Guess I pass muster, after all.
Leo looks up and grins. “Aww, Erica,” he says to a pretty brunette carrying a tray of lurid pink cocktails in Manhattan glasses, “if I’d known you were working tonight, I’d’ve wornthose leather trousers you like so much.” Wow, he really does turn on the charm full blast with everyone at every opportunity.
Erica smirks back at him. “Don’t sweat it, handsome, you sure as shit fill out those jeans nicely.” The cocktails are apparently for us, and she passes us one each.
“You’re all welcome,” Leo says, confirming my suspicions about where they came from.
“What are these?” Sadie asks, trying one and moaning with appreciation and delight. “That isnice.”
“They’re called Bubblegum Fizzes,” Erica tells her.
“And I got them to welcome our own Pink Lady,” Leo says, holding one up and toasting me. “Welcome to the gang, Rizzo,” he says with a wink, the incorrigible flirt, and I can already tell he’s a definite friend.
Leo
Liaden,it has to be said, is endearing as fuck, and I don’t see how anyone could help but like her.
And I’m relieved to see Eli unclench enough to give her a chance as well. I get it: he’s the one who takes care of Dean the most, he’s done it for years, and he’s on a sharp lookout for any sign that Liaden could hurt him. Hence the stern what-are-your-intentions parental vibe he’s got going on. But she deserves the benefit of the doubt, and when she showed real empathy and argued that we should have done a more Dean-friendly activity tonight, he was as won over as he could possibly be. It was spot on perfect, sincere, and exactly what he needed to hear to ease up on her.
And our ladies have immediately warmed to her, too. There’s ‘new friend’ energy flying around, the warmth and recognition of meeting people you like and have things in common with, and I can definitely see them having girls’ nights out together. And girls’ nights in, with any luck.Please have pillow fights and live stream them, pretty please…
Dr O’Brien is a one quirky woman, that’s for sure. She talks so fast evenI’mexhausted, and it’s fun and stimulating trying to keep up with her. We’ve been talking about the best eighties movies, and whereas I’m fully TeamLost Boys- not least because of the sweaty sax guy’s awesome moves - Liaden made a really good pitch forFast Times at Ridgmont High, citing the ahead-of-its-time sex positivity for young womenandreminding me of that fantastic scene with Phoebe Cates at the pool. Sadie is TeamSt Elmos Fire, because I know she has a thing for Rob Lowe’s character, Eli is teamKarate Kid, and Emily is all about Lloyd Dobler inSay Anything, creepy boombox moment and all.
And the more I listen to Liaden talk and gesticulate about the ‘positive sibling relationship’ between Judge Reinhold and Jennifer Jason Leigh inFast Times, and the more I watch her confidence and easygoing, ready smiles, the more convinced I am that here is Dean’s ideal partner, in ways I don’t think any of us could have predicted.
She’s talkative, which will offset his self-imposed isolation. She’s animated, which will stop him from fading into the wallpaper, and she’ll pull him into things more in a way only a romantic partner can. Her confidence will hopefully resuscitate his own.
I always imagined that if Dean ended up with anyone, she would have been quiet and gentle and amenable, and wouldn’t have pushed him to do anything. Someone content to lead an insular, uneventful life with him, bubble wrapped away from theworld. But having met Liaden, I can see now how very wrong this imaginary woman would have been for him. Liaden will suit him better than anyonebecauseshe’s his opposite in so many ways. She’ll pull him out of his determinedly solitary lifestyle and into the land of the living-not-merely-existing, and better yet, she’ll make himwantto join her there.
I can’t help wishing he'd felt able to be with us tonight. Their compatibility and her intentions aren’t the issue here. The way he locks himself awayis. He’ll never see how good he could have it and what an amazing chance this is for him if he never sets foot out of his flat for anything except work.
I wonder if he will, now, if given time to pace himself. For her.
The pub is pretty packed now, all the tables occupied. About as busy as it’s going to get, give or take a late coming hen do. John’s karaoke nights are always popular, and it doesn’t matter if you’re the next Sam Ryder or if you can’t carry a tune with a forklift truck; people will still cheer you on with equal enthusiasm either way.
Sadie laughs at something Liaden’s said, a proper throw-your-head-back belly laugh which shows off the curve of her throat. I smile, wondering what I can sing that she’ll enjoy, and then grin wider as I come up with not one, buttwosongs that’ll be perfect, and act as a peace offering after pissing her off with my ‘old Petey boy’ crack.
“OK, folks,” John says into the mic, “welcome to another karaoke night. This one is exclusively eighties themed, and I’ll buy a double gin and tonic for the first person to volunteer to sing tonight, to get things underway. How about that?”
“Right here!” Liaden waves her hand immediately and fearlessly, one hundred percent up for it. “I will,” she yells. I cheer, and the girls join me.
“And the pretty girl with the strawberry milkshake hair has it,” John grins, looking her up and down as she stands.John, mate, there’s a thing called subtlety. Put your eyes back in their damn sockets. Makes me glad I’m not Dean, watching him guess her measurements.
“Hurray, G and T,” she says happily as she scooches past me and picks up John’s folder, flicking through the laminated track listing carefully. She’s clearly got something in mind, and I can’t wait to see what.
She nods and taps the page. “That one. Seven three four five two.”
“Don’t you meaneight six seven five three oh nine,” I quip, and Sadie taps my arm and giggles.Phew, I’m out of the doghouse. I narrow my eyes at John, who’s standing unnecessarily close to our new friend as he looks over her shoulder, but she doesn’t seem bothered by him. He ignores me deliberately.
“Good choice,” he murmurs to her, almost purring, “lemme get her fired up for you, and then I’ll buy you that drink.”
“Definitely going to need it after this one.” She stretches her neck on one side, and then the other, like a warm up exercise.
“You got it, toots.” He turns and programs the machine, and she rolls her eyes a little at us. John is shit out of luck with his flirting, I’m relieved to see.
The plinkety-plink sounds of the first few bars ofAloneby Heart fill the room, and there are a couple of cheers for the perennial favourite. Brave choice, but then, we know Liaden can sing from her YouTube videos, so -
WOW.
