I scan through my diary in my mind and curse myself for being so proactive on the date front. I booked in a random Tinder guy for tomorrow and I still need to catch up on my backlog of date recaps for Analeise.
‘I’m not, I’m afraid,’ I sigh.
His forehead creases. ‘It’s just... Tomorrow is the last day that I’m here, so—’
‘I’ll be there,’ I say.
Noah snorts loudly next to me, prompting me to whip my head round to face him.
‘Don’t you have plans?’ he asks suggestively.
He raises one judging eyebrow. I blink back, begging him to hush.
‘I will make it work,’ I say through gritted teeth, before turning back to Nigel.
Nigel’s eyes flit between us, a tad confused, and I feel him pulling away before we’ve even had a chance to restart. I whack on a huge smile in an attempt to draw him back in.
‘You still have my number, right? Send me a time and place,’ I say.
It seems to work.
‘Great, see you tomorrow,’ he says.
‘See you then!’ I say.
I watch Nigel closely as he strolls peacefully into the distance, waiting until he’s completely out of eyesight and earshot before meeting Noah’s scathingly judgemental gaze.
‘Two dates in one day?’ he asks, seemingly perturbed.
‘Are you slut-shaming me?’ I ask, trying to judge this new energy.
He jolts back in shock. ‘Of course not, I would never! It’s just...’ He pauses. ‘So unlike you.’
He seems disappointed.
‘Well, Nigel seems special,’ I say.
I twist towards him, ready to argue my case wholeheartedly, but I pause at his expression. His features seem to have dipped. An unmistakable sadness quickly washing across his face. He catches me digesting it and brashly turns away, shaking it off before returning with a winning smile.
‘Almost sounds like something I’d do. Do you need any pointers?’ he asks.
‘I think I’ve got this one,’ I mumble back at him.
Honestly, I’d love his help; I don’t quite know what I’ve signed up for. But that brief flit of sadness on his face told me it’s nicer to keep him distanced from this.
‘Well, if you do need help, I have tips,’ he says.
He’s louder and chirpier than I’ve seen him. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was overcompensating.
‘Like, see if your first date is happy to move to breakfast,’ he continues. ‘That way, there’s definitely no overlap. You get up early, get a pastry and chat, come back, refresh, and still have time to write your article before dinner with Nigel.’
I pause for a moment. ‘Okay, yeah, you’re good,’ I say.
He smiles, relaxing slightly. ‘It’s why you keep me around.’
And I know that he’s not wrong. Part of why I’ve loved travelling with himisbecause he’s so good at always being there for me. He’s been my rock with Johann, with Lina, with all dates. I could not have gotten this far without him, and I like to think that it is the same for him. In fact, Iknowit is. I saw the way he looked in my eyes every single time he went to kiss me during that night on the train. I felt the way he held me, the way he stroked me, Iknowthat he needs me too. It’s why we can’t let the other night on the train ruin what we’ve worked so hard to build.
‘Okay, cool, let’s do this,’ I say.
