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Josie sits up and says, ‘We have to stop meeting like this. First the office, now here?’
‘The office? Why did I not know this?’ I ask, looking at Josie for answers while Finn throws the ball to the group behind him with decidedly better aim than me.
Finn grins and says, ‘We coordinated an illicit rendezvous to talk about you behind your back.’
‘I had a meeting in his building a few weeks ago and we bumped into each other,’ Josie amends with a laugh, taking a sip from her can. ‘Didn’t I tell you?’
‘No,’ my eyes flit between them, ‘you did not.’
I wonder what they really spoke about. The universe apparently isn’t satisfied with shoving Finn and me in situations together, it’s also dragged my best friend into the fray as well.
Josie doesn’t notice my suspicion and says, ‘Finn, this is my girlfriend Alina. Alina, this is Ava’s Finn. I mean, Ava’s…’
‘Friend?’ I suggest as she trails off.
‘Nice to meet you,’ he replies, dragging a hand throughhis hair to get it off his forehead. ‘Do you mind if I sit?’
‘Go ahead,’ I say, offering him a small smile of my own.
Someone calls his name and he looks over his shoulder to yell, ‘I’m done! I’ll melt if I play for any longer.’
There’s a chorus of boos behind him and he shakes his head with a chuckle before folding onto the grass opposite me, legs outstretched and bent at the knee. I slide back down into a lying position and am briefly aware of his eyes dropping to the neckline of my jumpsuit.
I make the mistake of glancing over at Alina, whose mouth is twitching, and I resume my mindless picking of the grass.
‘Hey, you guys are matching,’ she points out. I look down at myself and then at Finn, both in a khaki green linen. Although, while I’m about five minutes away from sweating through mine, his shirt billows around him like there’s a wind I’m not privy to. Not for the first time, I wonder if he functions within an entirely different weather system from me.
‘Were you really playing football in a button-up?’ I ask.
‘I didn’tplanto, someone just had a ball and I joined in. But how do you even pee in that thing anyway?’ Finn’s eyes roam over my jumpsuit, looking for an exit. ‘I don’t understand it.’
‘With immense difficulty,’ I sigh. ‘And you don’t need to understand it. It’s for the female gaze only.’
‘You can just call us lesbians, you know,’ Josie quips, which makes both Finn and me snort.
Another familiar figure appears behind Finn, crisps in one arm, bottles clinking in the bag on his opposite shoulder. ‘Room for one more?’
Never one to turn down sustenance, I motion for Julien to find a free spot on the blanket. He drops a water bottle into the gap between Finn’s legs, which makes him jump. Good. I was beginning to worry he’s incapable of being bothered by anything.
Once fresh introductions have been made and Julien’s deposited their drinks and snacks, we all shift into a circle around the blanket like we’re worshipping at a makeshift shrine of G&T cans, Kettle chips and Tesco sweet chilli hummus.
‘Please don’t tell me you’re one of those men whotakes his top off in public,’ I say to Finn, who’s fanning himself with his own collar. The only evidence of the heat on him is the damp hair sticking to the back of his neck.
‘Absolutely not,’ he replies, opening a can with deft fingers. I’m sure the disappointment I feel is because he picked the elderflower G&T I had my eye on, not because of his answer.
‘I am, though.’ Julien lifts the bottom of his shirt, watch glinting, and I look approvingly, my horizontal position putting me at eye level with his abs. He has a habit of looking like he’s shooting an advert for luxury jewellery everywhere he goes.
‘Put that away,’ Finn says with a grin, setting his can on the blanket and leaning back on his palms. Then he glances back at his friend’s stomach, tilting his head and adding, ‘Okay, but I get it.’
Thankfully, Julien reins in the obnoxiousness and doesn’t actually remove his clothing, but it’s enough for us to settle into an easy flow of conversation.
‘What’s next on your bucket list?’ Alina asks.
‘I usually let Ava take charge, but maybe you can help pick the next thing.’ Finn hands her his phone, forever comfortable giving his life away to someone else.
While Alina’s scrolling, Finn takes another sip of his drink. Still wishing I’d grabbed that last elderflower instead, I watch his throat move as he swallows, and analyse the veins on the hand that grips the sweating can. His eyes drop to mine and it makes me feel like I’ve been caught doing something I shouldn’t. He holds my gaze for a beat before silently setting the can next to me and diving back into the pile to find a new one for himself.
‘Oh!’ Alina exclaims, interrupting my ogling. ‘Outdoor swimming?’
