But I was trying to be less of an arse, especially since I was going through a crisis of my own. And I wasn’t going to become a bully to make myself feel better. That would be the biggest dick move ever.
“Yeah,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder and squeezing as I offered him what I hoped was a comforting smile. “You’re overthinking it. Why don’t we go inside and have a look? You don’t have to buy anything, just get some ideas. And you guys talked about what she wanted, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s true. We can just look.” Charlie nodded. He exhaled deeply and looked across the rest of the display, his mouth screwing up as he thought. “I think… she said she wanted something simple, right? Like not too fancy. But I still want it to be nice.”
“Makes sense. Bit difficult to wear a huge ring when you’re trying to operate on a horse. Can she even wear jewellery in surgery?”
“That’s a good point. I don’t know if she can,” Charlie said. “Maybe I need to get her two rings? Like a day one and a nice one for when she’s not at work. Do you think she’d like that?”
“Probably, but I don’t think she’d want something like that.” I pointed at the enormous diamond ring Charlie had been looking at. “Amanda’s got taste. So I dunno why she picked you.”
Charlie snorted. “Cheers, mate.”
“I’m just being honest with you. She is way out of your league. Like so far out of your league she’s like the sun and you’re, I don’t know, a rock.”
“A rock?” Charlie stared at me in bewilderment. “Thanks, Danny, I’ll remember that.”
“Could have been worse.”
“Yeah? How?”
“I don’t know. She’s the sun and you’re a worm?”
“Shut up!” Charlie said, but he was laughing and the anxiety in his face had eased, which meant annoying him had worked. I might have a reputation as an annoying dickhead, but it had its uses. I just had to walk the line between useful annoying and annoying annoying.
“What? It’s the truth. She’s a fucking veterinary surgeon who stops horses from dying, and you get paid to run fast with a ball. There is no competition there.”
“So do you! Does that make you a rock too?”
“Mate, I am king of rocks and I know it.” I grinned and pushed my hair back dramatically. I’d had it in a mullet for nearly two years now and I was starting to get bored of it, but at this point I was keeping it on principle because it annoyed the shit out of my teammates. They kept telling me I’d regret it, but I didn’t. The mullet was cool.
Anyway, I’d seen their hair at twenty-four and none of them had a leg to stand on.
Charlie laughed again, looking so much more relaxed. “I can’t take you anywhere.”
“Yeah, you can. I know how to behave when it matters. Remember that dinner party with Amanda’s posh mates from uni? Jessica said I was fucking charming and an utter delight.”
“I don’t know why. You’re a wanker most of the time,” Charlie said as he rang the bell for the jewellers, asking someone to come and let us in.
“Hey! I can be a charming, delightful wanker.”
“I guess, but it’s not normally your style. Did you even end up with her number?”
“Er, yeah,” I said, glancing into the window and suddenly hoping Charlie didn’t notice I was flustered.
“Did you go out with her? Only, Amanda didn’t say anything. And I’m pretty sure if it was bad, then Jessica would have said.”
I froze, wondering if I should tell him the truth or quickly make some shit up. There was a really good chance Charlie would discover my lie if he talked to Amanda about it or the next time Jessica came over. But on the other hand, how the fuck did I tell him I didn’t go out with her because I was worried I might be gay?
And even though I had a reputation as a womanising dickhead, I wasn’t so much of a fuckboy that I was going to string women along to cover for me. My internalised issues weren’t their problem to deal with, which I was quite proud of myself for realising.
Even if it had been a recent discovery after watching my sister, Jade, be strung along by her knobhead ex-boyfriend.
I probably shouldn’t have needed to see my sister suffer to figure out women had feelings about this shit, but I had.
Although maybe if the girl in this situation hadn’t been so close to my best mate’s girlfriend, it would have been different, and I’d still have strung her along because there was less chance I’d get caught. And that was only because I didn’t want Amanda to be pissed at me for treating her mate like shit.
I’d never be invited for dinner again.
