“And don’t you forget it,” Simone replies. “If you split a meal with someone, you always have to hand it over, just when things are getting good. Like, I’m just getting into this burger and now I have to give you half and take half a fish or whatever. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I tried to suggest that Dominic and I go for tapas the other day and he was having none of it,” Cali tells us, rolling her eyes. “Apparently he never feels full after tapas, because lots of mini bites don’t make up one big meal. I tried to inform him that that was ridiculous, but there was no arguing with him.”
“Okay, strange question, but does it feel weird going back to work after the wedding and honeymoon?” Simone asks her curiously. “There’s such a long buildup for this big day and then you have two weeks or whatever off from life and then—”
“It’s shit,” Cali confirms bluntly, making us laugh. “I don’t know why we don’t all live in Bali.”
“It’s a good question,” I agree.
“Our surfing teacher was from London,” she says with a sigh. “He’d had an epiphany one day on the tube.”
“What kind of epiphany?” Simone asks, intrigued.
“He realized that he’d walked all the way to the station and got on the train without looking up from his phone. He hadn’t noticed a thing around him. That’s when it struck him that he was living in a haze. He quit his job and moved to Bali.”
“Bloody hell.” Ruby blinks at her. “Why haven’t I had an epiphany? Why am I stuck in this city with a guy who, yesterday, got in a heated debate with me about jacket potatoes? I mean, our discussion lasted half an hour and I genuinely had to leave the room he was pissing me off so much.”
Cali frowns. “What was the debate?”
“How the skin should be. Obviously crunchy. Leo—and I swear I feel repulsed at having to say this out loud—thinks it’s better soft.”
“What the fuck.” Simone shakes her head solemnly. “You need to sort him out, Ruby.”
“I know, I know.”
The waiter appears at our table to take our orders and, after an entertainingly frantic and last-minute decision from Simonethat involves her closing her eyes and just stabbing at something on the list, he takes our menus away.
“How’s the gardening going, Freya?” Cali asks with a knowing smile.
“Great, actually. In fact, I went to B&Q the other day to get some plants to finish the little garden. I want to get it done before I move out.”
Ruby looks stunned. “You’re moving out?”
“Yep, I’ve spoken to the landlord and he’s happy for me to give him two months’ notice. He really loves what I’ve done to the outside space. He said I’d brought it to life! Anyway, I’ve booked viewings for some flats, so hopefully I’ll find somewhere to buy.”
“Hang on,” Simone says, looking at me wide-eyed. “You’re buying?”
“I always wanted to buy after the wedding, and it’s been a few months since then, so I think it’s about time, don’t you?” I grin. “Obviously I didn’t plan on buying on my own, but that’s okay. It will have to be somewhere very small and probably a lot further out than where I am now, but I’ve got savings. I want my own little place.”
“I think that’s brilliant, Freya,” Ruby says firmly. “About bloody time.”
“This is great,” Simone agrees, beaming at me. “New place, new start.”
“It’s a big step,” Cali adds. “Just what you need.”
“Truth is—and I don’t mind admitting this to you three—I’ve been holding out hope for things to magically go back to the way they were,” I tell them, although I’m certain they already knew this whole time. “But that won’t happen, no matter what happens with Matthew. Which is why I finally sold my wedding dress.”
Ruby’s jaw drops. “You sold your wedding dress? When?”
“A few days ago. I put it up on a website and it went pretty quickly. It was at Dad’s, so he took a few pictures of it for me—aprocess, by the way, which was long and taxing, but he got there eventually. Anyway, this lovely girl messaged me about it, went to try it on at Dad’s and it fit her perfectly. I made quite a bit of my money back on it because it hadn’t been worn.”
“That’s…” Cali searches for the word.
“Sad, but the right thing to do,” I finish for her. “I felt a bit down, because I really did love that dress and it meant something to me. But this way, it gets to actually be worn by someone on their wedding day, and that does make me happy. Besides, I can’t just stare at it on a hanger forever. It’s a good thing it’s gone to a deserving home.”
“You’re right,” Ruby nods, smiling at me. “I’m proud of you.”
“We all are,” Cali adds.
