Dave’s head dropped into his hands again. ‘Nothing stopping her now then…’
My chest squeezed and I held out my hand to a passing Kate. Almost free-wheeling straight into the next table, she unsteadily passed me her waitress’ notebook. ‘Never took you for a quitter, Dave.’
He looked up and I took out a pen from my apron.
‘Let’s do it, angel-face,’ I said with an innocent smile.
‘You’ll really help me?’ he said, eyes wide. ‘I thought… I mean – this is a great opportunity for you to get rid of me, once and for all.’
‘And why would I want to do that? Jazz’s happiness is what matters, no?’ I shrugged. ‘Sure. You’ve been a right bozo but – God knows why – Jazz loves you with every soppy cell of her being.’
A quizzical look crossed his face. The lines on his forehead dissipated. My brow relaxed too and my breathing slowed as his mouth almost upturned.
‘Now, take off that damn awful coat, Dave McCrory…’ Pen poised, I straightened up. ‘… and let’s see if we can get you hitched – or at least engaged – in ten days.’
Chapter Two – Jasmine
‘Angel-face! Get in here this minute!’
With a sigh I took off the turban of towel around my hair and, cheeks still hot from the shower, padded towards Mikey’s bedroom in my comfiest pyjamas. His private space in the flat was lush, with shiny purple floral wallpaper and a matching velvet bedspread. It provided quite a contrast to the black and white colour theme of the lounge and open-plan kitchen. I yawned. It was only half-past eight but I’d had a challenging Monday at the office, having to sack someone and investigate a claim of sexual harassment. Then last night, my Valentine’s Day date, well… less said about that the better. A lump rose in my throat.
‘Hurry up, slowcoach!’
With a roll of my eyes, I passed through the doorway and… oh, what a welcome sight: Mikey, in his night-time shorts and T-shirt, sitting on the far side of his huge king-sized bed which stood opposite a widescreen telly. Next to him was a bottle of wine, large bowl of popcorn and an array of DVDs. I pursed my lips to trap a sob I could feel rising as he folded down the duvet and patted the mattress. I let my towel fall onto the floor.
‘Hop in, Jazz. We haven’t had a sleepover for a while.’
I bit my lip. Unexpected acts of kindness shot straight into the heart, didn’t they? My chin trembled.
‘Oh, darling.’ Mikey turned to face me and stretched out his arms. I hurtled towards him, squidging across the sheets to fall into the warmth of his embrace. Enveloped in those biceps, my facial muscles relaxed and I leant my head on his chest. We hugged for the longest moment, me squeezing my eyes tight, so as not to cry.
‘You aren’t going to dribble, are you?’ he said, softly.
With a sniff, I slipped my left arm across his abdomen and poked him in the ribs, as he lay down.
‘Oi!’
I lifted my head and we exchanged smiles.
‘So. Are you finally going to tell me what happened last night?’ he said, as I rested my head again. ‘You haven’t said a word all evening.’
‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ I mumbled and blinked rapidly.
‘Fair enough.’ He squeezed me tight. ‘But I’m here if you need me. Right, DVD time – you like romance, I’m an action fan, so how about we compromise with a James Bond movie that combines both elements?’
I nodded, sat up, limbs feeling heavy as I crossed my legs. I grabbed the bowl, scooped up a handful of popcorn and offered it to Mikey, who slipped two pieces into his mouth.
‘Mmm. You’ve tossed it in liquid toffee,’ I said and reached for one of the napkins by the bowl.
‘With just a touch of salt added,’ he said and nipped out of bed to pick up my towel and hang it over his radiator. He came back and picked up two glasses from his bedside table. ‘Pour the Pinot.’
‘Bossy boots.’ Although that was the kind of order I would never refuse.
A glugging noise, from the bottle, filled the room as he clambered back into bed. Five minutes later, we sat, both leaning against the headboard, hips rubbing next to each other as we snuggled up, crunching on the scrumptious snack.
‘So, which James Bond?’ I said, in between mouthfuls. Must focus. Dave being a moron wasn’t going to leave me in bits. My throat ached. One thing Mum’s death had taught me was never to let a man dictate how happy I was. ‘Let me guess…’ I cleared my throat. ‘Daniel Craig, seeing as you’re such a fan of six-packs and fake tan.’
‘Huh? Haven’t you ever taken a close look at my boyfriends?’
I thought hard. ‘Hmm. Not many of them have been gym bunnies. In fact, that Steve hadn’t an ounce of muscle.’
‘Believe it or not, sometimes personality counts as well.’
‘Unless you’ve lowered your standards, due to recently letting yourself go. I mean, just how much pie have you been scoffing at the diner lately?’ With a grin I slipped my hand under his T-shirt and my fingers slid over taut, waxed contours.
‘I know. Irresistible aren’t I? As ripped as ever.’
‘Don’t flatter yourself,’ I muttered, hand back in the popcorn bowl. ‘Okay… I reckon you prefer Timothy Dalton – out of all the Bonds, he’s a little rougher around the edges, yet the most sensitive.’
‘Ten out of ten, darling – but tonight’s all about you, so come on, choose the film.’ Mikey cocked his head. ‘I think you’ll either go for Roger Moore who makes you laugh or… well yes, Daniel Craig – the perfect gent.’
Unable to talk for a moment, I nodded – it must have been the time of the month. You see, I didn’t really do crying. Blame that on a childhood where weeping resulted in a clip around the ear. Mikey was right – a man who made me laugh yet treated me with respect, in other words the opposite to my dad.
‘Octopussy it is.’ Quickly I sipped my wine. Heaven. Next to Mikey I always felt… safe. Cared for. In fact pure bliss, an hour later, when my head lay on his chest again and, lights dimmed, he stroked my hair. I imagined this was how it must feel as a child, to have your dad’s arms wrapped around you when things went wrong; to know he was there, whatever the circumstances, whilst other people in your life would come and go.
‘Dave came into the diner, today,’ he said quietly.
I swallowed, stomach tingling at just the mention of my boyfriend’s name. Dave had the sexiest lopsided smile and kisses that sent me to a place where sad memories or stressful work problems never got in. ‘Good for him.’
‘Wearing that God awful coat. He’s… really sorry – about last night.’
So Mikey did know exactly what was the matter. Almost knocking his chin, I sat up. ‘Since when are you Dave’s defender? You’ve hardly spoken to him the last year.’
‘Yeah, I have!’ His cheeks flushed.
I raised one eyebrow. Dave and my flatmate were hardly best mates. I didn’t get it – as well as having me in common, they were both kind and compassionate. Dave also liked action movies and Mikey watched football sometimes.
He sighed. ‘Okay, look… can you blame me? He jumps a mile high if I touch him and judges me as if I’m some stereotypical camp gay character out of a Hollywood movie.’
‘Not always!’ Good old Mikey simply pursed his lips. He no doubt had plenty of harsher things he could say about Dave, but had probably bitten them back over recent months, for my sake. ‘Okay, so Dave’s, um, not quite as in touch with his feminine side as you.’
Mikey snorted. ‘That’s got nothing to do with it. Straight guys I know give me a hug. Dave’s just… just…’
‘Reserved? Very British?’
‘Socially awkward, more like – but only in my company.’
‘You always were special,’ I said, in an attempt to raise a smile. ‘Anyway, I thought tonight was about me? How typical to make it all about yourself.’
‘Jazz!’
I grinned, the ache in my heart forgotten for a nanosecond. Is there anyone better tha
n a best friend who can help you laugh your way out of a dismal situation?
He shrugged. ‘Okay. Fair comment. So, Dave explained how he’d messed up.’
‘That’s putting it mildly. I just hope he’s got the sense to keep his distance before I leave for New York where I can cool off.’
An odd expression crossed Mikey’s face and he busied himself topping up our glasses. ‘So he was drunk – that’s not the worst crime in the world.’ Seconds later his face fell. ‘What I mean is…’ He shook his head. ‘Crap. When am I going to learn to take my foot out of my mouth?’
‘Don’t worry.’ I forced my mouth to upturn. ‘Clearly I’m so well balanced, it’s hard to remember I had an alcoholic for a dad.’ Despite everything, I half-chuckled. ‘Perhaps Dave should be more like you Mikey. We’ve always got on so well.’
‘You’re forgetting that little matter of you having women’s equipment…’ He shuddered and I couldn’t help laughing. ‘Plus you are possibly the untidiest person in the world. And eat the most God-awful vegetarian food.’
‘You’re OCD about cleanliness,’ I replied. ‘And there’s nothing wrong with being a veggie. You even serve chickpea burgers at the diner now.’
‘Excuse me for not being a fan of germs.’ He glanced at me. ‘And yes. Agreed. Thanks to you the diner’s menu rapidly moved into the twenty-first century. I have to admit those Quorn tacos you made the other night were awesome. I guess, all in all, we’re a good match.’
I nodded. But me and Mikey as a couple? I couldn’t think of a funnier idea. Although hands up, when we’d first met, whoosh, the biggest crush hit me out of nowhere. With his protective manner, well-groomed looks and love of white wine, cooking and dancing, he seemed like the ideal man. But after a few weeks living together, I soon realised there would definitely never be any romance. We both fancied the same movie heroes, I liked rugged, hairy chests and he wasn’t into soft fleshy curves.
‘Remember when we first met, exactly… four years ago this March,’ he said, as if reading my mind. ‘Only you could move two days before a new job, and magically expect to find lodgings, just like that.’
‘Ah ha, but I did, what with you just having split up with your boyfriend. You were mesmerised by my explanations of the latest food tests at Chemi-Vate labs and couldn’t believe how many E-numbers existed.’
Poor Mikey. Talk about being in pieces after his break-up. Yet he didn’t talk about it much at first and had taken months to really open up. My flatmate didn’t exactly suffer from trust issues, just… well, talking openly about his personal life had lost him friends in the past.
‘And you couldn’t get over me serving onion rings in cute baskets and hotdogs pierced with mini American flags.’
I smiled. ‘Every morning for a week I visited your diner for pancakes, or eggs easy over with hash browns on the side, and bombarded John with ideas for vegetarian burgers. Then he suggested you rent me your spare room – almost as if it were meant to be.’
Mikey sipped his wine. ‘And maybe it’s fate that you and Dave should be together – why not give the poor bloke another chance?’
‘I just need time.’ Hand trembling slightly, I put down my glass. How could Dave propose to me whilst pissed? Say on our wedding day, we shouldn’t make a fuss? Like I wasn’t special… like our love didn’t deserve a special ceremony with family and friends, with carefully chosen food and music that meant something to both of us? My throat constricted. If he was like that now, what would he be like ten years down the line? Taking me for granted? Cheating on me? Knocking me around, like Dad did Mum? And it wasn’t as if I’d ever thought about marrying him. Not really. Because getting married in her twenties, before any career was established, had proved to be the undoing of my mum.
‘But Jazz–’
‘Mikey! Enough already. Don’t pressurise me. Let me recover from the shock of last night. Okay – he’s great bloke and, and I…’ Thoughts whizzed around my mind. Perhaps secretly I had really thought Dave was the one. Oh God. Here came that sob once more. Inhale, exhale… I sipped my wine. Get it together Jasmine Jarvis – Dave was nothing like your dad. ‘Despite his gruff exterior, he is the gentlest soul and….’ I gave a wry smile. ‘I love his indignation when I tease him about his obsession with Instagram. Do you know his latest thing is taking photos of his feet, in different shoes?’
Mikey pulled a comical face. ‘God help Instagram.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘At least followers can’t scratch and sniff…. look, despite his dose of weirdness, you’ve always thought Dave’s a special guy, right?’ His voice wobbled very slightly. ‘People like that only come along once in a while.’
‘Like the man who’s stolen your heart?’ Poor Mikey. It had killed me over the last few months, to slowly witness his heart break.
Mikey turned away.
‘I love Dave, but… I don’t know. Marriage? At our age? After this, perhaps the shine will start to wear off,’ I said. ‘In fact I’m seriously considering taking that permanent position in New York. I reckon a change of scenery will do me good.’
‘What?’ He turned to face me again and the corners of his mouth dropped.
Leaving Mikey would be as hard as anything. ‘I can’t rely on you to pick up the pieces, every time life throws a tripwire my way.’ My eyes tingled. ‘I’ll miss you like anything but… last night – it’s made my mind up.’
‘It’s my privilege to be your safety net,’ he mumbled and took my hand, lifting it to his lips. ‘Who will I watch trashy documentaries with? And no one makes a mojito like you.’ He stared at our intertwined fingers for several seconds. ‘Okay. Enough with my pity party – it does actually sound fab-u-lous. Sex and the City for real, no?’
We gazed at each other and he gave what looked like a forced smile. I’d made my decision and needed to stick with it. ‘With me gone, the freedom could spice up your love life. And it’s not like you need the rent money any more. Perhaps it would be an opportunity for you to have some fun and move on from your mystery unrequited love.’
‘I’ll just go and get more popcorn,’ he said quietly and wiped crumbs from the duvet cover. ‘Oh, and by the way – sorry, Jazz, I might have let slip to Dave that Chemi-Vate wants you to move to the States full-time.’
‘What? Oh, great. I haven’t even worked out the details yet. Although I guess he has to know sooner rather than later…’
As Mikey went to slide out of bed, for the thousandth time my curiosity felt piqued. Was this object of his affection married? A customer at work? Much older or younger than him? I never liked to push too hard as his eyes went dull and whole body kind of drooped. It had to be serious as when Dave was in a funny mood recently, and practically interrogated him about it, Mikey hadn’t been ready with his usual quick-witted retorts. Yes, the person did live locally. No, they weren’t in the restaurant business. On it went, Mikey answering the questions but actually revealing very little. I sighed. Last night, he’d even spent Valentine’s Day all alone. Life and soul of the party Mikey – it wasn’t right. A change on the domestic scene might do him good as well.
I held out my hand and pulled him back. ‘You know I love you.’ My vision went all blurry. ‘I just think it’s time I challenged myself. Whatever happens, you’ll always be my best friend.’
His fingers tightened around mine. ‘Love you too, Jazz. Forever and for always. I’ll support whatever decision you make. We can text… Skype… and you won’t be able to stop me from visiting the Big Apple. But don’t let last night result in a knee-jerk reaction you might regret.’
I nodded and as he left the bedroom, switched the DVD back on, knowing that tonight, snuggled up in Mikey’s reassuring arms, I still wouldn’t get a wink of sleep. Indeed, several hours later, warm in my flatmate’s embrace, I was still thinking about Dave – how we’d lie talking for hours at night, about the stuff that mattered. How laughing, I’d come back from the bathroom and slide my icy hands down his back. Then, once his hollers had abated, his so
ft lips would find mine and know exactly what to do, to turn my blood into streams of heat.
Stomach tingling again, I sighed into the darkness. Why did Dave have to ruin everything, by popping the question? I’d be mad, right, to even consider losing any independence, before my career made me really financially strong; before it gave me the means to get out of a marriage that might end up like…? I swallowed, an image of Dad’s cold eyes creeping into my head.
Mikey ruffled my hair and turned over, within minutes snoring slightly.
Dave loved my hair and its natural mouse colour. I’d dyed it until meeting him, due to my father’s words ringing in my ears “mouse by colour, mouse by nature”. He often used to mutter that to my brown-haired mum. It made me determined to stand out boldly, so over the years I coloured my tresses an array of colours – until Dave once said mouse shouted confidence and not caring about anyone else’s opinion. Not that he suggested I stopped my trips to the salon. I smiled. In fact he’d act all amorous if I came home with a different colour – joked it was like having a different girlfriend, every few months.
Yet slowly, I grew out all the dye and now Dave called it a particularly tasty shade of fudge. I stared ahead at the bedside table. My eyes pricked. Yet when it came to his wedding proposal, Dave couldn’t have been less flattering. Mikey gave a loud snore. I snuggled into my pillow. My best friend meant well, but nothing or no one would change my mind. Jasmine Jarvis was moving to New York New York in ten days and that was that.
Chapter Three – Mikey
‘I’m Not The Marrying Kind’ came onto the jukebox, a song from one of my fave Elvis films, Follow That Dream. He sings it to Anne Helm, a gorgeous actress with long brunette hair. Yep. I admit it. Thanks to my parents, I’m a complete Presley Geek. Their retirement trip was to Memphis first, to visit The King’s home, Graceland. What a pity Jazz wasn’t planning to move there. I looked up as the door swung open. Awkward. This song had to be playing just as Dave walked in, hair curled tight due to the rain. I glanced at the clock. Ten to eight.
How to Get Hitched in Ten Days Page 2