Page 98 of So, I Met This Guy . . .

‘Are you drunk?’

‘On two beers?’ he protested, looking affronted, but his squiffyness betrayed the several more he’d drunk in the airport and on the plane.

‘I might go take a shower, get changed.’ It was all too much. Flick needed a few minutes by herself to decompress.

‘I got us another room,’ he winked. ‘Bit pricey, but we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.’

‘It’s only been a week.’

‘A week’s a long time in the life of Rory Armstrong.’

Flick hated it when he spoke about himself in the third person. She stood up.

‘I’ll wait for you down here in the bar. I’ve already had a shower and got changed before you arrived. Wanted to look my best for you,’ he winked, pulling the room key from out of his shorts and passing it to her.

‘Thanks.’ She gave him a quick peck on the lips.

‘Don’t be long, I want to hit the town, it’s Friday night,’ he said, as she began walking away. ‘And, hey, babe?’

Flick turned. Rory was sitting in the booth, a drunken smile on his face.

‘Good surprise, eh?’

She forced a smile. ‘Yeah, good surprise.’

Are you here?

Yes.

Great.

So where do you want to meet?

Meet me at Bar Tio.

It’s on the corner, by the port.

What time?

How about 5 p.m.? Is that OK?

Maggie hesitated. Was she really going to go through with this?

Yes, it’s fine.

Be good to see you, Mags.

You too, Theo.

A Change of Plan

On Saturday morning, Maggie found herself in the curious position of waking up in a hotel room completely alone.

It felt weird, to be without Flick. Over the past seven days and God knows how many European towns and cities, she’d got used to her being there – her stuff strewn all over, the wet towels on the bed, the sheer amount of time she took in the shower. Seriously, you’d think a human being would dissolve in there. Er, hello? Weren’t they supposed to be conserving water?

Maggie had never known anyone be in the bathroom that long. Which seemed more than a tad hypocritical, considering Flick’s stance on the environment, which she was forever banging on about. Honestly, you should’ve seen the fuss she made when she’d caught Maggie using a packet of facial cleansing wipes.

‘But it says they’re biodegradable,’ she’d protested weakly.