Twelve Days The Beginning - By Jade Reyner Page 0,4

single and perpetually on the lookout for her soul mate.

“Isn’t he a bit old for you?” Elise replied. Celeste was twenty-six, meaning that there must have been something like a ten-year age gap.

“No, don’t be daft. I like older men, and besides, it’s not as if I have tons of success with men my age. Don’t you just think he’s to die for?!”

Elise didn’t. However, she didn’t want to crush her friend so she settled for a tactful “He’s OK, I suppose - he seemed to be pretty cosy with Olivia though, Leste; you may have some competition”.

Celeste blew some hair out of her eyes as she studied her reflection in the mirror. “Nah, I’m not worried about Olivia, she may have bigger boobs than me, but I can beat her on experience any day!” Elise laughed. Her friend was incorrigible and she knew firsthand that Celeste was not short on experience. On one memorable occasion, Elise had gone round to visit Celeste and, finding the flat door open, had pushed inside. Following the sounds coming from the bedroom, she had tiptoed tentatively through the door only to pull up short in complete shock at the sight of Celeste with not one, but two naked men. Although she had run out as fast as her legs would carry her, Elise had never forgotten this incident and had sometimes wondered what it had felt like to have two men in her bed. Or if she would ever have the courage to broach the subject with Dale.

“Leste, what do you think of Olivia?” Elise asked, keen to change the subject but also to hear if her friend shared her misgivings.

“I’m not sure really. She seems pleasant enough but there’s something about her that I can’t put my finger on”

“Me either. Maybe it’s just the whole ‘innocent’ act? I don’t know.”

“I don’t think she’s as innocent as she makes out,” Celeste intoned, “I know we’ve only just met Vaughn and I do kind of like him but she didn’t seem to be backing away from all his whispering and attentions. When I brushed past them, I’m sure I heard him telling her that she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen”

Elise rolled her eyes. That old line. “Oh God! Maybe but then he is pretty drunk so I guess it’s kind of hard to take him seriously. Do people really fall for that line these days?”

Celeste laughed, “I doubt it but if he was staring into my eyes and telling me I was the most beautiful girl in the world, I wouldn’t still be sitting at this lame party, I can tell you that for nothing!”

Giving her friend a light punch on the arm, Elise exited the bathroom and they returned to their table to find the status quo as it was when they left. Stephen shuffled along to allow Elise to sit on the end of the bench and watched with interest as her eyes automatically went to Vaughn and Olivia.

Never one to be slow on the uptake, Stephen leaned over and whispered in her ear, “What’s up, cupcake? You want a piece of that ass but you’re all jealous ‘cos Olivia’s got it covered?”

“Shut up you idiot, of course not.” She hissed back. ”Have you forgotten that I am a married woman? And in any case, I really can’t imagine wanting to have anything to do with someone who still uses the ‘you’re the most beautiful girl in the world’ chat up line.”

Stephen just grinned and turned back to his conversation with Cole; apparently having rapidly developed a huge interest in cricket, Cole’s sport of choice.

Left with no one to talk to, Elise suddenly became aware of her surroundings and the fact that the lights had dimmed indicating that the night was drawing to a close and that the slow dances were on their way. In her younger years Elise had loved this part of the evening; the guessing games as to who would dance with who and the hope for a surreptitious grope with the current object of her desire. Once she had met and married Dale, that had all changed and now, having been married for 10 years, she found the whole spectacle tedious. She refused to consider why that might be, concerned that she would realise that she was jealous that she no longer had the freedom to enjoy this part of the night.

As if sensing her unease, Cole extricated himself from both Amelia and Stephen and