you!’ Marc throws one hand up.
Holly sighs then. ‘Marc, it was completely innocent. Well, except for the bit where Nessa lost her breast!’
Marc’s eyes move to my chest for a second and then zipaway again. Hey! Do you mind? ‘Thanks a lot,’ I say, and hit Holly on the arm.
‘Sorry.’
It’s Marc who snorts now. ‘Yes. You’ll definitely be sorry tomorrow. When the photos are all over the papers.’
There’s a pause and then Holly shrugs. ‘They’re always all over the papers whatever I do. At least I’ll be looking like I’m having a good time after this break-up. Last time it was all horrible photos of me looking cold and miserable in coffee shops in Vienna without make-up on.’
I watch her expression as she says this – the flip of her hand, the toss of her hair – and realise this is what she was talking about before. The ‘devil may care’ thing. Ah, so that’s what she meant.
‘Holly, you just can’t …’ Marc shakes his head and I turn to see him looking really quite angry now, when there’s a knock on the door to the suite. All three of our heads whip around to face the sound. Holly goes to get up, but Marc shakes his head again. ‘I’ll get it.’
He goes over, opens the door and I hear him talking to someone who replies curtly. There’s no mistaking the voice, though.
It’s Antonio.
When the door opens fully and he sees us, he ignores Marc, pushing past him to get into the room. He strides over to us (Antonio seems to do everything at great speed, even walking and talking and flower sending) and when he reaches us, claps his hands in delight. ‘ Bellissima! Bellissima! The performance of the century! Now, we will go out and celebrate. Yes? The night, she is young and full of promise!’
‘Uh uh, not so fast. I don’t think anybody’s going anywhere.’ Marc steps between him and the two of us on the floor.
Antonio takes a step back and he and Marc look at each other for a moment or two as if they’re about to butt horns. Before they can, however, Holly stands up and then gives me a hand up as well. ‘You know what?’ she says to no-one in particular. ‘I’ve had a really good time tonight. I’m sick of worrying about what people are going to say, or think, or write about me. If I worried about that, I’d go to bed right now, like a good girl. But I don’t feel like going to bed. So I’m going out, with Antonio.’ Her eyes flash rebelliously at Marc when she says this. ‘And I’m going to have a good time.’
Antonio takes a step towards Holly and claps his hands again joyously. ‘But of course we will have a good time! Everyone has a good time with Antonio!’
So I’ve heard, I think. (Cruise gossip travels fast.)
Holly turns to me now. ‘How about you, Nessa?’
I pause. Like they say, two’s company, three’s a crowd. ‘Oh, no. I can’t. I have to go back and check in with my dad and get my good girl hours up. Thanks for the flowers, though, Antonio. They’re beautiful.’
‘Oh!’ Holly jumps and we all turn and look at her. For a second, I wonder if something’s bitten her. ‘Oh, um, yes, I just meant …’ And then, right before my eyes, all of our eyes, she changes again. Morphs into this completely different person. ‘ Darling , they’re beautiful!’ she simpers. ‘They smell divine. You’re a pet. A complete pet.’ She reaches over and rests a hand on Antonio’s chest for just a second too long. ‘I’ll just pop off and freshen myself up for you.’
I look over at Antonio and see that he’s happily lapping up every word and is ready to go back for at least six more courses. But Marc … uh oh. His face is scrunched up to the point where he looks like he needs his appendix removed in under thirty seconds, or else.
As for me, I don’t quite know what to think. It’s like when I was watching Holly this afternoon, at badminton. Holly was putting Nessa’s Lessons in Love into action and they seemed to be working on the
Holly sighs then. ‘Marc, it was completely innocent. Well, except for the bit where Nessa lost her breast!’
Marc’s eyes move to my chest for a second and then zipaway again. Hey! Do you mind? ‘Thanks a lot,’ I say, and hit Holly on the arm.
‘Sorry.’
It’s Marc who snorts now. ‘Yes. You’ll definitely be sorry tomorrow. When the photos are all over the papers.’
There’s a pause and then Holly shrugs. ‘They’re always all over the papers whatever I do. At least I’ll be looking like I’m having a good time after this break-up. Last time it was all horrible photos of me looking cold and miserable in coffee shops in Vienna without make-up on.’
I watch her expression as she says this – the flip of her hand, the toss of her hair – and realise this is what she was talking about before. The ‘devil may care’ thing. Ah, so that’s what she meant.
‘Holly, you just can’t …’ Marc shakes his head and I turn to see him looking really quite angry now, when there’s a knock on the door to the suite. All three of our heads whip around to face the sound. Holly goes to get up, but Marc shakes his head again. ‘I’ll get it.’
He goes over, opens the door and I hear him talking to someone who replies curtly. There’s no mistaking the voice, though.
It’s Antonio.
When the door opens fully and he sees us, he ignores Marc, pushing past him to get into the room. He strides over to us (Antonio seems to do everything at great speed, even walking and talking and flower sending) and when he reaches us, claps his hands in delight. ‘ Bellissima! Bellissima! The performance of the century! Now, we will go out and celebrate. Yes? The night, she is young and full of promise!’
‘Uh uh, not so fast. I don’t think anybody’s going anywhere.’ Marc steps between him and the two of us on the floor.
Antonio takes a step back and he and Marc look at each other for a moment or two as if they’re about to butt horns. Before they can, however, Holly stands up and then gives me a hand up as well. ‘You know what?’ she says to no-one in particular. ‘I’ve had a really good time tonight. I’m sick of worrying about what people are going to say, or think, or write about me. If I worried about that, I’d go to bed right now, like a good girl. But I don’t feel like going to bed. So I’m going out, with Antonio.’ Her eyes flash rebelliously at Marc when she says this. ‘And I’m going to have a good time.’
Antonio takes a step towards Holly and claps his hands again joyously. ‘But of course we will have a good time! Everyone has a good time with Antonio!’
So I’ve heard, I think. (Cruise gossip travels fast.)
Holly turns to me now. ‘How about you, Nessa?’
I pause. Like they say, two’s company, three’s a crowd. ‘Oh, no. I can’t. I have to go back and check in with my dad and get my good girl hours up. Thanks for the flowers, though, Antonio. They’re beautiful.’
‘Oh!’ Holly jumps and we all turn and look at her. For a second, I wonder if something’s bitten her. ‘Oh, um, yes, I just meant …’ And then, right before my eyes, all of our eyes, she changes again. Morphs into this completely different person. ‘ Darling , they’re beautiful!’ she simpers. ‘They smell divine. You’re a pet. A complete pet.’ She reaches over and rests a hand on Antonio’s chest for just a second too long. ‘I’ll just pop off and freshen myself up for you.’
I look over at Antonio and see that he’s happily lapping up every word and is ready to go back for at least six more courses. But Marc … uh oh. His face is scrunched up to the point where he looks like he needs his appendix removed in under thirty seconds, or else.
As for me, I don’t quite know what to think. It’s like when I was watching Holly this afternoon, at badminton. Holly was putting Nessa’s Lessons in Love into action and they seemed to be working on the
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