Jessy
Nothing – well, hanging with Laura and Anna. Why?
Paddy
Fancy a night out?
‘OK, IS THAT –’
‘Yes,’ I said, enjoying watching Jessy stare open-mouthed as some A-list actor passed us on the way to the dancefloor on the other side of the room. ‘General rule at these kinds of things – if you think it’s a celebrity you recognize, the answer is yes.’
‘And that’s – Jesus, I had no idea there would be so many famous people here tonight,’ Jessy said, her eyes wide. ‘Isn’t this amazing?’
Amazing? No. This was pretty normal for me. But I was enjoying watching her take it all in. This type of event had long stopped being interesting for me, but seeing it through Jessy’s eyes … it somehow brought back some of that lost glamour.
I thought about introducing her to one of the singers who had opened for These Exiles on the European leg of our tour, but I was swiftly interrupted.
‘We’re going to dance,’ Jessy’s twin, Laura, said firmly, her face weirdly different without her glasses. ‘Anna?’
‘You know I will.’ Anna grinned, jamming a gold clip into her hair. She’d taken her braids out, her hair styled in a fluffy ’fro. ‘Thank you so much for getting us in here, Patrick, this is amazing.’
Well, Jessy had asked, and I was hardly going to say no. Her sister and friend were … were pretty cool. And they seemed to be having a great time.
But I kind of hated that I didn’t have Jessy to myself.
I watched as Anna whispered something into Laura’s ear, who giggled before presumably repeating it in Jessy’s ear … who went scarlet.
Interesting. The same thing had been happening all night – quiet mutters that often left the trio breaking out in giggles.
‘Go and dance, you dicks,’ Jessy yelled over the loud music, grinning fondly as her friends departed for the moment.
Thank God.
‘Right,’ I said, suddenly unsure of myself now the two of us were alone, but not quite sure what to do about it. ‘Another drink?’
‘I’ll have another mhhahhghh.’ Jessy grinned, the gold glittery streaks across her cheek utterly distracting.
‘What?’ I leaned closer – to hear her better. Not because I’d been dying for an excuse to be near her all night.
‘Marghhhmmth!’
The heavy beat of the club I’d suggested made it almost impossible to hear, but there weren’t that many drinks that started withmarg.
Had to be a margarita.
I gave her a thumbs up and rose from the corner booth I’d managed to snag – thank you, Derek, for calling ahead, I guess – to head to the bar, steps a little unbalanced thanks to the two large gin and tonics I’d already had.
The Forty Six wasn’t a place that you could just turn up to. A haunt for celebrities only – usually your publicist had to make the call, and even then you still might not get in. That was how exclusive it was.
In a way, it was a relief to come here. No fans, no selfies, no stealthy photos taken over someone’s shoulder – just people.
Rach was behind the bar, as always. She grinned at me, tilting her head to where Jessy still sat, waiting for me. ‘She’s hot.’
‘What?’ I blinked as I leaned heavily against the bar.
‘Your date.’ Rach gestured with a lemon before she crushed it into Jessy’s drink. ‘She’s hot. You never bring girls here.’
I glanced over my shoulder, as though I needed to confirm for myself.
