‘What are you asking? Why does Aury want to see Liv, or why all of us?’
‘Both. Neither. Don’t know. She wants to meet? Weird.’
‘Yeah, that’s sort of what I thought. I also thought it would be a chance for us to all be together again and that, once we’d got past the awkwardness, it would be nice.’
Ben smiles. ‘Nice but weird, seeing Aurora again. Wow!’
‘Yeah.’ I know how his mind works. I can see the cogs turning. He thinks she wants him back. ‘Can I make it clear – as a good friend to you and to her – that she’s not trying to get back with you. She wants to be friends.’ Actually I’m not sure about Aury’s intentions, but I don’t want Ben going in there turning on the charm offensive and trying to win her back. He might succeed. This is probably a bad idea.
‘When?’
‘Not sure. I’ve got to talk to Liv. And it might be nice if you did too.’
‘She hates me.’
‘That was then, and it was an accident.’
‘Doesn’t matter. She still hates me,’ Ben says.
‘OK, well, leave Liv to me then.’
‘She hates you too, doesn’t she?’
I sigh. ‘Maybe she hates me a bit less than you, so …’
‘When is it? Aurora’s planned reunion?’
‘I’ve got to sound Liv out first, and it’s not like our social calendar is brimming with events.’
‘Speak for yourself. I’ve got a job,’ Ben boasts.
‘Really?’
‘Really. Finally. A proper one.’
Thank God for that. ‘Banking?’
‘No. I was shit at that.’
‘You were.’
He was. He got fired. Even his dad couldn’t schmooze Ben back into the world of banking, after he got so trashed he tried it on with his boss’s wife. Word got around. Ben’s name is mud, despite the fact that he hit on her at a bar and told his boss he had no clue who she was. Later he told me there was a picture of her on his boss’s desk and he knew perfectly well who she was. The man can’t help but self-sabotage.
‘So what’s the job?’
‘It’s hosting a party night at a club in Mayfair.’
Oh, dear God. My expression must say everything.
‘What? I’ll get to meet fun people and party the night awayandget paid. It’s my dream job. If it goes well, I’ll get to host a few more. Opening night is in two weeks. Oh, this could be a good way to get us all back together.’
‘In a club?’
‘Why not?’ Ben asks.
‘I was thinking more along the lines of neutral ground. Restaurant? Pub?’
‘Where you’ll make me drink tonic water all night.’
