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‘Hey Josie, what date is it again?’
I don’t move, my eyes frantically bouncing between them, watching their conversation unfold like I’m at a tennis match where it doesn’t matter who wins, because I lose either way.
‘It’s the final Saturday in August,’ she replies.
‘Yep, just as I thought. I’m free.’ He folds his arms across his chest and leans back in his chair. ‘There must’ve been some miscommunication.’
‘So you’ll be there? Promise?’ Josie’s pitch rises with excitement.
‘Wouldn’t miss it.’
‘Bring friends too, the more the merrier.’
‘Of course. Where do you guys live again?’
‘Stoc—’
‘Stockwell,’ he finishes for her, as if he knew all along. ‘I remember now.’
‘Wait,’ Josie says, pointing at him accusingly. ‘Were you the reason she got home at two in the morning?’ Neither of us get a chance to answer before she continues. ‘Thank god, because I thought she might’ve gone home with that Tory. I’m all for having fun in your twenties, but there’s a line. You know what she’s like.’
‘Absolutely,’ he replies earnestly.
Unfortunately, as much as I hope for it, the ground does not swallow me whole, so I snap back into action, saying as quietly as I can, ‘You know, actually Josie, Finn and I don’t really have the kind of friendship where we talk about that stuff.’
Realising she may have overshared, she clenches her teeth at me in an apologetic grimace that wouldn’t be amiss on the face of Wallace and/or Gromit. ‘I’ll take a seat while I wait for you to finish up,’ she says. ‘Is my favourite table free?’
Reluctantly, I reply, ‘Yep. Iced oat chai?’
‘You’re an angel. The best friend ever.Sosorry. Uh, it was nice meeting you, Finn.’ Josie sends us an impish smile and makes her way with Rudy to the table in the left corner by the window, where she moves a cushion out of the way and settles into one of the comfy armchairs.
‘Have you been talking about me?’ Finn asks at the same time I say, ‘Thanks for covering for me there.’
I pointedly ignore his question, which is difficult when he’s looking at me with the kind of mischievous eyes that I have a feeling could convince anyone to do anything. ‘Thanks for covering for me there,’ I repeat. ‘I’ll come up with an excuse for you not to come.’
‘Why?’
‘Why what?’
‘Why am I not coming?’
I blink a few times in confusion. ‘Because that entire situation was the result of some poor decision-making from me and I’d rather just figure out a way to pretend it never happened.’
‘But I’ve given your friend my promise. Do you not want me there?’
My eyebrows pull together. ‘Uh, not really? No offence.’
‘None taken.’ Amusement returns to his face, but he nods. ‘Fine. We’ll come up with an excuse. But I do love karaoke. And making friends.’
‘I don’t need any new friends,’ I say, slightly sharper than I intended in order to cover the undercurrent of defensiveness.
Unbothered, he starts packing up his laptop. ‘Clearly. You have plenty of people to keep you occupied.’
8
I simply cannot pretend to be interested in bitcoin
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