll all snuggle up together.’ Pippa patted the sofa on her other side.
Roly didn’t budge. ‘Really? You’re staying?’ he asked Andrew, the hint of a challenge in his voice.
‘If you guys don’t mind having a third wheel?’
For fuck’s sake, Andrew, read the room! Surely any tone-deaf idiot could see that Roly wanted to be alone with Pippa.
‘Of course we don’t,’ Pippa said, sucking her mojito through a straw and batting her eyelashes at him.
Ella seethed as Andrew lapped up her flattery. Shallow git! This wasn’t his scene at all, but he was pathetically dazzled by Pippa’s attention. So much for all his high-minded intellectual pretensions!
‘Don’t worry, we’ll take care of him,’ Pippa said to her. ‘You go home and enjoy your early night.’
Ella fumed. It was almost one. She’d stayed out way past the point of exhaustion already, and Pippa still got to treat her like a granny. It wasn’t fair.
‘Well, goodnight, then. You’re sure you don’t want to come with me?’ she asked Andrew, making one last-ditch attempt to get him out of their hair. ‘We could share a cab.’
‘No, I’m happy here.’
‘That’s great!’ Roly said. ‘Because I’m a bit knackered too.’ He drained his drink. ‘So I’ll head off with Ella and you two can stay here and enjoy yourselves.’
‘What?’ Pippa looked insultingly put-out at the prospect of being left with Andrew, but he didn’t seem to notice, still looking very pleased with himself.
Ella felt an ignoble thrill of triumph.
‘Maybe we should call it a night too,’ Pippa said to Andrew. ‘It is getting late—’
‘No, you guys stay. Don’t let us spoil your fun,’ Roly said as he stood and joined Ella. ‘I’ll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?’ he said to Pippa.
‘You don’t have to do this, you know,’ Ella hissed at Roly as they walked to the door.
She was enjoying her moment of victory, the look on Pippa’s face and the feeling that she was sticking it to her. But it was only fair to let him off the hook.
‘Do what?’ he asked her.
‘I’m fine going home on my own. You don’t have to leave just because I am.’
‘I know.’
‘You’re not really tired, are you?’ she asked as they walked outside.
He shrugged. ‘Maybe not tired exactly. But I’d had enough.’ He walked to the edge of the pavement and flagged down a taxi. ‘I was feeling a bit fed up, to be honest.’
They got in and Ella sagged with relief against the seat as they pulled away, feeling the irritation and discomfort seep away.
‘Maybe that’s not your scene any more.’
‘I guess I’m just out of practice,’ he said. ‘I have to build up to all-nighters.’
‘Pippa was looking well.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Sorry I couldn’t peel Andrew off her.’
‘Not your fault. She was kind of getting on my tits, anyway,’ he admitted. ‘Maybe I am tired.’
‘Maybe.’ She still wasn’t convinced he hadn’t left with her just to be nice. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder as they zipped through the traffic. ‘I thought you wanted us to leave the two of you alone.’
‘No. What gave you that impression?’
‘You seemed pissed off.’
‘I just thought Andrew should have left with you, that’s all.’
* * *
‘Cuppa?’ Roly asked when they got in. ‘Or are you going straight to bed?’
‘No, a cup of tea would be good.’ She felt better already now that she was away from the noise. She took off her coat and tossed it on a chair, then kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the sofa with a heartfelt sigh.
Roly put two mugs of tea on the coffee table and sat down beside her.
‘So… will you be seeing Andrew again?’
She picked up her tea, curling both hands around the mug. ‘I don’t know. Definitely not if he gets lucky with Pippa tonight.’
‘In his dreams!’ Roly huffed a laugh.
‘Well, maybe we shouldn’t have left them alone together,’ she said, annoyed.
‘As if he’d have any chance with her,’ he said.
‘I don’t see why not. She seemed pretty into him from where I was sitting.’
‘She was just flirting with him to get at me. Trying to make me jealous.’
‘Oh, of course. It’s all about you. I should have realised.’
‘I’m not saying that.’
‘What are you saying, then?’
‘Just… I know Pippa, okay? She wouldn’t look twice at a guy like Andrew.’
‘You think she’s out of his league, don’t you?’
‘Well, yeah. It’s obvious, isn’t it?’
‘Not to me.’ She sipped her tea, trying to shake off the irritation that was bubbling up inside her.
‘Don’t get me wrong. I’m not dissing Andrew – he’s a good-looking guy. But Pippa’d have been out of my league too, if I hadn’t been in Oh Boy! I told you before, she wouldn’t have been with me if I was some nobody.’
‘I can’t believe that doesn’t bother you.’
‘Why should it?’
‘Because… it’s so shallow. If she was just with you because you were rich and famous—’
Roly shrugged. ‘It’s just human nature, isn’t it – animal instinct. Survival of the fittest. You can’t blame her. Everyone wants to be with the most successful person they can get – like the alpha gorilla or the head lion or whatnot.’
‘Where do you get this stuff?’
‘Pippa’s a big fan of the Discovery Channel.
I saw a lot of those nature programmes when I was with her.
She could tell you anything you want to know about the life cycle of the humpback whale or the mating habits of orangutans.
But it makes sense, doesn’t it? The female wants a mate who can provide for the family. ’
‘You think Pippa wanted to have kids with you?’