by Dani Lovell
“He told you?” Tilly asks with a huge smile. “I didn’t realise anybody ‘told’ Alexia Berkeley.”
“Hmm. Me neither,” I respond, confused as to why I’m not manipulating the situation to ensure I’m in the driver’s seat.
“I don’t understand. Is there a problem with him coming here?” Bea asks and Tilly rolls her eyes, turning to Bea.
“Don’t you know this woman? Obviously there wouldn’t be a problem with him coming here if Lex asked him to, but she didn’t.”
“Okay. So… there really isn’t a problem with him coming here?” Bea asks, looking wholly confused, and Tilly shakes her head, muttering something about having to put up with an idiot.
“I suppose not…” I say slowly, not really sure.
“Great. So are you going for dinner with him?”
“I presume we’ll meet here and then go on somewhere for food… I’m not really sure.” I’m still slightly perturbed about not knowing the plan.
“Interesting.” Tilly says with a smirk.
Conversation takes a welcome detour and soon we’re back on the subject of Bea and Daniel’s wedding in July. She has ticked one more thing off her list now and she’s evidently thrilled about it.
“Honestly, I’m so fucking excited about this wedding, Bea, the past couple of years have been so amazing and your wedding seems like the grand finale of it all,” Tilly says, exuberantly.
“I know,” Bea responds, “it’s actually only a year and a half, and in that time, I met Daniel, you met Luke, I got engaged, you got engaged, you moved to LA, got married and had a baby! Bear’s Cakery took off in a massive way, Clare and Ol got married in secret, they moved in together and got prego with twins and now I’m preparing for my own big day! It’s amazing how our lives have changed so much in such a short space of time.”
“Wow,” I add in amazement, “your lives really have changed! Not that I don’t love every minute of your company, but don’t you think it seems like so much longer than that? I remember Daniel first telling me about you – that seems like much more than a year and a half ago!”
“Ooh, what did he say about me?”
I laugh; loving that that’s the part she focused on. “Now that would be telling.”
“Ooh yeah, go on, tell us the goss!” Til says excitedly, wiggling forwards in her seat and resting her elbows on the table, ready for a story.
“Hmm, well he told me he’d met an English cake maker on a flight and that she was incredible. So of course I pressed the matter and that’s when he told me that he’d fallen quickly and deeply in love with you. I could tell by the look in his eyes, the smile on his face – he adored you. He said you were the most beautiful woman he’d ever met and that he was going to find a way for the two of you to be together. He had only known you a few days at this point so of course I thought he had gone a little insane, but I know my brother, and I know to trust his judgement. He never spoke about any of the other girls he’d dated that way. I knew that - provided your feelings matched his, he’d make you his.” I reach across the table and take her hand in mine. “Bea, he loves you so much.”
The smile on her face is the one that I see so frequently on these girls’ faces, not to mention their men’s faces. They’re all so deeply and passionately in love.
It’s a rare thing to find these days, so many people throw themselves into relationships and take them further purely because it’s the ‘next step’ or the right thing to do, and you can see on each and every one of those couples’ faces that they’re unhappy or just living a mundane existence, a routine that they feel they have to stick to for the sake of their partner or their children. It’s sad.
I sure as hell never want to be in one of those relationships and unless I am one hundred per cent certain that I will want that man like a cool glass of water on a hot day, every day - for the rest of my life, I will most definitely cut that relationship short.
I may never get that feeling, I know I haven’t had it yet - and I’m no spring chicken, but I’d prefer to be alone my entire life, than settle as being one half of a passionless, lackadaisical, unhappy couple. Who in the hell wants that?
Tilly sniffs and I turn to look at her pretty face, tears streaming down her cheeks. She nods and rolls her eyes as a sob escapes, wiping her cheek with her fingertips. “Yes, I know – fucking tears again. I really need to warn Clare about this bollocks, the way she cries already, she’s going to be a fucking wreck for the rest of her life after she has those babies. Ugh. Honestly, Lex, had you met me before I got pregnant, you’d know how completely unlike me all this crying bullshit is.” She wipes her cheeks again as the fresh tears drip from her long lashes. “Fuck,” she whispers, shaking her head.
Bea laughs and holds her hand, too. “I love this side of you, Til. It’s what takes you from the hilarious fun-lover we’ve grown up with, to Emily’s mum. That’s who you are now, and we love you all the more for it.”
“Oh God,” Til says, “do shut up – don’t bring Emily into this, I’d like to stop crying at some stage in the next three hours, you know. Besides, all this is getting a bit revolting for my liking. Yeah, yeah – we’re lucky sons of bitches, let’s get over it.”
“…And there’s our old Til,” Bea says with a chuckle, “love you.”
“Love you, too.”
If I wasn’t who I am, I’m sure I’d be joining in with the tears, too. All this love and support and friendship – it’s new and fairly overwhelming for me, but, like the old Tilly, I’m just not a crier. I’ll just observe.
“Thank you for telling me that, Lex. I do know how Daniel feels for me, but it’s just so lovely to hear those things from way back when we first met. I remember first hearing about you, too.”
“Oh really?” I ask, thoroughly surprised. Hearing about the sister of a guy you just met isn’t normally that memorable.
“Oh yeah, the first I knew of you was when we were on the aeroplane, we were by the bar having a couple of drinks together and he was telling me what he did for a living… I remember having absolutely no idea what a CBDO was, and then he told me about you and what you did at the company. He spoke so fondly of you, he always does. It was another of the things that really attracted me to him, the respect he has for his family. Coming from a close-knit family myself, I found it refreshing to meet a man who had the same values as I did.”
“Well that is something I can definitely vouch for. I may be older than him, but from the minute he could walk and talk, he tried his hardest to protect me. At first, when he was a toddler, he would just pat me when I hurt myself but as we got older, he made it his duty to keep me away from any kind of danger or trouble. He was the same with Mom when he was a teenager.”
“Yeah, he’s still like that with her now, too.”
“He is. He’s a good man.”
“Oh I know that, I’m so lucky to have him.”
We order another bottle of wine and change the subject to help Tilly overcome her erratic emotions. Today was never meant to turn sentimental or weepy, but I suppose picking out a wedding dress for your sister-in-law with one of her best friends always has the potential to turn maudlin. Especially if you throw wine into the mix! But if I’m honest, I love it. I’ve missed out on this for too long.
I feel thoroughly unprepared and rather startled when, about an hour or so after my last text, Sebastian rocks up to our table looking devastatingly handsome in his rugged, bearded way.
“Ladies, it’s so good to see you!”
We all stand to greet him and I smooth my skirt nervously as I wait my turn to kiss his cheek. I haven’t mentally prepared myself; we were so deep in discussion after his last text message that I totally forgot he was on his way here. Now I feel uneasy and awkward, God damn it. I’m told I’m the master of disguise; so let’s just hope it’s not obvious.
“Lexie, looking absolutely stunning as always.”
“Thank you, you look good, yourself.”
Bea and Ti
lly return to their seats. “Seb, will you be rushing off with Alexia or will you stay for a drink?” Bea asks.
“Well, as you all have full glasses, I think it would be rude not to join you, providing you don’t mind, of course.”
“Oh no! Of course not, it would be our pleasure.”
Tilly moves across to the seat by the wall, leaving the seat opposite me free for Sebastian. A waiter brings an extra glass to the table and asks if we’d like to see some menus.
“Oh yeah!” Tilly cries, addressing the rest of us, “I’m starving! Whatever that amazing smell is, it’s really messing with my appetite. I feel like I could eat an entire cow.”
“Yeah, I could definitely eat,” Bea adds, looking at me and Sebastian in question.
“Oh, er… we’re going out, right?” I ask, feeling quite strange about the use of the word ‘we’. It’s almost like ‘us’.
“Well, I’m more than happy to eat something here, the food is incredible. Unless you’d like to head out somewhere else?”
“No, no… here is fine. I love the food here, too.”
“Excellent, so yes, please – we’d like to see the menu. Could we also have another bottle of…” he picks up the bottle of wine and check out the label, “yes, another bottle of this please?”
He reminds me that I must watch how much I’m drinking. I’m already feeling the effects of the wine, along with the champagne from earlier, so I need to keep my wits about me.
“So ladies,” Sebastian says, resting his arms on the table, “what have you been up to today?”
“We’ve been wedding dress shopping for Bea,” Tilly answers, “such an amazing day.”
“It really was,” I concur.
“Oh of course, the big day! It’s what; four months?”
“Yep,” Bea answers, excitedly, “to the day. I’m so glad you can make it, thank you for your R.S.V.P.”
“Of course! I’m really looking forward to it. So did you find ‘the one’?”
“We did!” Bea responds, animatedly.
“Fantastic. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. So, what have you been doing today? Flying anywhere beautiful?”
“I landed back in LA from London, actually. Then I had some work to do in the office.”
“Ooh! Were you in London long?” Tilly asks, taking a sip from her glass.
“I was only there for a day, I didn’t get to see anything, sadly.”
“That’s a shame. Let me know if you’re ever flying an empty leg to London, won’t you? I’ll hop in for a joy ride to see the old pals. If you’re flying that posh jet we went in that time when Ol was in hospital, I’ll be more than okay about it. Talk about plush.”
Sebastian laughs, “Sure, Tilly. I’ll let you know. I’m adding a new jet to the fleet, actually, I think you’ll like that one. I’ll call you when I take it for a spin.”
“Ooh fun, is it posh?”
“It’s extremely ‘posh’.”
“What? Posher than that other one?”
He chuckles. “Oh yeah, this one is a little special.”
“Oh my God, I don’t care if we stay on the bloody tarmac, darling, I wanna see!”
We all laugh at Tilly’s excitement. I’ve flown in private jets a few times – a couple of trips with the family, and sometimes with work. If I’m travelling alone or it’s a standard journey, most of the time I’ll fly with a commercial airline, but occasionally our clients send jets for us if we’re meeting with them overseas.
They’re nice, I can’t say that I don’t find it a pleasurable way to travel, but they certainly don’t impress me. If I met a man with a private jet, it really wouldn’t be a factor in whether or not I’d be attracted to him. I’m just not interested in what a guy has. Take Sebastian for example, I’ve always known he owns a company with a majestic fleet of private jets, but I’ve clearly never been interested in him because of it.
A short while later, our food begins to arrive at the table. We decided to order an array of small dishes to share, which suits me perfectly as I’m not overly hungry.
It smells divine and the table is quickly covered. I’m immediately drawn to the beautifully arranged vegetable tart, it was my choice from the appetiser menu and my mouth waters as I anticipate the combined flavours of the many ingredients… goat cheese, roasted beets, zucchini, asparagus, tomato confit, balsamic vinaigrette and basil chips… mmm.
“That does look good, huh?” Sebastian says appreciatively, obviously noticing me studying the pastry.
“It’s delicious, I had it last time I was here.”
I look around at the other delicacies on the table, the frisée salad with bacon flan and poached egg, the chicken liver pâté and French baguette, the smoked oyster mousse with pine nuts, the Saucisson sec and cheese selection… it looks mouth-watering.
“Blimey, this looks amazeballs!” Tilly cries.
“Mmm, yeah it does. Well, dig in, everybody!” Bea smiles, holding her fork in the air, about to dive in.
~~~~~~~
The food is exactly as I remembered and as we had hoped. Delicious, excellently prepared and just the right amount for us all to feel adequately satisfied. I knew the girls would want to try the speciality St. Honoré dessert, so we ordered a selection to share so that we could try different flavours.
It’s the same dessert made with cream-filled choux puffs and Chantilly, set on fresh puff pastry, but with different twists. We ordered the pistachio, classic vanilla and strawberry rhubarb to share, and they were exquisite. One would be far too big for me to eat on my own, but they’re perfect to share like this.
“Wow…” Bea says, sitting back in her chair, resting her hands on her stomach. “I’m stuffed.”
“Me too, that was yum.” Tilly says, exhaling.
“Have you had enough, Lexie? You didn’t seem to eat a whole lot…” Sebastian asks.
“Oh yes, thank you. I wasn’t that hungry, but I ate sufficiently.”
“If you’re sure…”
“Oh yes, I’m done.”
The plates are taken from the table and another bottle of wine is brought over. I still have over half a glass, so I hold my hand on it to block it from being topped up. I’m going to be sensible tonight, and having just eaten should help with that.
The table is quiet for a while as the food goes down, and I notice Bea and Tilly drinking their wine quickly. Tilly raises her eyebrow at Bea and subtly twitches her head to one side, communicating silently. Bea nods and as I frown, they take one long, last sip from their glasses and begin to stand.
“Right, we’re going to leave you to it,” Bea says, bending down to collect her purse. “It’s been so lovely catching up with you, Seb…” she walks over to him to bend and kiss his cheek.
“Don’t feel you need to rush out,” I say, knowing they’re leaving so that Sebastian and I can be alone.
“Oh no, it’s okay, we planned to leave after we ate, anyway.”
“Are you sure?” I ask as she kisses my cheek.
“Yes, you two enjoy yourselves. Lex, thank you so much for today, I had the most amazing time.”
“No! Thank you for having me join you, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It really was a fantastic, memorable day.”
“It was, hopefully I’ll be seeing you at the weekend?”
“Yes, I’m sure we’ll be doing something.”
“Laters, Seb – look after my bitch.” Tilly says, hugging him.
He laughs, “I’ll most certainly try, if she’ll let me.”
“Oi, you…” she says, looking at me, “let him.”
I giggle, too. “Sure I will. But just so you know, I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she says, “give someone else that responsibility for a change. See you later, darling,” she continues, moving to hug me next. “Have a great night.” She pauses to bury her mouth in my hair before resuming in a whisper, “Make sure you get a good old rogering, you need one.”<
br />
She stands quickly and they both depart, waving as they reach the door. I have no idea what ‘rogering’ is, but I’m pretty sure I can figure it out, especially if it came out of Tilly’s mouth.
“Well they left pretty fast!” Sebastian says with a chuckle, holding his glass.
“Yeah,” I grin, “I think they wanted to leave us to our… whatever this is.”
“Date?” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
I tilt my head to the side and look up at him with a smile. “No, it’s not a date.”
“No? Oh…” he pouts like a child. “Maybe we can turn that around.”
“Sebastian, we’re friends.”
“Okay, okay; I know. So, what have you been up to since I saw you last? How was the rest of your Aspen trip?”
“It was lovely, thank you. I had a fantastic Christmas, makes me look forward to this year.”
“I had a great time, too. Shame I had to shoot off for work.”
“Yes, it was. Everybody missed you.”
He pauses for a moment and takes a sip of wine. “Did you?”
“Did I… miss you?” I ask, smiling.
“Yep. Did you miss me?”
“I enjoyed my time with you in Aspen. I enjoyed you spending time with my family, I thought you were a great addition to the group this year.”
“Yeah, but did you miss me when I left?”
“Sebastian,” I giggle, awkwardly. “I wouldn’t have minded if you had joined us again over the festive holiday, but we are just friends.”
“I know. I like how you’re evading answering me, but I guess it’s better than a straight out ‘no’, huh?”
I giggle, “I guess it is.”
“So, what would you like to do this evening? Should we stay here or move on?”
“I’m happy to stay here if you are.”
“Absolutely. But you’re going to have to help me out with the wine, I can’t drink all of this by myself.”
“Oh no,” I smile, “you’re not getting me tanked this time, young man. I’ve had enough today already.”
He grins, beautifully. His face really is so attractive, and that beard… it’s so… beardy… so unlike what I would usually find appealing, but it does so much for him; for me. I think I’m actually starting to fancy the guy, for want of a more ‘adult’ word.