“I’m a primary school teacher so about as far removed from your job as you can be.”
“Well Rayah the primary school teacher, if I can’t persuade you to have another drink, how about a dance?”
She looked out to the dancefloor and saw Jonny and Jake chatting to a pair of girls, Jake in flirt mode. Jonny was Jake’s wingman, the two of them would come here to pull on nights when Jonny had a babysitter. Places like this were where he’d met the women he’d kept as one or two night stands.
Why would tonight be any different? Neither of them had promised exclusivity. He didn’t seem to be watching where she was, so why not have a dance with someone else?
The dancefloor was full of writhing bodies, some pressed too close, some looking as if this was the last night on earth and they were going to make the most of it. Rayah followed Blake to a spot near to where Jonny and Jake were still shifting around, thankful that Blake wasn’t attempting any physical contact. She tried to keep her attention away from Jonny, tried to pretend he wasn’t there and this was just another night out with her friends in the city, without any added complications.
Blake started to dance, demonstrating that he had a few decent moves and wasn’t the geek that he claimed to be. Rayah kept her eyes on him, aware of where Jonny was, aware of being watched.
The music was loud and frantic, not the indie she’d usually chose to dance to, but then this had been nearby to the bars they’d been in rather than a conscious choice. Rayah moved with the beat, not feeling it as she usually did when she danced. She had always been the first one on the dance floor at a party, liking the excuse to move, to let loose. But even as nice as Blake was, she wasn’t with the man she wanted to be.
She smiled and moved towards Blake, getting a little closer, trying to feel something other than the urge to turn around and see what Jonny was doing, whether he was still talking to the girls.
Being jealous was not something she was accustomed to feeling. If a man pissed her off, she moved on. Jealousy was something she considered a waste. But right now it was stripping her insides and leaving her raw, chucking in a shower of vinegar for good luck.
There was a tap on her shoulder and a scent she recognised, knew better than most as she’s spent several years dealing with clouds of it when she was growing up.
“Jake.” She turned around and saw her brother, his expression grim.
He beckoned her to come with him, Jonny nowhere in sight. Rayah nodded an apology to Blake, who didn’t seem fazed and instead started to mix with a group of girls who seemed tobe more than happy to have him join them.
She followed Jake to a quieter area next to a bar. It was late, late enough for some of the people out to have already left. Her brother headed to the bar and bought a couple of beers, passing one to Rayah.
“What was all that about?”
She took a swig of the beer. “What do you mean?”
“The man you were dancing with.”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“Pull the other one, Ray, it’s got a fucking bell attached.”
She shook her head.
“I know you’re sleeping with Jonny. And if I hadn’t been sure before, I am now after seeing him fucking crumple out there.”
“You were with those girls…”
“Who we know. And those girls are a couple. They keep alpacas over in Wilmslow and I know them from some of the shows I’ve been to. And by couple, I mean they have no interest in either of our appendages.” Jake eyed her, his expression grim.
Rayah hated her brother disapproving of her. He’d been her idol growing up; she’d wanted to copy him in most things and although they were close to their cousins, Jake had been the one who’d gotten rid of the woodlice and helped her beat up the boy who had spread rumours about her when she was thirteen. They rarely argued and as much as she thought him slightly crazy, she wouldn’t trade him in.
“How was I meant to know that?”
“So you were trying to make him jealous? How old are you? Five?”
Rayah rested her back against the back of the wall. “He knew I was there.”
“And you’re both trying to pretend there’s nothing going on between you so if he was dancing with you all night, which given the way he kept looking at you suggests that’s where he wanted to be, then you’d give the game away. I don’t fucking understand why you’re not just open about it.” Jake tipped his beer back, still glaring at her.
“I don’t think he wants to be. I don’t think he wants to label it. We’re not going to be anything serious.”
“Has he said that? If he has I’ll fucking tear his balls off and feed them to the alpacas.”
“I thought they were vegetarian?”
