‘Just remember, you got the man in the end,’ Bridget continues. ‘Hopefully Patrick will be smart enough to keep away from her too.’
It didn’t take much for everyone to accept that we’d irrevocably fallen out over Patrick. No one even really tried to reunite us, which is a relief but also would be a bit sad if it was anyone else.
With a cry of success, Whit wrangles the door open slowly to reveal Dolly in a black and silver patterned silk dress with a huge slit going all the way up one thigh. It’s not so much an outfit for a beach holiday as a fancy dinner, but it works. The woman really can dress.
Too bad she is, personality and priorities wise, dreadful.
Whit does a quick check over her outfit. ‘I’m not sure anyone has ever stepped out of a toilet looking so beautiful.’
Dolly blows her a kiss, and I feel a sour twist in my stomach.
When everyone is ready, we leave en masse, abandoning our things in the bathroom. The men are already seated at individual café-style tables covered with a white cloth, decorated with flowers and lit candles.
Patrick stands as I approach, and pulls out the seat for me to sit down. Before I do, I kiss him on the cheek, and I feel his mouth curl up into a smile. His cheeks are blushed as he sits back down. I think he’s shyer than I expected.
I’m discovering new things about him all the time, even though I know him already. There’s so much morenewto discover.
Maybe I got a little used to having him behind a barrier. Now he’s just… here. All the time. I can’t quite believe it.
‘You look beautiful,’ he says, just as a waiter appears to take my drinks order, so I hope it won’t look too weird on camera when I order a water, a Diet Coke, and a glass of white winewith ice cubes in it. Patrick’s half-finished beer sweats in the evening heat.
‘You too,’ I say, hoping it’s not too weird to continue the conversation after that gap. ‘Look beautiful, I mean.’
I want to make sure he feels as loved as possible, but I can feel the mask working overtime, the grinding of each gear and muscle.
What I really need is to lie down alone, in the dark, with my headphones, David and no one else. That would reset me.
But then, Patrick looks so handsome in his all-white linens, the shirt unbuttoned just enough so I can see the top of his chest. I want to be the kind of woman he deserves. That means I need to be switched on.
Is it really even masking when it’s your partner?
The waiter returns with drinks in show regulation bronze cups. Unfortunately, with my trio of drinks, it does look like I’m about to play one of those hide-the-ball tricks that swindle tourists. Even more so when they hand usanotherpair of goblets so we can toast.
‘We look like we’re hosting a medieval ball,’ I laugh awkwardly.
Patrick raises his eyebrows and shakes his head as he surveys the table. ‘If so, we’re hogging all the mead.’
I glance over at the other tables where everyone has a much more normal number of cups.
‘Perhaps we’re the King and Queen,’ I suggest.
‘Oh dear, I’m not sure I’m ready to suddenly rule a country as well as a ball,’ Patrick says, tugging at the collar of his shirt. ‘This scenario is rapidly getting out of hand!’
I giggle and take a sip of ice cold water, the sharpness of it a delicious knife through my foggy brain. I’m so glad he likes to be silly with me.
If he’s willing to go along with pretending to be royaltywith me, maybe unmasking will be okay. He’ll come into my world, and understand how I see it.
Gasps and cheers erupt behind me, and I crane round to see the Nguyens arriving, in matching and surprisingly chic Hawaiian print outfits.
‘Good evening, couples!’ calls Karina. ‘Let’s toast. Congratulations on your engagements!’
We all raise our glasses of fizzy stuff, clinking echoing around us.
‘Babe, you’re supposed to look me in the eyes,’ groans Zack behind me.
‘Am I?’ Lina asks.
‘Yes. Or it’s really bad luck. Let’s do it again.’
