He turns to the girl opposite. I can’t even begin to imagine what her life must be like with a boyfriend this superior. She must be pinching herself all day long. I have never seen anyone this drop-dead gorgeous in my entire life. No wonder she’s gawping. He must get stared atallthe time. I blush, trying not to imagine hishuge, award-winning wanger of a cock. I give myself a quick mental slap. He’s not a piece of meat. A man this handsome still needs to be treated with respect. Even if he isn’t single. And fortunately for him, I am a very respectful woman with very strong opinions on cheating. And gawping.
‘You did say Halikarnas? That’s where I’m headed,’ he says casually, hands stuffed in his shorts pockets. And that accent. Australian. So cool. So confident.
‘Yes! Halikarnas, yes. That’s me. Yes. I did say that. Yes. Halikarnas. Yes.’ I sound like one of those battery-operated yipping puppies.
I take a deep breath to anchor myself. I have a shiny new degree for God’s sake. I have an above-average IQ. A near-photographic memory. I was vice-president of the Hide and Seek Society (yes, Dillon, vice-bloody-president, not so boring now, am I?). I took part in a seventy-two-hour skipathon for charity. The list is endless.
Understandably, his eyebrows raise a fraction, a startled expression shooting across his face.
‘Sorry,’ I babble, holding my hands up. ‘I’m usually more articulate than that. It’s been a long day.’ I look at the girl next to me. She is still agog.
‘And I’m waiting for my, erm, my… my, erm, boyfriend. That’s it. My boyfriend,’ she splutters, unable to form coherent words either. ‘But I’m still open. It’s only been a few years, it’s not serious.’
He gives her a confused look.
Oh. So, he’s not her boyfriend.I doubt her rugby-playing, giant-penis-wielding boyfriend could even compete. As though sensing the proximity of another alpha on his patch, we are joined by a huge, square-shaped man with a neck that’s easily the circumference of a table for two, emerging from the hotel entrance. He strides (his massive thighs rubbing together like two full-size kayaks) up to the girl standing next to me and bundles her into an affectionate embrace. ‘What’s not serious?’
‘Nothing!’ she squeaks.
He turns to us, smiling, and nods a quick hello before taking his girlfriend’s hand and leading her off down the road. She turns back around to wink at us.
The guy from the plane blows out his cheeks and visibly relaxes. I imagine he gets that a lot. He turns his attention back to me. ‘Do I know you?’ He slants his head. He has yet to place me.
Ah. Dilemma time. Do I own up or brazen it out?
‘I’m not sure.’ I fake laugh. ‘Ho-ho-ho.’ I sound like Santa Claus on poppers. It’s appalling. It’s a dead giveaway. ‘I doubt it though.’Ho-ho-ho.
My cheeks are on fire as he scans my face, recognition slowly dawning. He’s probably thinking why is this young, baby-throwing, single mother now inappropriately dressed as a sexy schoolgirl… and where has she left her enormous newborn? Meanwhile, allIcan think of is… well, ahem, it doesn’t matter what I’m thinking. I’m a career girl, remember?
After a pause, ‘It’s you!’ he thunders. ‘You’re the one who threw her giant baby at me on the plane.’
I swallow a lump in my throat.
‘Quite. Quite… I know… hmmm, I know,’ I say, wondering how to apologise properly without sounding like a kid-hurling maniac. It doesn’t help matters that the raw energy he’s emitting only makes his features more magnificent. His eyes are flashing. He seems to grow a few inches taller. His body takes up more space, he’s more powerful. Restless, like a storm at sea.
‘I’m so sorry. I should never have flung that baby at you. Especially not one that size. It wasn’t even mine. Some woman gave me it and I really needed the toilet. I was desperate.’
‘Some random woman gave you a baby?’ he says in an incredulous tone, shaking his head.
‘Yes. And not a very pleasant one either.’ I won’t forget that hurricane-like howling or gagging on the foul smoky plumes of cig breath in a hurry.
‘The baby or the woman?’ he says, puzzled.
‘Does it matter?’
Suddenly, I’m too exhausted for this trip down misery lane and too ashamed to be polite. And in an unexpected and defensive move, it’s as though my self-pity launches its own missile into the mix. ‘Look. It happened. I’m sorry. It’s been something of a nightmarish day. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I ended up getting hopelessly lost on the way here in the coach. People were awful to me. Truthfully, humanity can be so cruel. So… unbelievably rude and… Anyway, no one even stopped to think what I was going through.’
He blinks slowly as though he’d rather I didn’t talk to him. But unfortunately for him, like a train that has left the station, I need to get a whole day of angst out of my system.
‘They just threw their bags at me and the driver refused to help. And now I’m in this ridiculous costume on my way to a nightclub… which is the last place on earth I want to be right now because quite frankly…’ My voice is rising to near unacceptable levels. ‘I’m on the verge of a complete and utter…’
Wait. What is happening?
He’s gone from looking very pissed off to looking as though I have just announced there has been a sudden outbreak of cholera nearby, and is subtly stepping away from me. He’s physically moving backwards. Inch by inch. He must think I haven’t noticed. I pause to take a breath as we lock eyes.
He gives a half wave that turns into his finger pointing at me. ‘Sorry to hear that – sounds rough – hope things get better – forget about the baby thing it’s all fine – gotta shoot off – I’m running late.’ He points to the watch on his wrist. ‘Have a good night with your friends – bye.’
He spins round and hastily walks away.
