‘Sleeping Beauty. I was obsessed by it when I was a child, and I still am. I love Disney. And that one’s my comfort movie. It’s why I call her “Princess” every now and again. I should have just called her “Princess”.’
‘Thank God you didn’t,’ I say under my breath.
Ollie’s face morphs into a huge wide smile.
‘Don’t start,’ I tell him.
‘How, after all these years, did Inotknow that about you?’ Ollie asks.
‘Because everyone always thinks I’m named after the Northern Lights and that Mum must have been a New Age hippy in order to call me something so cool and different. But no. She’s just a girl from South London who loves Disney.’
‘One Disney film in particular,’ Mum says. ‘And you’d better not be laughing over there, Ollie.’
Ollie clamps his mouth shut and tries not to laugh. ‘Sorry, Sasha. It’s caught me by surprise. Aury, I’ve known you almost ten years and Inever knew this.’
‘Well, still plenty to learn about each other then, isn’t there?’ I reply flippantly, but I realise it’s true. There probably is. There is so much to learn. And it’ll probably never happen. Doomed to be friends for ever. I suppose I’d rather have that than nothing.
We ask for the bill and Daniel says he’s going to walk Mum home and leave Ollie and me to catch up. I suspect it’s because they’d like to have some privacy, so they can digest Ollie’s reactions, and mine, to their news. We all say goodbye and then, when they’ve gone, Ollie and I stare at each other in humorous shock in the restaurant.
‘What just happened?’ Ollie asks, trying not to laugh.
‘Our parents are dating. How do you feel about that?’ I enquire, as if I’m a psychologist.
‘I think I need another drink,’ Ollie says, chuckling and glancing around for the waiter.
I laugh. ‘God, I don’t. I’ve had loads.’ But when Ollie orders a small glass of wine, I order one too. ‘I never thought,’ I take up the subject again, ‘when I met you all those years ago, that one day our parents would fancy each other and then get together.’
Ollie blows air out of his cheeks. ‘Me neither. Kinda weird.’
‘Very weird.’ We’re silent for a moment and his gaze is soft when he holds eye contact with me. Then I dare a question.‘Have you been dating anyone after Romy?’ I enquire. ‘I haven’t seen anything on your socials and Ben’s been surprisingly quiet lately, especially when it comes to gossip.’
‘Gossip?’ Ollie asks. ‘Is that what you’re after – gossip as to whether I’m hooking up with anyone?’
‘I mean, no … but … maybe also yes,’ I confess, making Ollie laugh.
‘Nooo,’ he drawls out. ‘I’m not with anyone.’
My heart jumps with joy.
The waiter delivers our wine and Ollie reaches for the stem of his glass, but doesn’t lift it. He just holds the glass, looking at it.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ I ask. ‘That you’d broken up. Ben told me.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me when you and Sam broke up?’ he counters.
‘I guess … it’s not the kind of thing I want to talk to you about – me being in a relationship or not, as the case may be.’
‘Why not?’ Ollie asks, and now he looks at me as ifhe’sa psychologist.
‘Because there are things you and I speak about that are only for us. And I think Sam and Romy were probably not on that list.’
‘Yes, but why not?’ he pushes.
‘I don’t know the answer,’ I reply. ‘But I’m guessing you do, so just say it.’
‘We used to talk about Ben a lot,’ Ollie points out.
‘That was different,’ I say. ‘We were all living together. Itwould have been hard to ignore the faults in my relationship with Ben. You were there, easy to talk to – you always have been. You’re one of my best friends. You still are.’
