Straight to You Page 0,15

mouth dry and looked across at me.

'That's better,' he said. 'Christ, I really needed that.'

'Had a hard week?' I asked.

'No, not really,' Mark replied 'What about you? Anything interesting happened in the last few days?'

I shrugged my shoulders, racking my brain and trying desperately to think of anything that might be of even the slightest interest to my friend. It was an impossible task - the week had, on the whole, been an utter waste of time.

'Nothing really. Just your average week.'

I suddenly remembered the one part of the last seven days which had been worth going to work for and could not help letting a broad smile spread across my face.

'I met an incredible girl though.'

'Oh yes,' Mark said, his interest having quickly been aroused at the mention of the opposite sex.

'She's fantastic,' I continued. 'She's about to go into business, came into the office after some help with her finances. Honestly, she's amazing - young, single and really good looking.'

'And is financial assistance all she's going to get from you?' Mark asked, prompting me for a sexist answer. Before I could reply, there was a tap on my shoulder and I turned quickly around to see Samantha stood in front of me. I panicked and prayed that she had not heard me talking about her.

'Hi, Steve. How are you?' she asked.

I picked up Mark's pint and took a large gulp from it before I could answer.

'I'm fine. You?'

'Oh, I'm not too bad. Can I get you a drink?'

'Let me get you one,' I mumbled 'I was in the middle of a round anyway.'

Samantha nodded and smiled.

'Okay, I'll have half a lager and lime please.'

I asked the barmaid for the extra drink and, as she was pouring it, a voice floated up from the bowels of the pub cellar which was unintelligible but which was obviously conveying the message that the barrel of bitter had been changed. My pint was finally poured.

Samantha left us for a moment and I watched her as she walked across the room towards a quiet little table, around which sat two men and a woman, all of a similar age to her. My heart sank as I assumed the obvious (that she was with one of the men) and Mark looked at me with an expression on his face which seemed to be trying to say, 'better luck next time'.

Sam returned and took her drink from me.

'Do you want to come and join us?' she asked.

With the fear that my heart was about to be broken growing more and more intense with each passing moment, I tried to politely decline her invitation.

'We wouldn't want to intrude,' I said, meekly.

'Don't worry, you won't,' she replied. 'It's just my cousin and a couple of his university mates.'

I felt myself relax and I was sure that my sudden relief must have been clearly visible.

'To be honest,' Samantha continued, 'I'll be glad of a little company. All I've heard all night is what a great time they're having at college and how I've missed out by not going. It's starting to get tedious.'

'They're right, you know. It is good,' Mark said.

'Oh, I'm sorry,' I interrupted, remembering that I had not introduced him to Samantha. 'This is Mark, he lectures at the university so he would say that!'

'I'm pleased to meet you,' he said, smiling broadly.

'Mark, this is Samantha, the one I've...'

'...the one you've been telling me about,' he interrupted.

I took an embarrassed sip from my pint and we followed Sam as she walked over to the table where her friends waited. They looked up as we approached.

'This is Mark and Steve.' she said to her companions. She turned to me and introduced them. 'This is Claire, Daniel and Tom.'

We sat down. Mark sat in the place where Samantha had been sitting before we had arrived and that meant that I was left sitting opposite her at the far end of the table. Mark immediately struck up a conversation with his fellow academics and, to my delight, that left me free and alone to talk to Sam

'Have you heard if everything's been agreed?' she asked. 'I don't want you to think that I'm being pushy or anything, it's just that I need to know so that I...'

'Don't worry,' I interrupted. 'Everything's fine I spoke to head office this afternoon and they've assured me that all the forms will be waiting on my desk in the morning. Can you come up and sign them?'

'I can't,' she