She propped herself up on the arm of the chair, giving me more space. I shifted her legs and sat back, putting her legs back on top of my lap.
“I think I’m going to die a virgin.” She covered her face with her hands. “I really worry it’ll never happen.”
“Why won’t it happen? It’s not like no one wants you? I don’t think you need to be worried about that.” Zoey was still the prettiest girl I’d ever met. It was part of the reason Gwyn had finished with me – she hated that I was friends with Zoey and she said she couldn’t compete. I figured it was an excuse because the boy she’d gone out with before me had just broken up with his new girlfriend, but I wasn’t that bothered anyway.
“So say I meet someone. He’ll probably be older than me because I don’t meet men my own age. We go out a few times and we get to that stage where he expects sex is going to happen. How’s he going to react when I tell him it’s going to be the first time? And I’d be so self-conscious about doing everything wrong that I’m terrible at it and I get dumped and he tells everyone. It’d be mortifying.” She covered her eyes. “Maybe I should join a convent.”
“For fuck’s sake, Zo, stop being dramatic. If the bloke’s into you, he’s not going to think it’s weird and if he does, walk out of there fast.” I reached over and pulled her hands away from her face.
She didn’t look reassured.
“There’s no one I’m interested in at the moment anyway. So it’s not a problem.” She looked out of the window. The sky and the sea were almost the same shade of grey, nothing visible at the other side of the Strait, a cloak of fine rain dowsing everything.
My shoulders had relaxed and I wasn’t sure why. I knew I didn’t like the idea of Zoey meeting someone, probably because I was worried she wouldn’t want us to be friends like we were now because she’d have someone else.
Maybe it was something else.
Her phone rang, tearing through the silence that hung between us.
“Hi Carissa,” Zoey said, rolling her eyes at me. “I’m just relaxing with Caleb. It’s raining here.”
There was a pause. I couldn’t work out what Carissa was saying down the phone but I could tell from how tense Zoey had gone that she didn’t like what she was hearing.
“I don’t see why me being there is necessary. It’s lovely that they’ve invited me, but I was planning on spending the week here.” More silence. “So who’s really said they want me there? They do know they don’t own me, don’t they?”
I rubbed my hand up and down her calf, over the tight denim jeans she was wearing. This week was meant to be an escape from all the appearances she was making with her debut album due out. I knew she was exhausted and peopled-out.
“Compromise. I’ll get there tomorrow evening. Let me at least have today and tomorrow morning.” She sat up, crawling onto my lap.
I wrapped my arms around her, liking how she felt against my chest, hoping to fuck that my dick didn’t decide to start standing to attention.
“Fine. They can pick me up at nine. But I want another week off instead – or I come back here the day after.” Another silence.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, remembering how this felt because it wasn’t the first time we’d cuddled without there being anything in it.
Only that was a lie. I wanted something more, because she was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen, but why would she be interested in me, and it wouldn’t work anyway. I wasn’t famous or talented, not like she was. I’d lose my friend and I wasn’t going to do that.
“Agreed. I’ll be ready for midday. See you tomorrow, Car.” She put her phone down and snuggled into me more. “I’m needed at a private function in London. The head honcho at my record company’s having a dinner for someone on the board and wants to showcase my amazing talents.” Her words were sautéed in sarcasm.
“That’s good, isn’t it?” I felt her relax now. “And you can come back. Did Carissa say that was alright?”
“She did. But I wanted the whole week.”
“There’ll be other weeks. What do you want to do tonight then?” I loosened my grip and nudged her off my lap, standing up and stretching because I was getting a bit too close to kissing her.
Zoey got up too, putting her arms around my neck and hugging me. “You’re such an amazing friend.”
“What do you want to do?” I semi hugged her back, needing a bit of distance.
“Go and watch a film. Or play cards at Puffin Inn.” She looked like these two things would be the pinnacle of high entertainment.
“We can do either. Pick.”
That got me a laugh. “Something I have a choice about.”
“What a choice too.”
She didn’t come back that week. There was another event, an interview too where she talked about a boyfriend whose identity she wouldn’t reveal, and a last-minute TV appearance because someone else couldn’t make it.
