‘He meant it in a nice way. A slaggy way. Although now I’m saying it out loud, it doesn’t sound that funny.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean—’
‘Oh no, I’m sorry! I realise I’ve just stumbled into ex territory on a first date.’
He’d started to gather up their plates, so he busied himself momentarily behind the kitchen counter, then clicked on his sound system. The sound of Green Day’s ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ filled the room. Love his choice of music, she thought, but was there an underlying message in the lonesome lyrics?
‘So, Cassie, what about your ex? Were you married?’
‘To Gav? No.’
He refilled their glasses and sat back down. She could feel the intense focus of his attention, which had the effect of making her listen clearly to herself, perhaps for the first time.
‘He wasn’t .?.?. We just weren’t that type of couple, you know? When he arrived anywhere, there would always be a big kerfuffle. He was that sort of character who turned up the volume in a crowd: “Waay-haay, Gav’s arrived,” you know? Looking back, I can see he was at his best in a crowd. When he was alone with me, I always had this niggling feeling that I wasn’t quite enough for him. I should’ve realised that was on him, not me, but you live and learn. He ended up working with bands as a tour manager. Actually, he toured with some pretty big names. In fairness, he was really good at the job. He is one of those people great at everything they do .?.?.’ She found herself petering out.
‘So you felt you weren’t enough for him? But you’re gorgeous, surely you must realise that. I mean, you could have anybody.’
He reached out a hand and felt a tendril of her honey-blonde hair.
She studied his face, searching for any signs of insincerity, but there were none.
‘Really?’
‘How can you not know? Did nobody tell you?’
She shrugged. ‘I have a weird nose.’
He took her chin between his fingers and angled her face sideways. ‘What’s wrong with it? It’s beautiful.’
‘It’s a button. I look like a guinea pig.’
He burst out laughing. ‘Guinea pigs are adorable. I used to have one as a pet. But seriously, no you don’t.’
For a breathless moment she waited for him to kiss her, but he drew back.
‘It’s perfect, suits your face.’
She resisted the urge to reach out and run her finger along the arc of his well-shaped mouth.
The sound of ‘Mr. Brightside’ by The Killers came over the speakers. Was he hacking into her old Spotify account?
She realised he was smiling at her.
‘About Gav, you were saying .?.?.’
‘So, we originally met on my first real acting job, which wasThe Three Little Pigspanto in East Grinstead. I was the little pig who lived in the house of straw, so that meant I was mostly finished by the end of act one, and that’s how I was able to flirt with Gavin backstage.’
‘Hang on a minute, I thought in the story of the three little pigs, they all bunked in together as the wicked wolf blew each house down. How did you get out so early?’
‘The director was a socialist, he was intending the whole panto as a metaphor for housing standards. Thank God nobody noticed.’
‘Sounds like you brought the house down. Sorry.’
Cassie laughed and rolled her eyes. ‘First dad joke of the night.’
The sound of ‘Shut up and Dance’ by Walk the Moon filled the air. Finn turned up the volume.
‘Oh my God, I love this,’ she shouted over the noise.
