“Girls’ night?” I ask, glancing between them.
“I’m thinking the Mayfair Lounge,” Anna says, smirking.
“Absolutely,” Gemma and I reply, raising our drinks.
With grins all around, we clink our glasses together.
It’s Saturday morning, and the sun pours in through the windows, filling the room with a comfortable warmth. I stretch my tired arms and rise from bed to get ready for the day. Saturdays have become my favourite since Gemma and I became friends. They’re somewhat of a ritual where we grab a takeaway coffee and stroll through the busy Portobello Market.
I usually did this while Lucas was out on his morning hike. Afterwards, we would often meet to do something together, whether it was lunch, a movie, a drive through the countryside, hunting for books in charity shops, or exploring new exhibitions at galleries. Although my afternoons now look entirely different, I’ve still got my special mornings with Gemma, which I’m incredibly grateful for.
I have a little more spring in my step this morning after spending last night sifting through images of pottery and ceramics. Perhaps today I’ll stumble across some ceramics that spark inspiration and rekindle that old flame.
After a quick shower, I brush my teeth, spray dry shampoo into my hair, and run my fingers through it. I slap on some colour corrector and a layer of black mascara to try to hide my under-eye bags, which are definitely not Chanel.
Next, I put on my baggy jeans and black jumper, slip into my sneakers, feed Basil, and head out the door. I jump in the car and fire off a text to Gemma, letting her know I’m on my way.
I try to make the most of the sunshine when it dares to grace us, this hasn’t been the warmest spring. So, I wind down my window and let the breeze kiss my skin while I crank up the music, singing along at the top of my lungs. Wild weekend, I know.
I pull up to Gemma’s flat and find her waiting on the stoop, bundled in her cosy puffer coat. When she spots me, she leaps to her feet and jogs to the passenger side before swinging the door open and dropping into the seat.
“It’s freezing! Why is your window down?”
“Because it’s spring. The sun is shining!”
“So? It’s still cold. Put it up!”
I shake my head but roll the window up as Gemma fiddles with the temperature dials on my dashboard, blasting warm air through the vents.
“I need coffee so badly. I had the worst night.”
“What happened?”
“Okay, so remember that Kevin guy I met on that kink app?”
“Yes …”
“Well, he came over last night, and we ended up having sex.”
“Classic.”
“No, that’s not it,” she says, shaking her head before dropping her head into her hands.
“I was hoping it wouldn’t be.” I smirk, giving her a side-eye.
Catching up with Gemma is never dull. She leads the most interesting, fun life, exuding a confidence and dominance I can only admire from afar.
“He asked me to stick a mini vibrator up his ass,” she mumbles from behind her hands. I quickly turn my head to face her, wondering if I’d misheard.
She sighs. “It got stuck and wouldn’t come out, so I had to take him to the A&E at 1:00 a.m.”
I definitely heard correctly.
“No!” I gasp.
“Yes! It was so fucking awkward!”
“What did you do?”
