pug sat curled up under a lounger. And afterwards would eat tapas at the Dandelion Cafe, Ludo the chef testing out his new recipes – his lightly fried salt and pepper squid, slices of pulpy fresh aubergine griddled with rock salt, freshly battered miniature fish fingers, tuna tartar and cumin-laced chickpea and allotment spinach – and drink wine from little glasses outside under the strings of white outdoor bulbs.
‘How’s your love life?’ Emily asked River one night, who blushed and hung his head and said, ‘It’s OK.’
‘OK, huh?’ Emily said, leaning forward with her chin resting in her palm. ‘That’s better than a few weeks ago.’
‘Yeah, well I did what you said,’ he mumbled.
Matt and Annie had to roll their lips together to keep from smiling.
Jack frowned and moved forward from where he’d been lounging against the booth seat. ‘What was it she said to do?’ he asked.
River scratched his chin, clearly uncomfortable with the attention. ‘Just that…’ He paused, looked around embarrassed. ‘That I should try harder. Keep trying, you know?’
Jack nodded. ‘I know what you mean, mate. Many times have I not tried hard enough.’
Emily glanced at Jack and then back to River. ‘What did you do?’
‘Just stuff. Bought her flowers but she said that was a cliché.’
Jack barked a laugh and, leaning back again, said to Emily, ‘Didn’t you once say that to me?’
‘I said roses were a cliché. Not flowers. I like flowers.’ She winked at him and said, ‘You can buy me flowers any time.’
Jack rolled his eyes and said to River, ‘So what swayed it?’
‘I sang outside her window.’
Matt looked puzzled. ‘Did you?’
‘Yeah,’ he nodded. ‘The other night.’
Annie smiled. ‘That’s so nice. You serenaded her and she forgave you.’
River winced. ‘Wasn’t quite like that. I only did it really because I knew her dad would go mad, so it kind of made her come out and talk to me. There wasn’t much singing.’
Annie frowned. ‘I can’t work out if I’m impressed by that or not. Why did she forgive you then?’
He shrugged. ‘I just kind of told her that I’d made a mistake. That I… I dunno… that I really liked her and I didn’t want her ever to get hurt. It’s shit, isn’t it? Knowing you’ve hurt someone?’ River looked around the table, almost for confirmation, but found that both Jack and Emily were looking anywhere but him and each other.
‘Well, I’m proud of you, son,’ Matt said and River rolled his eyes at the endearment.
The bell on the door chimed and they looked up to see Ed and Josephine walk in. When they saw Jack at Emily’s table, they both stiffened and Ed did a sort of wave then said, ‘We were erm… We’ll go somewhere else.’ And started to back away out the door.
Emily gave Jack a kick under the table. ‘Now. Do it now,’ she whispered.
‘No,’ he whispered back. ‘They’re on a date, they don’t want us here with them.’
‘Oh for goodness sake, for someone so clever you’re really bloody blind,’ she said and, crossing her arms, turned to look out the window.
Jack watched the door as it closed and then jumped up out his seat and said, ‘Ed! Ed, mate, wait.’
Ed and Josephine exchanged wary glances.
‘I er…’ Jack hadn’t had time to prepare what he wanted to say. ‘I er…’ he said again.
Ed looked at him, Josephine looked at the floor.
‘We er…’ Jack gestured behind him.
Ed looked embarrassed.
‘Do you want to er…’ Jack frowned. ‘Do you um… We’re tasting loads of tapas. There’s loads. Can’t eat it all. Do you think, you know, do you want to um… Do you want to join us?’
Josephine glanced up from where she’d been staring at the cafe step.
‘What I mean is, I would really like you to join us. It’s a really nice night.’
Ed looked at Josephine, who looked back at him. Both of them speaking silently through tiny quirks of expression.
‘Honestly.’ Jack held his
‘How’s your love life?’ Emily asked River one night, who blushed and hung his head and said, ‘It’s OK.’
‘OK, huh?’ Emily said, leaning forward with her chin resting in her palm. ‘That’s better than a few weeks ago.’
‘Yeah, well I did what you said,’ he mumbled.
Matt and Annie had to roll their lips together to keep from smiling.
Jack frowned and moved forward from where he’d been lounging against the booth seat. ‘What was it she said to do?’ he asked.
River scratched his chin, clearly uncomfortable with the attention. ‘Just that…’ He paused, looked around embarrassed. ‘That I should try harder. Keep trying, you know?’
Jack nodded. ‘I know what you mean, mate. Many times have I not tried hard enough.’
Emily glanced at Jack and then back to River. ‘What did you do?’
‘Just stuff. Bought her flowers but she said that was a cliché.’
Jack barked a laugh and, leaning back again, said to Emily, ‘Didn’t you once say that to me?’
‘I said roses were a cliché. Not flowers. I like flowers.’ She winked at him and said, ‘You can buy me flowers any time.’
Jack rolled his eyes and said to River, ‘So what swayed it?’
‘I sang outside her window.’
Matt looked puzzled. ‘Did you?’
‘Yeah,’ he nodded. ‘The other night.’
Annie smiled. ‘That’s so nice. You serenaded her and she forgave you.’
River winced. ‘Wasn’t quite like that. I only did it really because I knew her dad would go mad, so it kind of made her come out and talk to me. There wasn’t much singing.’
Annie frowned. ‘I can’t work out if I’m impressed by that or not. Why did she forgive you then?’
He shrugged. ‘I just kind of told her that I’d made a mistake. That I… I dunno… that I really liked her and I didn’t want her ever to get hurt. It’s shit, isn’t it? Knowing you’ve hurt someone?’ River looked around the table, almost for confirmation, but found that both Jack and Emily were looking anywhere but him and each other.
‘Well, I’m proud of you, son,’ Matt said and River rolled his eyes at the endearment.
The bell on the door chimed and they looked up to see Ed and Josephine walk in. When they saw Jack at Emily’s table, they both stiffened and Ed did a sort of wave then said, ‘We were erm… We’ll go somewhere else.’ And started to back away out the door.
Emily gave Jack a kick under the table. ‘Now. Do it now,’ she whispered.
‘No,’ he whispered back. ‘They’re on a date, they don’t want us here with them.’
‘Oh for goodness sake, for someone so clever you’re really bloody blind,’ she said and, crossing her arms, turned to look out the window.
Jack watched the door as it closed and then jumped up out his seat and said, ‘Ed! Ed, mate, wait.’
Ed and Josephine exchanged wary glances.
‘I er…’ Jack hadn’t had time to prepare what he wanted to say. ‘I er…’ he said again.
Ed looked at him, Josephine looked at the floor.
‘We er…’ Jack gestured behind him.
Ed looked embarrassed.
‘Do you want to er…’ Jack frowned. ‘Do you um… We’re tasting loads of tapas. There’s loads. Can’t eat it all. Do you think, you know, do you want to um… Do you want to join us?’
Josephine glanced up from where she’d been staring at the cafe step.
‘What I mean is, I would really like you to join us. It’s a really nice night.’
Ed looked at Josephine, who looked back at him. Both of them speaking silently through tiny quirks of expression.
‘Honestly.’ Jack held his
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