‘My one and only party top?’
‘Is it blue and sparkly?’
‘It is.’
‘Then that’s it. Wear that one.’
‘Okay.’
‘By the way,’ he said in an offhand fashion. ‘I joined art club.’
‘At school?’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Obvs. Don’t make a big deal of it.’
I bit my tongue and instead just said: ‘Sounds good.’
Micah looked pleased. ‘And I was thinking about those letters and that?’
‘What about them?’
‘You should write to your brother.’
I stared at him. ‘What? No.’
‘Not for him. He sounds like a loser. But for you. Might make you feel better.’
‘I doubt it.’
He shrugged. ‘Then it don’t matter. You’re just the same as you were before.’
‘I thought you were going?’
‘You know I’m right.’
I shook my head, but I was laughing. ‘Get out of here, and let me get ready.’
He headed towards the door. ‘Good luck on your date, Steve,’ he said. ‘Text me when you get home, yeah?’
‘It’s Stevie,’ I called as I heard him clattering down the stairs outside. I smiled to myself. He was a sweetheart, bless him. And a nice distraction from the nerves that were crippling me. What if Finn hadn’t seen the message? What if he didn’t turn up? What if he’d seen it and he still didn’t turn up?
‘Maybe I should cancel?’ I said aloud. But then what if I messaged him to cancel and he hadn’t seen the note and he didn’t know what I was talking about? I’d have to explain and how embarrassing would that be? I shoved my hand in the Coco Pops box and dropped a few bits of crunchy rice into my mouth. Ah, I’d have to go to The Vine. But I wouldn’t wear my sparkly top – I didn’t want to look as though I was trying too hard. God this was impossible.
In the end I put on my best jeans and a plain black vest top. But then I thought I looked like I wasn’t trying hard enough, so I added some glittery flip-flops and dangly earrings.
‘Urgh,’ I said, looking at my reflection. But I had to get to The Vine on time because if Finn did turn up, I didn’t want him to thinkIhadn’t turned up.
I picked up my bag and headed outside to walk to the bar – for once I wasn’t going to cycle – but when I got downstairs, Bernie was just getting into his car. I’d not seen him for ages, so I stopped to say hello.
‘Need a lift?’ he asked and I accepted gratefully because it looked like it was going to rain again and I was, after all, wearing flip-flops.
*
My nerves vanished as soon as I got to The Vine. Finn was sitting at the bar, wearing a very nice shirt and as soon as he saw me, he looked so pleased and also relieved, that I didn’t feel worried anymore.
‘God, I was convinced I’d totally misinterpreted that messageand I’d be sitting here like a lemon,’ he said getting up off his stool to greet me with a kiss on the cheek.
‘I was convinced you’d not see the note, or you’d see it and pretend you hadn’t,’ I told him.
