The Finn we went to school with was really shy. He always wore beanie hats that he’d pull down so low you could barely see his eyes. I don’t remember him being part of Dan’s crowd back then. I don’t remember him being part of anyone’s crowd. From what I recall, he was a bit of a loner.
This Finn is next-level hot in black jeans and a loose black chunky-knit jumper that’s riddled with holes – very carelessly sexy rock star.
Suddenly he hollers the lyrics ‘I’m lonely’, followed by a beat of silence from the band that ripples through the crowd. His sharp intake of breath can be heard over the microphone as he launches into the next line and the guitar riff repeats.
The hairs on the back of my neck have stood up.
‘What’s this song?’ I ask, my eyes still trained on Finn.
I recognise it, but can’t name it.
I feel Rach’s incredulous look. ‘INXS, “Need You Tonight”? Honestly, how can you notknowthat?’
‘It came out before I was born,’ I reply dismissively.
‘And the last one was Royal Blood, “Figure It Out”,’ she adds.
Rach is an indie chick. I am not. I grew up playing classical music on a piano.
‘Oi! AMES!’ Rach shouts.
I rip my gaze away from Finn to see a tiny blonde whizz past behind the bar. She glances our way distractedly.
‘Hang on, I’ll be with you in a— Liv!’ At the sight of me, she does a double take, rushing over. ‘Sorry, it’s hell here tonight. We’re understaffed.’
Amy, Rach and I have been inseparable since we bonded at a party at the age of fourteen – we were the only ones who didn’t want to play Truth or Dare, so we hid out together in a bathroom.
My friends have seen way more of each other than they have of me in the last four years because Amy attended the much closer University of Plymouth and Rach didn’t go to university at all.
My fault for choosing to study over five hundred miles away.
‘I’ll come find you later!’ Amy promises, reaching past Rach to give my arm a quick squeeze before hurrying off.
‘What are you drinking, if I ever manage to flag anyone down?’ Rach grumbles loudly.
Seaglass’s owner, Chas, comes to an abrupt stop in front of us, looking every inch the weather-beaten sixty-something surfer dude that he is.
‘You sure you don’t want a job here?’ he asks Rach.
‘Absolutely not,’ she replies.
She works part-time at a surf shop up in the village. She’d live on baked beans and spaghetti for a year if it meant that she could spend more hours at the beach. She certainly wouldn’t want to fill her spare time with anything as mundane as a bar job.
‘I’ll take one!’ I call, leaning around my friend.
Chas clocks me and his brows lift towards his receding tawny-grey hairline. ‘Hey, Liv! You back for the summer? You serious? You want a job?’
‘Definitely.’
‘Can you start right away?’ he asks hopefully.
‘Fuck, no!’ Rach interjects. ‘She’s only just got here.Chill, Chas! Anyway, she’s keeping me company tonight, seeing as you’ve got our best mate run off her feet.’
‘All right, all right.’ Chas holds up his hands placatingly. ‘How about tomorrow?’
‘Okay,’ I agree with a grin.
‘Can you come in at four thirty? This lot are playing again, so it’s likely to be another busy one.’
