by Hannah Doyle
The fireworks are back with a vengeance. I wrap my hands around his waist and kiss him hello. Our mouths are millimetres apart and I’m about to kiss him again when Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing’ comes on and we get the giggles.
‘Hi,’ I finally say.
‘Hello.’
My ears feel hot. Never have I fancied a man in a shimmering tracksuit more. I motion to our group to see if he fancies dancing but Zach mimes getting a drink and once we’ve picked up drinks he leads me to a booth in the corner. A booth for just the two of us. ARGH! I need people around me or I may not be trusted with this man.
‘So here we are at an eighties disco,’ he says as he fidgets with his outfit like a fish out of water.
‘Well deduced,’ I grin. ‘I had no idea you’d be able to pull off an acid green trackie so well. I’m kind of into it.’
You flirt, I think to myself. I need to calm down.
‘Hah. Thanks. Fancy dress is definitely not my thing but I wanted to make an effort for you.’
Zach, I realise, makes me feel good about myself in a very cute way.
‘Shall we dance?’ I ask, eyes flicking to the dancefloor.
Shyness flashes across Zach’s face. ‘I’m not big into dancing in public,’ he admits.
‘Ah, okay. Was this a bad date choice?’
‘Not at all! I’m enjoying the music a lot and your mates have some … interesting moves.’ He laughs as we watch Natalie and Eve attempt the running man together. ‘But confidence isn’t my forte. Besides, I wouldn’t mind spending the night wrapped up in your company.’
Butterflies! Or moths? No stop it.
‘Well, Zach Moretti, the good news is that I have plenty of possibly misplaced confidence and I am more than happy for us to spin around the dancefloor like a couple of dorks for the night.’
‘A couple of dorks, you say?’
I nod.
‘Come on, then.’ He takes my hand and our bodies tangle together as we move to ‘Papa Don’t Preach’. The glitter ball above sends shafts of light over us and I look up at Zach’s face, lit up like a diamond. He looks hot and I like him. There’s no need to panic about that, right? Repeat after me: We’re just having fun together. It’s chilled. No pressure. We’re just having fun together. It’s chilled. No pressure.
Later I’m striking a pose around my face in what I hope is a mini Madonna masterclass for Zach. ‘This is Vogueing. I can’t believe you’ve never heard of it!’
‘I know, what was I doing with my youth?’ He grins, quite adorably poking himself in the eye as he attempts to copy me.
‘I bet you were in a band.’ I’m suddenly struck with an image of him as a guitar-strumming teenager. ‘I can totally picture you writing love songs to your first girlfriend, heart bleeding all over the lyrics.’
Zach stops trying to mirror my dance moves and takes hold of my hands, inching me away from the middle of the dancefloor towards the less busy edges with a smile on his face.
‘Incorrect. There wasn’t much call for a piano-playing introvert in any of the bands at my school.’
‘You play the piano?’
‘Not for a long while, but yeah, when I was younger. Didn’t write any love songs though. I guess you could say I was a late bloomer in that department.’
Another song comes on and Natalie bounds past us on her way back from the loos. ‘What are you doing on the outskirts? Come on!’ She calls, waving us back into the middle. I’m itching to join them but I don’t want to be rude to Zach.
‘Come on then,’ he smiles. ‘I can see I’m going to have to work hard to keep up with you, Alice.’
Thrilled, I lead him back into the throng where Natalie’s unleashing the entire dance routine to ‘Thriller’.
‘I’ve been wondering about a career change,’ she says, hands still clawed in the air. ‘Serious question: Should I join a dance troupe?’
I snort. ‘It’s good to have goals.’
‘It’s this shell suit,’ she grins. ‘It’s making me feel like a queen. See that hot guy in the blazer over there? Just gave him my number. Why not, hey? Jake doesn’t get to piss on my parade any longer.’
‘That’s the spirit!’ I cheer, turning back to smile at Zach and spotting him trying to slink back to the booth again. I grab him by the hand. ‘Oh no you don’t!’
He smiles, kissing me firmly on the lips. ‘I actually thought I’d leave you to it.’
‘What?’ I ask, crestfallen. I thought we were having fun and don’t want him to go.
‘Come on, you don’t need me cramping your style any more.’
‘No, you’re not! I’m enjoying spending time with you. Why don’t we head off together?’
‘Alice, that’s really sweet but I can tell you’re having loads of fun with your girlfriends and you should make the most of that. Stay and enjoy your night, blow off some steam. Besides, it’s been a long day and I am knackered. Can I see you again soon?’ He asks, pulling me in for a kiss. My hand wanders inside his shell suit and I run a finger along the waistline of his trousers.
‘Yes please,’ I whisper.
‘It’s a date,’ he says, looking pleased. ‘Now go, have fun.’
I wave him goodbye then spin on my heels and head back to my girls.
‘Everything okay with Zach?’ Nat asks later. We’ve been dancing for hours and are taking a well-earned water break.
‘I’m not sure he could keep up with us,’ I say, kicking off my heels and rubbing my feet.
‘I guess we can be a bit full on,’ Nat says, nodding in the direction of Eve, who seems to be recreating some kind of Magic Mike moves in the middle of the club. I watch her for a while, letting my thoughts settle.
‘Zach’s actually earned some serious brownie points with me tonight,’ I say. ‘He knew that I was having fun here with you guys and he didn’t crowd me out, or stay and be grumpy because it wasn’t his thing. I offered to leave when he decided to call it a night and he insisted I stayed. I like that he was happy to give me space to do my thing.’
‘Yeah, that is thoughtful,’ Nat nods. ‘Jake always insisted we did everything together. I’m only realising now how claustrophobic that felt.’
‘Right? Couples often seem to merge into one person. I’ve lost count of how many of our friends now refer to themselves as “we” when I ask them how they are or what they’re doing.’
‘That’s so true and I know I was guilty of that when Jake and I were together.’
‘It’s nothing to feel guilty about, Nat. I can see that it’s cute, too. Feeling like a team, doing stuff together, being part of a little unit.’ I pause, not wanting to bang on about couples right when Nat seems to have got herself into a good place after her split.
‘Speaking of units, Jake was a total c-unit,’ she grins.
I hoot.
‘Zach, on the other hand, sounds like a winner.’
‘You think?’ I ask, unable to keep the smile from my mouth.
‘I do. And I think you do too.’
‘Well, I’m definitely feeling less freaked out about things now. I panicked on our last date but tonight he gave dancing a go even though it’s not his thing. He didn’t balk at a group hang out or insist on ending the night together. He totally put me first. I really appreciate that about him.’
‘Face it, babes, you like him.’
‘All right! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ I laugh, pulling my heels back on and taking Nat’s hand for one last dance.
Film Festival
Zach
The sun is high but there’s still a freshness in the air when I pull up outside Alice’s house. She’s leaning against her front door wearing shorts and a jumper with a thunderbolt across it, her arms wrapped around her for warmth.
‘Like your jumper.’
‘Thank you. As you can see, I never did get the memo that you should stop dressing like a child when you hit adulthood. Plus this thunderbolt is made of sequins which change colour when you r
ub them.’
‘Is that an invitation?’
‘Steady,’ she winks. ‘Besides, that depends on whether you plan to leave this date early or not.’
‘Argh, no, don’t hold it against me. You guys were having so much fun at the eighties disco and … To be honest, dancing in public just takes me back to the primary school years where I was very, very far from being cool. I’d be the kid at the school disco sat on the side, eating all the cheesy wotsits while the popular ones were trying out their first slow dances in the middle.’
‘Oh Zach, that’s just melted my icy heart a little bit.’
‘Don’t worry, I’m over it now,’ I grin, trying to extract myself from sounding like an utter loser. ‘But you were the life and soul of a party that night and I didn’t want to be the one to take you away from that.’
‘It’s okay, I’m just teasing you. I was disappointed when you headed off early but it was good to stay and blow off some steam with the girls. I really needed a fun night out. You were being very thoughtful and considerate.’
I doff an imaginary cap. ‘Pleasure. Though I’m afraid I plan to be entirely selfish with you today. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, actually.’
‘Have you now?’
I gesture towards the bashed up old Golf GTI I’ve parked outside her house. If all goes to plan, today will be romantic and the chance for me to impress her. If I can stop talking about my geek days, that is. ‘Alice, meet Gerty.’
‘You’ve named your car Gerty?’ She grins.
‘Sure have. And she’s in charge of getting you to Leeds and back today.’
Casually flicking the stereo on like I didn’t spend hours painstakingly compiling the playlist for today’s road trip, I realise that I’m hyper aware of having Alice in the passenger seat. She’s fiddling with that ring on her middle finger again and I’ve noticed that she always wears it. I wonder if there’s a story behind it. We’re on date six and there’s so much more about Alice I’m desperate to know.
‘I love this song,’ Alice says, reaching to turn the volume up.
Relief. The connection between us is undeniable even though we’re different in so many ways and I’m pleased to see that my taste in music has hit the right note. She’s started singing along and I’m so distracted by the sound of her lilting voice that I almost go through a red light.
‘Easy,’ she laughs. ‘I didn’t have you down as a rule-breaker.’
‘I don’t often have such a beautiful distraction in my passenger seat.’
Alice shoots me stern look. ‘Am I a distraction to you?’
‘Ah, no. That did not come out well. I meant …’
‘Zach, I’m teasing.’
‘I’m not sure if that’s wise,’ I raise an eyebrow. ‘You know I’m not just your designated driver for the day, right? I’m also in charge of all the snacks. More wise-cracks, less snacks for Alice.’
She laughs again. ‘What are we doing, anyway?’
‘After you shared your love of cheesy eighties pop with me, I thought I’d share my own guilty pleasure. We’re off to a film festival.’
‘Is it going to be all arty films that win awards but never make any sense? Should I have packed my glasses and a black polo neck?’
‘And there go the Hula Hoops.’
‘Wait, no! Sorry, I can’t help myself sometimes. I love Hula Hoops. And I can totally get on board with arty films. The more subtitles the better, I say.’
‘That’s better,’ I grin. ‘What’s the best flavour, ready salted or salt and vinegar?’
‘It’s beef, surely?’
‘Agreed. I bought all three, just in case.’
‘Three packets of Hula Hoops and I’m yours.’
I don’t tell her I think I’m already hers.
‘Notting Hill? Are you kidding me? This was my favourite film growing up. When you said we were coming to a film festival I thought …’
‘I know exactly what you thought,’ I smile. I wanted to show Alice that I’m not just the intense artist she seems to see me as and, more than that, I just wanted us to have some fun in the here and now. I’m really happy and massively relieved that she seems genuinely excited about this date.
After parking up I pop the boot and pull out the cool bag I borrowed, silently cursing Ellie. When she’d promised I could borrow it, I hadn’t realised it would be covered in bright pink flamingos and putting a serious dent in my masculinity.
‘Like your bag,’ Alice grins, stretching her legs after the drive.
‘It’s what’s inside that counts,’ I reply. ‘And we’ve already established that you’ve got three packets of Hula Hoops to get through. Shall we?’
I lug the cool bag over my shoulder and we head towards the entrance. The festival’s being held in the grounds of an old stately home, a different film showing every day for the next few weeks, and a huge screen is erected at the bottom of a gently sloping hill. People are setting up camp all around it. The sky is dotted with clouds like cotton wool and the canopied areas are already filling up, so I lead us to a spot by an old oak tree and set down the bag, pulling a picnic blanket and a couple of cushions out of my rucksack.
‘This is so cute,’ Alice says, settling down under the dappled shade of the tree. We’re lying on our bellies, legs kicked out behind us, when I realise that I feel more relaxed now than I have in a long time. Alice’s soft skin brushes against mine as she sits up, pushing her sunglasses onto her head, and announces that she’s off to get us a drink. When she returns with a prosecco and a soda water, she folds her legs underneath herself as she sits back down and we clink our biodegradable cups together.
‘I’m kind of sad you aren’t wearing your eighties tracksuit today. When Nat saw you that night she told me I should “get some”.’
‘Well now I just feel objectified.’
‘Hah,’ she giggles. ‘I’ve started to realise that all of my friends are incredibly cringe. Still haven’t forgiven Dylan for showing you those pictures of me at primary school.’
‘The one where you looked a bit like Darth Vader?’
‘Hey!’ She protests, flicking a crisp at me.
I hold my hands up in self-defence. ‘We all have one of those photos in our past. I’ve already sworn Raff to secrecy.’
Alice leans in. ‘Does that mean I might meet your brother and sister-in-law one day?’
I’m not sure what to say, I’m just so surprised that this beautiful commitment-phobe has asked such a question that my words tumble into one. Style it out with a drink, Zach.
‘Would you like to?’ I say, finally recovering myself.
Instead of answering she decorates her fingers with Hula Hoops before biting them off, one by one. ‘You do always pick dates where it’s just the two of us. You aren’t secretly ashamed of me, are you, Zach Moretti?’
‘That could not be further from the truth. Anyway, you always pick dates where we’re surrounded by your friends!’
‘I guess I’m just more used to doing stuff in groups,’ she shrugs. ‘I don’t really date much, so group activities and relaxed hangouts are more my thing.’
‘Perhaps I’m being selfish, wanting you all to myself.’
She laughs at that. ‘As an only child my mum refused to let me be selfish.’
‘She sounds like a wise owl, your mum.’
Alice’s eyes flicker, just for a moment. ‘The wisest. Talking of my mates, what do you think of Dylan? I was worried you didn’t like him.’
Caught off guard, again.
‘Oh, um, he seems like a fun enough guy …’
‘Hang on while I call his agent,’ she deadpans. ‘Dylan will definitely want to use your glowing “fun enough” review for his next promotional stuff.’
I find myself laughing again. Now that I think about it, we haven’t had a date yet where Alice hasn’t made me laugh, which is brilliant. I really like how funny she is.
‘I’m just glad he didn’t scare you away with all his
embarrassing stories about me. He tends to hog the limelight, too.’
‘He’s definitely suited to being on the stage,’ I say carefully. ‘We’re quite different I think. It can be a little intimidating when the girl you like has such a charismatic best friend.’
She’s paused, watching me, and I worry that I’ve said too much but after a while her face breaks into that beautiful smile and she gives me a playful nudge.
An announcement tells us the movie will start in ten minutes and Alice heads off to find the portaloos, giving me the chance to set up the surprise picnic dinner I packed. Ellie came over last night to help me prepare it all. Savoury muffins in baking paper wraps, stuffed peppers, a goats’ cheese salad. It looks pretty good all laid out now, even if being in the kitchen with Ellie was a terrifying experience. I’m still scarred by her shouting ‘Don’t scorch the peppers.’ ‘Chop it FINELY.’ Not sure my nerves have recovered from the stress yet.
‘Oh wow this looks so good! Did you make all of this?’ Alice asks.
‘I had a little help from Ellie.’
‘It’s lovely that you’re so close with your brother’s wife.’
‘They actually met through me,’ I say. ‘Ellie and I studied together at uni. She’s my best friend as well as my sister-in-law.’
Alice takes a plate and eagerly fills it with food, handing it over to me before making one for herself and licking her fingers. ‘Please tell her I said thank you. I love goats’ cheese.’ Her enthusiasm warms me like the sun, which has just started to set and is casting a golden glow over Alice. She looks luminous. As she pulls her jumper off, I catch the briefest glimpse of her belly button and I want nothing more than to graze my fingers along it.
‘Are you covering all possible weather bases with your outfit today? Thunderbolt jumper, rainbow T-shirt …’
‘Sunshine necklace,’ she adds, reaching for the delicate gold chain hanging under her T-shirt.
‘That couldn’t be more apt given that you are a ray of sunshine,’ I say.
‘Oh stop it,’ she grins, sighing contentedly. ‘I think this is the most perfect picnic I’ve ever had. Delicious food, one of my favourite movies about to start and the company isn’t too bad either.’