Saturday 17th November
Alice
I look at myself in the mirror, smoothing down my floral Nancy dress in an array of blues, blacks, and greys, on white cotton. Its sweetheart neckline is flattering to my modest chest, but you want to know the best thing about it? There are hidden pockets in the flared swing skirt. I love pockets on dresses! Somewhere to put your hands when you’re feeling awkward. Or to store your lipstick.
Tom sidles up behind me, smoothing his hands over the fabric at my waist and moving them down to my bottom which he gives a slight squeeze.
‘You look gorgeous.’
I turn to him in his dark navy suit and white shirt. ‘You don’t look so bad yourself.’
In fact, he looks fucking delicious. He’s so muscular you can make out the curves of his biceps in that jacket. And I hit that. Yeah, I do!
We get a taxi to the zoo and follow the signs to the fundraiser, all the while avoiding having the awkward conversation I feel is lingering over us. We enter their conference hall to find it decorated with the huge printed out pictures that I took for their website. Wow, they look good in large, if I do say so myself. Molly is so sneaky. She never said she was doing this.
There are green and yellow balloons dotted around the place with a huge sign that says ‘Raise Money for our Animals!’
‘Hey, guys!’ Molly says, bounding over to us in a pink-sequinned dress better suited to Barbie. Only she could pull it off.
‘Hey,’ we both smile.
‘The guys are all over by the bar. I’ve got to go schmooze.’ She totters off in her heels.
Tom laughs. ‘Of course they are.’
We walk over to them. ‘Well,’ Tom says slapping Jack and Nicholas on the back, ‘don’t we all look dapper in our suits?’ He takes two glasses of Prosecco and hands one to me.
‘Where’s Pickles?’ Evelyn asks.
Did she seriously think we’d bring her?
‘Our day care lady has her,’ I explain with a nod. ‘Keeping her overnight.’
‘Hey, guys, I have a question,’ Brooke says playfully. On closer inspection her hair is messy and her eyes a bit glassy. God, she’s drunk. When did she start drinking? Nicholas straightens himself behind her as if ready to reel her in. ‘Are you guys officially together now, or what?’
I freeze, my cheeks heating so much I’m scared they’ll actually set on fire. Why the hell is she bringing this up? She knows I want to see how it goes.
‘Because it is exhausting watching you dance around each other,’ she continues before throwing her head back on a laugh.
I notice Tom tensing beside me. Why the hell did she decide getting so smashed this early would be a good idea?
‘Alright, Brooke,’ Nicholas says. ‘I told you to slow down tonight, remember?’
‘Jeez, what is the big deal?’ she snaps, before turning to glare at Jack. Why is she glaring at Jack? What did he do?
‘Brooke, can I have a word?’ I ask with a polite smile. I take her arm and start dragging her away from everyone. When I’m pleased we’re in a quiet enough corner I start my interrogation. ‘What’s going on? You never normally get this trashed. This can’t just be about Nicholas pressurising you to move, can it? And why are you glaring at Jack?’
She scoffs. ‘Because everyone thinks he’s fucking perfect and I know better.’
I frown. ‘Who, Jack? You know better? Why?’
‘He’s cheating on Erica,’ she blurts out with a hiccup.
My mouth drops open.
‘He’s WHAT?’ I shriek, causing half the hall to turn and stare at me. I wait until the chatter goes back to an acceptable level. ‘Why the hell do you think that?’
‘I’ve caught him twice whispering on the phone. The minute he sees me he panics and starts rambling some excuse.’
That’s really not strong evidence.
‘So, what makes you think he’s cheating? He could be talking to anyone.’
‘Really?’ she raises her eyebrows. ‘Even you can’t be that stupid.’
‘Even me?’ I snap. ‘What the fuck does that mean?’ I hate mean drunks. My own mother is one.
‘That you’re naive when it comes to men.’
She might as well have slapped me. It stings just the same. Especially with everything up in the air between me and Tom.
‘Admit it, Alice. You have bad taste in men. Tom is no better. I mean, do you even know if you’re just fucking friends, or whether he even likes you for real?’
Brooke is never this mean. I hate how she’s this drunk.
‘Fuck you, Brooke. I’ll ask him right now if it stops you chatting shit.’
I spin on my heel and go straight for Tom. I pat him on the shoulder. He turns around with a smile.
‘I need to talk to you.’ I take his hand and lead him out through the patio doors. We walk through an animal enclosure, the lights dimmed. I’m assuming the animals are asleep.
‘Listen, Tom. I have to tell you something.’
Here goes. I look into his green eyes lit up by the moonlight, aware I’m potentially about to break my own heart. Hearing he’s not interested in me like that is going to hurt.
‘I...’ I’m interrupted by a loud barking noise. Shit, they have dogs in this zoo?
‘What the hell is that?’ he asks, standing in front of me to guard me against the barking dogs I’ve no doubt are about to be released to kill me. That small gesture tells me he truly cares, regardless of what he’s about to say.
The barking goes again, this time followed by a loud, deep ‘Eugh!’
‘I don’t think it’s a dog,’ I say, standing out in front of him and attempting to follow the sound. I walk down around a corner and find two sea lions yapping away.
‘Sea lions,’ Tom laughs. ‘I had no idea they were such noisy fuckers.’
‘Yeah, who knew,’ I giggle.
‘Anyway, what were you trying to say?’
‘Oh, I -’
‘EUGHHHHHHH!’ they shout again.
He smiles, and it’s so beautiful I have to remind myself why I’m trying to ruin this. So, what if he doesn’t feel the same way about me? The main thing is that right now we’re together. In some capacity at least. Right now, I have him and the thought of letting him go has me gasping for breath.
He takes my hand and pulls me further away from them.
‘I just wanted to ask...’ I swallow, in an attempt to calm myself, ‘if this is real?’ I look down at the floor. ‘You know, if we’re sort of... together, or if we’re just like... doing this as friends?’ God, I sound like an idiot. I hate myself.
He takes me around the waist, sending tingles up and down my spine. I brace myself to be let down gently.
‘Alice, I’m in. Full in.’
He what now? Did I hear him right? He’s in?
‘Really? And you reckon you’re able to have a proper relationship with me?’ I ask with a nod, unable to believe him.
‘When you put it like that....’ he grimaces, before bursting out laughing. ‘Yes, Alice. For you, it’ll be easy.’
He moves his lips to kiss the corner of my mouth before placing them fully on mine as if they’ve always belonged there. His hand travels up my spine until they’re in my hair, sliding out to frame my jaw.
I kiss him back with everything I’ve got, as if pouring my feelings into him. Telling him how happy I am that he’s willing to try. He’s made it sound easy, but I know with him it will be anything but. How can one person change their core personality completely overnight? I dismiss the thought as he breaks the kiss.
We walk back into the hall hand-in-hand just as Molly’s finishing her speech.
‘And now I’ll hand you over to my friend Jack Lawson.’
Jack? What the hell is Jack doing up there? I didn’t think he was helping with the charity. He walks up and takes the mike. Erica looks just as baffled as us. Why wouldn’t he have told her if he was involved?
‘What’s he doing?’ I whisper to Tom.
‘Fuck knows,’ he whispers back, looking as anxious as me.
‘Right. Hi, everybody. My name is Jack Lawson and I hope you don’t mind me sabotaging the evening.’
‘Boo!’ Brooke heckles, laughing at herself. Nicholas frowns next to her.
Erica’s looking panicked now. Charlie’s chewing his lip. If anyone knows something its him.
Jack clears his throat. ‘Did you know that a family of Meerkats is often called a mob, gang, or clan? Well, I wanted to wait until we had our gang together again before I said this.’ He looks around at us and smiles. Oh my god, wait. Is he... proposing to Erica? No!
He locks eyes with a very jittery Erica.
‘Elephants never forget, and I’ll never forget the moment I first met you at that little caravan park in Burnham-on-Sea.’
Erica’s cheeks turn bright red.
‘Erica, you might not have been as tall as a giraffe, as graceful as a gazelle, or as fabulous as a flamingo, but you were as cute and furry as a panda.’
Panda? Jesus, someone should have helped him with this speech.
Molly starts giggling. I can basically see Erica wondering if that means she’s got too much facial hair.
‘I love our sloth like lazy Sundays where we pig out on takeaways and sweets.’
Erica smiles back at him, slowly calming down the more he talks.
‘I know that sometimes you can be as fierce as a tiger and sometimes a right moody cow. A drama llama with the snap of a crocodile when you have a big camel style hump.
‘Well, sea otters hold hands when they sleep, so they don’t drift away from each other at night. I want to hold your hand every night and wake up with you there every morning.’
Oh my god, this is so sweet. I feel myself tearing up. I want this kind of love. Will Tom ever be capable of this?
‘I want you to waddle like a penguin when we have our first baby. I don’t care if you put on so much weight you turn into a hippopotamus or if you turn clingy like a koala.
‘I’ll never be a cheetah and I’ll try my best not to be a baboon. I promise to always stay foxy and never be a snake.
‘So, Erica Bennett, will you hold my otter pocket for eternity? Make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?’
Oh my god, I was right. He wants to marry Erica!
Everyone turns to look at Erica. She’s smiling, no… beaming at Jack. It’s obvious what her answer is even before she speaks.
‘Of course, I’ll marry you!’ she squeals.