Page 37 of Vixen and her Best Friend

“I’m very lucky.” Vix looks at Harri as she offers her some more wine from the bottle they bought. “I don’t know if I should.”

“You have permission from the school principal to enjoy yourself,” she says firmly, topping up her plastic glass.

“That’s true!” Vix giggles. “Might as well make the most of it!”

The afternoon’s growing late, but the festival is only just getting started. Bands come on one after another, mostly local ones, but as the sun gets lower in the sky, finally Paua of One comes out, to screams and whoops from the crowd. They launch into a fantastic performance of some of their most well-known songs, including I Scream, and soon the girls are up dancing, and even some of the guys too.

I sit back against the tree and watch Ollie spinning some of the girls around. Solar lamps are popping on all around the park, and the coloured lights from the stage flash, illuminating the trees and flowers and dancing figures.

The band finishes the song and then begins one of their other hits, called Heartbeat. It’s a love song about two people finally finding each other, and couples drift together all across the park.

Vix walks over to me and holds out a hand. “Come on,” she says. “You can’t sit there all evening.”

I let her pull me to my feet, and she leads me to a space on the grass. She turns to face me and loops her arms around my neck, and I rest my hands on her waist.

I glance around. Our friends are all pairing up for a dance or going off to get a drink, and nobody’s watching. Judging by Ollie and Jake’s reaction, I don’t think they’d care even if they were. I thought people would disapprove if they found out how I feel about Vix, but maybe I’m not the only one who’s resentful about how Jayden’s treated her.

“I haven’t danced like this for years,” she says, looking up at me with a smile.

“That’s a real shame.” I study her big brown eyes. “You should be dancing every day with someone. You should be treated like a queen.”

Our eyes lock. She’s warm in my arms, slender and soft. She’s wearing shorts and a pretty blue top with a V neck that has a scatter of sequins around the edge. They glitter in the light of the beams sweeping the crowd.

It brings back all the yearning and heartbreak I suffered when I lived here in Evermore. She represents my past. She’s the reason I left.

So why does it feel so right to have her in my arms?

“I’m glad you came home,” she says. “I feel as if everything’s going to be all right when you’re here.”

I look helplessly into her eyes. I mustn’t do this. I can’t let her realise how much I’m still in love with her.

The moment stretches out, but I manage to keep my mouth closed, even though the words press against my teeth like water behind a dam. The song eventually finishes, and we break apart and clap and cheer as the band takes a bow.

We rejoin the others, and the moment passes. I feel a flicker of regret, but it’s too nice an evening to feel bad for long. It’s warm, and there are plenty of craft beers to try. Someone buys a couple of platters from the stall selling local cheeses and sausages, and we nibble our way through those while we chat.

I’m relieved that, because there are enough people present who are new to the island, the conversation doesn’t focus on the past. Many of them don’t know Jayden, or the fact that I was his best man, and I stop worrying about what people are thinking, and whether they’re judging me for anything I have or haven’t done.

Gradually, the evening draws to an end. We sing to the last songs, eat the final bits of cheese and drink the last mouthful of our beers, and then it’s time to tidy up and go home. Vix and I say goodnight to the others, many of whom promise to turn up after nine tomorrow to help with the shop, and we head out of the park, past the bookshop, and up the road toward the Harbour Master’s Cottage.