We Just Clicked

by Anna Bell

  He’s smiling and his cheeks are reddening.

  ‘So, what are you doing in Newbury? I thought you lived in London?’

  ‘After the day I met you, the day my brother… died, I moved back to Basingstoke to be closer to my parents. And Newbury’s not that far of a drive, you know, to see a film like this.’

  ‘Your brother?’ I see his shoulders sag, like the enormity of what happened that day hits him. ‘That’s what happened. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t imagine.’

  ‘Nor could I,’ I say, blinking back the tears that want to fall. ‘That’s why this film made me happy sad. It was our film.’

  ‘Shit,’ says Aidan.

  ‘We used to watch the film over and over as kids. And we’d act out the sword fight scenes and pretend we were running away from Humperdinck.’

  ‘Sounds fun.’

  ‘It was. I know I should feel grateful that I have good memories to look back on, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that I can’t reminisce with him about them. Like the time we pretended to be Buttercup and Westley and I pushed him off the end of the sofa and he did an over-the-top fall knocking over one of my mum’s expensive china figurines. We spent weeks trying to hide the fact that we’d snapped the arm right off. It was one of those you-had-to-be there moments, but whenever we talked about it we’d end up in hysterics.’

  Aidan nods.

  ‘I can imagine. As much as my younger brother is a pain in the bum, I’d really miss him if he wasn’t around.’

  ‘Do you get on well?’

  ‘Well enough. We were always at each other’s throats when we were kids, though. He’s quite a bit younger and had terrible taste in movies. He was obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies.’

  I pull a face.

  ‘Yeah, his taste isn’t much better now, his favourite franchise is The Fast and the Furious.’

  ‘Ohhhhh, that’s rough.’

  ‘Tell me about it. I mean, the first couple weren’t that bad, but if, like me, you’re not into fast cars, it all gets a bit same-same.’

  I try and keep the sadness out of my smile, but I can’t. It’s this film and seeing Aidan. So many emotions are swilling round me.

  ‘I’m sorry, I’m upsetting you,’ he says softly.

  ‘No, you’re not. It’s actually refreshing to talk about it. So many people either change the subject or go to great lengths to avoid talking about their siblings around me. It’s nice that you’re being so normal about it.’

  ‘Not many people call me normal; makes a nice change.’

  He smiles and dimples appear in his cheeks. I didn’t get to see his smile the day that Ben died, but it lights up his whole face.

  ‘It’s rare to find another fan of The Princess Bride,’ I say.

  ‘It’s an underrated classic. Have you read the book?’

  ‘I think I tried to when I was younger, Ben must have had a copy.’

  ‘It’s definitely worth a re-read if you get a chance.’

  Everyone else has left the room and the usher is glaring at us again and I take it as our cue to leave.

  I stand up and Aidan does the same and he follows me out of the cinema.

  The usher gives us a look as we pass and I keep my bag close to my chest in case he’s still got designs on my phone. We quickly walk through the lobby and out into the fresh air.

  ‘Well,’ I say as we stand on the pavement. ‘It was really nice to see you again.’

  ‘You too,’ he says.

  Marissa was right, he is cute. He’s not classically handsome like Luke, but his hair is messy and his facial hair is more beard than stubble, but less beard than hipster. Not that I should be thinking about him in that way. It’s hard enough having a fake boyfriend let alone entertaining the idea of anything else.

  I turn and see a poster on the theatre wall that catches my eye.

  ‘Ah, look, The Goonies,’ I say, pointing at it. ‘Now that I haven’t seen in ages.’

  It’s next month’s cult classic movie, on for one night only.

  ‘I haven’t either.. I never thought they’d beat The Princess Bride,’ he says.

  ‘Perhaps we could watch it together?’ The words tumble out my mouth before I can stop them. ‘I mean watch it as friends, not as in a date. I don’t do dating.’

  I want the ground to open up and swallow me.

  ‘Dating too good for you?’ he says, looking amused.

  ‘No, it’s just, I’m single through choice at the moment and that’s how I want to stay.’

  Much better way to protect my heart.

  ‘Fair enough. Goonies it is then, as friends.’ He looks at his watch and frowns. ‘I’ve actually got to go. I’ve got a train to get.’

  ‘Back to Reading?’ I say then realise that he hasn’t told me where he lives.

  He looks at me like I’ve caught him off guard.

  ‘Is it that obvious that I don’t come from Newbury? Do I not look posh enough?’

  ‘I um, no, it’s just I met you that time in Reading, so I assumed that was where you were from,’ I say, thinking on my feet.

  ‘Oh,’ he says, nodding. ‘Good detective work. I do indeed live in Reading. And you’re going back to Basingstoke?’

  ‘Uh-huh, although I work in Reading.’

  ‘Oh, OK, where?’

  ‘At McKinley’s Insurance.’

  ‘I have a café near there, Sombrero’s? My partner Saskia runs it day to day.’

  My cheeks instantly flush; firstly with embarrassment of the time I saw him there and didn’t thank him and secondly at the thought he has a partner. I went to such great lengths to stress that I wasn’t interesting in dating him and all along he wasn’t single. I think of the woman with the dark brown hair and luscious lips and it only makes me feel more stupid for thinking that there was something between Aidan and I.

  ‘Yeah, I’ve eaten there, it was great,’ I say. ‘So I should let you get the train.’

  ‘Did you want me to walk you to your car? I presume you drove?’

  ‘I did, but my car’s just over there,’ I say, pointing in the direction of the car park. ‘It’s well lit, I think I’ll be fine.’

  I desperately just want to run away now.

  ‘Thanks again for that day on the train,’ I say.

  ‘I’m so pleased to know that you’re OK. I’ll see you for The Goonies,’ he says.

  ‘Indeed,’ I say, giving him a goodbye wave.

  I’m about to turn and walk away when he steps forward and wraps me up in a hug. My head instinctively comes to a rest on his chest. It’s so intimate, yet it feels completely normal. When he pulls away it feels like we’ve been standing there for ages when in reality it can only have been seconds.

  ‘I still don’t even know your name,’ he says.

  ‘Izzy.’

  ‘I’m Aidan. Take care, Izzy, and I’ll see you next month.’

  I turn and walk away.

  Seeing The Princess Bride without Ben was always going to be emotional, but meeting Aidan properly and being able to thank him made it even more so. Yet, instead of feeling sad I’m happy because I feel I might have found a new friend.

  Welcome to August

  This_Izzy_Loves IGTV

  No. followers: 17.3k

  Ah, you guys! You’re making me blush with all the love you’re sending mine and Luke’s way. I absolutely cannot hide how smitten I am with him, isn’t he great? I’m trying not to post too many photos of us but you know what it’s like when you’re falling head over heels and you lose all sense of proportion. Welcome, new followers, there are so many of you, do come and say hello! This month I’ll be making the most of the weather and making sure that I get as much wear out of my summer dresses as humanly possible. And Lukey, babe, if you’re watching this I am getting ready for our date, I promise. Mwah!

  Chapter 13

  ‘I can’t believe he turned up to a date with another woman,’ says Marissa, almost crying with laughter as I recount t
he story of my latest date with Luke to her and Becca. We went rowing in Henley and it was the perfect date, or at least it was for him and his date Meredith. She was less than impressed that I tagged along.

  ‘I know. When he said he was going to copy our staged dates for his own, I thought he meant after we’d finished, but he turned her into our unofficial photographer and made her take all our photos, pretending to her that we were doing a work project,’ I say.

  We’re making our way towards the quieter end of Basingstoke town centre to go for lunch.

  ‘I’m surprised she didn’t push him overboard,’ says Becca, giggling.

  I open the door to the restaurant and we wait to be seated.

  ‘But that’s the ridiculous thing, she was mad at me for coming and it was me that was in danger. She kept giving me these hard stares and rocking the boat whenever I moved around.’

  ‘So the big question is, was it worth it?’ asks Becca.

  A smile breaks out over my face.

  ‘As of this morning, our latest photo had 10,000 likes and I’ve got heaps of new followers.’

  ‘That’s amazing. I really hope this little one helps me reach those crazy numbers,’ says Marissa, tapping her belly.

  ‘I’m sure he or she will,’ I laugh.

  A waiter walks over to us. ‘Table for three?’

  ‘Yes, please,’ I say. He picks up menus from a pile and leads us across the restaurant.

  ‘Oh, hello!’ says Marissa in surprise, and I turn to see my parents, sitting on a table of two. I don’t know how I missed them.

  ‘Marissa!’ says my mum, shoving some magazines off their table and leaping up to give her a hug, before she spots me and Becca. She gives me a quick squeeze before wrapping Becca up in a warm embrace. ‘And so nice to see you, we haven’t seen you for ages.’

  ‘I know, I’ve been meaning to come round with Izzy, but work’s been so crazy lately,’ she says and I can see her cringing. I know that she feels awkward going round to see my parents since she started dating Gareth.

  ‘Of course, of course,’ says Mum, sitting back down at the table. ‘It’s just nice to see you today. And you two, also, of course.’

  ‘Thanks, Mum, I feel so loved,’ I say, but I’m only joking and my mum knows it.

  I know how much seeing Becca means to them; they still feel like she’s a link to Ben. Even if the dynamic is beginning to change the more that Becca is starting to piece her life back together and move on, in a way they’ll never be able to do.

  ‘Did you want to join us?’ Dad asks. ‘We’ve only just ordered.’

  ‘I’m sure the girls would like to talk amongst themselves,’ says Mum. ‘You don’t want two oldies cramping your style.’

  I see Becca looking a little relieved and I’m about to tell them that I’ll pop round to theirs later on, when Marissa jumps in.

  ‘Don’t be silly, we’d love to eat with you. Is that OK?’ she asks the waiter.

  ‘Um, sure, I can move a table across to make it big enough for five,’ he says.

  I look at Mum, she doesn’t looked thrilled at the prospect, and neither am I, but both of us are so polite and British that we don’t say anything because the waiter’s already moving the table.

  I wouldn’t normally have any objection to it, but this is the first time that my friends have seen my parents since I started fake dating Luke and I never thought to brief them to not mention him should this occasion arise.

  ‘Can you just move your brochures?’ asks the manager.

  ‘Oh, yes.’ My mum bends down and picks them up and the waiter slides in the new table.

  Mum rolls up the brochures and tries to shove them into her handbag but they don’t fit and they slide across the floor to my feet. I go to help her and one unrolls in my hand.

  ‘Southeast Asia?’ I say, my brow wrinkling at the travel brochure. It’s a bit of a departure from their usual spot somewhere along the Portuguese coast.

  ‘Hmm,’ says Mum taking an extra-long sip on her water.

  ‘Oh lovely,’ says Marissa. ‘Are you thinking of going?’

  ‘Well, we’re—’ starts Dad.

  ‘Just an idea,’ says Mum. ‘Sue down the road went recently and said how wonderful it was and we were passing the travel agent’s. Gosh, it’s hot in here, isn’t it?’

  She starts fanning herself with the menu.

  ‘It’s quite warm,’ says Marissa, slipping off her cardigan. ‘But then I’m hot all the time these days.’

  She waves her hand across her bump that’s getting ever bigger.

  ‘But you look wonderful,’ says Mum. ‘Positively glowing.’

  I sit down next to Dad and flick through a few pages. The brochures advertise group trips that seem to range from one week to two months.

  ‘When are you thinking of going?’ I ask.

  ‘In the new year,’ he says.

  ‘For a holiday? Or one of these longer trips?’ I feel the anxiety rise at the thought of them going away for a long time.

  ‘We thought—’ starts my dad.

  ‘We haven’t even decided we’re going yet,’ says Mum, firmly. ‘I mean, I need to look into whether it’s sanitary. You hear about people going to these places and getting awful tummy bugs, don’t you?’

  For once, I’m relieved by my mum’s health paranoia. I know that I’m 31 and I should be old enough for my parents to go off on a trip, but I guess, like Mum, Ben’s death has affected me in ways I don’t always acknowledge. I may only see my parents once a week or so, but I take extreme comfort in knowing that they are only five minutes away if I need them.

  ‘I think if you’re careful about where you go and where you eat, I’m sure you’d be fine,’ says Becca. ‘I think it sounds like a great thing to do. Might be just the kind of break you both need.’

  She takes my mum’s hand and gives it a squeeze like an unspoken nod to the pain they both still feel and the encouragement they need to take a step forward.

  ‘Told you,’ says Dad to Mum.

  ‘What are you going to get, Izzy?’ asks Mum, deliberately ignoring Dad’s comments. ‘I’ve ordered the butternut squash ravioli. Full of good minerals and vitamins.’

  I look down at the menu. I was going to have a very cheesy, heart-attack inducing, meat feast pizza, but maybe I’ll go for a goat’s cheese salad instead.

  ‘I used a lot of squash when I was doing my food blog,’ says Marissa. ‘I did this really good squash cake with maple syrup and cream cheese frosting.’

  ‘Oh, I’ll have to get the recipe,’ says Mum, ‘I’m always baking cakes to take into work.’

  ‘Which is lucky,’ says my dad, tapping his belly. ‘With all the baking you do, I’d be as big as a house if I had to eat it all.’

  Mum smiles at him and he smiles back and I take that and the holiday brochures as a sign that the brief moment of bickering was nothing to worry about.

  ‘So how’s your internet thing going?’ Dad says to me.

  ‘Oh, it’s good, thanks,’ I say, surprised that he’s asked.

  ‘It’s better than good,’ says Marissa, not looking up from her menu and therefore not seeing the looks I’m giving to try and get her to be quiet. ‘The post Izzy did with Luke has blown up.’

  ‘Who’s Luke?’ asks Mum.

  ‘Um, he’s a guy at work who’s been helping me with the photos.’

  ‘Single, is he?’ she says with a hint of a hope.

  ‘Not exactly,’ says Marissa, laughing.

  ‘Hmm, well you know your father was with someone else when I met him.’

  I look between my parents, horrified and unsure what I’m supposed to do with this nugget of information, so I grunt like a disgruntled teenager and choose to ignore it.

  ‘Is he good-looking?’ Mum asks Marissa.

  ‘Very. He looks like a model.’

  Mum turns back to me and raises an eyebrow. ‘Sounds promising.’

  ‘No, Mum. It’s not at all. He’s very attractive
but that’s about all he has going for him. Trust me, you wouldn’t want me to go out with him.’

  ‘I’ve still got Roger Davenport’s number if you need it,’ she says.

  Marissa splutters the water she was drinking.

  ‘Roger Davenport?’ she says. ‘As in, Roger Davenport?’

  She holds up her hands and wiggles her fingers forcing me to clench my jaw.

  ‘That would be him,’ I say. ‘Mum ran into his mum and she wants to set me up with him.’

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Marissa says. ‘Sorry, Dawn, but I can’t really see Izzy with Roger.’

  ‘Well, could you see her with this Luke?’ Mum asks.

  ‘No, she can’t,’ I say, answering for her. ‘But luckily I’m absolutely fine being by myself.’

  ‘Do you want to order drinks?’ asks the waiter materialising by our table.

  ‘Yes, please,’ I say, ‘a large glass of white wine for me.’

  Becca and Marissa order drinks too.

  ‘So Becca,’ says my Dad, ‘how are things with you? Work OK?’

  I breathe a sigh of relief that the conversation has moved away from me and my fake love life.

  ‘Work’s fine, thanks, Simon.’

  ‘I saw your parents the other day,’ says Mum, ‘and they said you were seeing someone.’

  A look of panic spread across Becca’s face.

  ‘Yes, um, his name’s Gareth. Nice guy. An accountant,’ she says, folding the corners of her napkin over.

  Mum nods and gives a weak smile. If it had been anyone else talking she’d have turned to me and made a dig about hoping I’d meet a nice accountant too. I imagine it’s hard for them to picture her with anyone else too; I guess we’re always all going to be guilty of thinking of her as Ben’s fiancée, but she can’t be frozen in time forever, not like Ben.

  ‘So Marissa’s trying to decide whether she should find out if she’s having a girl or a boy,’ I say, jumping in to avoid the awkwardness that’s descended on the table. Becca looks grateful.

  ‘Oh really, it’s all so different these days,’ says Mum. ‘We weren’t given the choice; we just got presented the baby, like the scene in The Lion King where they hold it up.’