‘One day,’ said Nora, and she gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
They got changed and met on the mats by the climbing wall where other climbers were putting on shoes and harnesses. Another regular was Trent. He liked to climb in a tight-fitting racer vest and even tighter shorts that left little to the imagination about how excited he was about climbing. In contrast, Jay favoured a long-sleeved top and baggy joggers. Trent and Jay were like the yin and yang of men. Trent was tall and blond with muscles like the Hulk whereas Jay was not much taller than Nora, classically handsome with a slender build and the ability to wiggle his ears. Trent did a few one-armed press-ups for no apparent reason. That level of warm-up wasn’t necessary for climbing but there were a couple of women watching from the reception desk so that was most likely why he was putting on a display.
‘Hey, check this out,’ said Jay, wiggling his bum as he showed off his new chalk bag.
‘Very nice,’ said Nora. ‘How’s things with work?’ she asked as they roped up.
‘I had four auditions this week,’ he said, looking quite pleased.
‘That’s brilliant. I hope one of them hires you.’
‘Thanks. Because I also had three rejections so it all hangs on the truck company health and safety video.’ He grimaced and crossed his fingers and Nora mimicked him. She felt for Jay. He was a jobbing actor, and as someone who cherished her steady nine-to-five job, she struggled to understand how he coped with the constant auditions and frequent rejections. Somehow he managed to make a living from it, thanks mainly to voiceover and audiobook work.
‘Sorry about that. Otherwise you’re good, are you?’ she asked.
Jay’s expression became serious. ‘Actually, I had a bit of a shock in the shower this morning.’
‘If this is a gross body thing, then I’m out,’ said Nora.
‘It’s not. I thought I was losing my sight. Everything went all foggy and blurry,’ explained Jay.
‘Are you OK now?’ asked Nora.
‘Yeah, I’d left my glasses on,’ Jay gave his frames a wiggle. ‘What a doughnut I am! It took me a moment to realize but for a second I really thought there was something wrong with my eyes.’
Nora chuckled. ‘I’m glad you’re OK, Jay.’
‘Me too,’ he said, with feeling. ‘How did your date with the bookkeeper go?’ he asked, handing Nora a cup of water from the cooler.
‘About as badly as it could have done.’
‘Not what you ordered?’ he asked, beginning to do some warm-up stretches side by side with Trent, making him look like an Ewok next to Chewbacca.
‘Funnily enough, I did not order a bald forty-year-old who chats to his mother when he’s on a date.’
Jay was making a face. ‘So what now? You could take Miley Cyrus’s advice.’
Nora began to sing ‘I Can Buy Myself Flowers’.
‘Exactly.’
‘Nope. I’ve done that. Turns out flowers are really expensive and the florist had no idea what I was on about when I sang that line. Uber embarrassing. She just felt sorry for me and added in a few extra blooms and packaged it all up in cellophane. I left with a hole in my bank account, a pink-bowed arrangement and feeling like a right loser.’
‘You’re not a loser,’ said Jay, trying to copy Trent’s exaggerated leg stretches.
‘Cheers. But I think I might take myself out of the equation. Stop dating altogether.’
‘Ooh, now don’t be too hasty,’ said Jay, lunging forward and yelping. ‘I think I’ve pulled something.’ His voice was higher-pitched than normal.
‘You OK?’ asked Nora as Jay held his groin.
‘Fine,’ he squeaked. ‘I’ll just get some ice on it. On this. On the muscle. The one I pulled.’ Nora and Trent stared at him. Jay pointed to the refreshments area and walked away as best he could with his thighs clamped tightly together.
‘Ouch,’ said Trent, doing some impressive tuck jumps. ‘You know, Nora, we would make an exquisite couple.’ He gave her a toothpaste smile as he walked to the wall and got his first foothold stable before stepping up. His arms flexed as he climbed higher. ‘Would you like to go on a date with me, Nora?’
She couldn’t help thinking that she was very much not Trent’s type and he was only being kind. And while on the face of it Trent was definitelyhertype with his beefy physique, he was too vain and arrogant for her, plus she wasn’t sure they had anything other than climbing in common. ‘Thanks, I’ll think about it.’
‘What did I miss?’ asked Jay, walking back with a large icepack clutched to the inside of his thigh like he was trying to ride it.
