Page 47 of The Fallback

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‘Oh, Rosie I’m so sorry.’

Rosie had done the only thing she knew would make her feel better, even though her mind was screaming at her not to. She had left Graham in the pub, called Mitch, asked him where he was and then gone to meet him in a different pub on the other side of town.

‘But I thought you weren’t going to see him again?’ Mitch asked. ‘What happened?’

‘I don’t know,’ Rosie said glumly, kicking her foot against the table leg. ‘I just thought I should give him a second go. I was only doing what you told me to do. Being more open minded.’

‘I didn’t mean you should date arseholes,’ Mitch said, taking a sip of his pint.

‘I didn’tknowhe was an arsehole until just now, did I?’

‘But you didn’t fancy him, so why see him again?’

Rosie didn’t reply. Mitch was right, infuriatingly so. But she couldn’t tell him why it was so important that she see Graham again so she just said nothing.

‘You know we’re not all like that,’ Mitch said, grabbing her hand.

‘I know,’ Rosie said, ‘but sometimes it just feels like you are.’

‘I’m not,’ he said, stroking her hand with his thumb.

‘Yeah, I know that Mitch,’ she said pulling her hand back quickly. ‘But I’m not dating you, am I? Jenny is.’

Mitch pulled a funny face, ‘Yeah,’ he said. He looked on the verge of saying something else, and then his phone beeped and he pulled it out of his pocket.

‘Shit,’ he said, looking at the message.

‘Jenny?’ Rosie asked, trying not to sound like a jealous and petulant child.

‘Uh-huh.’ He looked up at her.

‘You’ve got to go?’

‘Sorry Rosie, I said I’d meet her. Will you be OK?’

‘Yes, sure absolutely,’ she replied, not feeling sure or absolutely about anything. ‘Totally fine, go!’ She gave him a double thumbs up.

He stood and looked down at her as if unsure what to say or do next. ‘I meant it,’ he finally said, ‘we’re not all like that.’ He bent down and kissed her on the cheek. ‘You’ll come next Friday?’ he asked.

Rosie nodded and waved him off, hoping he would be out of the pub before her eyes filled with tears. And now what? Should she call Nadia or Jasmine and cry on their shoulders? She thought guiltily of the fact she still hadn’t replied to Jasmine’s messages. Or should she just go home and do a spot of doom-scrolling before crying into the void of Netflix?

ChapterFourteen

Rosie adjusted her sunglasses and reached over to pick up her coffee. She’d taken an early lunch break and headed for the square in front of the British Museum, hoping to find a spot to soak up some sun before the tourists took up all the cafe tables.

She’d been in luck, grabbing the last free table just after the barista had handed her her flat white. Really she should be catching up on paperwork before her lab slot this afternoon, but this felt just as important.Thisbeing scrolling through dating websites and aimlessly taking photos of her surroundings. She was determined to put the Graham fiasco behind her, there must be someone out there who she half fancied and who wouldn’t arrange two dates on the same night. Surely?

A shadow fell over her phone screen, seconds before two hands rested on her shoulder.

‘Wotcha,’ came a fake cockney accent over her left shoulder.

Rosie smiled. She’d know that terrible accent anywhere. Shifting in her seat she put one hand on her shoulder to touch the hand that rested there and swivelled round to smile up at Mitch.

‘Fancy seeing you here!’ she grinned.

‘Amazing coincidence, isn’t it?’ he agreed. ‘Whatcha doing?’

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