Tuesday
Alex
‘So, what’s the deal with airport girl?’
Luella and I sat in the kitchen of the apartment she was still staying in with John and Gio. She’d made us coffee with the pod machine. I’d still been half asleep when Emily had kissed me on the cheek and left. I’m not a morning person, so I can see why she didn’t try to wake me. But she’d promised me the date that I’d asked for. So that was something. I hadn’t texted her yet. I would wait until tonight.
‘And don’t try and tell me nothing, because I saw you having drinks with her last night.’
‘You did?’
‘Yeah, it’s the closest bar to the theatre. I was going out to drink too.’
‘Ah, well. We got a drink. We hung out.’
She smirked. Lu was loving every minute of this conversation.
‘What’s she like?’
‘She’s a therapist. Like a physical therapist. But she does research too. I think.’
‘She said that on Friday, I think. So, she’s like some super scientist then?’
‘I don’t really understand, to be honest,’ I replied.
‘She’s totally your type. I knew it.’
‘What?’
‘She’s smart, pretty, a little bit quiet. You’re smitten.’
Smitten? I didn’t know about that. I looked out the window across Sydney. I had to leave this city in a couple of days, which meant this wasn’t going to be much more than a hookup.
‘I like her,’ I shrugged. ‘She said she’d go on a date with me tomorrow night.’
‘A date, a real date?’
‘Yes,’ I said.
‘So you’re dating again then?’
Would you call it dating? I wasn’t sure that you would when there is an end in sight. But if there wasn’t, if we lived in the same city? Then yes, I would say I was dating her. Or at least, I would want to be dating her. I guessed I was starting to move on. To move back into the world of romance.
‘I’m going to try at least. And, you know, try and do a better job of it this time.’
‘Oh, please don’t start with that,’ she said, rolling her eyes.
‘What?’
‘All this bad boyfriend stuff.’
‘I am a bad boyfriend. Bad husband too.’
‘She cheated on you, Alex.’
‘Yes, but I wasn’t around. I wasn’t in the same country half the time.’
‘Yes, but she cheated on you. No matter what you did, that was worse.’
I shrugged. ‘I’m still going to try and do better.’
She rolled her eyes again. ‘Where you going to take her tomorrow?’
‘I want to think of something really fun, something unusual,’ I said. ‘Something impressive.’
‘You really are all or nothing, aren’t you?’
‘I guess.’
‘What have you got so far?’
‘Nothing. No ideas at all.’
‘Oh. Well, we can brainstorm together.’
Tuesday
Emily
It was barley 9 am when I confessed.
‘I saw him again last night,’ I said.
‘You did not!’ Andi swung around in her office chair to face me.
I hadn’t intended to tell her about it. She was just so super enthusiastic, it made me feel self-conscious. And anyway, the whole thing would be going nowhere, because Alex was getting on a plane in a couple of days.
‘He gave me his number. We had drinks.’
‘And?’ she asked, raising her eyebrows.
I shrugged, ‘We had a very pleasant evening.
‘You like him?’
‘I do,’ I said.
She was playing music through the speakers again. If the volume went up too loud they crackled. I wondered if I should buy some new ones.
‘Who’s this singing?’ I asked.
‘Oh,’ said Andi, ‘Etta James. She was amazing, right?’
‘What’s a Sunday kind of love supposed to be?’ I asked, referring to the lyrics of the song.
‘Um, a love that lasts for all of time. Forever,’ And replied.
‘I think I’d rather Fast Love,’ I said.
‘George Michael?’ she asked with a smirk.
‘Yep, that one.’
‘So I guess that’s what you were doing last night then?’
‘I guess,’ I smiled at her.
‘It’s so rare you get a musical reference, let alone put one out yourself,’ said Andi.
‘You’d like Alex. You could sit and make music references back and forth all day. You’d both love it.’
‘You really like him then?’ she said.
‘He’s nice. But, he’s going to be gone at the end of the week. So, you know, there’s not much in it.’
‘Oh, you could follow him. Be a groupie.’
‘No thanks,’ I said.
‘No, didn’t think I’d sell you on that. You’re too independent,’ said Andi. ‘So what, are you going to see him again before he goes?’
‘I’ll see him tonight.’
‘You know what I think you should do? Take annual leave. Spend the rest of whatever time with him. Don’t worry about next week. Seriously, you’ve had a shit year you deserve some fun.’
‘That might be a good idea,’ I said, smiling.