Page 52 of A Touch of Magic at the Comfort Food Café
Now I’m even more confused. She slurps the last of her Martini, leaning back in her seat. She crosses her arms across her chest, which hoists her boobs up even further. She’s veering intoCarry On Nurseterritory now, but the look on her face is serious.
‘Look,’ she says, ‘bringing a fake date to a party is weird. Introducing him to your family is weird. But what’s even weirder is the fact that you don’t see that it’s not actually fake at all. You’re kidding yourself. The way he treats you? The way you look at him? Thatkiss? You can’t fake that kind of fire. This is real. You just won’t let your way-too-clever brain accept that yet. You say we all put you in a box? Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re doing the same to yourself. You decided long ago that you don’t like people. That you don’t do relationships. Well, I’ve got news for you sister– look around. See your new life. See allthe friends, the community. See the gorgeous man who is clearly into you. It’s real. It’s happening. And it’sgood.’
I’m about to splutter my objections when she holds up a hand. ‘Let’s ask Aidan!’ she says, as he sits back down. Oh God, I think, my cheeks blazing and my heart sinking. This is so humiliating.
‘Ask me what?’ he says.
‘Nothing!’ I answer quickly. ‘Nothing at all!’
‘Ask you what your intentions towards my sister are, young man,’ Sally says, pointing a skeleton finger at him. ‘Sarah here has confessed her sins. She’s told me the whole date at the party was a set up and that you’re not a couple at all. But I don’t buy it. I think the fake is the fake bit. What say you?’
Aidan takes a moment to process that convoluted statement. Then he nods slowly, smiling the smile, turning to look from me to my sister again. ‘Yeah. You’re right. None of this is fake for me, Sally. I absolutely adore your sister. I’d be her real-life Gomez in a flash if she let me.’
I stare at him, dumbfounded. Sally laughs, delightedly. ‘Told you so, sis! Now, how about getting your head out of your arse and going with the flow for once?’
Go with the flow? Has she ever met me? Both of them are looking at me in anticipation, but I’m given an escape route from the most unexpected of sources. Striding towards us, looking hot, bothered and very nervous, is my sister’s husband Ollie. He’s dressed in his surgical scrubs, which are spattered with fake blood. Or, I suppose, given his profession, it could actually be real. I glance at my phone and see that it’s almost ten. He must have jumped in his car and driven here as soon as Sally sent those pics of her as a sexy nurse.
I grin and wave to him over Sally’s shoulder.
‘Don’t try and avoid the question!’ she says.
‘I’m not avoiding the question. I’m waving to your husband. The sexy surgeon heading towards us.’
She frowns and looks deeply confused, then turns around. Ollie reaches our table, and despite the noise and costumes and chaos around us, only has eyes for his wife. Her mouth is open in shock, as she stands up to face him. Her hands go to her hips, and she says: ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I’ve come to see you,’ he says, his gaze flickering over her. ‘To tell you I’m sorry I’ve taken you for granted. To tell you I’ll do better. To take you home.’
She hesitates, glaring at him with hostility. I know she’s probably thrilled at the big romantic gesture, but I also know my sister and how stubborn she is. She won’t back down this easily.
‘Go on, Sal,’ I say, nudging her. ‘Why don’t you get your head out of your arse and go with the flow?’
She gives me some severe side-eye, but eventually softens.
‘Okay, Ollie. I’ll agree to hear you out. That’s all I’m promising at this stage.’
He sags a little in relief and joins her at the table. Aidan and I make a sharp exit, and get caught up in dancing to theGhostbusterstheme tune with the rest of Budbury. That suits me down to the ground, because you can’t have a serious discussion while you’re dancing to Halloween hits, and it gives me a break from what was becoming an awkward conversation.
Still, as I watch him bang hips with Cherie’s killer clown and tell Laura that he’s not afraid of ghosts, I can’t help smiling. When did I ever feel this alive? When did I ever blush so much? When did I ever yearn to feel a man’s hands on my body the way I do Aidan’s? I’ve barely known him for a month, but I cannot stop thinking about him. I’ve confided in him more than I have in my own sister, and I’ve felt myself grow and change under his influence. Am I kidding myself, like Sally says? Am I faking the fake?
It’s a lot to think about, and it’s impossible to have a clear mind in this kind of atmosphere. Instead, I go with the flow in a different way– I simply enjoy myself. I dance and eat and chat both to my friends and to people I’ve never met before. I feel a swell of social confidence in this place, that is very unusual for me, and I don’t actually fear being rejected or mocked. I suspect it’s because everyone here is already so eccentric themselves that all of my quirks seem relatively run-of-the-mill. No such thing as normal in Budbury.
When we finally head back to the table, we’re both a little dishevelled. My wig is sliding to one side, and Aidan’s moustache has been lost completely.
Ollie and Sally are holding hands and have obviously done a lot of talking. Ollie nods at us and says he’s going to get some food. Aidan goes with him, presumably to give us a minute alone.
‘So,’ she says, leaning back in her chair and looking very happy. ‘Ollie and I are booking into a hotel for the night instead of going straight home. He’s seen the error of his ways and promised me a future of romantic city breaks, dinners out and flowers every Friday. Or at least, he’s promised to actually talk to me and limit his time listening to podcasts. Thanks for the hospitality, but I think I’ll be getting out of your hair. You can have your bathroom back and stop pretending that the deep breathing is a yoga technique rather than you trying not to murder me…’
‘How ever could you think such a thing?’ I reply, feigning shock. ‘But what about your stuff at my place? Your clothes?’
‘Stuff my stuff! I’ve got my purse and my phone with me. The rest isn’t essential. As for clothes, I don’t really expect to be wearing any for a while…’
She lets out a little laugh, and it makes her look twenty years younger. I get the feeling that she and Ollie will be just fine.The gesture felt big and dramatic, but that’s the way Sally is. As she constantly reminds me, I know nothing about marriage, but evenIget that there are going to be ups and downs. Hopefully these two will now be entering a long-lasting ‘up’.
We stand and she gives me a huge hug. ‘Think about what I said, Sarah. Aidan makes you happy. You light up when you’re around him. Don’t turn your back on that because you’re overthinking it. I know you. You’ll have used everything as an excuse not to let him in, the age gap, your history, even his sheer unbelievable hotness… but come on, woman! Give it a chance!’
I nod and tell her I will. She makes the rounds of the room, saying goodbye to her new friends, and disappears into the night with Ollie. I immediately feel both relief and sadness. Aidan appears by my side as I watch them go.
‘Will you miss her?’ he asks.
