the green room swung open and Elise breezed in. She practically skipped over to me, throwing herself down on the sofa with a thump, then laced her arm around my shoulder. I could smell the faint remnants of what I assumed was last night’s alcohol still on her and felt my heart drop.
It was Saturday morning and now I was back at work, mooching around the green room, still hurt and upset from the previous night’s events.
“You look happy,” I managed to muster up.
“Still a bit drunk from last night, if I’m honest.” Elise squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the corners of each eye between her thumb and finger.
“I guessed.”
“You left early.” She turned her head slightly and looked at me.
“Yeah, I was tired,” I lied. I wanted to add a sarcastic So you noticed that I’d left, then? but stopped myself.
“You missed some night, though.” She laughed softly to herself, as if remembering something.
“Yeah, suppose.”
“And I pulled,” Elise said slowly.
“Pulled?”
“Yup.” She sat up straighter and looked at me from the corner of her eye. “Remember that guy who I was dancing with when you left?”
“Not really.” Of course I did!
“Well, his name’s Stig and, well, after you’d left he bought me some drinks.”
“Stig?” I snorted. “What sort of name’s that?”
“It’s his name,” Elise said impatiently.
“Right.”
“And, anyway, I went back to his place,” Elise said, watching me. “And it was amazing.”
“You slept with him.” It was a statement more than a question.
“Yuh-huh.”
“That was nice for you.” I moved away a little from her on the sofa, making her instinctively remove her arm from my shoulders. I don’t know why I did it. It just made me feel a bit better, even if my shoulder felt empty without Elise’s arm around it.
“Yeah, it was,” she mumbled.
“And Robbie?” I asked priggishly. “What about him?”
“What about Robbie?” Elise looked at me sullenly.
“Well, uh, didn’t you go out with him the other night as well?”
“And?” Elise replied, pinching her eyes impatiently. “That was just a one-off. I told you—I never date work colleagues.”
“Priceless,” I muttered back under my breath.
Elise looked surprised. “What?” She asked. “What did you just say? Priceless?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s nothing to do with you, anyway,” she said flippantly.
“Of course not,” I replied. “So why tell me?”
“Just making conversation, Holly,” Elise snorted. “Chill.”
“I’m perfectly chilled,” I said archly. “I just don’t need to know what you got up to, thanks.”
“It was just sex, Holly.” Elise shrugged. She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her cardigan tight around her, then lay her head back against the sofa and closed her eyes. “It was good sex, too,” she murmured, more to herself than to me.
“Mm-hmm.” I bit my lip to stop me from saying anything more than that.
“It’s what happens in the real world, Holly!” Elise half-opened her eyes and peered at me. “Girl goes out, girl meets boy, girl goes home with boy.”
“Not to me, it doesn’t,” I said, adding a small ironic laugh.
“Are you jealous?” She turned and looked at me in amusement.
“Don’t be daft!” I blurted out.
“You are, aren’t you?” She shuffled back on the sofa, bringing herself up straighter again, and brought her knees up even closer to her. “You’re jealous that I pulled and you didn’t.”
“You are so dumb sometimes, it amazes me!” I shook my head. “Number one, I’m not jealous that you copped off last night. Number two, I don’t give a holy shit what you get up to in your spare time, and number three…” I paused. “Okay, there is no number three,” I said, feeling stupid. “But if you seriously think I could be jealous of you, then you’re even more vain than I previously thought!”
“Vain? Me?” Elise’s face fell.
“You. Vain.” I glowered at
It was Saturday morning and now I was back at work, mooching around the green room, still hurt and upset from the previous night’s events.
“You look happy,” I managed to muster up.
“Still a bit drunk from last night, if I’m honest.” Elise squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the corners of each eye between her thumb and finger.
“I guessed.”
“You left early.” She turned her head slightly and looked at me.
“Yeah, I was tired,” I lied. I wanted to add a sarcastic So you noticed that I’d left, then? but stopped myself.
“You missed some night, though.” She laughed softly to herself, as if remembering something.
“Yeah, suppose.”
“And I pulled,” Elise said slowly.
“Pulled?”
“Yup.” She sat up straighter and looked at me from the corner of her eye. “Remember that guy who I was dancing with when you left?”
“Not really.” Of course I did!
“Well, his name’s Stig and, well, after you’d left he bought me some drinks.”
“Stig?” I snorted. “What sort of name’s that?”
“It’s his name,” Elise said impatiently.
“Right.”
“And, anyway, I went back to his place,” Elise said, watching me. “And it was amazing.”
“You slept with him.” It was a statement more than a question.
“Yuh-huh.”
“That was nice for you.” I moved away a little from her on the sofa, making her instinctively remove her arm from my shoulders. I don’t know why I did it. It just made me feel a bit better, even if my shoulder felt empty without Elise’s arm around it.
“Yeah, it was,” she mumbled.
“And Robbie?” I asked priggishly. “What about him?”
“What about Robbie?” Elise looked at me sullenly.
“Well, uh, didn’t you go out with him the other night as well?”
“And?” Elise replied, pinching her eyes impatiently. “That was just a one-off. I told you—I never date work colleagues.”
“Priceless,” I muttered back under my breath.
Elise looked surprised. “What?” She asked. “What did you just say? Priceless?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s nothing to do with you, anyway,” she said flippantly.
“Of course not,” I replied. “So why tell me?”
“Just making conversation, Holly,” Elise snorted. “Chill.”
“I’m perfectly chilled,” I said archly. “I just don’t need to know what you got up to, thanks.”
“It was just sex, Holly.” Elise shrugged. She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her cardigan tight around her, then lay her head back against the sofa and closed her eyes. “It was good sex, too,” she murmured, more to herself than to me.
“Mm-hmm.” I bit my lip to stop me from saying anything more than that.
“It’s what happens in the real world, Holly!” Elise half-opened her eyes and peered at me. “Girl goes out, girl meets boy, girl goes home with boy.”
“Not to me, it doesn’t,” I said, adding a small ironic laugh.
“Are you jealous?” She turned and looked at me in amusement.
“Don’t be daft!” I blurted out.
“You are, aren’t you?” She shuffled back on the sofa, bringing herself up straighter again, and brought her knees up even closer to her. “You’re jealous that I pulled and you didn’t.”
“You are so dumb sometimes, it amazes me!” I shook my head. “Number one, I’m not jealous that you copped off last night. Number two, I don’t give a holy shit what you get up to in your spare time, and number three…” I paused. “Okay, there is no number three,” I said, feeling stupid. “But if you seriously think I could be jealous of you, then you’re even more vain than I previously thought!”
“Vain? Me?” Elise’s face fell.
“You. Vain.” I glowered at
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