true.
‘Except for the time at university that I went to a ball and wore my then-boyfriend’s tuxedo shirt and boxers back to halls the next day, still drunk, smoking a cigar then ran into Mum and Dad, who I’d forgotten were visiting,’ she says thoughtfully. ‘There was that time, I guess.’
‘And to think that you two look sweet and innocent,’ comments Robert.
‘We are sweet and innocent!’ exclaim Sophie and I at exactly the same time, with exactly the same intonation. We do that sometimes. I think it’s a sister thing.
‘They’re not,’ says Henry. ‘Sophie especially.’
Sophie punches him lightly and he grins at her. I think Henry had a crush on Sophie a few years ago, but never acted on it.
‘What are we eating, kids?’ says Luke.
‘Steak and chips,’ says Henry. ‘With extra chips.’
‘Abigail wants low-maintenance food,’ I say, scanning the menu. ‘Ooh! Risotto.’
‘Are you talking about yourself in the third person?’ says Robert.
‘Abigail likes it,’ I nod. ‘She thinks it’s funny.’
Luke laughs at this, nearly choking on his drink. ‘I would never have thought a girl like you would say things like that . . .’
‘Things like what?’ I say, frowning at him.
‘Just . . . your little comments. You used to seem kind of, um, subdued,’ he says, exchanging a quick glance with Sophie. ‘In a good way. Sweet, you know.’
‘Why are you exchanging looks?’
‘I’m telling him to shut up,’ says Sophie calmly. ‘He just means that you were a bit quieter before.’
‘Do you think I was quieter before?’ I ask Henry. He shrugs. Mr Observant.
I stare into space for a second, trying to remember. Have you noticed it’s impossible to look back and remember how you used to act? You can remember how you felt, that’s all. I remember letting Peter talk for us, as it made my life easier. And I remember feeling a bit, I don’t know, out of place sometimes. I don’t feel like that anymore. Despite today’s remorse-packed hangover. I just feel like myself.
The waiter comes over to take our order. Sophie, as always, agrees to everything he suggests, so we end up with every side dish on the menu.
‘Why did you order honeyed carrots?’ says Luke.
‘I feel bad saying no!!’ she exclaims. ‘He put so much effort into telling us the specials . . .’
‘I’ll eat them,’ says Henry.
‘I will too, of course,’ says Luke quickly. Nothing like com petition to make a man loving.
Robert changes the subject. ‘So, Abigail tells me you play for Richmond, Henry?’
Henry goes into a long diatribe about his team’s strengths and weaknesses. I’ve heard it before, and start gazing around the room. A few after-work drinkers, a romantic couple, another romantic couple, three guys at the bar . . . and one of them is looking right at me.
Zip. (That’s the record in my head.)
Guy. At bar. Looking right at me . And he’s good-looking. Short dark hair, slight stubble, wide smile that’s now grinning with just a hint of cheekiness . . . What the devil? Men never stare at me like that. I must have something on my face.
I turn back to our table, and quickly but casually, check my face and hair for problems. I seem clean enough . . . I glance back at him. He’s now talking to his friends, but a moment after I look over, we meet eyes again.
‘There’s a guy at the bar looking at me,’ I whisper across the table to Robert. ‘What do I do?’
‘Feign nonchalance,’ he replies straight away. ‘We’ll work out a game plan.’
‘Feign nonchalance?’ I reply. ‘What big words! I guess we can tell who went to Cambridge . . .’ Robert smirks. I lean back in my chair and pretend to yawn and stretch as nonchalantly as I can. I’m only doing it to make Robert laugh, and it works.
‘We are thinking about having a weekend in France in November,’ says Sophie, interrupting us. ‘Mum and Dad are visiting Aunty Peg and Aunty Pat for the weekend.’
‘Smashing, go
‘Except for the time at university that I went to a ball and wore my then-boyfriend’s tuxedo shirt and boxers back to halls the next day, still drunk, smoking a cigar then ran into Mum and Dad, who I’d forgotten were visiting,’ she says thoughtfully. ‘There was that time, I guess.’
‘And to think that you two look sweet and innocent,’ comments Robert.
‘We are sweet and innocent!’ exclaim Sophie and I at exactly the same time, with exactly the same intonation. We do that sometimes. I think it’s a sister thing.
‘They’re not,’ says Henry. ‘Sophie especially.’
Sophie punches him lightly and he grins at her. I think Henry had a crush on Sophie a few years ago, but never acted on it.
‘What are we eating, kids?’ says Luke.
‘Steak and chips,’ says Henry. ‘With extra chips.’
‘Abigail wants low-maintenance food,’ I say, scanning the menu. ‘Ooh! Risotto.’
‘Are you talking about yourself in the third person?’ says Robert.
‘Abigail likes it,’ I nod. ‘She thinks it’s funny.’
Luke laughs at this, nearly choking on his drink. ‘I would never have thought a girl like you would say things like that . . .’
‘Things like what?’ I say, frowning at him.
‘Just . . . your little comments. You used to seem kind of, um, subdued,’ he says, exchanging a quick glance with Sophie. ‘In a good way. Sweet, you know.’
‘Why are you exchanging looks?’
‘I’m telling him to shut up,’ says Sophie calmly. ‘He just means that you were a bit quieter before.’
‘Do you think I was quieter before?’ I ask Henry. He shrugs. Mr Observant.
I stare into space for a second, trying to remember. Have you noticed it’s impossible to look back and remember how you used to act? You can remember how you felt, that’s all. I remember letting Peter talk for us, as it made my life easier. And I remember feeling a bit, I don’t know, out of place sometimes. I don’t feel like that anymore. Despite today’s remorse-packed hangover. I just feel like myself.
The waiter comes over to take our order. Sophie, as always, agrees to everything he suggests, so we end up with every side dish on the menu.
‘Why did you order honeyed carrots?’ says Luke.
‘I feel bad saying no!!’ she exclaims. ‘He put so much effort into telling us the specials . . .’
‘I’ll eat them,’ says Henry.
‘I will too, of course,’ says Luke quickly. Nothing like com petition to make a man loving.
Robert changes the subject. ‘So, Abigail tells me you play for Richmond, Henry?’
Henry goes into a long diatribe about his team’s strengths and weaknesses. I’ve heard it before, and start gazing around the room. A few after-work drinkers, a romantic couple, another romantic couple, three guys at the bar . . . and one of them is looking right at me.
Zip. (That’s the record in my head.)
Guy. At bar. Looking right at me . And he’s good-looking. Short dark hair, slight stubble, wide smile that’s now grinning with just a hint of cheekiness . . . What the devil? Men never stare at me like that. I must have something on my face.
I turn back to our table, and quickly but casually, check my face and hair for problems. I seem clean enough . . . I glance back at him. He’s now talking to his friends, but a moment after I look over, we meet eyes again.
‘There’s a guy at the bar looking at me,’ I whisper across the table to Robert. ‘What do I do?’
‘Feign nonchalance,’ he replies straight away. ‘We’ll work out a game plan.’
‘Feign nonchalance?’ I reply. ‘What big words! I guess we can tell who went to Cambridge . . .’ Robert smirks. I lean back in my chair and pretend to yawn and stretch as nonchalantly as I can. I’m only doing it to make Robert laugh, and it works.
‘We are thinking about having a weekend in France in November,’ says Sophie, interrupting us. ‘Mum and Dad are visiting Aunty Peg and Aunty Pat for the weekend.’
‘Smashing, go
Similar Books
