Charlie laughs and Adam sneers at me. ‘I’m unforgettable.’
‘Sure you are,’ I reply, putting my legs up on the bench seat in front of me and crossing them at the ankles. I’m leaning against the wall. It’s quite comfortable here. I could stay here all night. Maybe I will.
‘How long has it been sinceyouhad sex?’ Adam asks me.
I know I don’t have to indulge his line of questioning, but I don’t actually mind. ‘Well, I haven’t seen Elliot since December, so that’s...’ I count on my fingers. ‘Eight months.’
‘Ouch.’
‘It’s all right. I’ve gone longer. You know the thing I miss most?’ I look at them both and they stare back at me quizzically. ‘Hugs,’ I state.
Adam laughs. ‘Hugs?’
‘Yeah, actual human bodily contact. I really miss hugs.’
‘I’m going to the bar,’ Adam says with mock disgust, standing up and walking away from the table.
Charlie and I grin at each other. After a moment he nods and looks down at the table. ‘I get that,’ he says, drawing a circle around the line of condensation left by his pint glass. ‘I miss them, too, that feeling of having another person in your arms.’
‘A nice, warm, actual other person,’ I say nostalgically.
‘Did you know, you’re supposed to hug for at least seven seconds to get the full benefit of it?’
‘Really?’ I ask.
‘Yeah, I read that recently. Apparently, seven-second hugs stimulate the release of serotonin, the feel-good hormone.’ He smiles and looks down at the table. ‘Nicki was an awesome hugger.’
‘I wish I’d known her,’ I say quietly.
‘I wish you had, too.’ When he looks up at me, his eyes are shining.
‘Are you okay?’ I whisper, my heart breaking for him as he tries to swallow the lump in his throat.
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ He looks down again and draws another condensation ring, even though the water has almost dried up. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not about to start crying into my pint. I’ll be all right for at least another couple, I reckon,’ he jokes.
‘Okay, I’ll try to get you home before your fourth.’
‘Don’t do that,’ he says with alarm. ‘I’m having fun.’
‘Are you?’ I ask.
‘Yeah.’ He gives me small smile, though his eyes are serious. ‘And anyway, I’ll be the one gettingyouhome.’ He shrugs and downs the rest of his pint.
‘Don’t be silly, I can walk back on my own.’
‘There’s no way you’re doing that,’ he states in a not-up-for-debate tone of voice, and then Adam returns, juggling three glasses.
‘That was my round,’ I suddenly remember. My stomach has gone slightly squirmy. Am I hungry? I think I might be hungry.
‘You can get the next one,’ Adam says with a shrug.
‘I think we should order some food first,’ I reply.
Chapter 18
Three pints and a pie-and-mash later, Adam starts to pester me for information about the guys from my blog.
‘Charlie doesn’t want to hear this.’ I frown in his general direction.
