Those ninety minutes on the lake drinking cheap fizz and eating dry crackers on that sunny Friday afternoon were among the happiest of Greg’s life so far. They were alone, just the two of them, and he could get to know this wonderful, funny woman without anyone else interrupting. He could have stayed there forever, but of course all good things must come to an end, and in this case, they were brought to an abrupt end by a text message. He knew it was all over the minute Erin’s phone buzzed, and yet he still hoped otherwise.
‘It’s Adam,’ she said, squinting down at her phone. ‘He’s arrived.’
‘Oh, great,’ Greg said without a hint of enthusiasm.
‘Sorry Greg. This has been really lovely but do you mind if we head back now? I haven’t seen him for two weeks.’ The light that shone in her eyes felt like a dagger to his heart because he knew she was no longer thinking about him, but about Adam. Bloody Adam.
‘Sure,’ he said, taking up the oars once more and turning the boat round. The sun was behind him now and he rowed in silence, letting the lapping of the water and the occasional shriek from the nearby park fill his mind.
As they stepped onto the lake edge, there was a shout from a distance away. Greg turned and could make out the silhouette of a man heading their way.
‘Oh it’s him!’ Erin squealed, taking off, and Greg watched with a heavy heart as she launched herself at Adam. When they eventually peeled apart, Greg slung his rucksack over his shoulder and planted his feet firmly on the grass, his fists clenched, taking the time to study his rival. He had the rockstar look down to a tee – long scraggly hair, leather jacket (in this heat!), tight ripped jeans, fag hanging between his fingers. He looked like a total fucking cliché. But worse was the air of arrogance as he swaggered towards him, and it was all Greg could do to force a smile.
‘Greg, this is Adam,’ Erin gushed, her hand still clasping Adam’s tightly. ‘Adam, this is my friend, Greg.’
Greg tried not to bristle at the word ‘friend’ and stuck his hand out in greeting. ‘Nice to meet you,’ he said, and Adam shook his hand with a smirk.
‘I’m so excited you two can finally meet,’ Erin said, seemingly oblivious to Greg’s sudden change of mood. She turned and looked longingly at Adam. ‘It’s such a nice day; do you want to stay here and chill for a bit?’
Adam glanced round him, taking in the groups of students sitting in huddles, then looked at Greg. He shrugged. ‘I guess so. We’ve got plenty of time to be alone later eh?’
Greg had never wanted to punch someone so much in his life.
Even though the last thing Greg felt like doing was spending the rest of the day being a gooseberry, he also wasn’t ready to give up his day with Erin. So the three of them made their way to the slope of the riverbank, away from the boat hire, where Erin immediately pulled off her shoes and walked straight into the shallow water.
‘God, it’s freezing!’ She fizzed with laughter and Greg had to tear his gaze away from her. As he did he found Adam staring at him.
‘So, how long have you two been friends?’
‘We met in Fresher’s Week, so only a couple of weeks.’
Adam nodded. ‘Right.’ He looked back at Erin. ‘Great, isn’t she?’
Unsure whether it was a test, Greg hesitated. ‘Yes, she is,’ he said eventually. ‘How – how long have you two been together?’ He knew, but couldn’t think of anything else to say.
‘A year or so.’ He took his hat off and lay back on the grass, his arms behind his head. Greg hugged his knees into his chest.
‘Don’t you miss her when you’re away?’
‘Yeah, course. But I’ve got the band as well, and Erin gets that.’ He glanced over at Greg again. ‘I’m glad she’s met some new friends though. Someone to look after her.’ Was it Greg’s imagination or was there emphasis on the word ‘friends’? He met Adam’s gaze pointedly. ‘I’ll definitely look after her, don’t worry about that.’
The meaning sizzled in the air between them, so many unspoken words filling the gaps it was a wonder they could breathe. And then the moment was broken by the sound of someone nearby blasting out music from their speakers.
‘I love this song,’ Erin said, appearing in front of them both like a mirage, water running down her pale legs.
‘Oh, it’s “Hey Jealousy” by the Gin Blossoms,’ Adam said, deliberately not looking at Greg as he said the song title loud and clear.
‘It’s a great song,’ Greg said, ignoring the jibe.
Adam snorted.
‘What?’ Erin sat down between them, dripping cold water over them both. ‘Itisa great song.’
‘It’s shit,’ Adam said. ‘Anodyne and trite.’ He sat up and pulled his hat back on. ‘You wouldn’t catch me playing something like this.’
‘Just as well we all like different things then, isn’t it?’ Greg said, the words ‘arrogant prick’ fortunately staying safely on the tip of his tongue.
Adam turned slowly to face him. ‘Yes grandma, I suppose it is.’ He grinned. ‘It’s still a shite song though.’
