My Year of Saying No - Maxine Morrey Page 0,15

as I answered his call distractedly while in the middle of ensuring my last emails of the day had all been sent and I could close my computer down for the weekend.

‘Hi. No, I’m fine. Just been a busy day. I’m very ready for the weekend. Did you need something doing?’

‘I’m hardly likely to ask that at gone five on a Friday night, especially after seeing you looking like you need to go and put your feet up with a big mug of tea.’

‘One sugar, lots of milk if you’re making.’

He grinned and gave me a salute. ‘Get your arse over here and I will.’

‘You say the nicest things.’

‘Yep. They always say I’m a charmer.’

I gave him an eye roll. ‘Did you really want something doing? You know I don’t mind.’

He shook his head and yawned. ‘Nope. I just shut stuff down myself and thought I’d see what you were up to.’

‘Well, I’m about to go and make that tea.’

‘OK, ring me back when you’ve got it.’

Ten minutes later, I was ensconced on my sofa with a soft snuggly blanket, a warm snuggly dog, a huge mug of tea and three chocolate digestives.

‘You look like you’re all ready to hit the town this evening,’ Seb stated upon popping back up on my phone screen’s video call.

‘Oh yeah,’ I replied through a mouthful of biscuit. My mother would not be impressed by my manners, but I was tired and it was only Seb. I’d apologised for speaking with my mouth full once before, at which he’d given a deep rumbling laugh, telling me that he wished that was the worst manners he’d ever seen. Army life was enlightening, he’d said. Deployment was another whole step again. After that, I hadn’t worried.

‘What you up to tonight?’ he asked, sliding down his own sofa into a slouch and taking a sip of what I knew would be black coffee.

‘Pretty much this,’ I replied.

‘Fair enough.’

‘You?’

Seb gave a slow wave over himself to indicate his own plans involved about as much movement as my own. I smiled, enjoying the fact that my friend, who was, in general, a pretty active guy, didn’t judge me for my choices and wasn’t averse to the pleasures of an evening’s sofa-vegging himself.

‘Did you see that new comedy has just come onto Netflix?’ I asked.

‘Oh yeah. I saw the email. Have you watched it yet?’

‘Nope,’ I said through a yawn.

‘Want to watch it later?’

This was something we’d begun to do around six months or so ago. Watching the same thing at the same time, messaging comments to and fro while we watched. It was nice. Silly but fun. Like having company even though you were on your own – four pawed friends excepted.

6

Having now freed up some time thanks to my new saying no policy, I decided to go ahead with some things I actually did want to do. At the time, this had seemed like a good idea. Peeking into the room now, I wasn’t so sure.

‘Ooh, are you here for dance classes too?’ A vivacious looking woman with Hollywood curves and a mass of auburn curls which she’d piled messily, but sexily, on top of her head kind of ushered me in the door along with her and I lost my last chance of scooting out of there before anyone noticed.

‘There you are!’ Jess rushed forward, Harry being propelled along behind as he held onto her hand. I don’t think Harry had been entirely prepared for the amount of energy my friend kept balled up inside her at any given moment, but he seemed to be coping admirably and, from the look on his face, thoroughly enjoying it.

‘Here I am,’ I replied, attempting to inject the same level of enthusiasm, but feeling like I somehow fell short. Hopefully no one else noticed.

‘What’s the matter?’ Jess asked, not fooled in the slightest. ‘I thought you wanted to do this? It was your idea, remember?’ she said, softly.

‘Yeah. I know,’ I smiled, trying not to be put off by the fact that everyone around the room already seemed to have partnered up. ‘I’m just not sure it was one of my better ones.’

‘Oh, nonsense,’ Jess said. ‘You’ve wanted to learn to dance for years. I’m thrilled you’re finally doing something about it. I can’t believe I didn’t think about putting this on the list for last year.’

‘I’m glad you didn’t. I barely survived as it was.’

‘Oh, pffft,’ Jess batted me on the arm. ‘You loved it.’

I stared at her for