Page 54 of The Life Experiment
Angus opened his mouth to reply ‘sparkling’, but Layla got there first.
‘Tap’s fine, thanks.’ When the waiter slipped away, she turned to Angus. ‘I always say tap, I hope you don’t mind. It’s a waste of money otherwise, isn’t it? Although admittedly London water is vile.’
Angus nodded even though he had never taken the ‘tap’ option. In fact, most places Angus went to didn’t even offer tap water. Suddenly, the evening stretched out like a long, pothole-filled road, with the opportunity to fuck up and reveal his true nature in every bump. As a bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck, Angus wished more than anything that he’d never told that first lie.
‘I’ll be quiet for a few minutes, I’m afraid. I take ordering far tooseriously,’ Layla said, without taking her eyes off the menu. ‘I promise I’ll be sociable soon.’
‘Take your time. Choosing what to eat is the most important decision of the night.’
‘I’m glad to be out with someone who understands that.’
As a grinning Layla debated her options, Angus scanned the restaurant. His gaze lingered on the glowing candles and generous glasses of wine.Maybe coming here was a mistake, he thought as he cracked his knuckles. This wasn’t a date, after all – Layla had been adamant about that – yet dinner came with a host of romantic connotations. Plus, restaurants carried with them an array of potential disasters. Bad food, bad service, awkward silences…
And Bella Vino… Angus cursed himself. What was he thinking, bringing Layla somewhere he’d never been before? Suddenly, the restaurant transformed before Angus’s eyes. The decor turned from traditional to naff, the waitstaff from busy to disorganised. Even the layout seemed wrong, the tables so close together that Angus felt like he was on a date with the elderly couple beside them. It was as if the man’s comments about the garlic mushrooms – ‘Lovely sauce, isn’t it?’ – were directed at him.
As Angus dug his nails into his palms, Layla set down her menu. ‘Right, I’ve decided. I’m ordering the ravioli, unless that’s what you’re having? Because we can’t order the same thing.’
Angus grimaced. ‘I was going to pick the ravioli too.’
‘No!’ Layla wailed. ‘That’s my cue to check the menu again.’
As she peeled it from the table, Angus laughed. ‘I’m ordering lamb ragu really. And, even if I wanted ravioli, I’d pick something else so you could have it.’
The corner of Layla’s mouth hooked into a smile. ‘How kind. That almost makes up for your treachery, but not quite.’
As Angus laughed again, his hands unfurled. There was something about Layla that made him feel like he was sinking into a warm bath. He’d bathe in it forever if he could.
‘When did you decide on the lamb, anyway?’ Layla asked. ‘You haven’t checked your menu once.’
‘I looked at it online beforehand.’
‘Angus, no! If I’d known you were a menu-hunter, I wouldn’t have said yes to dinner.’
Grinning, Angus settled into the rhythm of the conversation. ‘I thought lawyers loved planning and preparation?’
‘We do, but as someone whose meals are usually from a vending machine, restaurants are a treat. That’s why I go all-out, surprise menu and all. The spontaneity adds to the fun.’
‘I prefer to think the fun comes from the company, not the food.’
Layla toyed with the stem of her yet-to-be-filled wineglass. ‘But this is our first meeting since the cafe, and I was miserable that day. How do you know the company is up to scratch?’
‘Judging by how much we speak already, I predict we’ll be fine.’
Layla made no attempt to hide her smile. ‘We have spoken a lot, haven’t we?’
‘We have. Surely we’re at the “tell me your darkest secret” or “meet the parents” point by now?’
‘It’s funny you mention parents,’ Layla said, cocking her head. ‘I was thinking on the way over that I don’t know much about yours, even though you know all about mine.’
Angus’s leg twitched to kick himself. How could he be foolish enough to steer the conversation onto this territory?! ‘Oh, they’re like anyone else’s parents,’ he shrugged, trying to catch the eye of a passing waiter so he could distract Layla with ordering.
‘If I know anything in life, it’s that every family is weird and wonderful in their own way. So come on, tell me about your parents.’
With his heart in a vice, Angus racked his brain for something to tell Layla that matched the openness of her anecdotes, but it was hard to know what to say when there were so many parts of himself that Angus was ashamed of.
Could he tell Layla about his mum’s constant redecorating of the house? How he never knew what he was stepping into, meaning that the concept of somewhere feeling like ‘home’ was lost on him? How when he was a child, Gilly went through his toys and threw away his favourites because they didn’t go with her new colour scheme?
Or perhaps Angus could admit that knowing he would never match up to his father meant he never tried to? That doing fuck-all was easier than being in Peter’s shadow?
