Meg laughed. ‘No one has ever called me skittish before! Now come on, Lizzie, I’ll walk with you to the bus stop. I’m going that way,’ she added hurriedly as Lizzie opened her mouth to say that she was perfectly capable of walking to a bus stop on her own. ‘I’ve got my first waitressing shift in the area. But I don’t want to be late.’
Because Meg had to be at her destination a bit earlier than Lizzie, Lizzie found herself outside thecinema a good twenty minutes before she was due to meet Rich.
She was grateful that there were lots of film posters to be examined outside the Odeon. While she studied them intently, her earnest expression didn’t prevent several young men trying to pick her up. She was tempted to walk round the block but she was worried in case she missed Rich, or possibly Vanessa and her boyfriend. Lizzie pulled up the collar on her coat (one of Gina’s – she had moved the belt loops) and made herself as unapproachable as possible.
At last Rich appeared. ‘Am I late, sweetie?’ He kissed her casually on the cheek and Lizzie found herself flinching. She kissed her relations on the cheek, no one else.
‘Where are Vanessa and Ted? Or are we meeting them there?’ she asked to hide her awkwardness.
‘Oh, they’re not coming. Does it matter?’ He put his arm round her and turned her so he could study her.
She looked back at him. ‘No,’ she said. Part of her was lying.
They walked along together, with his arm round her, clamping her to his side. It made her feel safe and protected after feeling so exposed while she waited for him.
He took her down a side street and through a narrow door that would have been easy to miss,and up a steep flight of stairs on to a dark landing. Then Rich pushed open a door and noise, light and cigarette smoke flooded out.
‘It’s like a Speakeasy!’ Lizzie shouted to Rich.
He smiled and nodded. ‘Drink?’
‘Half a lager,’ she said. ‘Please.’ She knew where she was with lager. She would have to find her way to the Ladies eventually, but she knew two halves wouldn’t make her drunk.
Rich guided her to a table that had a couple of spare seats. He said, ‘You’ll be OK here.’ Then he headed for the bar.
Lizzie looked around. The pub was very full and there seemed to be a great range of people present. There was a group on a small stage who were currently playing jazz. Round them stood young men in corduroy trousers, shirts and cravats, who wouldn’t have looked out of place in her local pub at home. There were people in denim jackets covered in badges, tight jeans and winkle-picker shoes. She even spotted a few men in suits.
The girls were wearing an even greater range of clothes, from long, elaborate dresses to tiny short skirts worn with fishnet tights and spangle-covered tops. There was even a group of women who could have been teachers from Lizzie’s old school wearing mid-calf skirts with thick stockings and clumpy shoes. But what pleased Lizzie, as she completedher survey, was that the prettiest girls were wearing short dresses quite like her own.
‘On your own?’ said a voice, two seconds after Lizzie had removed her coat and stuffed it behind her on the chair. A young man who looked as if he’d had a few pints already swayed slightly as he looked down at her.
‘No,’ said Lizzie firmly. ‘I’m with my boyfriend. He’s over there.’ She gestured towards an enormous man in a leather flying jacket that was making him sweat quite a lot. He looked dangerous.
The drunk lurched away and Lizzie felt quite pleased with herself because she had seen him off, but realised that she was going to have to toughen up quite a bit if she was going to live in London for the foreseeable future.
A couple more men tried to pick her up before Rich came back with the drinks. She was very relieved to see him.
‘It’s great here, isn’t it?’ said Rich.
‘Mm,’ said Lizzie, trying to look enthusiastic. But as she sipped her drink and relaxed she realised she liked the music and the variety of people. It was unlike anywhere she’d been before.
‘The group I’m interested in is on later,’ said Rich. ‘Let’s sit on this sofa, now it’s free.’
It was hardly a sofa but it made it possible for Rich to put his arm round Lizzie properly and kissher cheek again. Then he turned her chin and kissed her on her mouth. She couldn’t decide if she liked it or not and realised, to her dismay, that she didn’t feel strongly either way. It wasn’t distasteful, having his tongue in her mouth, but it wasn’t sexy either. She broke the kiss and sat back in her seat.
She realised that Rich was looking at her in a speculative and possessive way and began to worry that he might want more from her than she was happy to give. But then he smiled and she realised he was really attractive and she did fancy him a bit. She could always say no later, if he tried anything on.
‘Another drink?’ Rich asked.
Lizzie was only halfway down her glass of lager. She didn’t really like it. ‘No, I’m OK, thank you.’
‘I’m going to have to go backstage and see my boys in a minute. I don’t want anyone else taking advantage of your empty glass.’ He smiled sexily.
‘I’ll drink slowly,’ she said. While she gave him what she hoped was a confident smile, inwardly she didn’t like the thought of being left in this crowd. It seemed to be full of predatory men on the lookout for a girl on her own.
He put his hand on her knee and stroked it for a bit in a way that made her think of rubbing embrocation rather than anything sexy. She was gratefulwhen, just as his hand was moving from her kneecap to her thigh, he sighed and said he had to go.
At that moment the music stopped and the lights went off and on again.
