Page 35 of Best Mistake Ever
There are people everywhere. Some in full body paint – that’s got to be chilly! – some in costumes in a medley of colours, fabrics and styles, but all – if only loosely – are following the theme of Northern Lights.
The vegan banquet was cleared away from the ballroom an hour ago and it’s now set up as a dancefloor, ready for the evening’s DJs’ sets and the library has been allocated as the chill-out space and live music room again.
Outside, a large group of people are juggling with fire batons and flaming hoops to the rhythm of bongos, their movements deft and mesmerising, the flames carving sparkling trails through the dark night that’s descended on us.
I stride around the site, checking the crew are all happy and have everything they need for the evening. I don’t need to worry though; Jay is exceptionally organised and well-practised by now at running these events. I’m not surprised they’re so popular. His summer event a couple of years ago was featured in a ‘Best Events of the Summer’ article in one of the left-leaningpapers which was amazing publicity and, according to Pete, gave his attendance numbers a real boost.
Music and a happy, low level of noise seems to emanate from every corner of the festival as crowds of partygoers move from event to event, talking animatedly. Everywhere I look, there is colour and movement. The place feels alive with joy and a celebration of life.
I actually feel a bit out of place in my smart work gear and wish I’d thought to bring a costume for myself so I’d blend in a bit better. I’m starting to yawn a lot now, after a bad night’s sleep. I’d not been able to clear the memory of Jonah lifting me onto the counter and kissing me with such intent, my whole body raged with a need to feel him moving inside me. I kept reliving the way his mouth felt on mine. It was so assured. So right. The smell of him had intoxicated me, sending shivers of pure lust all through my body.
My exhausted brain had finally allowed me to drop into a troubled sleep in the early hours, only for me to then be woken again at six o’clock by my alarm, in order to give me time to get back to the hotel before the festival got going again.
So, I’m dying to take a few minutes to myself and perhaps chug a coffee to try and wake up a bit now.
It’s going to be a long night, judging by the energy I’m seeing pulsing through the party.
After checking the ballroom and seeing the dancefloor is happily heaving, with people dancing wildly to an eighties pop track, I decide to retire to my office for a while to regroup.
Mercifully, the room is relatively quiet compared to the rest of the site and I sink into my chair, my ears ringing after being battered by the loud music, feeling relief at being able to sit down for a few minutes and gather my thoughts.
I’ve not seen anything of Jonah since this morning when we ended up having a playfight with those pillows, which wasactually a cathartic release from the tension that still lingered between us after last night.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, startling me, and I pull it out and check who’s calling, wondering whether Jonah’s trying to find me. The inappropriate excitement I feel quickly fades when I see Dee’s name on the screen.
Not that I’m unhappy to see it’s her. I’ve been wondering how she’s getting on, stuck on an island with our father.
I stand up and walk over to the window, steeling myself to hear all about it.
‘Hey you, how’s it going?’ I say into the phone after pressing the green handset symbol.
‘Not great,’ my sister replies.
My mood sinks lower. Now what?
‘What’s up?’ I ask, mentally preparing myself for another of Dee’s crazy tales.
‘The bloody weather’s up, that’s what!’ Dee says, her breath expelling in a hard sigh, like she’s been punched in the gut.
‘The weather?’
‘Haven’t you seen the news? There’s a bloody typhoon or something on the way. It’s been raging away over on this side of the planet. Our island seems to be in the path of the epicentre so we’re stuck here till it passes over. No planes or even boats out of here for a few days. It’s too dangerous, apparently.’
From the tone of her voice, it sounds as if she’d rather risk a terrifying, wholly inadvisable journey than be stuck there with our dad.
‘Right. Okay. Well, hopefully it won’t be for long. Those things tend to blow over quickly, I think.’
‘Not quickly enough,’ Dee mutters.
‘Is Jem okay?’ I ask, even more worried for my business partner who’s not only stuck with my father, but my grumpy sister too.
‘He’s fine,’ Dee says stiffly.
‘Well, don’t worry about things here. We’re okay. Just stay safe and get back as soon as you can.’
‘I was thinking… perhaps you could pretend to twist your ankle before work on Monday morning, once the festival’s finished. Then you can ask Jonah for a couple of days off to recover. I should be back by then and it won’t look strange when I come back with a bit of a limp.’
My stomach does a weird flip at the thought of things coming to an end so abruptly here and handing this role back to Dee. I shake it off. It’s her job and she’s right; we need to be tactical about how to get her back here without things looking odd.
