‘I’m… I’m getting hoarse. Sorry, Aliah, carry on. But for context, what do you do?’
‘I’m a talent manager. I represent children. Meaning I have to deal with the most demanding parents who believe their progeny is the next big thing because they can smile on cue.’
‘Which makes for crazy stories she gets super intense about.’ Andres laughs and pulls her against him. ‘We love it.’
‘I’m not intense, they’re all psychotic! So, that bitch, she— The mother, not the little brat… She gets back to me a week later and for what? “That brand doesn’t speak to us. What else have you got?” “Well, my fake nails in your fake tan? They’ll speak to you clearly!” Oh, and the evil twins’ father has struck again!’
The speed of Aliah’s delivery is a gear above what Charles has the capacity to follow at the moment. But her voice is muffling his own, so he manages to concentrate enough to grasp the nuances of her hot-blooded personality.
That’s what he does for the next half an hour, as the narrator keeps changing and reactions burst out. He asks questions that can’t be returned and drafts a first portrait of Loris’ friends.
Compared to his girlfriend, Andres appears very chill, but Charles wouldn’t risk crossing swords with his brawny arms. He’s a cook in a restaurant near King’s Cross train station. The same restaurant wherePhoebe bartends part-time to pay for her criminology studies.
She never misses an occasion to mock her friends, but her attitude is very motherly. She reminds Charles of George, who can tease him and Alex for hours, encourages sparring matches between Phil and Spencer, but flips the table when someone out of their circle badmouths his mates.
As for Enzo, he’s made it clear that he knows more about castings than Aliah, more about Spanish food than Andres and more about UK law than Phoebe. He also seems to know more about Loris’ choices and opinions than Loris himself, which is a Milton-like behaviour and gets Charles’ back up.
For an ex-boyfriend on a one-off visit, Enzo cares a lot about marking his territory. His body language is risible.
But when he brings Loris’ hand behind his neck, and Loris starts massaging him, Charles loses the will to laugh. The memory of Loris’ touch has been such a buoy since Tuesday, sharing it with a guy who can manifestly stay afloat on his own feels like a gross injustice.
Luckily, Loris remembers that he hasn’t taken out the recycling wheelie bins and jumps to his feet. Andres follows him outside to have a cigarette, Enzo heads to the toilets and, in less than a minute, Charles finds himself alone with Phoebe and Aliah, who instantly moves her chair closer to them.
‘So?’
‘What a tosser!’ Phoebe digs her claws into her can. ‘He’s seriously testing me.’
‘I told you.’
They both look at Charles, who frowns to fake being confused, reluctant to reveal his feelings to a tight group of chatterboxes.
‘Who?’
‘MonsieurBeen there before you, Done that better than you.’
‘It’s hard to judge. I don’t know him.’
Phoebe raises a challenging eyebrow. ‘Do you want to?’
‘No. But I’m a bit antisocial.’
‘Come on, I’m sure you want to know us.’
‘He’s a pretentious jerk who has me wondering what type of spell he cast on Loris back in the day.’ Aliah darts a glance at the ajar front door that has just creaked because of the wind. ‘And he’s messing him up. I know my boy, he doesn’t need to complain, it’s obvious he’s having the worst time. Andres and I spent the evening with them, two days ago. Loris was on edge from start to finish.’
‘That’s why we showed up tonight. To limit their time alone in the flat.’
‘I thought they were good friends?’
Phoebe scoffs bitterly. ‘So did Loris. But I guess the guy believed they’d be fuck buddies for a week. As if Loris had just been waiting for a chance to shag him again. As if he didn’t clearly draw the line at sleeping with him after his heart was broken and trampled on. But that blockhead refuses to read the room and— Which is why you should come, Charles!’ she exclaims when Aliah coughs.
‘Yes, I… I’ll try to make it to… that.’
Charles smiles, with no hope of being credible, unable to improvise like Phoebe just did, and overwhelmed by a flow of new concepts.
Enzo drops back onto his chair. ‘How long are we staying here?’
A heartbroken Loris.
