After thirty minutes of replaying our conversation on a hideous loop, I realised Philip wasn’t coming back.
That was one meal I’d have to pay for, I guess.
Chapter Three
Ella
It was the morning of our trip to New York, and I walked into Glasgow airport feeling exhausted and drained. I hadn’t spoken to my friends about what had happened, just in case he calmed down, came back and was hit with the prick status forever. However, Philip had been silent since he’d walked out of Mini Grill, and since then I’d experienced a wave of emotions. One minute, I was excited about New York; the next, I wanted to cancel, admit he was right, beg for his forgiveness, explaining that the whole concept was a terrible idea in the first place. I had cried in the bath, eaten shitloads of pizza and jumped at the sound of footsteps in the outside hallway just in case it was him coming to sort this mess out. But it was radio silence – no calls, texts or emails. And as much as I wanted to reach out, I hadn’t. After all, he was the one who left me alone in the restaurant with a bill so monumental I’d considered asking for Klarna to pay for it. Still, a couple of days on, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was really it.
As I approached the check-in desk, I immediately spotted Zola’s colourful braids, now finished with fluorescent pink beads at the bottom. She was standing beside the queue, dressed in low-rise jeans and an oversized denim jacket, exuding her usual trendy energy. Next to her, Katy stood yawning, her sleep mask pushed up onto her forehead and her neck pillow already in place, clearly prepared for a Transatlantic nap in her comfortable grey Adidas tracksuit. I felt a genuine smile form when I saw my friends, and they both began jumping in excitement as I walked over to join them.
‘How crazy is this, Ella!’ Katy hugged me, making me laugh.
‘Yeah, it’s wild! Are we organised?’ I asked, trying to hype up our New York vibe, despite feeling numb inside.
‘Shit, I was ready when we got that email. I can’t believe it’s actually happening, though. Go check in, girl. We need to talk business!’ Zola pointed towards the check-in desk. I nodded and started wheeling my neatly packed case over, handed my passport to the attendant and received my boarding pass before returning to where my friends waited.
After security, we wandered through the duty-free area, where Zola and Katy seemed to try on every pair of overpriced sunglasses, taking selfies happily. Meanwhile, I pretended to browse the shelves of travel-sized toiletries while actually checking my phone nonstop, wondering if Philip would text. A simpleDon’t go, Ellamessage would be better than this. Even an angry text would be something. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made this whole situation worse, if I’d massively overreacted with my ‘I’ve changed’ patter that I was mouthing off with. Had I pushed away someone I loved because of this opportunity? Would it be worth it? What if we’d got so carried away with a free holiday that I’d lost the first man I cared about in years on a complete whim?
‘OK, I can’t anymore. Spill,’ Zola said as we headed towards the bar.
‘And don’t say it’s nothing, Ella. Your face has been like a smacked arse since we saw you, and you’ve barely been on the chat in days,’ Katy chimed in.
I blinked fast as tears stung my eyes, scrubbing at them before they could fall. Not here, not now.
‘Well .?.?.’ Zola held her hands up. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Me and Philip had a massive fight at the Mini Grill about this whole New York thing and how he doesn’t support it because of everything that happened with The Dicktionary Club in the past. Basically, he walked out and left me. We haven’t spoken since.’ Immediately, I watched my friends’ faces fall in shock.
‘So, he’s jealous?’ Zola asked.
I shook my head. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘Controlling,’ Katy said.
‘Honestly, I don’t think it’s that either,’ I sighed. I looked at both of them as we made our way to a booth and slid into the velvety seats. ‘I also told him that I had to do this for me, because I haven’t felt like myself recently and .?.?.’ I hesitated, glancing down at my hands. ‘So, lately, I feel like I’ve changed. And I don’t think he’s changed me, but I just keep prioritising everything he wants – watching his shows, going to his events, having dinners only when he’s free. Philip is such a great boyfriend, but I’ve put so much effort into our relationship that I feel like I’ve let my career slip. So, I told him that.’
‘Ouch, I bet he loved that.’ Zola bit her lip nervously. I sighed again, acknowledging that she was right.
‘So, wait, does that mean you’re single now, Ella? For New York?’ Katy asked.
I side-eyed my friend. American boaby was the last thing I wanted to think about right now.
Katy stood. ‘I’ll get drinks. You need something strong, Ells.’ She went to the bar.
‘I can’t believe he just got up and left you in the restaurant like that.’ Zola put her arm around me and pulled me in towards her. ‘You should have told us before now. We could have helped, you know.’
I smiled at her kind, worried face. ‘I didn’t want to be a buzz kill. You both were so hyped.’
Zola shook her head.
‘He made such a scene in the restaurant, too, walking out with food still on our plates. And I had to pay the bastarding bill!’
Zola’s face fell in disbelief.
‘Yep. And, we’d had steak and a bottle of champagne! You can imagine the fucking price of those bad boys, Zo!’
Zola giggled, covering her mouth at his audacity. ‘The cheek of that man! What did you do?’
