‘So, Anika,’ the bobbed woman says once the waiter departs. ‘How do you know Cameron here?’
They glance at one another and Cam draws in a breath, but Anika beats him to it, halting him with a hand on his thigh under the table. She intends it to be a pat, but it lingers almost involuntarily, enjoying that muscle again and feeling rewarded at the tension that tightens through it. ‘I was a sad little sweet-sixteen-year-old, just come back to London after my mum had divorced her suburban husband, and there was this intriguingboy who lived across the road. But he didn’t notice me, even though I had a massive crush on him …’ Anika hears herself sounding flirty and confident, and internally thanks the diary again.
Cam is clearly about to intervene, but makes a surprised noise as she says the last part. ‘Oh. Rah, OK,’ he says, recovering. ‘But Ididnotice you, didn’t I?’ Anika waves her hands in front of his face to shush him and they all laugh at his exaggerated exasperation.
‘He thought my name was Anita.’ She takes it as another chance to touch him, patting his arm in humorous consolation. His forearm flexes and he turns to look at her.
‘True, might have remixed your name for a second there. I was bedazzled. Forgive me?’
There’s a silent dialogue going on between them even as she speaks. ‘OK, I forgive you.’ She takes a breath and turns away from Cam reluctantly, back to the table. ‘Anyway, one night there was a house party.’ She proceeds cautiously, keeping the mood buoyant. ‘Sad little me was hiding in what she thought was going to be the bathroom, but it was some kind of utility room. Then who bursts in but Kwame Cameron Asiedu here.’ They’re all watching, listening. Asante is chuckling to himself with a surprised look at Cam, as though he hadn’t heard the full story.
‘Oh, yeah?’ his friend says.
Cam is looking at her too, his eyes twinkling, but then he glances over at Asante, then at Max, who subtly shakes his head at the bigger guy. ‘Wasn’t like that.’ Cam turns back to look at Anika. ‘It was your birthday,’ he continues softly. ‘Sweetseventeen.’
Anika falters at the emotion held in his gaze and her voice comes out more quietly. ‘Maybe he was paying attention, then.’ The laughter of the others at the table sounds distant, because she’s unable to pull her attention away from Cam. Eventually,she turns back towards them all. ‘We talked for ages and I told him how I’d never been kissed.’ She pulls a mock-pitiful face and they all laugh again, lapping it up.
‘Oh my gosh, I love where this is headed,’ Susan, the woman with the glasses in her hair, says. Anika draws a breath, but the story is interrupted by the arrival of their cocktails, followed swiftly by the food. Nevertheless, the guests at the table are eager for Anika to continue.
‘Anyway, long story short …’ She hesitates.Am I just putting on a show? Isthisbeing truthful?Her voice lowers, becomes less shot through with the mirth of playing to a crowd. She looks at Cam again as she speaks. ‘He kissed me. Just like that. Like it was no big deal. Like it wouldn’t … be the thing that symbolised a change I’d want for myself, deep down, if I really admitted it. Cam just … kissed me.’ She’s almost whispering now, his dark eyes shining down at her as if they are, once again, the only two in the room. ‘And not, like, a bullshit kiss. A beautiful one; an important one.’ She sucks in a long breath, looking round the table again. ‘My first kiss. This guy right here.’ That tone is back in her voice and they all clap, even stern-looking Una, who clasps her hands together at her throat and declares it the sweetest story she’s heard in ages.
‘So how did you flop it, G?’ Asante asks teasingly, biting into a spring roll.
Cam looks down for a second. ‘I don’t know, man. Life. You know.’ He eyes his friend meaningfully. Then to the others, he says, ‘We parted ways, unfortunately.’ Anika feels Cam taking the full weight of the history and holding it. ‘I did not stop wondering about her ever since.’ He turns his head towards Anika once more, unrelenting in his scrutiny, ignoring the growing tension of the others around the table. Anika swallows hard, then reaches quickly for her drink. Her head is swimming, but not because of the alcohol.
‘That’s … nice to know,’ she says, half to the table, half to Cam.
He breaks into a smile that exposes only the right side of his teeth, a low laugh directed towards his lap as he finally turns away and stretches slightly. ‘So, what are those ribs saying?’ he asks, gesturing towards the plate in the centre of the table. They all launch into tales of their teenage years, which then leads to a discussion ofEnd of the Dayand how much it’s going to resonate with ‘its audience’. Anika has an idea who people like Nathan are picturing, but she hopes young Black kidsdogo and see Cam and Max’s film. It’s so rare they get to see themselves in such complicated, emotional light – her teenage self was partly who she was watching it for, too.
‘God, I can’t tell you the scramble it’s been to change things over to tomorrow, boys,’ Susan eventually says, delicately lifting a green bean clamped between a pair of chopsticks towards her mouth. ‘Lewis has been tearing his hair out, but the PR team said it’s looking good now. They’ve been on to the key people’s agents and everything for the red carpet is—’
‘It’s sorted now, yeah?’ Cam’s forehead furrows in concerned waves even as he sucks on a prawn tail in a way that is drawing something carnal out of Anika. Susan nods while she’s chewing. Cam puts down the prawn carcass and flips his napkin up to his mouth to mop it. The phrase ‘messy eater’ sends a jolt down between Anika’s legs. ‘Shit, I never said. You’re not gonna believe this,’ Cam says, addressing her, and she straightens up. ‘They’ve got to move the premiere up from Wednesday to tomorrow night.’
‘Oh, shit, really?’
Cam shakes his head in irritation. ‘Some bullshit with a protest scheduled for Central on our day – nothing to do with us, it’s some “men’s rights” fascist bollocks – and there are already other events scheduled at the venue on Monday and Tuesday …’
Asante gives his business partners a look and then gives Cam’sarm a placating tap with the side of his fist. ‘Trust me, big man. I told you, it’s a better move for us.’
‘Can you imagine? A bunch of scumbags disrupting the big one?’ Una mutters, doing an exaggerated shudder. ‘Don’t worry, Cam, darling. It will all be fine.’
Nathan agrees, leaning back in his chair and swigging some of the red wine that has somehow also been ordered and divided out into bulbous glasses alongside the crowd of cocktails and plates on the table.
‘The only thing left to sort is a DJ for the beginning of the after-party,’ Una says. ‘Handon can’t get there until eleven.’ She swirls the vivid liquid around her own glass, but stops when Cam says,
‘Ah, no worries. Anika could cover that spot.’ He says it so matter-of-factly that Anika almost wonders if she missed something, as if they’ve already discussed it and she’s forgotten. But she’ddefinitelyremember something like that.
‘Er … could I?’
Cam continues eating, as though it’s no big deal. ‘Yeah, man. Easy. Oh … unless you’re busy. I know it’s short notice.’ He puts down his chopsticks and makes a point of finishing chewing his mouthful before straightening up to turn a charming, beseeching look her way. ‘But I’m really hoping you’re not, coz I was kind of hoping you might be my date to the premiere, too.’
Anika’s head nods like it’s moving automatically and she has a feeling her mouth might be hanging open. She consciously presses her lips together while Una puts her glass down to clap her hands together and pick up her phone. ‘Ah, brilliant!’ She starts rapidly typing out a message. ‘We’ll get your details from Cameron and sort out a fee and all of that business.’
Nathan leans his elbows on the table, grinning. ‘God, talk about a woman of many talents, eh? You’re a DJ, too? To be honest, I should have known …’
Anika doesn’t hide the roll of her eyes, but he doesn’t seem tonotice. ‘Yeah. That should be fine.’ She shoots Cam a wry smile. ‘Spinning tunes in a red-carpet-worthy outfit that I also need to find with twenty-four-hours’ notice? No worries!’ She laughs, and Cam does too.
‘You can do it,’ he says simply.
