grinning at Joy. My ear was still buzzing.
“So how long are you back for,
Rose?” he asked. Between the buzzing and the music I could barely hear him.
“Back for good,” I smiled eventually after
he’d repeated his question three times, as two friends of his I didn’t
recognise sauntered over to join us.
I followed Joy’s lead as she
gulped the cocktail, putting the empty glass back on the bar. “Ladies,” she
gestured, walking off.
“Good to see you, Joshua. Thanks
for the drink,” I smiled, before dashing after her. As I took in the
surroundings I laughed to myself. The decor may have changed but the situation
hadn’t, and a decade after it had first begun Joy and I were stood in the
ladies toilet of ‘The Beat Box’ discussing boys. Some things never change.
“What’s going on there, Joy, he seems to
really like you and he’s cute,” I offered.
“I know,” she said, rolling her
eyes. “He does and he is, but he’s also very taken. He
told me he was single and I spent the night with him a couple of months back.
He’d fed me a load of crap about splitting up with this girlfriend to get me in
the sack, and in the morning he was panicking like crazy, admitted they were
still together and begged me not to tell her,” she said and it was my turn to
roll my eyes.
“What a prick. Is he one of your mystery taxi
guys?” I asked, recalling our conversation over the farmhouse table.
“Yes and he’s been trying for a
return fare ever since he realised I wasn’t going to rat him out. You know how
it is in this town, Rose. You definitely don’t want to get a reputation for
being the other woman so I’m in no rush to confess,” she smiled.
I didn’t blame her, gossip and
rumour could be incredibly destructive and I knew people in the past that had
been practically run out of town for less. “Don’t be fooled. We may have an
internet cafe with high speed broadband now, Rose, but half the folk here would
have me in the stocks for what I’ve done,” she laughed.
“I can’t believe it, Joy, the very same Joshua
Reynolds who fainted in biology. I would never have thought he had it in him,”
I laughed.
“I know, but it’s fair to say
he’s no longer afraid of the female anatomy,” she smiled, shaking her head.
We touched up our make-up and were still
giggling as we made our way back into the club and a Joshua Reynolds free area
of the bar, ordering two more champagne cocktails. It was great to be out with
Joy, like old times, and before long a stream of familiar faces from my past
had come to say ‘Hello’, find out how I was and fill me in on the events of
their lives over the last decade. “I love this song, let’s dance,” I squealed,
grabbing Joy and needing a break from the alcohol that was turning my head
woozy and light. Stumbling slightly onto the dance floor I feared that I may
already have left it too late.
We danced for what seemed like an
eternity, one favourite song merging into another as we strutted our unsteady, alcohol fuelled moves. Occasionally I noticed Joshua Reynolds
eyeing Joy speculatively from the across the room and felt like gesturing a one
fingered salute, but for the most part I felt happy and free from the emotions
of the last two days.
“One for the road?” Joy motioned just after 1am and I
nodded, thirsty from my exertions on the dance floor. I propped myself up on
the bar ordering two more cocktails and ignoring the continual glances of a
shaven headed youth who was mentally assessing his chances. “I’ve missed this,”
Joy hugged me, taking her glass from my hand and squeezing me tightly, losing
half of her drink down the back of my dress. “We need to do it again soon,” she
beamed.
“Definitely,” I hollered above
the music. “Lizzie and Dave are up at the weekend, I’ll see if they want to
come out,” I shouted, partly because of the pulsing beat that was echoing in my
ears, and partly because the alcohol had
“So how long are you back for,
Rose?” he asked. Between the buzzing and the music I could barely hear him.
“Back for good,” I smiled eventually after
he’d repeated his question three times, as two friends of his I didn’t
recognise sauntered over to join us.
I followed Joy’s lead as she
gulped the cocktail, putting the empty glass back on the bar. “Ladies,” she
gestured, walking off.
“Good to see you, Joshua. Thanks
for the drink,” I smiled, before dashing after her. As I took in the
surroundings I laughed to myself. The decor may have changed but the situation
hadn’t, and a decade after it had first begun Joy and I were stood in the
ladies toilet of ‘The Beat Box’ discussing boys. Some things never change.
“What’s going on there, Joy, he seems to
really like you and he’s cute,” I offered.
“I know,” she said, rolling her
eyes. “He does and he is, but he’s also very taken. He
told me he was single and I spent the night with him a couple of months back.
He’d fed me a load of crap about splitting up with this girlfriend to get me in
the sack, and in the morning he was panicking like crazy, admitted they were
still together and begged me not to tell her,” she said and it was my turn to
roll my eyes.
“What a prick. Is he one of your mystery taxi
guys?” I asked, recalling our conversation over the farmhouse table.
“Yes and he’s been trying for a
return fare ever since he realised I wasn’t going to rat him out. You know how
it is in this town, Rose. You definitely don’t want to get a reputation for
being the other woman so I’m in no rush to confess,” she smiled.
I didn’t blame her, gossip and
rumour could be incredibly destructive and I knew people in the past that had
been practically run out of town for less. “Don’t be fooled. We may have an
internet cafe with high speed broadband now, Rose, but half the folk here would
have me in the stocks for what I’ve done,” she laughed.
“I can’t believe it, Joy, the very same Joshua
Reynolds who fainted in biology. I would never have thought he had it in him,”
I laughed.
“I know, but it’s fair to say
he’s no longer afraid of the female anatomy,” she smiled, shaking her head.
We touched up our make-up and were still
giggling as we made our way back into the club and a Joshua Reynolds free area
of the bar, ordering two more champagne cocktails. It was great to be out with
Joy, like old times, and before long a stream of familiar faces from my past
had come to say ‘Hello’, find out how I was and fill me in on the events of
their lives over the last decade. “I love this song, let’s dance,” I squealed,
grabbing Joy and needing a break from the alcohol that was turning my head
woozy and light. Stumbling slightly onto the dance floor I feared that I may
already have left it too late.
We danced for what seemed like an
eternity, one favourite song merging into another as we strutted our unsteady, alcohol fuelled moves. Occasionally I noticed Joshua Reynolds
eyeing Joy speculatively from the across the room and felt like gesturing a one
fingered salute, but for the most part I felt happy and free from the emotions
of the last two days.
“One for the road?” Joy motioned just after 1am and I
nodded, thirsty from my exertions on the dance floor. I propped myself up on
the bar ordering two more cocktails and ignoring the continual glances of a
shaven headed youth who was mentally assessing his chances. “I’ve missed this,”
Joy hugged me, taking her glass from my hand and squeezing me tightly, losing
half of her drink down the back of my dress. “We need to do it again soon,” she
beamed.
“Definitely,” I hollered above
the music. “Lizzie and Dave are up at the weekend, I’ll see if they want to
come out,” I shouted, partly because of the pulsing beat that was echoing in my
ears, and partly because the alcohol had
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