‘I’ll just have one poached egg, no toast – I’ve a teeny-tiny appetite. How about you, Frannie-baby?’
Oh. God no. Of all days.
‘Hi Fleur, hi Francis.’ Oh crikey, did she know about the bonk? Probably not, or the atmosphere would’ve been a lot worse, but still .?.?. Francis was wearing a camel overcoat which even her father would’ve considered ‘a bit too stuffy for me’.
‘Ooh, Ally, still here? How lovely,’ squeaked Fleur.
‘Hi, Ally, there you are,’ said Francis, somewhat unnecessarily. Meanwhile, Ally was betting he’d rapidly deleted the text asking to see her. He ordered an all-in gourmet breakfast roll, despite Fleur’s pretty pout.
‘We have to watch your cholesterol, babe, don’t we?’ Shewinked proprietorially, giving his stomach a flirtatious prod with her pink nail.
Humph, so much for the kebab and chips he’d horsed into that night. Ally pointed them to a table and set to wearing her best poker face while taking their drinks order: Earl Grey for Fleur and large skinny latte for Francis (another pretty pout, head on one side from her), though Ally knew he’d have preferred full-fat.
Just then there was a clamour of voices from upstairs and the whole crew crowded into the café, filled with the buzz of shared purpose. Everyone seemed in good form, to her relief, and Rosemarie was laughing heartily at one of Fergus’s stories. He seemed to have entirely forgotten the whole drink-over-head incident.
She managed to catch Pete’s eye.
‘Well, how’s it going?’ she hissed.
‘Fine,’ he said with a shrug, which, without being offhand, felt disconcertingly literal. He’s just in work mode, she consoled herself, let him off.
Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump as though a tarantula had just dropped from the ceiling.
‘William,’ she barked weirdly, surprising herself. ‘Sorry .?.?. sorry, you gave me a fright.’
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Pete, who was hovering nearby, raise an eyebrow. Fuck, fuck, fuck .?.?. Oh well, what else had she expected?
William was looking chastened.
‘Sorry, Ally, you’re at work, I get that. We’ll be down the back here .?.?.’ He jerked his head towards a large table, while Dave passed by with a platter of sandwiches and rolls.
‘Everyone seems happy?’ she said to Pete, trying to ignore the William thing that just happened.
‘Yeah, yeah, great .?.?. all good.’ His response told her hewas backing off. Crap. This was exactly what she’d hoped to avoid. Oh God, just then she realised she’d forgotten Francis and Fleur’s beverages. She dropped them down just as the pair were taking smoochy selfies for Instagram. Fleur really did look radiant, thought Ally glumly.
‘Ooh, look, Frannie, they’ve arrived. We thought you must’ve forgotten,’ she purred, while Francis acknowledged her with a raised eyebrow but didn’t meet her eye.
‘Goodness, this place has such atmosphere .?.?. You must love it here.’ Fleur beamed. ‘Though, didn’t I hear that you were working in Hogget and Simpson, the law firm, as a receptionist? Did you not like it there?’
‘Well,’ said Ally, ‘let’s just say I opted for quality of life over corporate values.’
‘Ree-ally? Gosh, you’re so braaave, I don’t think I could be that brave, could you, Frannie?’ She patted his arm with her teeny-tiny hand that was practically screaming for an engagement ring. ‘I’d be afraid of ending up .?.?.’ Here she eyed Ally’s charity-shop lace blouse. ‘Poor.’
What the actual fuck was it Fleur did, anyway? Just then Rosemarie’s voice resonated from behind Ally. ‘Francis, it’s yourself. I haven’t seen you since last time you were here.’ There was something in her tone that unnerved him, and he agreed that it was indeed a long time, and yes, indeed, a big coincidence.
‘What about a selfie to celebrate the day? Lean in, guys .?.?.’
There wasn’t much they could say, so to Ally and Francis’s discomfort, and Fleur’s obvious chagrin, Rosemarie snapped all of them against a backdrop of two young lads giving them the finger from outside the window.
‘Fabulous, God, you all look great,’ she gushed.
What the hell was she up to? wondered Ally. Feeling like a cat trying to escape from the clutches of a marauding toddler, Ally made a beeline for the counter, where she found herselfambushed by William.
‘So, listen, Ally, I never got a chance to chat to you. Thanks a million for the day’s work, Fergus really appreciates it .?.?. We’re having fierce craic up there. God, your friend’s a live wire, isn’t she?’ he said affably.
Meanwhile, painfully aware of Pete’s eyes on her, Ally was being deliberately casual and jocular, avoiding any suggestion of intimacy between them. What had she been thinking? She’d been obsessed with Fantasy William, and that had somehow got tangled up with Real William .?.?. and now here was Francis, who had somehow turned into Fake Francis and arrived unexpectedly with Fleur just to add a sprinkle of fairy shite to the whole day .?.?. And now they were both colliding with Very Real Pete.
‘Ally?’ She came to with a jolt to see William staring at her.
