One Thing Leads to Another. Jamie Holland

Чтение книги онлайн.

       chapter four Geordie and Jessica have Dinner at Tommy Byng’s

      Jessica was just about to go and run her bath when Geordie finally walked through the door. As always (and it was no different now they had moved to the new house), he immediately asked Jessica whether there was any post or messages for him.

      ‘Just some bills and a couple of messages for Flin from Josh,’ she told him, without looking up from her magazine. And as always, he pressed the answerphone anyway.

      ‘Yo, big man!’ said Josh’s voice. ‘I’ve got your new number. Nice one. I need someone to get drunk with and you’re the name I’ve pulled out of the hat. Call me immediately.’

      The second message was even more concise: ‘Of course you’re not there – you’re getting laid in Italy you little Julio. Forgot. Ignore that last message.’

      Geordie sighed. ‘No calls, no decent letters – not even a postcard from Flin.’

      ‘Poor you, how trying,’ replied Jessica, looking up at him. ‘Get yourself a drink and then come here and calm down.’

      A short while later, Jessica had made it into her bath and was testing a new body scrub when the phone rang.

      ‘Hello,’ said Geordie, picking up the receiver in an instant.

      ‘Geordie, hi, how’s things?’

      ‘Flin! What are you doing calling? Where’s our postcard?’

      ‘I’ve only been gone four days. Give me a chance. Just thought I’d see how you guys are, you know … How’s our house?’

      ‘Great – I’ve painted the bathroom now and put up a new cabinet. What about you? How’s the holiday of love?’

      ‘Um, good, thanks. Really good. Great.’

      Flin was being very odd, Geordie thought. Hardly very enthusiastic at all. ‘Flin, are you OK?’

      ‘Yeah, yeah, fine.’ Flin paused. ‘Listen, Geordie, is Jessica there?’

      ‘In the bath,’ Geordie told him, ‘why?’

      ‘Oh nothing – it doesn’t matter. Look, I’m running out of money – I’ll see you next week, OK? Have fun.’

      Geordie immediately padded upstairs to tell Jessica.

      ‘Something has definitely gone wrong, the poor lamb,’ Jessica said through the bathroom door. ‘I knew that girl was a cow.’

      ‘He sounded very weird,’ Geordie confirmed as he stood on the landing, leaning against the bathroom door. ‘Not himself at all.’

      ‘Well, let’s hope he manages to resolve it, whatever it is,’ said Jessica, splashing.

      Geordie nodded. ‘He’s always fallen in love too easily.’

      ‘I don’t think he’s ever been in love actually. I think it’s more that he thinks he is.’

      ‘Maybe.’

      There was a short contemplative silence between them and then Jessica said, ‘Oh, dear – and this body scrub is hopeless. I’ll probably discover it’s scarred me for life. Geordie, my love, what’s to become of us?’

      Geordie didn’t bother to answer. Although he was loath to admit it to himself, he felt pretty low.

      Still, at least that night he and Jessica were going over for supper at Tommy’s. Tommy had been at school with Geordie and Flin and had then gone to the same university as Flin too. Through them he’d got to know Jessica pretty well – everyone knew everyone, after all. He shared a flat in the Olympia side of Barons Court with an old friend of his called Jim Dawson. Both were hearty, fun-loving, beer-chugging sport fanatics.

      As it was a pleasant evening, Geordie and Jessica decided to walk. Taking far less time than they had supposed, they ended up arriving a bit too promptly. Jim had not even arrived back home from work. Undaunted, Geordie took out a four-pack, Tommy poured Jessica some wine and they all sat down in front of the telly, which was murmuring and flashing images in the background. Although Jim and Tommy had made a slight effort to make the place respectable – throws over the sofa, a few plants and framed pictures – the ashtrays, empty tankards and various balls and other sporting accessories clearly indicated theirs was a bachelor pad and nothing more. Even the plants, that most elementary indicator of domesticity, were insipid little fronds, while pride of place above the fireplace was a print of the fifteenth hole at the Belfry. Dominating one corner of the sitting room was a complex music system and a massive television, with CDs and videos scattered haphazardly below. Long-dried shirts, socks and boxer shorts crammed the radiators.

      It was quite apparent that Tommy hadn’t even started preparing supper, and the arrival of his friends seemed to delay this further. He happily chatted away to them – how was work? What had they been up to? Where was Flin at the moment? He blew a multitude of smoke-rings from underneath the acutely curved peak of his Oakland Athletics baseball cap. Apparently Jim’s new girlfriend – Katie Symons – was coming too.

      ‘Lovely girl,’ said Tommy, ‘Jim’s got himself a humdinger.’ And then making up the party was a friend of his from work called Molly Duguid. ‘So not a major bash,’ Tommy continued, ‘but it means we can all put in some serious chit-chat.’ Then he got up and announced that he really should be applying his culinary talents and sorting out supper. Geordie’s ears had twitched at the mention of Molly and he couldn’t help wondering – as he did with any new girl he might meet – whether she was a) pretty, and b) single. Coming on her own was an encouraging sign, though.

      No sooner had Tommy disappeared into the kitchen than Jim turned up. Looking slightly flustered, he went straight for the kitchen and the fridge and only then came in to say hello to Geordie and Jessica.

      ‘Jessica, hi! You look gorgeous as ever.’ He took hold of her shoulders and kissed her on both cheeks and then turned to Geordie. ‘Good to see you,’ he СКАЧАТЬ