“Is it ok? It seemed inequitable to only have one chair, so I thought we could both sit here.” Joey gestured towards the seating area she’d hastily arranged using the pillows from her bed. With some added cushions and a couple of blankets, it looks quite inviting, and there was more than enough space for them both.
“It’s perfect,” said Vanessa. “You’re so creative.”
Chapter Twenty
VANESSA
Vanessa’s heart pounded. The balcony suddenly looked so romantic: Joey had transformed it from a utilitarian space to something far more inviting. Had this woman any idea how attractive she and the things she did were? Vanessa had a feeling she didn’t.
“Take a seat,” said Joey, affecting the body language of a waiter.
“Why thank you, I will,” Vanessa replied. She made herself cosy at one end of the balcony, placing the food and drink in the middle. Joey took her place opposite her. She sat cross-legged, and Vanessa noticed a tattoo peeking out where her trousers had ridden up.
“We’ve got a mixture of savoury and sweet stuff here, so while it isn’t a conventional evening meal, I hope it works,” said Joey, leaning forward and grabbing a pastry that seemed to be filled with spinach and some kind of cheese.
“It very much does,” said Vanessa. She was still curious about the change in Joey. She seemed more open this evening than at any time since Vanessa had met her. Butsomehow, more vulnerable, too, and maybe a little sad. Vanessa couldn’t help wondering what had happened to effect this change. Joey had been at the bakery, hadn’t she? Had she had a row with Carmen? Vanessa bit into a pastry filled with roasted vegetables and topped with tomatoes.
“Everything ok at work today?” she asked.
“Yeah,” said Joey, who seemed miles away as she munched her food.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but if something’s happened, you can talk to me,” said Vanessa. “I might talk a lot, too much, probably, but I can listen, too. Promise. Wow, this is delicious.”
Joey shifted on her cushion. “What’s your relationship with your family like?”
This wasn’t answering Vanessa’s question, but perhaps Joey was working her way up to something.
“Yeah, pretty good,” she said. “I mean, there’s me and Carl, he’s my brother. We’re mates most of the time, but we do get on each other’s nerves a bit. But that’s normal, right?” She thought for a moment before going on. “We get on with mum and dad. It’s all a bit chaotic when we’re together, as we all talk a lot.”
“Oh my god,” said Joey in faux shock. Then she smiled. “I can only imagine what that’s like.”
“Yeah, we’re a lot. But we’re good.” She finished her pastry and let Joey think for a minute or two before she went on. “But you know, sometimes in a family like that, you get used to being a certain way – everyone expects it of you. God, even I expect it of me.”
“But sometimes that’s not you?” Joey spoke softly.
“Maybe.” Vanessa sipped her lemonade. “Or maybe I don’t want it to be me.”
Joey raised her eyebrows but didn’t speak. Vanessa wasgrateful for the space. The sun had gone down and the light was beginning to fade.
“I think, perhaps, I’ve been someone I’ve grown out of,” she said, eventually.
Joey nodded, her eyes focused on Vanessa’s. Vanessa felt safe in her gaze. There was a wooziness to the air around them, and a connection between them that felt warm. She hadn’t been drinking, but she felt a similar kind of buzz. Joey blinked. “More lemonade?”
“Sure,” said Vanessa. Was she imagining it? Had there been a moment there? Or was it just her?
Joey returned with the bottle, along with a dish with tiny candles in it. She placed it between herself and Vanessa, then struck a match and lit them.
“Gorgeous,” said Vanessa, before catching herself. “The candles. Really nice.”
“I had a little lamp out here, but it broke,” Joey explained, with a wave of her hand. “This gives me enough light to read by.”
“Well, I approve,” said Vanessa.
Joey settled back into her place, and Vanessa could see the flicker of the candlelight in her face. Joey really was beautiful. She never wore makeup, but her full lips and her big eyes shone. “What is this version of you that you think you’ve grown out of?” asked Joey.
Vanessa sighed. “I guess it’s the version of me that’s flighty and frivolous. You know, easy come, easy go.”
“Is that a bad thing?” There was a gentle warmth to Joey’s voice.
