Hannah shook her head sadly. ‘Six a.m. flight. Pretty much have to leave as soon as I get in.’
Ellie sighed. ‘We shouldn’t have stopped for dessert.’
‘And miss the best ice cream sundae in London? No way.’
‘But this place is rubbish without the terrace.’ Ellie shuffled out of the way of a waitress who was carrying a platter of steaming noodles through the crowd. This really was the worst end to an otherwise perfect farewell.
‘Stupid private party,’ she grumbled, as she mentally tortured herself by remembering the terrace only a few steps away. With acres of squishy seats and low tables, the terrace’s roof garden was not only beautifully landscaped with magnificent views, but it also had a huge cherry blossom tree planted in its centre. How the hell they’d hauled a massive tree up here in the first place was beyond her, but they’d somehow managed it. At night the tree was lit up with hundreds of fairy lights, and she could just make out the twinkling glow of it beyond the steamy windows.
Hannah’s voice interrupted her thoughts. ‘Don’t be disappointed, you’ve given me the best send-off imaginable. We’ve done the best tea room, the best dim sum, the best ice cream. It’s been theperfectday. After all that food and walking, I’m going to sleep like a baby through the whole flight.’
She was still leaving. Ellie had planned this day half hoping that showing off everything that London had to offer might make Hannah change her mind at the last minute. A futile hope.
‘You’re going to sleep the whole twenty-five-hour flight?’
‘With two stops,’ Hannah reminded her with a twinkle in her eyes.
‘With two stops…’ Ellie chuckled. Resigned to her fate, she stomped down her disappointment and forced herself to be enthusiastic for her friend. ‘You’re going to have the most amazing time, babe.’
Hannah’s own smile faltered for a moment as tears gathered in her eyes. ‘I wish you were coming with me.’
Ellie longed to shout,Please, don’t go!But she knew that confessing her misery would only make Hannah feel worse, and she knew that her friend already felt terrible. Hannah’s decision to go travelling had meant Ellie had had to move back in with her family temporarily. And itwouldbe temporary, she reminded herself.
Instead, she gave a dramatic gasp, and pretended to clutch her pearls. ‘Australia! With all those spiders and creepy-crawlies? No thanks.’
‘Well… maybe you could come and visit me. Have a little holiday?’ Hannah asked hopefully, tucking a long strand of mousy-blonde hair behind her ear.
Always so unsure of herself, Hannah’s travelling plans were a strange role reversal between them. They had been best friends since Ellie had grabbed shy little Hannah’s frightened hand on the first day of school. Now, she who always followed loud, bolshie, risk-taking Ellie with good grace, was taking the bravest step she’d ever made – alone.
‘If I don’t do it now, I’m afraid I’ll never do it.’
How could Ellie argue with that?
She would have been proud of her, if Hannah wasn’t leaving her behind and taking half of their flat deposit with her. There was no way Ellie could afford a ‘little’holiday to the other side of the world, but she wouldn’t tell Hannah that. ‘Maybe… It might be easier to save at my mum’s.’
Hannah’s eyes lit up. ‘Please, I’d love to see you, and I’m so sorry I ruined everything for you. You had your heart set on that flat—’
‘It’s not your fault,’ Ellie said. Although it kind of was. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Hannah would be leaving tomorrow, and twenty-five years of friendship was worth more than her personal disappointment.
Hannah beamed at her. ‘You can stay with me and get a cheap flight. It won’t cost much.’
Ellie nodded, almost believing it might be possible, until she remembered she’d already had to pay her mum’s phone bill this month.
God, it was all so depressing! She was sick of being skint, of doors being constantly closed in her face, of people – like that suit – looking down on her, just because she dared to stand up for herself and exist in a bigger body.
Another waitress with a black jacket and chopsticks in her hair struggled through the crowd with a full platter. Ellie and Hannah leapt into each other’s arms to avoid being smacked in the head.
‘Right, I’ve had enough of this. Knock back your drink.’ Ellie downed the last of her pink fizz and placed it on a nearby table. Then she tied up her hair in a makeshift bun, mimicking the waitress’s hairstyle.Needs must.She grabbed the stirrer from her cocktail and then Hannah’s and grinned at her friend’s confused face as she stuck both stirrers in her hair. ‘Can I borrow your jacket?’
‘Sure…’
Hannah was at least five sizes smaller, but after some wiggling she managed to squeeze into it. It didn’t matter that it wouldn’t do up, or cover her breasts, she just needed to look the part. She dug in her handbag for her work name tag and stuck it on thelapel, then handed her bag to her friend. ‘Hold these and follow me. Act like you know what I’m doing.’
‘Whatareyou doing?’
‘Getting us onto that bloody roof terrace.’ Ellie strode forward, grabbing discarded menus from a nearby table as she passed.
If her best friend was going to leave her, she’d at least give her the perfect memory of her last night here – perhaps it would bring her back sooner?
