‘No, too bad, I’m not even acknowledging that last three,’ I replied, opening the fridge to search for I wasn’t sure what. What beverage was the best cure for self-inflicted heartache?
‘That bad?’ she pouted in sympathy before a wicked look came into her eyes. ‘Or that good?’
‘I don’t really want to talk about it.’
‘Isn’t that my line?’ Suzanne asked, smiling. But when I didn’t smile back, she sat up, her spine stiffening with concern. ‘Pheebs, are you OK?’
‘Fine,’ I lied. ‘Better than fine. Also very tired.’
Bel squealed with delight. ‘Is Ren coming over?’ she asked. ‘Should I go get Morning Buns? Should we go out? Are we celebrating?’
I cracked open an iced coffee labelled ‘Death Wish Super Jolt Mega Java’, taking one sip and one sip onlybefore I understood why there was a skull and crossbones on the can. One more mouthful and I’d be able to see through time and space.
‘Can I go for a shower before we start the Spanish inquisition?’ I replied, shaking as I took a second sip. How was this stuff legal?
‘You really want to shower straight away?’ She stuck out her tongue before chugging from a giant bottle of something called Pedialyte. ‘When I hook up with someone I really like, I want to keep them on me for as long as I can.’
‘Bel, we’re British,’ Suzanne said, pulling a face.
‘Our gran would dip you in bleach if she’d heard what you just said,’ I added. ‘In fact, maybe you should shower first.’
‘I’m clean, I swear,’ she said with a happy exhalation. ‘Last night was the most fun I have ever had in my life. I don’t think I’ve made out with so many people.’
‘You rebound faster than a trampoline,’ Suze replied. ‘But it was fun, wasn’t it? My night wasn’t quite as scandalous as yours but I did give someone my phone number. Not that she’ll call.’
‘But what if she does?’ I asked, borrowing Bel’s words of encouragement.
‘You’ll have to go on a date!’ our friend gasped, clutching her imaginary pearls. ‘And maybe even have fun and be happy! Oh gosh, Suzie, whatever have you done? Is it too late to get out of it? Maybe you should change your number.’
‘You can both piss off,’ she muttered. She rubbed her forehead, her sickly complexion clammy and damp, her Californian sheen replaced by a goodold-fashioned Midlands hangover. ‘At least I didn’t go skinny-dipping with half the cast ofRiverdale.’
‘That show got cancelled more than a year ago,’ Bel pointed out with a sniff. ‘So technically I was skinny-dipping with a group of out-of-work actors.’
I traded my can of rocket fuel coffee for an ice-cold can of Coke, popped the top and chugged, sighing with relief as it sparkled all the way down. Bel cast me a disapproving look but said nothing, knowing full well she would have to prise the can from my cold, dead hands.
‘Did anyone see Myrna before they left?’ I asked, holding the cool can against my face. ‘I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.’
‘Too busy banging,’ Bel whooped.
‘You, Phoebe or Myrna?’ Suzanne replied, dry as a bone. ‘I didn’t. She wasn’t around when I left, I did look for her.’
‘I really would like to see her before I go,’ I said. ‘Will we have time to stop in on the way to the airport?’
‘Don’t see why not. Your flight’s at three, isn’t it? As long as you’re there for midday you’ll be fine. We can pop in and see her on the way.’
‘Can I come too?’ Bel asked. ‘I owe that woman an in-person thank you.’
‘Same,’ Suzanne added. ‘Myrna really brought Old Hollywood back to life for one night only.’
‘Myrna could bring dinosaurs back to life if she put her mind to it,’ I said. ‘We’d be overrun with T-Rexes by Christmas if she was so inclined.’
Over on the kitchen counter, I saw the screen of my phone flash into life and fill with a flurry of notifications. Messages from Suzanne and Bel, equally split betweendemanding to know where I was and encouraging me not to rush home, a deeply unnecessary alert from the airline to confirm my flight and at the bottom, a text from Samantha. I opened it to see a photo of my own front room, a cup of tea steaming on the coffee table, with two words underneath it.
Thank you.
‘I can’t believe you’re leaving today,’ Bel said, twisting her hair into a topknot as I set my phone back down on the counter, smiling. ‘You should stay longer.’
‘If I could, I would,’ I replied. ‘But I can’t.’
