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Sophie stared into her drink, both hands cupped around it for warmth. ‘Liam is the guy I went on a date with last week, not that either of us acknowledged it just then.’
Kate pulled a face. ‘God,’ she said, sipping her tea again.
‘I know. Very awkward.’
‘He didn’t seem too awkward just then,’ Kate said.
‘No, Kate, awkward for me!’ Sophie pushed out her bottom lip like a teenager. She was only half mocking.
Kate laughed. ‘Why was it so hideous? You never said.’
Sophie sipped her tea again and looked around like she was about to share MI5 secrets. Happy that she wasn’t in earshot of anyone likely to gossip, she turned to Kate.
‘So, he turned up to the pub with this enormous bouquet of balloons, which, as you know, I am genuinely terrified of. So, it was a bit of a terrible start. He was late too, which annoyed me.’
‘Of course it did.’ Kate nodded in agreement, knowing her friend well.
‘Anyway, the pub was packed, and I had this stupid great big bouquet of balloons with me. We managed to find a corner table, and I was hopeful that it would be quiet enough for us to talk – maybe I could forgive the balloons if there was good conversation, you know? But it was a tiny table, and he’s … well, you can see,’ she said, looking over to where Liam now stood, cornered by Lulu. ‘He’s huge.’
Kate raised an eyebrow.
‘Don’t be rude,’ Sophie said, blushing. ‘I mean you can see he’s big-built, muscly. So, we sat down at this tiny table on little stools. His knees came up to his ears. We must have looked so ridiculous – him scrunched up so that he could fit into the furniture, and me with a bouquet of red helium balloons.’ Shiny metallic ones, of course, Sophie remembered with a shudder. She rubbed a hand over her face as the embarrassment crept back into her consciousness.
Kate’s face had frozen into a grimace.
‘So, it was awkward then,’ she said, stating the obvious.
Sophie nodded. ‘It gets worse.’
‘Surely it can’t get any worse.’
‘After the glass of red wine I’d obviously drunk before I got there …’
‘Obviously,’ Kate said, agreeing with the strategy.
‘I thought he was quite good looking.’ Sophie closed her eyes, cringing.
‘Ah, so you liked him.’ Kate smiled knowingly.
‘At that point, I thought I might like him, yes. For a moment I sort of dared to hope that it might go well and that he’d like me too. But then the conversation got going, or rather it didn’t.’
‘Oh no.’ Kate put her hands over her face in exasperation and peeped out between her fingers like she was watching a horror film.
‘Oh yes.’ Sophie nodded. ‘Between twenty rogue helium balloons, the world’s smallest table and stools, and conversation that a librarian would have tolerated, I’m sorry to admit that, when Mum called, I used it as an excuse to leave – and you know I normally avoid answering the phone to her if I can.’
‘Oh, Sophie, I’m sorry. It sounds like a bit of a nightmare.’
‘It could be worse,’ she said sarcastically. ‘He could have just turned up to MD the Christmas concert that I’m organising! Or I could have palmed him off with a fake number …’ Sophie felt her face colour with a fresh blush.
Kate snorted into her tea, and a couple of people looked up from their conversations. ‘So, when he needs to call you about the concert, he’s going to think he has your number, but actually, he has a false one that you gave him at the end of your date?’
‘Oh God!’ Sophie groaned, curling up in her chair and resting her head on her knees. ‘Yes!’
‘It’ll be fine,’ Kate said, patting Sophie on the leg. ‘You just said he’s ignoring the fact your date ever happened. If he’s not making it a thing, then you shouldn’t either.’
‘But I make everything a thing,’ Sophie complained from under her cocoon.
‘Good point.’
