say what you want,’ the corner of his mouth quirks, ‘not that anything would stop you doing that. No hands I promise! Here we go!’
The drinks magically arrive at the table the second we’re sitting down. My cocktail actually looks quite nice. Very nice. ‘Good job.’ Oh hell, that sounds like I’m praising a toddler who’s conquered potty training. ‘I mean, er, lovely, I’m impressed.’ Ouch, where did that come from? I sound like my mother. I can feel the colour start to leach into my face.
‘What do you call a sad strawberry?’
‘I have no idea. Is this a chat-up line, or part of the lesson?’
‘A blueberry!’
‘That’s terrible!’ I laugh despite myself, and instantly the embarrassment disappears. Noah grins and I realise him being happy makes me feel happy.
‘Courtesy of a nephew. Sorry. I’ve got more?’
‘I’m not sure how many I can take.’
‘What do you call a strawberry playing the guitar? No?’ I shake my head. ‘A jam session!’
I groan. ‘Another nephew joke?’
‘Oh no, that’s all my own work! It was my comeback joke. I think I’ve peaked!’
His grin is decidedly naughty, and I don’t know if I can totally blame the glow in my cheeks on the cocktail.
‘When I got here and you said I’d made you forget your chat-up line, that was a chat-up line, wasn’t it?’
His grin morphs into a big smile. ‘You’re a quick learner. Guilty as charged! Hang in there though, they get better!’
‘Nobody ever tell you you’re cheesy?’ I roll my eyes and take a sip of my cocktail.
‘And you’re the sweet chutney that makes me complete.’
‘Oh, pu-key. How far will you go?’
‘As far as it takes.’ His eyes are twinkling. I’m enjoying myself. This isn’t hard at all. Being with Noah is fun, and chilled.
I tip my head on one side and study him. ‘You don’t even mind if I laugh at you, do you?’
He shakes his head. ‘Not at all. This is about you, not me.’
‘You’re good at this.’
‘I am, I told you.’ The cheeky grin comes and then drops away. ‘So are you. It just has to be about the person you’re with, that’s all.’ He leans in closer. ‘Yeah, I’ve got an ego the size of an elephant, but I just put it on hold. The only secret is to forget you for a moment. Let’s face it, Rosie.’ He takes my hand. ‘Most of the time you’re thinking about other people, aren’t you? You’re kind, considerate.’ Blushing at the moment. ‘I’ve seen you at work, or with your mates, and you’re more interested in other people than yourself. You just get hung up when you’re with a guy you don’t know.’ He smiles, but his thumb is stroking the back of my hand. It’s mesmerising and I’m liking it far too much; I feel like he’s hypnotising me, drawing me into his world. ‘If you go in feeling confident that you look your best, you are your best. It’s easy, Rosie. It’s only hard when you’re thinking about how you feel, not how you can make the other person feel. So,’ he lets go of my hand, leans back and twinkles again, bringing me back down to earth and back to lesson-land, ‘if you weren’t ridiculously lucky and able to be here with sex god Noah, name three top qualities your perfect date must have.’
‘Reliable.’
‘Woah.’ He holds a hand up. ‘I knew we had to get back to your man-requirements and get real.’
‘Do you remember everything?’ I sigh.
He grins. ‘When it comes down to you, I do. Strange eh?’ The wink makes me all gooey inside. Then I twig what else he said.
‘What do you mean, get real?’
‘It’s a rubbish list!’
‘There’s nothing wrong with wanting somebody reliable!’
‘Well no but, number one requirement? You’re kidding, me?’ He grins.
‘Shut up, this is my list!’ I screw my face up and think. ‘Considerate.’
He groans. ‘Twenty-five going on fifty? Safe job, everything in moderation.’
‘You’re impossible!’
‘You should be having fun, you deserve it. I consider it my duty to turn you around, to make you forget that boring list and come up with a new one!’
‘Don’t I deserve somebody good, faithful?’ Somebody not like my father.
‘Are we talking about Hugo again here?’
‘Shush!’
‘Rosie, somebody can be fun and faithful, if they’re the right person! I’m going to prove that to you.’ He taps the table to make his point. ‘Look, you deserve somebody,’ he hesitates as though looking for the right words, ‘somebody who brings out the best in you, somebody who makes you feel