‘What’s that building?’ Brendan asks me, looking towards the old ruins up on the cliff, the tall chimney stack of the iconic engine house, hazy in the evening sunshine.
‘It’s part of the Wheal Coates tin mine. The shaft used to go down something like six hundred feet before heading out to sea. The miners would hear the waves thundering right over their heads as they worked.’
‘I think I might’ve seen it onPoldark,’ he remarks blandly.
‘You watch it?’ He doesn’t seem like the period dramas type.
‘My mum is obsessed.’
I inwardly groan as ‘Dummy’, one of Door 54’s more popular songs, starts to play out of the stereo Tarek brought with him.
‘I heard somewhere that the lead singer of this band used to play at Seaglass,’ Brendan says.
‘He did.’ So much for avoiding thinking about Finn. ‘He was covering for Kieran, over there.’ I point out Kieran, who’s laughing about something with Chris and Dan. ‘Those guys and Tarek had a residency at Seaglass for a couple of years in a row, but they’ve all got proper jobs now.’
Dan is working as an accountant in Truro – he and Amy commute to work together sometimes.
‘The band that’s played the last couple of Saturdays is good, though,’ he comments.
‘Have you been in?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I haven’t seen you.’
‘I’ve seenyou, pulling pints like a pro.’ He grins. ‘How old are you?’
‘Twenty-four. You?’
‘Twenty-two.’
The lyrics of Taylor Swift’s ‘22’ start playing in my head and once more my thoughts have led me back to Finn.
‘So what are you going to draw on my latte tomorrow?’ I ask, trying really hard to focus on the here and now.
‘I think I might keep it simple. That elephant today was a bitch.’
‘Iknewit!’ I cry, looking towards Rach, who’s standing by the cave entrance with Chris.
I’m sure she fancies him – they often end up chatting at parties – but she’s been very coy when I’ve grilled her about it.
‘Why, what did you think it was?’ Brendan asks with alarm.
My brightening cheeks give him his answer.
He cracks up laughing. ‘You are kidding me. Really? You think I’d be that obvious?’
I shrug. ‘I don’t know.’
‘So you don’t want me to draw you a snake?’
I laugh. ‘Please don’t.’
‘How about a heart? I’m pretty good at those.’
‘Are you now.’
‘Yeah.’
