He smiles. ‘What have you done to Noah? Not seen much of him lately; he used to be a regular feature in here, propping up the bar.’
‘Nothing to do with me! I think he’s been busy at work.’
‘And there was I wondering if he was settling down.’
‘Settling down?’ It comes out as a croak. I open and close my mouth. Has Noah moved on from first-dating? Is he going steady?
‘You guys seem the real deal.’
‘What? Oh, haha.’ I cackle in relief. ‘You mean us?’ I point at my chest. ‘Us? Me and … Oh God, no. No! No we’re not dating, we’re friends.’
‘What a jerk.’
‘Jerk?’
‘Missing out on a girl like you! If you ever, you know …’ he leans on his forearms on the bar, ‘if you’ve not got a boyfriend, or girl—’
‘No! No, no boyfriend, girlfriend, any friend! Sure, great, maybe!’
‘Here, I’ll put my number in your phone if you like, just in case you fancy …’
I sashay my way back to the table and put the drinks down.
‘I did say I’d pick the guy for you to chat up!’ Noah shakes his head and raises his glass. ‘Guys like that are …’
‘I know, I know. It’s his job, pull a pint, pull a girl.’
He smiles. It’s like the sun coming out. Really. When he full-on smiles he makes the world seem a better place.
I expect him to chuckle, but he doesn’t. The smile fades and he looks slightly sad. Serious. His voice is soft, gentle. ‘You’ve got this cracked, haven’t you, Rosie? You really don’t need me anymore; you don’t have a problem chatting anybody up. And if I’m going with you to the party, then there’s no urgency …’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ I match his tone. ‘I haven’t got a clue how to chat up the person I really want to.’ Or whether I would, even if I knew how to. ‘Noah?’
He nods.
‘Can we just forget me chatting anybody up, just have, I don’t know … just have a drink? As mates?’
He shrugs. ‘I don’t see why not. Could be nice.’
‘You can tell me about your sister.’
The smile comes back then. This time affectionate, not naughty or dazzling. ‘Our Gem, very aptly named! Not that she isn’t a pain in the arse at times, but you know, sisters.’
I don’t. But I get it, seeing the look on his face. ‘You’re really close, aren’t you? It must be nice.’
‘We are, though we don’t always see that much of each other. But I know she’s there for me, and I think she feels the same. Her and Dan make a good team.’
‘So, it is possible.’
‘What?’
‘A happy ever after!’
‘Ahh, that.’ He studies his glass, then fixes his attention back on me. It should be unnerving, being inspected so closely, but it isn’t. He raises his eyebrows and gives me a twisted smile. ‘I guess it is, when all the planets align, and all that stuff. Possible, but not very good odds.’
‘I guess you can shift them in your favour.’
‘But fate has the final word. Another?’
I nod. Watch him at the bar. Not flirting. Despite the girl who is standing next to him making a comment. It’s odd. He just smiles politely then turns away. I’ve not really watched him when we’ve been out together, but now I think about it he has never flirted with anyone else. Smiled charmingly maybe, been polite. But never messed around, even though we weren’t on dates.
A man you can maybe trust not to cheat on you, a man who always leaves with the girl he arrives with.
His long legs covering the ground between us easily, his gaze never shifting from me.
‘So, enough about the serious stuff, my lovely Rosie-Posie.’ He puts the drinks down, and this time comes to sit next to me. ‘Shall we resume the lesson of the day? We’ve done the talking to death, so let’s do this bit. Part one,’ he turns so that he’s half-facing me, ‘the smile.’ I nod, the corners of his generous mouth lift. Just enough. ‘The first touch.’ He tucks a tendril of hair behind my ear and sends a delicious shiver of anticipation down my spine. His fingers trail with the gentlest of touches over my cheek, until the tip of his ring finger rests on my lip. He studies my mouth for an age. I dampen my dry lips. ‘Is it okay, if I …?’
I swallow hard and I know my lips have parted, I know I can’t stop myself from