A hand reaches down to help me up. ‘Sorry,’ says a guy sheepishly. ‘Some girl barged into me.’
He points a thumb behind him, and I spot Birdie waving slyly over her shoulder.Mean cow.I skate over to the benches at the side of the rink and take out my phone. There’s a message from Matteo.
Why didn’t you wait for me?
I immediately text back.
Because Birdie said you always put business before pleasure. Honestly, she’s been a right pain. How quick can you get here?
Matteo arrives within half an hour. I spot him at the far corner gingerly stepping out onto the wooden rink. He holds on to the rail as I skate backwards towards him and do a semicircle around him before a full spin, criss-crossing my legs as I come out of it into a shuffle. I am fully showing off for his attention.
‘Who knew?’ he says, admiration blooming from his eyes. ‘I’m impressed.’
I take his hand. ‘Want a lesson?’
‘Not really,’ he says, laughing, jerkily trying to keep his balance. ‘Happy to watch.’
I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer and within a few minutes I have him rolling bubbles alongside me.
‘I’ve never skated before,’ he says. ‘And now I know why.’
‘I’ve never taught anyone to skate before.’
We have so much in common.
Soon, all the stress has left him. His face transforms when he’s not thinking about work or organising events on both sides of the Atlantic with a thousand people vying for his attention. After one pop tune after another, the DJ switches the tempo and plays a real thumping romantic ballad. Suddenly all the lights dim, replaced by sparkling strobes. I take the opportunity to do a little roller-flirting, switching positions, all while holding his hand. Because he’s such a skilled Latino, and moving his body to the beat is second nature, he is a complete natural, moving with me, like we’re slow dancing but on skates. I bite my lip while I stare alluringly at him. I pull out all the stops and give him my best moves. Some of which haven’t been used for over twelve years, but it’s all coming back to me.
We swish past Ged and Liam, who haven’t sat down once. They are loving this. Big Sue and Big Mand have copied our lead and are dancing together. We fly round the rink and out of the corner of my eye I can see Sister Kevin with tissue sticking out of his nose. It’s covered in blood. He gives us a wave as we pass by. Up ahead, Cherry and Tash are wobbling forward, holding on to the side of the roller rink.
Liberty is in front of us. If I thought I was good, she is Olympic standard. Poor Hank Junior doesn’t stand a chance. He’s gawping at her as though she’s his Venus sent from above. She eases from a vertical split into a backwards spin. Her outfit is amazing. Her crop top is sparkly pink, and her cheerleading skirt of green sequins catch the disco lights as she moves. Her tiny skirt flaps up as she glides around the rink, revealing matching glittery knickers that are a mix of the two colours. It’s a gold medal all round from me. She looks amazing.
‘Are you okay?’ she asks me as she circles around us.
‘Yeah. Thanks,’ I say, keen not to make a deal out of Birdie’s bullying behaviour. ‘Just a few bruises.’
‘Birdie is such a bitch,’ she says, before skating back to Hank Junior.
Matteo tilts his head quizzically at me.
‘It’s nothing,’ I assure him. ‘Nothing I can’t handle.’
Just as I lean in to pretend-kiss Matteo as part of an elaborately sexy move that I’ve just invented in the heat of the moment, because he’s looking so incredibly handsome, Birdie barges into me and Matteo like an angry bat out of hell and karate chops our hands apart.
‘Mind if I cut in?’ she yells, yanking at Matteo’s hand as she flies past us. Birdie winks over her shoulder at me with a cruel smirk.
Matteo hardly has time to register what’s happening because Cherry, who has obviously witnessed Birdie’s antics, sticks her foot out to trip her up. Birdie and her cruel smirk go flying to the ground.
‘Oops,’ says Cherry. ‘Not as fun when you’re on the receiving end, is it?’
Matteo helps Birdie up and over to the side. I let out a small groan. Now she’ll have every excuse to hog his attention. I see them deep in conversation. Once he helps her to a seat, he skates back over to me. He looks furious.
I gulp. I suppose it was sly of Cherry, and perhaps I shouldn’t have laughed out loud, but Birdie did have it coming.
Matteo takes my hand. ‘That’s it. I’ve had enough.’
‘I’m so sorry. I guess we took it a bit?—’
‘I’ve had enough of Birdie. The sooner we get married the better,’ he says in a low voice.
