get!” I bumped my arm playfully against hers.
“Imagine all the freebies, Hol!” She bumped me back.
“You just called me Hol.” I stopped mid-drink and looked at her curiously. “You’ve never called me that before.”
“Did I?” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean to. Sorry.”
I paused. “No, I liked it.”
We looked at each other a while, neither of us sure what to say. Elise broke eye contact first, hastily looking away and down at her drink. She traced her finger round the rim of her glass and stared into it, apparently deep in thought. “Anyway,” she finally said, flicking a look back towards me, “it’s next week.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to it already,” I said, kind of stilted.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping at our drinks and looking out around the club, until I couldn’t bear the lack of conversation any longer.
“C’mon, drink up.” I slapped her arm playfully with my hand. “Let’s have a dance.”
We both knocked our drinks back and left the bar, picking our way over to the dance floor and melting into the darkness there. We danced together for the next four or five tracks, a heady mix of techno, R & B, and dance which was great to get lost in for a while until, finally, I’d had enough and made my way back to the bar, Elise following me close behind.
A girl and a guy stood where we’d been standing earlier. As Elise nodded to the barman to order us both drinks, I could sense the people next to us staring and whispering to one another, but I ignored it. That sort of thing always happened whenever I went out on the town, either with friends or with other people from PR , but it happened more frequently now since Jasey. I’d learnt a long time ago to ignore the stares and the comments, which invariably either ended with some catty remark or a request for a photo on their phone.
I sat up on a stool and turned my back to the two people behind me, focusing on Elise instead, who was now paying for our drinks. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned round to see the girl smiling at me, the guy now gone.
“Are you…?” she asked, tilting her head and looking hard at me through the gloom of the club. “You are, aren’t you?”
I smiled. “Who?” I asked politely.
“Jasmine,” the girl said. “Jasmine Hunter.”
“Yes,” I said simply.
“I thought it was!” the girl said excitedly. “I said to Mark I thought it was you.” She waved a hand in the direction of the dance floor, so I guessed Mark had been the guy she’d been with just now.
“You watch Portobello Road , then?” I asked.
“Oh God, yeah!” the girl said, her face lighting up. “I love it.”
Elise appeared behind me, handing me my drink.
“And are you…?” The girl’s eyes widened. “O.M.G! It is! Casey!”
“All right?” Elise casually lifted her chin.
“Can I have a photo?” The girl delved into her handbag and pulled out her phone. “Mark’ll be gutted he’s missed this!” She swung round and looked out across the club, then back to us.
Elise and I leant our heads closer and smiled awkwardly as the girl took a photo of us both, then waved her hand at the barman and asked if he’d take one of her with us both. The photos over, I nodded politely and turned back to the bar again.
“Nice to meet you, anyway,” I said, picking my drink up.
“So are you two, like, you know, seeing each other in real life, then?” the girl persisted.
“No,” Elise and I said at the same time.
“And are you both, like, lesbians?”
“No.” Elise spoke first, while I remained silent.
“We just play the characters,” I said, smiling, thankful that Elise had answered before me so that I hadn’t had to.
The girl—I think she said her name was Sarah—then started chatting to me about Jasmine and how she’d always been her favourite character and how she loved all the Jasey stuff. I tried to remain polite, aware that Elise was standing next to me not saying a
“Imagine all the freebies, Hol!” She bumped me back.
“You just called me Hol.” I stopped mid-drink and looked at her curiously. “You’ve never called me that before.”
“Did I?” She shook her head. “I didn’t mean to. Sorry.”
I paused. “No, I liked it.”
We looked at each other a while, neither of us sure what to say. Elise broke eye contact first, hastily looking away and down at her drink. She traced her finger round the rim of her glass and stared into it, apparently deep in thought. “Anyway,” she finally said, flicking a look back towards me, “it’s next week.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to it already,” I said, kind of stilted.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping at our drinks and looking out around the club, until I couldn’t bear the lack of conversation any longer.
“C’mon, drink up.” I slapped her arm playfully with my hand. “Let’s have a dance.”
We both knocked our drinks back and left the bar, picking our way over to the dance floor and melting into the darkness there. We danced together for the next four or five tracks, a heady mix of techno, R & B, and dance which was great to get lost in for a while until, finally, I’d had enough and made my way back to the bar, Elise following me close behind.
A girl and a guy stood where we’d been standing earlier. As Elise nodded to the barman to order us both drinks, I could sense the people next to us staring and whispering to one another, but I ignored it. That sort of thing always happened whenever I went out on the town, either with friends or with other people from PR , but it happened more frequently now since Jasey. I’d learnt a long time ago to ignore the stares and the comments, which invariably either ended with some catty remark or a request for a photo on their phone.
I sat up on a stool and turned my back to the two people behind me, focusing on Elise instead, who was now paying for our drinks. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned round to see the girl smiling at me, the guy now gone.
“Are you…?” she asked, tilting her head and looking hard at me through the gloom of the club. “You are, aren’t you?”
I smiled. “Who?” I asked politely.
“Jasmine,” the girl said. “Jasmine Hunter.”
“Yes,” I said simply.
“I thought it was!” the girl said excitedly. “I said to Mark I thought it was you.” She waved a hand in the direction of the dance floor, so I guessed Mark had been the guy she’d been with just now.
“You watch Portobello Road , then?” I asked.
“Oh God, yeah!” the girl said, her face lighting up. “I love it.”
Elise appeared behind me, handing me my drink.
“And are you…?” The girl’s eyes widened. “O.M.G! It is! Casey!”
“All right?” Elise casually lifted her chin.
“Can I have a photo?” The girl delved into her handbag and pulled out her phone. “Mark’ll be gutted he’s missed this!” She swung round and looked out across the club, then back to us.
Elise and I leant our heads closer and smiled awkwardly as the girl took a photo of us both, then waved her hand at the barman and asked if he’d take one of her with us both. The photos over, I nodded politely and turned back to the bar again.
“Nice to meet you, anyway,” I said, picking my drink up.
“So are you two, like, you know, seeing each other in real life, then?” the girl persisted.
“No,” Elise and I said at the same time.
“And are you both, like, lesbians?”
“No.” Elise spoke first, while I remained silent.
“We just play the characters,” I said, smiling, thankful that Elise had answered before me so that I hadn’t had to.
The girl—I think she said her name was Sarah—then started chatting to me about Jasmine and how she’d always been her favourite character and how she loved all the Jasey stuff. I tried to remain polite, aware that Elise was standing next to me not saying a
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