‘Drink?’ he offers gently.
‘Yes, please. Can you choose me something? I’m not fussy. I promise I’ll get the next ones.’
In the bathroom, I splash my face with cold water and stare at myself in the mirror. I feel a little shaky as I retouch my make-up with the bare essentials I carry with me, and then I spy the red lipstick that Stella made me buy when she wanted me to feel bold and brave. I could use a little help with that right now, so I slick some on.
Ash has moved from the bar to a table in an adjoining room. ‘When You Were Mine’ by Cyndi Lauper is playing.
Stella loved Cyndi Lauper, but at least I don’t have strong memories attached to this one.
‘This place is so crazy,’ I say with a forced laugh as I sit down opposite him. I don’t want to dwell on what’s just happened.
‘Isn’t it?’ he says, following my cue. ‘It looks tiny from the outside, but it’s like the TARDIS crossed with Aladdin’s cave in here.’
The cabinets in this room are filled with vintage war toys and there are model aeroplanes and miniature die-cast soldiers hanging from old-fashioned parachutes attached to the ceiling.
‘There are pool tables here too!’ I realise with astonishment, peering over his shoulder at yetanotherroom beyond this one that looks huge in comparison.
‘I know! Fancy a game in a bit?’
‘Sure.’
He slides two cocktail glasses on cardboard coasters towards me. One is a tulip glass filled with a garish green concoction. The other is a martini glass containing red liquid.
‘What are these?’
‘I actually can’t remember,’ he replies sheepishly, then, nodding at the green drink, ‘That one’s the house cocktail, but choose whichever you prefer.’
The green drink has a stirrer with ribbons of gold foil spilling from the top, and the red has a cherry and orange garnish that makes me think of Christmases at my grandparents’.
I try the red. It’s fizzy and tastes of strawberries. My decision is made.
‘You have the green one – it matches your shirt.’
He smirks as he picks up the glass. ‘You do realise that the red one is the same colour as your dress.’
I look down and laugh.
‘And your lipstick,’ he adds in a low murmur, ducking his head to take a sip through the straw.
‘How is it?’ I ask, my blood humming as his eyes rest on mine. They’re glinting under the light of the opulent cut-glass lampshade fixed above our heads.
‘Drinkable,’ he replies, straightening up. ‘Are you all right?’ He’s clearly still concerned.
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’
‘Want to talk about it?’
‘No, I’ll only get upset again.’
He nods slowly. I try to think of something to say, some question that will direct attention away from me.
‘So why physics and astronomy?’
His smile instantly becomes relaxed and easy. ‘My answer is going to make me sound like I’m a five-year-old boy,’ he warns, before adding, ‘Ilovespace.’
God, he’s cute. ‘What do you love about it?’
‘There’s literally nothing that I don’t love,’ he replies, swirling his elaborate gold stirrer around his drink. ‘It’s the only thing I’ve ever really been interested in. My friend Taran had a telescope and I used to hang out at his house a lot when we were growing up. Things could be a little hectic at home, but when I looked at the night sky, everything else just sort of faded away. It all seemed so still and peaceful, but later I learned that it wasn’t still or peaceful, that there are whole other worlds up there raging with storms and being blasted apart by volcanoes, and all of it mademefeel small, as though anything I was dealing with was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Space has always taken me outside of myself.’
